How To Get Traffic When Everything You’ve Tried So Far Has Failed (and You Feel Like Giving Up)

How To Get Traffic When Everything Youve Tried so Far Has Failed And You Feel Like Giving Up

Sometimes, you can try everything and still fail.

At least, that’s how it seems, right?

No matter what you do, you don’t get any traffic.

Your optimised content is nowhere to be seen in Google results and, when you share links on social media, no one clicks them.

Most frustrating of all, you’re doing everything right, you’re following all that traffic advice those blog experts give you, but still nothing happens.

Without traffic your blog is going nowhere and you wonder if it’s worth keeping going, or if you should just throw in the towel now and quit.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

Meet Pam, this was her experience…

When she found me online and joined my email list, she sent me an email telling me about how she had relied too much on SEO (search engine optimisation) that resulted in little or no traffic for her.

And, when she shared links to her content or social media, no one clicked them.

She told me how she had written content for her blog every day (as an expert had told her to do) for getting on three months but had got few readers.

Feeling disappointed and frustrated with this lack of traffic, she was getting close to throwing in the towel and giving up when found me online, joined my email list and got in touch, asking if I could tell her why she wasn’t getting traffic and what she needed to do to make her blog successful, so she could build her business online.

I know how she felt because I’ve been through almost exactly the same experience. Now, however, Pam and other people like her are, not only reading my blog and sharing links to my posts, they’re getting in touch with me to ask me to show them how they too can do what I’m doing.

How have I done it? How have I gone from failure to success in getting traffic, growing my readers, subscribers and attracting potential clients? And, more importantly…

How can you do it too?

The Secret To Getting Traffic When Nothing Else Works

Before you start trying to get traffic, before you try using tactics like SEO, or sharing links on social media, or any other traffic generation tactics you may have read about or heard about, you need to get clear on one important factor…

What end result do you want out of having a blog?

This video below gives you a quick insight into why your end result will start you on your way to getting traffic:


What do you want your blog to do for you?

This question is fundamental. Yet seldom asked by anyone trying to get traffic, let alone building a business online.

But, if you don’t set time aside to really think about it and really ask yourself what you want out of having your blog, you’ll never succeed.

Because, until you know why you’re blogging, why you’re doing what you’re doing, taking the action you’re taking, writing content that you’re writing, you’ll only be floundering around in the dark, hoping to succeed and never doing so.

Having a clear reason for doing what you’re doing helps you get traffic because when you know what you want out of having your blog, you are then able to get clear about…

Who you want visiting your blog in the first place – reading your blog, joining your email list, buying your products and services…

What you want those visitors to do when they arrive – leave a comment, join your email list, book a consultation with you, buy one of your read books, whatever it is you want them to do, you need to be clear about it (and make it clear to everyone visiting your blog) …

Why you want those visitors; those people, coming to your blog in the first place – what do you want them to do – you need to be clear about what action you want them to take.

This Who, What and Why is really important to get clarity on because they help you choose the:

right kind of traffic you should be getting to come to your blog.

You may be tempted to say that the Who, What and Why are obvious.

But so often, they’re not.

Or, often you leave them out of your equation when you start blogging and trying to get traffic. And end up getting nowhere.

Unless you take time to really get to know what end result you want out of having your blog before you start trying to attract traffic, you will continue to fail, no matter what else you try to do.

This is true if you already have a blog and you’re struggling to get traffic.

So many times I’ve come across people (and I did this myself in the past) who think of having a blog because it’s a good idea, or that it’s going to help them build their business, or they want to leave their day job, and they just plough in to starting a blog, writing content for it, using the tired old tactics that don’t work like SEO, keyword research and sharing links on social media, when no one knows who you are and you’ve got no one of influence recommending you to their readers. And fail.

It’s so unfortunate and true.

Without first figuring out why you’re blogging in the first place – what end result you want your blog to bring you – you’re never going to get the results you want.

Your End Result Doesn’t Have To Be Fancy

It can be as simple as…

You want to create more potential clients for your interior design business, for example.

Or it can be that you want to create more buyers for your training on earning an income online as an Affiliate Marketer.

