24 Ways To Get Free Blog Traffic in 2024
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Do you want to get more traffic to your blog? Because I am sharing 24 ways you can get free blog traffic this year!
Every blog needs traffic to survive, after all. Blog traffic is pretty much essential to making any money.
If no one is visiting your blog, who the heck is going to buy your products, click on your affiliate links, ads, or pitch collaboration projects with you?
As we enter the new year, the blogging industry continues to evolve, offering fresh avenues for creators to reach audiences without denting their wallets.
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Whether you’re a budding blogger setting the stage for your digital debut or a seasoned writer seeking new ways to expand your reach, understanding how to get traffic to your site is crucial.
That’s why in this article, I’m revealing a curated list of strategies I’ve personally used to drive traffic to my websites for free.
Sure, you could throw down a few thousand dollars a week on PPC ads. That would send a lot of traffic to your site quickly. The fastest way to get more traffic is to pay to advertise, it’s as simple as that.
I do like promoting pins on Pinterest. In my Pinterest course, I share my promoted pin campaign strategies and show you how to save money, in addition to using Pinterest as a way to get free blog traffic.
But not everyone wants to spend out on paid ads – especially if you are a newbie on a budget.
And – full disclosure, when I started HerPaperRoute, I grew it to a 6 figure company before I ever spent a dollar on advertising!
So I know firsthand that you CAN grow a blog without paying to play.
By not spending money on advertising, you are still paying. Not with money, but with your time.
How To Get Traffic To Your Blog For Free
If you want to generate free blog traffic, what should you do? Where should you focus your time?
Well, I’m going to share 24 things that I did to get free blog traffic. But, just know that doing it the ‘free’ way usually means you are also doing things the slow way.
From leveraging the latest social media platforms to revitalizing time-tested SEO techniques. These approaches are designed not only to attract visitors but to turn them into a loyal following.
If you have a limited budget, but ample time to dedicate to manual promotion tasks, this one’s for you!
But heads up – this is a long post, so I’ve created an ad-free PDF version of the post which you can download below:
1. Publish more often
Aim to publish new articles daily, or at least a few times a week. If you can publish regular quality blog posts, you’ll get noticed by Google!
For example, for years I used to only publish once a month on my blog, and my traffic was very stagnant. But look what happened once I started publishing daily:
It’s a major increase in clicks from Google search results! This really illustrates why it’s important to publish frequently.
Then in September 2023 Google did the HCU update, and that site lost a few rankings, for an approximate 10% loss in Google traffic from September – to November. Then in December, it bounced back with a boost from some seasonal content on the site.
As I am writing this in January 2024, the Google traffic for that site has stabilized but I am not taking any chances! I am actively implementing a lot more non-Google-focused traffic building efforts, which I’ll share with you now.
2. Master the art of search engine optimization
First, don’t give up on publishing new content on your site. It’s always worth it to have quality content on your website (even if you are going to be spending more time gaining traffic from social and other platforms).
Good SEO still matters! Use keywords, meta descriptions, and high-quality content to rank higher on search engine results pages. This free training shows you how to set your blog up with the foundations of good SEO.
3. Start A Youtube Channel
Start a Youtube channel related to your blog content. Use it to provide additional value and direct viewers to your blog.
When you publish a new video include links to your website in the description.
I share business and blogging tips on my Youtube channel here.
4. Host Giveaways
Host giveaways and contests that require participants to visit your blog and share your content. Giveaways also help your email list grow!
This giveaway tool is the one I’ve used and recommend.
5. Utilize Internal Linking
Internally linking your blog posts to other related blog posts on your domain is the easiest way to get free blog traffic!
Use internal links wisely to keep readers on your site longer and decrease bounce rates.
You can do this for free, but I like to use this plugin which makes it much easier and saves a lot of time.
6. Try a new platform
Search for common or popular platforms to promote your blog on such as:
- Snapchat
- Facebook Stories
- TikTok
- Start a Facebook Group
- Tailwind Communities
- Instagram Stories
- Quora
- Twitter (X)
You may be on some of these social channels but maybe you aren’t using them to their full advantage.
For instance, you may have a Facebook page, but have you toyed with Facebook stories or started a Facebook group?
7. Engage In Forums
Participate in forums and Q&A websites like Reddit and Quora. Provide valuable answers and subtly link back to your blog posts.
8. Collaborate with Influencers
Partner with influencers in your niche to promote your content.
9. Host Webinars and Online Workshops
Host free events on topics related to your blog and invite your audience to participate.
10. Participate In Facebook Groups In Your Niche
Build relationships with other bloggers in Facebook groups. They might share your content or mention your blog to their audience.
Do an audit of the Facebook Groups you are currently a member of. Give the peace sign to the ones that are no longer relevant or that you don’t participate in.
Go into all of them and read the rules again, read some threads and decide if staying in the group will benefit you promotionally and professionally.
Join our blogging community on Facebook here!
11. Update your lead magnets or Create new ones
Try re-designing your lead magnets now that you have been blogging for a bit and have better design skills. Maybe your brand colors have changed.
Update your lead magnets to match. Maybe they need to be revamped altogether for a better user experience.
12. Promote the updated and/or new lead magnets
Create new images of your lead magnets and upload them to social media.
13. Guest Post or Collaborate
Search for other bigger bloggers related to your niche that you can guest post for or collaborate with. Maybe your product or course will complement one of their products.
Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask. The successful blogger probably did the same thing and may continue to guest post to get their name in as many places as they can.
It’s a great way to get a backlink to your site.
14. Update your blog post titles
Do some keyword research and re-title your blog posts.
Once you’ve given your older blog posts a more keyword-relevant title, create a new image for Pinterest with the new title on the pin.
*IMPORTANT: Avoid changing the URL of a published blog post at all costs if you can. But if you have to change the URL, don’t forget to create a 301 redirect the new blog post URL.. If you don’t, your potential traffic will land on an error 404 page.
Anything that is linked with the original URL such as pins on Pinterest or shared links in FB Groups to your blog post is no longer clickable to your content once your change the URL unless you redirect the old URL to the new URL.
You should create a custom 404 page on your site, and include buttons with links to your homepage or wherever you want to send potential buyers so that you don’t miss out on any traffic or MONEY!
15. Update older blog posts
Keep your content fresh and relevant by regularly updating old posts. This can also give a boost to your SEO efforts.
- Go through all of your blog posts and update any out of date information
- Add any new relevant information to keep your content fresh
- Check links
- Add or change out lead magnets
- Interlink to other related posts on your site
- Add new images and pins
Enter your sitemap and have Google re-crawl your pages to update the new information.
Make your older blog posts over 1000 words. Shoot for 2000+. Google recognizes the in-depth content as deeply informative.
16. Create Viral Content
Try to create content with the potential to go viral – something unique, timely, and highly engaging.
17. Comment on blog posts
Leave thoughtful comments on other blogs. It’s a great way to build relationships and get your name recognized.
Head over to Pinterest, click on an article you find interesting, and leave a descriptive comment.
- While perusing blog posts on Pinterest, click through to read the article and leave a thoughtful comment.
- Make a list of bloggers you follow.
- Check their blog weekly to see if they released a new article so you can comment.
- Don’t just leave an emoji or a couple of words. Be expressive. Make it meaningful.
That blogger will take notice and perhaps you both can work out a collaboration where you can gain backlinks from that blogger to your blog. Maybe one of your products complements one of theirs. Pitch them your idea.
When you create an account with Disqus or Gravatar (or whatever else you may use to comment with) enter your blog name where you are asked to enter your given name.
Example: Chelsea @ HerPaperRoute.com
This way, if people are reading your comments, they may click your name and go to your blog.
18. Guest post
Do you follow an established blogger who has a large email list and following in your niche?
Start networking with them by following them on social media so you never miss their social posts. Comment on their posts and get chatty with them.
Once you have built up a rapport, email them to pitch your idea. Introduce yourself and give a brief background of what you do and how you came upon their blog. Read this post to learn how to land guest posts like a pro.
19. Create a roundup post
Make that list of bloggers you follow and create an interview question that you can ask all of them to answer.
Create a roundup blog post with all of their responses, linking back to their blog.
Email those bloggers when your post goes live so they can share it on their social accounts, in an email, or in one of their blog posts.
20. Post On Social Media
Spread the word on your Social platforms.
- Create an optimized image according to the dimensions of the platform.
- Upload it to your social handles
- Add the URL to your blog post
- Create a caption – Tell people what the post is about and a story to go with it.
- Post it!
Take promoting on social media one step further…
Upload and schedule future posts to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter using the social media automation tool that I use.
For Instagram, you can get a birds-eye view of how your Instagram feed will look before you schedule posts, when you use this tool.
Create, print, or use a wall calendar to plan out what type of content you will post each day of the month and to which social media platform.
21. Use Pinterest
Pinterest is a powerful source of free organic traffic. Pinterest acts as a visual search engine and can drive significant traffic.
Create 2 or more images for each blog post and post it to Pinterest using the native scheduler. (Pinterest does recognize Smarterqueue as an approved third-party scheduling tool along with Tailwind too).
Create 1000×1500 sized images for your blog posts and upload them to your most relevant Pinterest board.
By “most relevant Pinterest board” I mean the board that is titled with keywords that most closely relate to the title or topic of your blog post.
Add Alt Text to your new images. Develop a description of your blog post using keywords and add it to the Alt Text of your image. when the image is saved from your blog to Pinterest, the keyword description will be shared with the pin to Pinterest.
22. Post Shareable Content
Write content that’s useful, engaging, and shareable.
This can be motivating or niche-related quotes that encourage people to save and share it. As well as content where you ask your audience questions about their business, their story, etc.
You might want to create infographics, listicles, and guides.
23. Utilize Your Email Your List
Keep your community up to date. You gained subscribers for a reason…They like what you’re giving them.
They’ll most certainly jump right over to read your latest juicy how-to article that will help them in some way.
Instant traffic!
Learn all about list building here.
24 Ways To Get Free Blog Traffic – Conclusion
I’ll wrap up this list of savvy ways to get fee blog traffic here.
Imagine each tip as a dance move; some might take a few tries to get right, but once you do, you’ll be the life of the party! Like the time I accidentally published a post at 3 AM and discovered a whole new audience on the other side of the globe — sometimes the unexpected turns lead to the best results.
At the end of the day, the best blogs offer valuable information, teach, inspire, and entertain. Those are the sites that will keep people coming back.
In addition to these strategies for getting free blog traffic, know that there are numerous other ways to generate traffic too.
But for now, work through this list and check out my other blogging tutorials for more tips for growing a successful blogging business.
