Traffic is one of the vital needs of every blog, and every blogger works on increasing it. In this post we will discuss how to increase referral traffic on your blog. Referral traffic is one of the main constituents of blog traffic and has its own importance: it significantly helps in growing your overall numbers. In this article we will get to know more about referral traffic, along with some great tips to improve your blog traffic using referring websites.
What is referral traffic?
Referral traffic is the amount of page views you get from visitors who are directed to your blog from external websites/domains. Those websites are known as referring websites, and the URLs containing your link are known as referring URLs. You can check the referring websites and URLs report in your blog statistics dashboard.
How to increase referral traffic
Social networks
Social networks like Facebook and micro-blogging websites like Twitter can prove to be a great source of referral traffic. You can use a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account to connect with your online readers. Make it a habit to update your social profiles with the links of your latest articles and posts. It will not only give your fans/followers instant updates about your blog but also redirect those visitors to your blog.
Blog commenting
Blog commenting is another way to increase your referral traffic — but use this method wisely and try not to spam other blogs. First of all, find some quality blogs in your niche and start commenting on them. Write meaningful comments without any hyperlinks, and use your account profile to post comments so other users can find you and visit your blog. After becoming a regular and loyal reader through commenting, you can occasionally link your best and closely related blog posts in comments. It will direct a targeted audience to your blog.
Guest posts
We all know what guest posts are, so let's focus on how they can bring you a good amount of referral traffic. Start by finding some good blogs in your niche. Use blog commenting and social networks to become a familiar reader of those blogs, then ask them to feature your guest post. You should write a quality blog post for guest posting. It will not only get you exposure and targeted referral traffic but also quality backlinks.
Forums
Forums can also prove handy in collecting targeted traffic for your blog. Search for forums with topics similar to your blog niche. Read the complete terms and conditions before posting, otherwise you could end up going against their rules. Always post valuable replies and connect with other people. You can carry your blog URL in your signature so that other people get to know about your blog. If your suggestions and replies help others, they will surely visit your blog. You can also use question-and-answer websites for this purpose.
Blog directories
Blog submission directories can also be a great source of referral traffic, and you can earn some quality backlinks from them as well. Look for reputable blog submission directories and submit your blog with your RSS feed, so the directories update your profile every time you publish. You can also connect with other bloggers on such directories and invite them to visit your blog by engaging in conversation with them.
By following the tips mentioned above you can significantly increase your referral traffic. These methods will help you grow your blog traffic and also earn some quality links back from referring websites. You can check out our Blogger tips and tricks section for more articles about blogging and SEO.