Or, if you’re a fiction writer, your end result might be that you want to create a fan base of 1000 readers who buy each one of your books each time they get published.

In fact, the more simple your end result is, the more likely you are to achieve it because it will make sense to you and won’t overwhelm you, or feel like “pie in the sky”.

Also, once you know what your end result for having a blog be is, you will have a clear plan for how you are going to achieve it. Because you can work backwards from that end result to where you are now and figure out:

What you need to do,

When you need to do it,

What you need to know,

When you need to know it,

Who you need to know (and start creating connections with).

Getting clear about your end result gives you so much clarity.

Things start falling into place as you start asking yourself what end result blogging is going to get you. It’s like a magic key that unlocks all the secrets behind the mysterious green door.

It wasn’t until I started asking myself this question that I discovered who I should be trying to attract to my blog. My answers helped me know who would be most likely to want to read what I wrote on my blog and most likely to want to buy my products and services.

Sure enough, they’re finding me online, coming to my blog, reading my posts, joining my email list, sharing my content on social media and … asking me to help them get traffic to their blog (and being prepared to pay for my answers that tailor to their individual end results.).

If you’re struggling to get traffic to your blog and everything you’ve tried so far has failed…

SEO isn’t sending you traffic…

No one’s clicking your links in social media…

And your publishing yet another blog post to little response…

And you feel like giving up…

Then taking the time to get clear about your end result is going to really pay off for you by (finally) getting you the traffic you want.

Finding Clarity Helps You Know What To Write About

Once Pam had got clear on her end result for her blog, she found that…

Not only did she know the right kind of traffic she wanted and that she needed to concentrate on getting back to her blog…

But that she could write content that was much more easily focused on what the people who were coming to her blog wanted to know.

She was also able to convert a higher number of people and turn them into buyers for her service.

This was because, not only did Pam have a clear idea what her blog’s purpose was, but also because the people coming to her blog could see as soon as they arrived, that she had the answers and solutions they were looking for.

Results Speak For Themselves…

For the time it takes you to get clear on the end results you want your blog, you’re going to see a tremendous return on investment.

That’s why I always recommend to you and to my other readers and clients that before they do anything to try to get traffic, or to get more targeted traffic, is to get clear about:

What end result you want out of having blog – what you want to get out of it.

And, just as importantly, how will you know when you’ve got it?

What will have had to happen for you to know that your blog is giving you what you wanted it to give you?

How To Get Started Finding Your End Result For Your Blog

Are you wondering how to come up with a strong, workable and achievable end result?

Would you like some focus for what’s the right end result for you and your business?

I’m offering you the chance to get on the phone with me, via Skpye, for a free 30 minute call with me. During this call we’ll talk about your blog and get you focussed on what you want to achieve. And what actions you need to take to achieve it.

I’m looking forward to talking with you. And let’s take the frustration out of getting traffic to your blog, once and for all.

What’s the alternative?

You keep on feeling frustrated with lack of traffic, no matter what you do and finally quit, never fulfilling your dreams for your blog. And keep on wondering what might have been.

Or, you take this opportunity to focus on your end result you want your blog and start seeing your dreams come true.

And remember, you can book your free 30-minute call with me via Skype, to help you get that focus.


52 Comments

  • Kevin J. Duncan

    Reply March 1, 2016

    Hey Tom,

    Love your accent in the video!

    Great thoughts. I call this idea “finding your why” and it’s so, so important for bloggers.

    Off to tweet this right now. Great work, Tom. (And keep those videos coming.)

    - @kevinjduncan

    • Tom

      Reply March 1, 2016

      Hi Kevin,

      Ha-Ha, thanks. Yes, I’m getting the hang of videos. But I think I’ll leave out the half painted door next time ;). “Finding your why”, yes, that’s a good term what this. It’s kind of seeing the “why” of what you’re doing from your side and your potential audience’s side though, don’t you think?

      Great to see you here my friend and hope to see you again soon. Appreciate the tweets.

