Tips and ideas on how to get your blog out there

You hardly get any traffic, and you want to make your blog known?

Then it’s time to get the word out!

Because it’s not enough to write good blog posts to get your blog read, you have to actively promote your blog (at least initially) so that you get regular visitors.

In the following, you will find a number of tips and tricks on different channels and areas of your blog that will help you get more visitors and increase your reach.

1. Get to know your target audience

Maybe you are now thinking:

Huh? What does this have to do with the fact that I want to make my blog known?

And I tell you:

A lot.

Because only if you know exactly who you are addressing your blog articles can you write helpful articles that are often shared and reach many people.

My tips on this:

Think about the problems and goals your readers have. What are you afraid of? What do you want to achieve? What keeps you up at night? Make a list with at least 20 goals and 20 fears!
See which blog articles are shared, linked, and commented on the most on other blogs in your niche. From this, you can draw conclusions about which types of blog articles would be well received by your readers. A tool like BuzzSumo, which shows you the most shared articles on a topic or a specific website, is helpful for this.
Stick to question sites such as Quora or gutefrage.net, in forums, Facebook groups, and possibly also sub-Reddits on your topic, and pay attention to which questions are asked frequently by members of these groups or forums.
Do keyword research to find frequently asked questions and problems your readers have.
Ask your readers directly, e.g., in your newsletter, your own or someone else’s Facebook group or on your blog, which is your biggest challenge at the moment. And that regularly!
Get to know your readers personally. From time to time, invite a reader over for coffee or go to events in your niche.
Subscribe to the newsletters, Facebook pages, and other channels of blogs in your niche to not miss out on trends.

2. Search engine optimization

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO for short (English abbreviation for search engine optimization), is an excellent method to make your blog better known.

It usually takes a little longer to get good Google positions, but visitors through search engines are often more valuable than visitors through social networks.

You can also generate passive income through SEO. Many of Google’s ranking factors are based on good content quality and user experience, things that you as a blogger should pay attention to anyway.

My tips:

Do keyword research and optimize your blog articles for keywords searched for (the most important SEO measure of all).
Improve your loading time (preferably under 1.5 seconds!)
Switch your blog to HTTPS!
Link your blog articles internally with the keywords for which you want to rank (link blog articles to one another and, if appropriate, to your best articles from the sidebar, menu, or footer).
Use short and speaking permalinks (preferably without date and category).
Use descriptive filenames and alt texts for images (preferably with keywords).
Try to get backlinks for the blog articles you want to improve your Google ranking for
Log in to the Google Search Console and submit a sitemap to Google.
Use a good keyword tool that shows the exact search volume, e.g., the KWFinder.
Include rich snippets in your blog articles to increase the click rate in search results.
Use tables of contents for your blog articles.
Write long and holistic texts (taking note of point 13, longer is not always better).
Write texts that meet the search intent of your keywords 100%.
Structure your blog articles with subheadings (h2, h3, h4…)
Use tables, lists, photos, videos, or other elements to make your blog articles clearer.
Write meta titles and descriptions that contain keywords and invite you to click.
Optimize your content for other search engines (e.g., Bing)
Write evergreen content!
Eliminate 404 errors and dead outbound and internal links
Optimize your click depth (blog articles that you want to rank for should be accessible in under 3 clicks)
Create a favicon (will be displayed in the mobile search)
Use the FAQ markup for your blog articles (this will display small question toggles in the search results)

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is now one of the most important social networks.

There are between 2 and 3 million users. Especially in the creative sector, sharing your blog posts can pay off.

My tips:

Convert your account to a company profile (this gives you additional functions, such as Pinterest Analytics)
The easiest way to create images for Pinterest is with Canva.
Pin a lot (at least 5 pins per day)!
When pinning, tools like Tailwind or BoardBooster can help you enormously (but remember to log in manually and pin normally).
Link your Pinterest profile on your blog.
Include the hover button and the bookmark button on your website.
Use the Pinterest browser plug-in for easier and faster pinning.
Create at least 5 pinboards, each with at least 50 Pins.
Activate the showcase in your profile.
Enable rich pins for your blog.
Optimize your pins, boards, and profile with keywords.
Pinterest rates your pins higher than repins (new content is better).
Images that are longer than wide are best for pins.

4. Facebook groups

By posting your posts in Facebook groups, you can reach other bloggers who share or, if necessary, link them, and thereby gain new readers.

Online magazines looking for new content and cooperation partners are also represented in blogger groups.

There are now a lot of bloggers who use Facebook groups to promote their blog posts. Nevertheless, it can be worthwhile to regularly post the latest contributions there, especially since posting is very quick and does not cost anything.

My tips:

It’s best to share your posts on Monday, Thursday, or Sunday between 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. or 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. when most people are online (I still recommend testing other times and comparing the reactions).
Test which type of post is best received (picture with a link, link only, etc.).
Ensure that you are allowed to share your blog posts in the group (read group rules!).
You can reach even more readers by not only posting in blogger groups but especially in the groups in which your target group is.
Don’t post in too many groups at the same time, or you may get on your Facebook friends’ nerves. In addition, Facebook may no longer display your posts to as many people or, in extreme cases, even temporarily block your account.

5. Facebook advertising

Due to the abundance of content on Facebook, the Facebook algorithm very strongly selects which content is displayed to whom.

The result is that sometimes you don’t get as far as you would like with the organic reach.

This can be remedied by paid Facebook advertising, in the course of which you can get more fans or clicks on your blog.

