My Blog Traffic has TANKED! What Can I Do?

If you’ve been a blogger for more than three seconds, you have probably heard about how current events and algorithm changes are constantly affecting blog traffic.

Because it’s true: there are soo many things outside of our control that affect our blog traffic.

And if your blog traffic drops suddenly (like after a Google update), you might be panicking a little… or a lot!

Well, with this article, my goal is to put your mind at ease!

I’m going to help you:

– understand how to analyze your blog traffic
– figure out why blog traffic drops
– create a strategy to continue growing your audience and income during the rough patches

Let’s gooooooooooooo!

via GIPHY

This article is a no-fluff and no-nonsense list of practical things you can do when your traffic drops because of current events or algorithm changes,

 Be sure to pin this post for later!

{{ Our blog posts contain affiliate links. Full disclosure here. }}

First, let’s talk about analyzing traffic: how much traffic we are getting and where it’s coming from.

The best place to check traffic is Google Analytics.

Hopefully you already have this set up and tracking the traffic that visits your site. You can check your analytics by logging into your Google Analytics account here.

On the homepage, you’ll see active users, monthly views, top-performing articles, etc. A basic snapshot of your traffic over the last week or month (you can adjust the window of time).

If you hit the ‘Reports’ button on the left side, then go to Acquisition, then Traffic Acquisition, you’ll see where your traffic is coming from.

You’ll see a chart with ups and downs – this is normal. And you’ll see a few different places that traffic is coming from: organic, direct, referral, email, etc…

Check your analytics regularly so that you can spot trends.

I personally take a screenshot of my stats once each month and jot down the monthly views just for reference.

Okay, so now we know where to check our traffic and how to see when it’s growing or dropping.

How do we figure out WHY our traffic is dropping?

WHY YOUR BLOG TRAFFIC DROPS AND HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT

Our blog traffic might be dropping for a number of reasons.

A viral article or viral pin stops gaining traction. Our site gets hit by an algorithm change. Our seasonal content isn’t getting attention right now. A technical glitch has occurred…

If it’s a technical glitch or a hard algorithm hit, you’ll know it, because the traffic drop will be significant and instant.

If it’s a seasonal drop, the traffic chart will have ups and downs throughout each month and year.

We’re going to go through the practical things you can do to sort out technical glitches and to keep growing your business even if your website traffic isn’t looking for hot right now.

11 PRACTICAL THINGS FOR BLOGGERS TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW

 

Many bloggers are taking a hit to their blogging traffic right now.

If you are confident that it’s not a technical glitch (or you have repaired any technical glitches), there are a few other things we can focus on.

But sometimes, we just have to ride the wave, and DIVERSIFY!

Here are 11 practical things you can do when your blog traffic drops.

 

1. WORK OUT TECHNICAL GLITCHES AND KINKS

Does your site have a lot of broken links, error pages, speed issues, server issues?

Even if your traffic isn’t down today, you need to make sure your website is healthy, functional, user friendly.

If you don’t have the skill to manage technical issues and audits on your own, you can hire a professional to help you keep your site healthy.

I use iMark and they have a monthly service plan, quick audits, and more!

Having site support is great but it’s also important to learn how to work out little tech issues on your own. YouTube is great for helpful tutorials!

2. OPTIMIZE OLD BLOG POSTS

 
A lot of bloggers (myself included) have a lot of old blog posts that don’t get much traction.

In fact, they say that about 90% of our blog traffic usually comes from about 10% of our blog posts.

Sometimes, this is because those popular posts serve our audience the best. And sometimes, this is because a lot of our older posts are not highly targeted and highly optimized.

We may not be able to control the fact that some people are spending less time on our blogs right now, but we definitely can control the quality of content that we share with the people who DO visit our blogs.

So, take some time this week and dig into a few of your older blog posts.

Some tips:

 -Break up the paragraphs so they’re easier to read
-Increase your font size so mobile readers don’t have to strain their eyes
-Use more subheadings and bullet points to break up sections and main points
-Improve your blog post optimization using on-page SEO techniques
-Make sure your blog post and overall message is useful to your readers
-End each blog post with a call-to-action

 One of the most practical things you can do for your blog right now is to improve the content that you already have!