      - Tom

    • Ryan Biddulph

      Reply March 2, 2016

      Hi Tom,

      Gotta side with Kevin, LOVE your accent! Beats the hell out of my NJ accent 😉 Seriously, picking a simple goal or intent makes life easier. I made things pop when I focused on 2 F’s; don’t worry, G-rated: Fun and Freedom. I feel like it’s Fun, and if it’s Freeing, I am in. Anything else, I am out.

      Ditto with Kev’s advice, churn out those videos buddy. Doing awesome my man.

      Ryan

      • Tom

        Reply March 3, 2016

        Ha-Ha, Hi Ryan, thanks. You know, I like the New Jersey accent. Fun and Freedom - who could ask for more and your blog sure rings with both.

        As for more videos, I’m practising, practising. You wouldn’t believe how much I had to edit even that short piece. However, seems to have been worth it as you all like it. So, onwards and upwards. You may just have let a monster out of the bag (on onto Youtube) :).

        Great to have you stop by as always, Ryan. Cheers!

        - Tom

  • Kim Willis

    Reply March 3, 2016

    Good post-Tom,

    Start with the end in mind - that’s the way to do it. Finding the why is very important. A lot of people are a bit confused about their blog’s purpose so your video will help, for sure.

    Keeping it simple is also good advice.

    Good to see you on video - have subscribed to your channel, and shared this post.

    Kim

    • Tom

      Reply March 3, 2016

      Hi Kim,

      Thanks. I’m getting used to be in front of the camera. I realise now how skilled the pros that do it are.

      Yes, knowing what end result you want out of your blog and knowing when and if you’re reaching it, is very important, especially as you start out and grow your blog. Keeping it simple is key.

      You’re right, a lot of people are confused, or they try to do too much and this makes visitors coming to their blog confused about what it’s about. Or why it’s relevant to them. Knowing what your end result is helps make your blog’s purpose crystal clear and attracts the audience and potential customers you want.

      Thanks Kim.

      - Tom

  • Don Purdum

    Reply March 3, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    The biggest challenge for many is that they don’t have a system or process to help them gain clarity or discover “what business they are ‘really’ in.”

    Then they get stuck and don’t have a way out. They only know what they know.

    I’m not going to post my questions here again and spam you guys with them… but I will say gaining clarity is a process and without one the majority are going to struggle.

    Getting traffic is only half the problem if there isn’t a clear, relevant and compelling message.

    Then there is complexity of attracting the “right” audience who is either able, willing and ready to buy or serves the same audience you do but in a different way whereby we connect, develop relationships and start networking.

    The questions you asked are great questions and thanks for your perspective.

    Traffic, I definitely want more traffic… more of the right traffic!!!!

    Have a great end to your week Tom!

    ~ Don Purdum

    • Tom

      Reply March 3, 2016

      Hi Don,

      You sum it up nicely in a nutshell: they get stuck. Absolutely, they get stuck because they don’t know how to proceed and so can’t move forward with their goals.

      You know, I didn’t realise how even some successful bloggers out there, who are getting lots of traffic, are not making money because they can’t get their audience to convert and buy - or even join their email. I didn’t realise this until recently. Just goes to show you, traffic isn’t what matters. It’s choosing the right kind of traffic full of people who want what you offer enough to pay for it.

      Thanks for dropping by to add to this topic, Don.

      - Tom

  • Sherman Smith

    Reply March 7, 2016

    Hey Tom,

    Going somewhere with no destination can be really frustrating. This is why it’s so important to figure out why you’re doing the things you do, but it in the case blogging.

    Being more detailed about what it is you’re trying to accomplish and why matters a whole it. Why? Because you can then figure out what strategies to use, tools and people to network with so you can fulfill your “why”.

    I really like your idea of starting with the end results and working backwards. It really makes a lot more sense in order to keep track of your progress.

    Thanks for sharing Tom and what a great short video! Have a great week!

    • Tom

      Reply March 8, 2016

      Hi Sherman,

      Good to see you again.

      You’re right, being more detailed about what you want to achieve gives people more focus - and more success.

      Glad to hear you like the working backwards idea. It really does work. And overcomes any problems with knowing what you want to do and how to do it.

