400 Blog Posts Later – What Works and What Doesn’t

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400 Blog Posts Later – What is Working and What Is Not Working To Drive Traffic

Yes, it’s really been over 400 blog posts here at Inspire to Thrive. Can you believe it?  If I knew I would have written 400 posts I probably would have never started to blog. One of my earliest posts was about my garden. It’s a little ironic since I just revived my garden within the past few days. I could not keep up with gardening since beginning blogging until this past week – almost 3 years later. It felt good to be doing normal things again and yet still be blogging. Once you really get going with blogging you begin to learn what works and what doesn’t.

In this post I will share with you those 16 things that have worked well and what hasn’t worked so well over the past 3 years. Some of those that didn’t work well to drive traffic are great tools to save time. Some of these methods you may remember from older posts. Others are new methods I tried and shared with you along the way here to drive blog traffic.

16 Top Things That Worked Well to Drive Traffic to 400 Blog Posts

1. Google Search – Google still provides the most traffic to this blog. Even after the penalty and loss of pagerank. The traffic still comes here from Google via Search. It’s the top way to drive traffic to 400 blog posts. But I would not reply on it only. Always be sure you are using other methods to drive your traffic!
2. Twitter – It’s not a surprise that Twitter would be #2 as it’s my favorite social media website and I use it the most for this blog.
3. Bloglovin – This was a surprise to me! This is a website that shares your latest posts with other bloggers who follow you. I started to use this one when we thought the Google feedburner was going away. Feedburner still exists today.
4. Facebook – How can Facebook not be on this list, right? Facebook is the biggest social networking site out there today. I don’t use it as often for fear of flooding the users stream.
5. Other Bloggers – Yes, other bloggers! When you comment on other bloggers blogs and do guest posts it does increase the views to your own blog. The #1 blog that drives traffic to mine is Adrienne Smith’s blog. I do comment there regularly and have done a guest post there too. Adrienne is the queen of comments and interaction with her readers. How can anyone not love Adrienne and feel like they really know her? Another blog I receive traffic is from EnstineMuki who blogs on making money online. He has some great info if you haven’t visited there yet.
6. Triberr – I can’t imagine blogging without using Triberr. Triberr is a great way to reach other bloggers and share their stuff and for them to share yours too. If you haven’t signed up for this yet please do. You will notice a difference but not immediately. Give it time.
7. Feedly – This was another surprise. I don’t use it often but apparently other bloggers do use Feedly.  
8. Listly – I discovered this website a while back and really use to keep some of my favorite blog posts to go back to and re-read.  Listly really did drive traffic to 400 blog posts here at Inspire to Thrive.
9. Bing Search – Google is not the only game in town or on the earth. Bing also drives traffic. Have you set up your Bing webmaster tools yet? They are another great way to get insights about your blog or website too. Bing differs from Google’s webmaster tools.
10. Pinterest - Pinterest is another way to drive traffic to 400 blog posts or any amount of blog posts. They key is have some awesome images to share along the way. (One side note: This was one of the top ways to drive traffic to my old retail websites.)
11. Google+ - This one was a little disappointing. I did crank up my usage there until about June this year. I did not see a lot of results though coming in at #11 in ways to drive traffic to 400 blog posts is nothing to sneeze at either.
12. Paperblog – This website works well if you are featured on the front page of their blog sharing website.
13. Tumblr – This social network site takes time and patience. After some time it will begin to generate traffic as it did to my 400 blog posts.
14. RSS - Do be sure to feature your RSS widget on your blog so readers can follow anyway in which they choose. You can see mine on the top right hand side along the social media icons.
15. Alexa - This is one that surprised me too. I think it’s due to the fact that I used to have the Alexa button at bottom of this blog. I since removed it when I cleaned up my sidebar. Maybe something to re-think?
16. NewsMeBack - This social sharing website I used in the beginning days of blogging and since have not used. It certainly did drive traffic to the first hundreds of my 400 blog posts. Another one I may re-consider. Is anyone else using this one in their blog tool bag?

14 Things That Did Not Directly Drive Traffic to Blog Posts but May Have Been Great Tools

1. LinkedIn – I believe this one didn’t come up in the top 50 was due to the lack of use by me to share posts there. I may try to beef that up in the coming weeks. I’d love to see if it makes a difference in the next 400 blog posts.
2. StumbleUpon – This one may drive traffic but the bounce rate is very high. I’ve almost completely stopped using this social network a year or more so back. Why drive traffic when they immediately leave your site?
3. BizSugar – This one may not have show up as a traffic booster to the 400 blog posts but I did receive more comments and met more great bloggers via this blogging sharing website. I still use it almost weekly today.
4. Scoop.It – This website is quick to use and makes it easy to find new content and bloggers. I still use this one weekly but have not upgraded to the premium version. I still use the free version of Scoop.it today. I’d love to hear from someone who has upgraded to premium there.
5. BlogEngage – This one was great in the beginning to drive traffic but I slowly stopped using it due to lack of time. I still believe it’s a great website to network with other bloggers and find new content and readers along the way.
6. Digg – Another social network site that made so many changes I stopped using it along the way. I did not like that you had to be logged into Facebook to use them. Are you still using Digg today? 
7. Buffer – This is a tool that I could not be without to help share blog posts throughout several social media websites. I’ve used both the FREE and the Premium versions and I just love the Buffer app. It works well on mobile and is a great timesaver device! I could not have shared my 400 blog posts without this Buffer tool.
8. Hootsuite – I’ve used Hootsuite on and off through the years but prefer the Buffer. I think it’s really a matter of preference. Both are excellent tools and you really need to use at least one of them for your blog.
9. Klout - It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers out there and give them a boost along the way for some Klout. Of course the FREEBIES are great too!
10. #BlogChat – I love this Twitter Chat on Sunday nights at 9 pm when I can stay awake. I joined one last night and met some new bloggers and gained some new followers on Twitter. It’s fast and informational. I just love that speed.
11. Foursquare – This one I use mostly for fun and it’s no wonder it does not drive traffic to the website. But it’s a great way to network with other bloggers and get to know them a little more. Seeing the places they shop and eat at can give you more insights into them. Besides it can be fun and we all need to have fun along the way – right?
12. Instagram – This social network site too I mostly use for fun but want to learn how to have it work to promote the blog. I have been following others to learn how they are generating traffic to their 400 blog posts via Instagram.
13. JustRetweet – I use this one for my Inspire To Thrive Twitter handle. It’s a great way to get more retweets and mentions in the Twitter feed. I highly recommend JustRetweet to new Twitter handles as you work your way towards 400 blog posts.
14. Commun.it – This one I used more in the earlier years and not so much lately. It’s an interesting tool to see who are your top engaged followers or top engagers.

SO why keep doing the same thing over and over again if it is not working, right?

What have you found over the years that works best for your blog?

Have you tried all 16 of my top ways to drive traffic to 400 blog posts more or less?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net