7 Actionable Steps to Increase Organic Traffic to Your Blog

7 Actionable Steps to Increase Organic Traffic to Your Blog

Why Organic Traffic Matters

Getting "organic traffic" from search engines is hard, but buying traffic is easy. However, organic search traffic is the best kind of traffic because it brings highly targeted visitors to your site for free.

At ShoutMeLoud, we've received over 8 million clicks from Google searches alone in the past 16 months - that's over 500,000 clicks per month! This level of consistent organic traffic didn't happen by accident. By implementing the right SEO strategies, you can drive significant organic traffic growth for your own site.

Organic traffic converts at higher rates into customers and generates more revenue from ads and affiliate links. Visitors from search engines have intent - they want what you're offering. These visitors also tend to have a lower bounce rate and spend more time on your pages.

In this guide, I will explain 7 proven steps to increase your site's organic search traffic in 2023 and beyond.

1. Optimize On-Page SEO

The first step is optimizing your on-page SEO so search engines can easily crawl, index, and understand your content.

Ensure Site Indexability

• Use an SEO-friendly CMS like WordPress
• Implement proper robots.txt and sitemap.xml files
• Resolve any crawling errors in Search Console

Optimize Page Elements

Focus on optimizing:

Titles

• Place primary keyword at the beginning
• 50-60 characters long

Meta descriptions

• 160 characters
• Incite click-throughs

URLs

• Use keywords but avoid over-optimization
• Short, clean, hyphenated

Image alt text

• Accurately describe images
• Include target keyword

Internal links

• Link to related content with anchors
• Drive link equity to key pages

Headings tags

• Proper heading hierarchy
• Include keywords

Check out this complete WordPress SEO guide for step-by-step instructions. Getting on-page SEO right is the foundation for ranking well organically.

2. Create SEO-Optimized Content

The best way to drive organic traffic is through content marketing. By creating content optimized for SEO around keyword phrases people are searching for, you attract visitors from search engines.

Choose Seed Keywords

Conduct thorough keyword research to find low competition keywords that align with your niche and business goals. Identify 3-5 "seed" keywords to optimize each piece of content for.

Learn how to perform effective keyword research.

Craft SEO-Friendly Content

Incorporate seed keywords naturally throughout your content. Follow best practices like:

• Writing longform, pillar content
• Including related keywords
• Using rich media
• Structuring content with headings
• Linking out to authority domains
• Promoting engagement

See examples of SEO-optimized content.

Promote Your Content

Get more eyes on your content by:

• Optimizing social sharing meta data
• Reaching out to influencers
• Promoting on social channels
• Building backlinks (see next section)

This top-of-funnel content will attract organic visitors from search, earning you brand awareness, backlinks, referral traffic, and subscribers.

3. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Earning backlinks from reputable sites signals trust and authority to search engines. But not all links are equal in Google's eyes.

Low-quality links from spammy networks can actually hurt your site. The focus should be on acquiring backlinks from high authority sites related to your niche.

Find Link Building Opportunities

• Identify websites in your space with high domain authority
• Search for broken links on those sites to replace with your content
• Guest post on niche blogs with existing user bases
• Participate actively in online communities

Earn Links Naturally

• Produce genuinely useful, engaging content
• Promote your content so others link to it
• Build relationships with influencers in your industry
• Become a thought leader

Google cares about links that occur organically, not manipulative tactics. So focus on creating link-worthy assets.

4. Post Consistent, High-Quality Content

Search engines favor websites with regular content publication and activity. Sites updated frequently get crawled more often.

Maintain Publishing Cadence

Post new blog content 1-2X per week. This signals to Google your site has fresh information worth sending users to.

Plan Content in Advance

Use an editorial calendar to map out blog posts, videos, and other content assets for the next 3-6 months.

Identify topics, headlines, publishing dates, and promoted platforms. Scheduling content production will help you adherence to a consistent publishing schedule.

Create High-Quality Assets

Each piece of content should be:

👉 Optimized for a keyword phrase
👉 Thoroughly researched
👉 At least 2,000 words 👉 Visitor-focused

Churning out low-quality blog spam does not work anymore. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert with excellent content.

5. Convert Organic Traffic into Subscribers

The visitors arriving from organic search are highly targeted potential customers for your business. Leverage this inbound traffic to build your email subscriber list.

Offer a Lead Magnet

Entice visitors to subscribe by offering a compelling lead magnet - usually a free downloadable resource - in exchange for their email address. Characteristics of an effective lead magnet:

✅ High perceived value
✅ Low barrier to access
✅ Requires email sign-up

Place Subscription Boxes Prominently

Once you've created a solid lead magnet, place email subscription boxes:

• Above the site's page fold
• Beside blog post content
• In the footer
• On confirmation pages

Make it easy for visitors who like your content to subscribe for more!

Send High-Quality Emails

You’ve captured their interest with great content - keep subscribers engaged by continuing helpful, relevant emails. Share:

📰 New blog posts
🔬 Industry insights
🎁 Promotions & deals

This helps establish ongoing relationships and repeat traffic.

6. Get More Eyeballs via Social Media

Promoting your content across social media platforms helps it reach wider audiences - driving more visitors from networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Make Content Shareable

Include social media share buttons on blog posts and other pages so readers can easily share with just one click.

Distribute to Relevant Accounts

Identify popular social media accounts, hashtags, and communities related to your niche. Share content proactively with these groups to maximize reach.

Run Paid Social Ads

Consider running paid social media ads to get content in front of hyper-targeted audiences. The exposure can earn clicks directly while boosting organic search visibility long-term.

Spreading your posts far and wide on social networks generates more visitors, leads, and organic search engine visibility over time.

7. Stick to White Hat SEO Tactics

It can be tempting to take shortcuts to try ranking faster - like buying links or keyword stuffing.

But techniques that violate search engine guidelines are extremely risky long-term. You may suffer manual penalties, brand reputation damage, or even get banned entirely.

Always Follow Ethical SEO Practices

Stick to "white hat SEO" best practices aligned with search engine recommendations:

✅ Optimizing for users first
✅ Creating high-quality content
✅ Building links naturally

✅ Providing value and building trust

While slower, legitimate SEO gains are far more sustainable. Avoid the lure of black hat techniques no matter what.

Conclusion

Driving consistent organic traffic results from executing well across multiple disciplines - on-page SEO, content creation, backlink building, and more.

But by taking it step-by-step and sticking to white hat tactics, your site traffic growth can build tremendous momentum over time.

Within 6-12 months, you may join the ranks of sites earning 500K+ visitors per month organically like ShoutMeLoud!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions on increasing organic search traffic. And don't forget to share this post if you found it helpful!