      How did you overcome any frustrations by not knowing what you wanted to achieve with blogging? Can you share them with us?

      Thanks.

      - Tom

      • Sherman Smith

        Reply March 20, 2016

        Hey Tom,

        to overcome any frustration, I just stuck with why I got into internet marketing in the first place.

        I just find pleasure that there is a way to build a business without doing offline strategies which can be pricy to a degree. So stuck with doing all the trial and error, much patience, and focusing on specific bloggers like yourself to provide some hidden clues.

        It’s really about why you got involved in the first place and having the passion for the route that you take. Eventually the results you want starts to make it’s way back to you!

        • Tom

          Reply March 21, 2016

          Hi Sherman,

          Thanks for sharing your strategy for overcoming your frustration. You must have had a lot of patience. And I think it shows how much focussing on an end result that’s realistic and workable helps too as I highlight in the video).

          Also, what your answer highlights is the importance of sticking with it. Not giving up too soon and finding real advice from people who teach the facts, not the hype. Part of this, is taking time to make real connections with other bloggers. Do you agree?

          - Tom

  • Ben

    Reply March 8, 2016

    Hi Tom. That’s great advice. Figuring out who my actual target audience s and how I can best serve them is what I have been working on lately. Now that I know who they are, I can clean up my blog and make sure that my content is focused on them instead of scattered around think that I can help everyone. Thanks for the post.

    • Tom

      Reply March 8, 2016

      Hi Ben,

      Welcome, good to see you here.

      Sounds like you’re moving forward with this now you’re on track.

      How did you figure out who your target audience is? And in what ways are you cleaning up your blog to attract them? Go ahead and let us know in reply?

      Thanks.

      - Tom

      • Ben

        Reply March 8, 2016

        I figured out my target audience by reading Adrienne Smith’s latest blog post. (I think I arrived here through a comment you left there.) She was also talking about niches and target audiences. She mentioned that “blogging” was too big of a topic, and I realized that she’s right. There are probably an infinite number of reasons and goals that people could have for their blog, and the “right way” to blog will be different for many of them. I need to focus on the people who are blogging for the same reason that I am. Those are the people who reach out to me for help. By narrowing my focus I will be better able to reach them, as you said in your post. I have always felt that the static content on my website was rather sloppy and my direct rather unclear. Now that I know the direction, I can get it all in line.

        • Tom

          Reply March 8, 2016

          Hi Ben,

          Thanks for responding, it’s great to hear back from you and for sharing your experience.

          Yes, Adrienne is great isn’t she? Yes, narrowing down your niche is the best way to reach people who want what you have to give them.

          I always recommend you first take time to figure out what end result your readers are going to get out of what you give them.

          You’ll find this post useful too because it’ll give you steps to take to get to know what they’re really looking for:
          http://trafficsmartmarketing.com/still-struggling-to-find-your-niche-heres-why/

          Glad to have you as a reader, Ben. Thanks.

          - Tom

  • Donna Merrill

    Reply March 8, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    So great to see and hear you on the video. I have to say I too, like Ryan..love your accent! I have a Brooklyn NY accent myself lol.

    The key point you brought out is to know what you want to do first. That is epoch! We cannot blog in a hodge - podge just putting random stuff out there. We need some kind of plan so we can always be focused on our message that we want to give people.

    Always writing content that is pertinent to who we want to come to our blog takes focus and clarity. It is important that we, ourselves have that.

    I love the idea of keeping things simple. One clear message works so well.

    Great post my friend.

    -Donna

    • Tom

      Reply March 8, 2016

      Hi Donna,

      Thanks so much. Well, you know, making videos is still a work in progress for me but I think I’m getting the hang of it.

      You got it! Knowing clearly what you want to do is key. It also helps you engage your readers more and helps them get to their goals too.

      Great to see you here again, Donna. Thanks.

      - Tom
      PS., Thanks so much for sharing this post on your Facebook page. Appreciate the support.

