How to use blog posts to build website traffic

If we ever have the privilege to interact in person regarding the world of online business or platform development, it won't take long for you to get me on the conversation of blogging.  It's a subject that I care about and find highly valuable when it comes to establishing some of the building blocks of an online platform.

In fact, just the other day, I listened to the testimony of another online entrepreneur who shared about the gradual progression of his online business.  One of the things he mentioned was the fact that while his platform grew gradually, it also grew steadily, and the primary driver of his growth was his blog.  From a revenue standpoint, his business income more than tripled in his third year of operating his online business, and he attributes most of that growth to the blog.

There are millions of websites attempting to build consistent online traffic, and at present, I'm seeing all kinds of methods being used to keep that traffic coming, but there have been few things with as much impact on my traffic and lasting benefit for my overall platform as blog posts. When crafted strategically, they can have a significant impact on driving traffic to your website.

Why Blog Posts Matter for Website Traffic

Blogging is more than just sharing thoughts and updates; it’s a marketing tool that bridges the gap between your website and your target audience. Let me suggest a few reasons why this works so well when attempting to drive traffic to your site.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines like Google prioritize fresh, relevant, and high-quality content. Regularly updating your website with blog posts gives search engines more material to index, increasing your chances of appearing in search results. By targeting specific keywords and answering questions your audience is searching for, you can significantly boost your website’s visibility.
2. Establishing Authority and Credibility: Writing well-researched, insightful blog posts demonstrates expertise in your field. When visitors find value in your content, they are more likely to trust your brand, share your articles, and return for more information—all of which contribute to increased traffic.
3. Engaging Your Audience: Blog posts allow you to connect with your audience in a meaningful way. By addressing their pain points, interests, and questions, you create a relationship that encourages repeat visits and referrals.
4. Supporting Social Media Strategies: Blogs provide content that can be repurposed and shared across social media platforms. Each post becomes an opportunity to drive traffic back to your website, especially when paired with compelling visuals and curiosity-inducing headlines.
5. Enhancing Backlink Opportunities: High-quality blog posts are more likely to be linked to by other websites, creating valuable backlinks. These not only drive referral traffic but also improve your domain authority, which positively impacts SEO.

The Benefits of Blog-Driven Traffic

Investing in blog content can yield numerous benefits beyond just increasing website visits. Here are some key advantages:

• Higher Conversion Rates: Visitors arriving through informative blog posts are often more engaged and informed. This means they’re more likely to convert into customers, subscribers, or leads.
• Improved Brand Awareness: Consistent blogging increases your online presence, ensuring that more people encounter your brand over time.
• Sustained Traffic Growth: Unlike paid advertisements, which stop driving traffic once the budget runs out, blog posts can continue to attract visitors for months or even years after publication.  Some of my best-performing blog posts were written years ago, yet they keep sending people to my site like clockwork.
• Community Building: A regularly updated blog can foster a loyal community of readers who actively engage with your content, share it with others, and become advocates for your brand.

How to Optimize Blog Posts for Maximum Traffic

Not all blog posts are created equal. To fully leverage blogging as a traffic-building tool, you need to be strategic. Here are some best practices to follow:

1.  Understand Your Audience: Know who your target readers are, what problems they face, and what type of content resonates with them. Use analytics tools, surveys, and feedback to refine your understanding.
2.  Perform Keyword Research: Identify keywords and phrases your audience is searching for. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can help you find relevant terms with good search volume and manageable competition.
3.  Create High-Quality Content: Ensure that your blog posts are well-written, informative, and engaging. Use a mix of text, visuals, and multimedia to keep readers interested. Break up content with headings, bullet points, and images to enhance readability.
4.  Focus on Evergreen Content: While timely posts can generate short-term spikes in traffic, evergreen content that remains relevant over time offers sustained value and traffic.
5.  Incorporate SEO Best Practices:
•  Use your target keyword naturally in the title, headings, meta description, and throughout the content.
•  Optimize images with descriptive alt text.
•  Include internal links to other relevant pages on your website.
•  Use external links to authoritative sources to enhance credibility.

My Personal Case Study

Not long ago, I started a brand new site to help me share some of the faith-based content I'm creating.  The site can be found at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com, and I recently decided to do a deep dive into the analytics.

When I first started the site, it didn't receive much traffic (nor did I automatically expect it to).  I knew I would have to do some work to build out the content and share it around.  At present, I'm pleased with the growth.  It's consistently receiving several thousand visitors daily, and that number is growing quickly.

According to the analytics, here's where that traffic is coming from...

6.51% of the traffic is coming directly from visits to the home page.

12.61% of the traffic is coming from visitors to the blog's landing page.

72.52% of the traffic is coming from people who are discovering individual blog posts through search engines, backlinks, and other referrals.

That means a full 85% of the traffic I'm receiving is coming directly through the blog.  I aim to add one new article to that blog each week, and that effort is clearly worth my time.  Without the blog, that site would see nowhere near the kind of growth it's been seeing.

The Long-Term Impact of Blogging

Blogging is not a quick fix but a long-term strategy. While it may take time to see substantial results, the benefits compound over time. Each post you publish adds to your library of content, increasing your website’s chances of being discovered by new audiences. Over time, this steady growth in traffic can lead to significant gains in brand visibility, customer engagement, and revenue.

If your sites are anything like mine, your blog may quickly become the main driver of your overall traffic.