3. ENGAGE AND NETWORK WITH BLOGGERS

Even though a lot of folks are dealing with blog traffic drops because of algorithm changes or world events, guess who is NOT going to stop reading blog posts, browsing on Pinterest, and learning about marketing?

BLOGGERS.

We live and breathe blogging, networking, marketing, and all things social media.

Even if life’s challenges slow us down or change our focus a little bit, we’re still going to be online. We’re still going to be blogging and supporting fellow bloggers.

So, if you need blogging support, lean into your blogging community!

We’re here to cheer you on, offer support, and read your blog posts. You can join my free blogging group here for support, community, and all the pro blog tips you can handle.

Go to a networking event.
Join a mastermind.
Join an accountability group.

Pro tip:

Find a few high quality Facebook blogging groups and engage with the members there. Find ways to answer questions and be helpful. You will grow your circle and probably learn a thing or two!

4. CREATE FRESH PINS FOR PINTEREST.

 

By now, most of us are down with the fact that Pinterest wants to see fresh pins from content creators on a regular basis.

During the times where blog traffic is down, focus on what you CAN control, which is your own creation.

Create more fresh pins for your blog posts, landing pages, products, or services.

I use and love Canva (which is free) for pin creation. They have beautiful templates you can use, just select one you like and adjust the text and/or images to your liking.

Take a little time each day to create several new pin images. And make sure you brush up on these tips for driving traffic to your blog with Pinterest too.

I personally try to pin a few fresh pins to Pinterest every day.

Reminder: fresh pins are pin images that have never been seen on the Pinterest platform before.

Just think… if you can batch your work and create 14 fresh pins today, then you’ll have TWO fresh new pins to publish on Pinterest every day this week!

5. LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

As bloggers, we need to be constantly growing and learning new things, to keep up with changes and stay ahead of the game.

WARNING: TOUGH LOVE COMING YOUR WAY IN 3… 2… 1…

Don’t waste another moment wallowing in self-pity because of a drop in blog traffic.

It’s tempting, sure, but it doesn’t do you or your blog any good.

Instead, take this time to improve yourself, personally or professionally.

Learn something new about blogging, or business, or marketing, or personal development.

There is plenty of free and super affordable information out there to get you started (blogs, books, courses, YouTube tutorials).

The resources are endless.

 If you need to work on optimizing your blog content for search engines, now is the time.

Need to work on your organization or consistency or mindset, now is the time.

Want to learn how to maximize your blogging income (even in the face of trying times), you can do that too!

Take a little time every single day to focus on GROWTH, both personal growth and professional growth.

6. RESEARCH NEW AFFILIATE PROGRAMS TO JOIN

We talked about riding this wave and focusing on what we can control, right?

Eventually, the wave comes to an end, and we need to have a solid foundation and a clear focus so that we can keep moving forward.

So, even if blog traffic drops during a turbulent season, we still need to look ahead and think about how we can better serve our audience tomorrow … and the next day and the next day.

One of the best ways to make money blogging is through affiliate marketing. And I highly recommend taking a little time to research potential affiliate programs that you can join and promote.

You can find hundreds of free affiliate programs in this series on my blog.

Even if you aren’t actively promoting affiliate products right now, you can still join new programs and start brainstorming or creating content around those programs!

Couple of (FREE) affiliate networks that you definitely need to join:

• Cactus Media
• Share-a-Sale
• Flexoffers

7. START THAT EMAIL LIST

Your email list is going to be one of your most valuable assets in your blogging career.

It is your direct line of communication with your warm audience, and it’s something that no one else can take away from you.

You can speak to your people whenever you want, share helpful things, get feedback, promote products, and more.

If you haven’t started an email list yet, now is a good time.

You can start your email list for free with Mailerlite. It’s free for your first 1,000 email subscribers, but if you use that link above, you’ll get $20 off your first payment when it’s time to upgrade!

Convertkit also has a free plan for beginner. Both good options, just flip a coin and pick one!

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 To grow your email list effectively, you’ll need to do a few things:

-Know who your target email subscriber is and what they want from you (so that you can deliver this to them via email).
-Create a subscription box through Mailerlite or Convertkit and place it on your blog so that people can join your list.
-Create a great freebie that you can give to your loyal email subscribers.
-Create at least one automated email to welcome new email subscribers.