  • Robin Khokhar

    Reply March 8, 2016

    Hi Tom,
    This is my first visit to your blog. I got here through Donna’s Google page. I like making connections with bloggers and bloggers like you are a treasure for me.
    Talking about this, you have stated some good points including the why and when we should. And some important things to being done a prior to before blog posting.
    Thanks for the Post will return soon to learn more tips like this.

    • Tom

      Reply March 8, 2016

      Hi Robin,

      Welcome, good to have you stop by. It’s good to hear you’ve found this post useful. That’s one of my main goals. Look forward to seeing you here again.

      Thanks.

      -Tom

  • Adrienne

    Reply March 9, 2016

    Hey Tom,

    SO many people are not clear on what they actually want from their blog and it looks like you and I both learned this lesson the hard way too. e had to go back to the drawing board, figure out what we wanted to accomplish with it and then figure out who our audience was and how to really attract them to us. It’s not an easy task but it’s the only one worth putting the time and effort into or we’ll all continue blogging for the pure enjoyment of it only.

    I also love your accent, really cool to listen to you my friend.

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us and I know that once people get with you and you help them get clear then they can be on that road to having some success. Not that everything is easy but it does make it easier when you’re much more clear.

    Great share and I’m off to do the same. Have a great week.

    ~Adrienne

    • Tom

      Reply March 9, 2016

      Hi Adrienne,

      Yes, I think our experiences as beginners has taught us the successful strategies we use and teach today.

      I’m so thankful that I discovered what a breakthrough finding out what my end result is before I tried growing another business online. It’s paying off so well.

      It’s why I teach it to my readers and clients.

      Ha-Ha! glad to hear you like my accent. I’m working on some more videos after all this kind feedback as spurred me on to do.

      Thanks so much for stopping by to add your thoughts.

      - Tom

    • Richard Seaton

      Reply March 17, 2016

      Hi Adrienne, that’s a great point you made there about going back to the drawing board after the first wobbly attempts. But it also got me thinking, isn’t that what all successful marketers are doing all the time? The marketplace changes far faster than we do, so we are constantly reworking our stuff in an attempt to ‘keep up’ as much we we can. Just a thought. kind regards Ric

      • Adrienne

        Reply March 17, 2016

        Hey Richard,

        I can only speak for myself but I wasn’t given all the right information when I started off. I was told that I needed to know who my audience was but when you’re pretty brand new, most of us “think” that our audience is everyone in general who is searching for what we blog about. It’s much deeper than that. Being broad when we started worked much better then today.

        As marketers we are always learning because things are always changing, absolutely. There are some things though that I believe will never waver. We just have to figure out exactly what that is. 😉

        Thanks Richard….

        ~Adrienne

        • Richard Seaton

          Reply March 18, 2016

          Thanks for the clarification, Adrienne. I guess as I continue to become more experienced with blogging, those things which are immutable about people and their motivations will become more obvious to me, and the ‘trends’ and ‘fashions’ will reveal themselves as exactly that. Blogging is a fascinating world and I’m so glad I’m in it

  • Mi Muba

    Reply March 9, 2016

    Hi Tom
    First of all I highly appreciate your generous offer of 30 minutes free call to people who want to build traffic on your blog with your guidance. This shows your passion to help your readers and this is the real difference between a blogger and a savvy seller.
    Not getting traffic despite sharing several posts and promoting them on social media is one of the biggest frustrations of many bloggers.
    I think without knowing the ultimate objective of starting and managing a blog one should not join this field.
    Many thanks for sharing this very thoughtful post.

    • Tom

      Reply March 9, 2016

      Hi Mi,

      Welcome!

      Yes, I’m all about getting people to the place where they can enjoy success online with their blog business. And working with them to find out what end result they’re looking for is part of the service I offer on the call and in my training and coaching.

      - Tom

  • Mitch Mitchell

    Reply March 9, 2016

    My turn! lol

    I would agree that having an idea of what you want your blog to do is a pretty big deal. However, deciding what you’re hoping to achieve with your blog is different for each person.

    I’m going to throw out an intriguing dichotomy; blogging is and isn’t about business. For some that’s all it’s about; fine for them. For others, it’s about developing yourself as a personality, which could lead indirectly to business.