My tips:

Set your budget high. As a rule, this results in a higher CTR (click-through rate) and thus a cheaper CPC (cost-per-click) or CPA (cost-per-action, e.g., per “like”)
Experiment with different ads, ad formats, and target groups!
Allow some budget to spend on testing (in the end, it’s cheaper to burn $ 100 on testing and find an ad that has a very low CPC instead of an ad with a high CTR that is in total runtime costs).
Never use the “Promote Post” feature. You’re only burning money by doing this. Believe me.

6. Facebook page

A dedicated Facebook page is a must for every blog to get better known and keep regular readers up to date.

Due to the fact that Facebook members like more and more in the course of their lives and follow more Facebook groups and pages, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve a high reach with your content.

My tips:

Try out which type of content (pictures, videos, blog posts) is best received by your fans.
Also, share posts from other blogs to draw their attention to you and to be shared yourself (keyword: reciprocity!)
Create a vanity URL for your Facebook page so that your readers can remember your page better.

7. Write guest articles

When you write a guest article, you benefit from the reach of another blogger or online magazine.

Under certain circumstances, you can get visitors to your blog for days, weeks, or even months with just one guest article. You will also get some fans, followers, or newsletter subscribers yourself. In addition, you will usually be linked in the guest post, which will help you with your Google ranking.

In return, the blog or online magazine on which you post the guest article receives free content. So win-win!

My tips:

Start with smaller blogs to get references and make a name for yourself as an author. Then use these references to get guest articles on larger blogs or online magazines.
If you write your guest article, promote your blog as little as possible (preferably only in the author profile). Instead, focus on adding as much value as possible to the host blog.
Share the guest articles you write for others on your channels too.

8. Offer guest articles

Not only by writing but also by offering guest articles, you can make your blog better known.

Because mostly your blog is also linked by the guest author or shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Co.

My tips:

The Blog Guest Authors Facebook group is a great way to search for guest authors for your blog.
Find guest authors who have a high reach themselves (guest authors are also happy to share their contribution in your channels).
Make sure that articles by guest authors fit your blog one hundred percent.

9. Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes may require a bit of investment for prizes, but they attract visitors.

They like to be liked, shared, and linked to help you make your blog better known.

My tips:

Try to get prices from manufacturers for free.
Register your competition on blogs or portals that present competitions
As a condition of participation, request action on the participants (e.g., that they follow you on a social media channel, register for the newsletter, leave a blog comment, etc.)
Use a product-related blog article as a competition page that you optimize for a specific keyword (the Google ranking for this article increases through possible links and sharing on social networks).

10. Forums and question portals

Even if classic internet forums or question portals are slowly becoming extinct in favor of social networks, they are still an excellent source of visitors.

If you post regularly in certain forums or question portals and achieve expert status there, you can also make your blog known.

My tips:

Find a niche forum (not a large general forum) that your target audience is on.
If possible, include a link to your blog in your signature.
Try to post regularly in the forum and write really helpful contributions.
Especially in the beginning, hold back on promoting your blog.

11. Blog Comments

By commenting on other blogs, you can also generate some traffic. But you shouldn’t expect too much from it because this mostly brings other bloggers to your blog. So you will hardly reach your target group.

However, blog comments can be a good way to encourage cooperation with other bloggers, e.g., guest articles to start.

My tips (comment nettiquette):

Use comments on other blogs to start collaborations with other bloggers and build friendships.
With each of your comments, focus on providing value for the reader and the author (e.g., through meaningful additions to the article).
Always show appreciation in your comments. No comment should be solely critical.
If you express criticism, always be factual and constructive.
Avoid short comments, make an effort and invest time in really good comments!
Read the article completely before commenting!
Comment backlinks do little to nothing for the Google ranking. Never comment for this reason!

12. Aggregators and Directories

Aggregators (i.e., websites that automatically collect content from other websites) and blog directories can also promote your content or blog.

Start your podcast and distribute it on podcast portals.
Make your photos available for free in image databases (such as pixelio).
Create infographics and share them on infographic portals and Pinterest.
Submit your news feed to RSS aggregators and directories.
Publish press releases (if you have the change, ideally on payment portals such as presseportal, and please do not enter the same press release in 150 portals!).
Submit your blog to Google News (but only if you also write news articles!).
Register in blog directories (e.g., blogging or trusted blogs ) and link lists (preferably relevant to the topic!).

13. Offline Marketing

Offline marketing can also be useful if you want to make your blog better known and get more followers!

My tips:

Attend blogger events or actively help shape an event (e.g., as a speaker)
Organize your blogger events (get-together, bar camp, conference, etc.)
Have a sticker printed with your logo for your laptop.
Order business cards (with a link to your blog and your social media channels).
Write guest articles or give interviews for print media.

14. Other tips

There are many more ways to get more visitors to your blog. Below are all the methods that don’t fit into the remaining categories.

My tips:

Do active content recycling (update an old blog article and post it again, possibly in a new format).
Take part in a blog parade or host one yourself.
Include your blog URL in your email signature.
Include a blogroll in your blog and link to other bloggers.
Publish sponsored posts on your blog (often shared by the promoted company).
Publish test reports on your blog and create a test seal, then write to the manufacturer of the product and make them aware of the test report and seal (the condition for using the seal is a link).
Write the types of blog articles that are well received and often shared (controversial articles, how-tos, studies, etc.).
Write interesting headlines that invite you to click.
Link and share other bloggers’ content (make sure to tag bloggers when sharing their articles on your social media channels).