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Although there are quite a few steps to this whole process, it’s definitely worth it!

Don’t sit around fussing about traffic dips.

Take a little time to research email marketing, brainstorm some potential content ideas for your emails, and setup an email marketing service like Mailerlite.

8. CREATE HELPFUL EVERGREEN POSTS

There is nothing quite as valuable as value-packed evergreen blog content.

Although it is also reasonable to capitalize on seasonal content and current events, it is ALWAYS a good idea to capitalize on the value that evergreen content provides for your audience.

Seasonal content is the stuff that is only relevant at very specific times (holiday blog posts, for example).

Evergreen content is the stuff that is relevant at any time. Your readers can enjoy or benefit from it whenever they read it, regardless of the season or current events.

Bonus points if you can find a way to tastefully create content that is relevant now AND in the future!

9. CREATE A HELPFUL PRODUCT OR SERVICE

For anyone that has been on the fence about creating their own product or service, I’m giving you permission to hop off that fence right now and get to work on your idea!

 There is no time like the present.

 If you know WHO your target audience is and WHAT they need from you, then you can definitely come up with an idea for a product or service that you can offer.

 And it doesn’t have to be anything massive either.

 I have friends that sell simple planners, short and sweet e-books, affordable membership services, t-shirts, courses, freelance services, and more!

All you really need is a potential audience with a problem that you can solve, and the ability to formulate something valuable to offer them.

You can create a beautiful digital product in Canva and sell it on Sendowl (the whole process will cost just a few bucks a month)!

 So, stop stressing about blog traffic drops and start thinking about what kind of value you can provide to your audience, even if that audience is small right now.

10. GO LIVE (SHOW YOUR FACE)

This is a good time to GO LIVE on social media.

When you ‘Go Live’, people that follow you get a notification that you are now live, motivating them to click over and see what you have to say.

More eyes on you and your biz, babyyyyyyyy!

I know it’s not easy or comfortable for most of us.

But when does greatness or growth ever come from your comfort zone?

It just doesn’t!

Try to think of one or two valuable tips or a story you can share with your target audience, and then either GO LIVE on social media or record a video (live is best if you can swing it).

-Go live on IG or FB
-Do a reel or TikTok video
-Make a Youtube tutorial

Content is KING and VIDEO CONTENT is where the focus is right now.

If you’re feeling like your audience is small and no one is listening, GREAT!

That’s the perfect time to go live and start practicing getting comfortable on camera: when you don’t have a ton of eyes on you yet.

In the early days of your video content, the few people that are listening REALLY want to hear what you have to say. And the rest of the world isn’t really paying attention, so their opinion doesn’t matter anyway.

11. CHECK YOUR MOBILE SITE

Last, but certainly not least, be sure to check your website on a mobile device and make sure that it is user friendly (mobile responsive).

If your website is difficult to navigate… if people are bombarded with pop-ups the moment they land on your page… if your font is too small or your blog posts are just overrun with an excessive amount of ads, your traffic is going to suffer more than others.

Because NOBODY can stand reading a blog post that isn’t mobile friendly.

Remember, focus on what YOU can control. And you absolutely can control the mobile friendliness on your site.

Start with a mobile-friendly website theme, like Astra.

Then make sure you disable all website pop-ups from appearing on mobile, except for essential legal disclosures if necessary. Then work on your mobile site speed as much as possible.

 And if you need assistance with anything WordPress-related, then reach out to iMarkInteractive. They offer extremely affordable WordPress support, audits, and quick fixes to help your blog thrive.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I know that traffic dips can be disheartening and frustrating, but again, now is not the time to roll over and give up.

It is the time to toughen up, ride the wave, and come out the other side better and more competent than before!

It’s time to optimize the heck out of our blog content. And it’s time to make sure we have a solid foundation for our blog so that we can maximize our impact when people need what we offer. And it’s the time to DIVERSIFY!

 And there you have it…

Just a simple list of 11 practical things you can do when your blog traffic drops because of algorithm shifts and current events.

Because yes, traffic dips happen, but our sites usually bounce back if we focus on great content and building up our authority.

You can NEVER go wrong with cleaning up old content and creating new highly optimized content, so if you’re lost and need a jump start, that’s what I would suggest.

Hang in there, bloggers!

I’m in your corner and I’ve got your back.