    Being popular is underrated by a lot of folks these days yet it’s popularity that’s driving YouTube content creators these days more than being niched. It’s also what’s made both Vine & Snapchat popular. If one’s goal is only business on their blog but they have no personality, no matter how good the content is people are not only not going to stick around, but they’re not even going to finish reading what’s on the page.

    I like that you added the video; that’s a smart step, and in my mind is what helped to make this more of an intriguing post. Keep up this great stuff.

    • Tom

      Reply March 10, 2016

      Hi Mitch,

      Haha, glad to have you take it.

      You’re right, a blog is not a business, it’s a platform for a business. Just as the bricks and mortar of a shop is not a business just a platform. It’s the goods sold in the shop, plus everything else that helps sell them, that makes the business. Such as, the experience shoppers get, the quality, the popularity of the goods, the personality of the owner (and staff), the service…

      Just the same with to an extent with blogging. I have a favourite cafe I go to. It’s not the cheapest, it doesn’t have wi-fi but it just feels welcoming.

      People are drawn to bloggers and their business in the same way - they feel an affinity with the blogger, the message and the end result they’re being given.

      You need to find people who will feel this way about what you do that will make you successful.

      Interesting to hear you think people underrate popularity. I think it’s often overrated. Blogging and the Internet in general has its celebrities.

      I’ve heard of Vine and Snapchat but haven’t checked them out yet.

      Glad you think the video added to this post. I’m still getting the hang of video and I think it’s worth sticking with.

      What’s your experience of Youtube and those other social mediums you mention?

      - Tom

      • Mitch Mitchell

        Reply March 10, 2016

        Hey Tom,

        First, let’s look at the topic of popularity. While you might think it’s overrated I’d say that there are more YouTube millionaires than there are bloggers who’ve made even $50,000 on their blogs. It’s because they get popular based on the type of videos they do. It’s not only niche but it’s how they come across to people. Many of them aren’t offering anything that people can use in their daily lives; they’re entertaining and likable and that’s something that I tend to believe a lot of folk online and blogging tend to forget. I mean, do you trust someone you don’t like, or don’t get to know all that well?

        As for me, I don’t have the numbers that a lot of people do but for some reason, after years of doing videos, my channel has grown 300% since last May and that doesn’t depress me any. Thing is, I’m not flashy; I’m a middle aged guy sitting at my desk with my pretty good camera and, depending on which channel of mine someone happens to be watching, I either talk about my main business topic or whatever I care to talk about. I have a couple of videos that have over 10,000 views; I’ve only ever had one blog post and Google Analytics told me approached that number (which encouraged them to ban my using Adsense on the blog; best thing that ever happened to me lol). One of my business videos got me a paid speaking engagement; that’s not too shabby if you ask me.

        You don’t have to be a top celebrity; what you have to do is be engaging and interesting and hit one of what I call the 3 criteria for pretty much doing anything online worth doing: educate, inform or entertain. If you’re going to do any of those it doesn’t hurt to not only be good but to be engaging.

        • Tom

          Reply March 11, 2016

          Hi Mitch,

          Sounds like you’ve got the YouTube thing sorted out. I heard it’s fast becoming one of the top search engines.

          Educate, inform and entertain - 3 ingredients I can’t complain about.

          - Tom

  • Joy Healey

    Reply March 10, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    I finally found my way to your blog after seeing you on several other blogs and liking the kind of thing you were saying.

    I can so relate to Pam’s experiences because I’ve been there too. I have some way to go, but I think I’m on the way to working out who is my ideal client and what I want them to do at my blog.

    Yes, I gave up on SEO (other than a cursory glance at the Yoast traffic lights) quite a while ago. Getting pages to rank just seemed such an impossible task that I decided not to even bother.

    Writing for real people is much more enjoyable than trying to outsmart the search engines.

    Well done on the video! Despite dares and challenges from friends, all my videos have gone straight to the recycle bin. Too much stress for me. I even hate having a still photo taken, so the thought of a whole video is too much to contemplate.

    Glad to have finally caught up with you, and look forward to more of your posts.

    Joy - Blogging After Dark

    • Tom

      Reply March 10, 2016

      Hi Joy,

      Welcome, good to have you join the Traffic Smart Marketing community. I’m glad you like what I have to say. It seems to be finding affinity with quite a few people tired with the same old tired tactics. Which is good.

      Yes, writing for people is much more rewarding. Getting their feedback and interacting with people is what makes this job so inspiring
      and enjoyable.

      You know, I’ve had several attempts at persuading myself to do videos. This is about my third serious attempt. You should see my “outtakes”. Maybe one day, I’ll post them for laughs, a bit of an “It’ll Be All Right On The Night” do. The best one was doing a great to-camera piece - only to discover I wasn’t wearing a mic. But, practice is helping.

      Yes, likewise Joy, good to find you and do keep in touch and pop by again soon.

      - Tom

  • Jeannette Paladino

    Reply March 10, 2016

    Tom — when I first started blogging I would check Google Analytics every night at 12:01 to check on my traffic. While getting more traffic is important, it’s more important to get the right traffic. As you say, that will happen if you know why you are blogging and the information needs of your targets. Better to get less traffic, but the people you want, than a lot of traffic from people who stumbled on your site and have no interest in your topic and what you’re selling.

    • Tom

      Reply March 10, 2016

      Hi Jeannette,

      Welcome! Great to have you stop by.

      Yes, absolutely, the right kind of traffic means you can have less traffic and make a better income because it’s more aligned with what you offer.

      Less traffic but highly relevant traffic does pay off a lot more than those “stumblers” who show up due to Google. That’s the difference between SEO traffic and potential buyers, right?

      It’s also “returning readers” that are important because they’re what keeps your blog going.

      Hope to see you again soon. Jeannette.

      - Tom

  • Monna Ellithorpe

    Reply March 12, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    It is nice to meet you. I believe this is my first time here and I enjoyed reading this post.

    I agree that almost everyone online at one time or another has experienced this roadblock. Sometimes I think I still lose my way and have no idea what I’m doing but I’m not letting that stop me.

    Every few months or so, sometimes sooner, I go over it again with myself to make sure I “Know” what I am supposed to be providing to visitors.

    You’ve shared some great info here. I will be back to read more. Have a great weekend.

    • Tom

      Reply March 14, 2016

      Hi Monna,

      Welcome, it’s nice to see you here and to hear you liked this post.

      Yes, I think you’re right about nearly all of us getting stuck on this, especially in the beginning. You’ll find a lot of strategies here to keep you on track and focussed for what you want to do (and get clear about what you want to do too).

      I’ve been thinking about your remark about maybe we still lose sight even now and I wonder if, rather than losing sight of what we’re doing, maybe it’s a question of losing confidence in what we’re doing. Do you think this is what you’re experiencing?

      Good to hear you’re not letting it stop you. The best way to move forward is get clear about what end result you’re after.

      Great to have you here, Monna and looking forward to having you as a reader and member of this Traffic Smart Community. I think your comment will resonate with a few people here.

      Thanks again.

      - Tom

  • Mark

    Reply March 13, 2016

    Thanks for sharing some extremely practical advice Tom!

    So who would start out on any type of journey, without
    knowing the final or ultimate destination?

    And yet, you see this happen far too often online, as you
    have so clearly pointed out!

    It’s like the excitement of marketing online,
    temporarily blinds too many individuals, from understanding
    and diligently applying the proven fundamentals, of successful
    online marketing in general and strategic blogging in particular.

    Thanks for providing, a much needed blueprint!

    • Tom

      Reply March 14, 2016

      Hi Mark,

      Great to have you stop by again to add your thoughts.

      Well, you know, a lot of people step out onto their journeys without knowing fully where they’re going. They assume they’ll know when they get there. And end up following bad advice, or simply advice that doesn’t help them. You’re right about this being true online.

      I think it’s why so many people get burnt or fail online - because they don’t really know what to expect, or where they want to be and so they put their trust in people who tell them these things. I know this was what I did in the early days. I was so keen to learn and knew that I wanted to learn because I wanted to build a business online.

      But I was a complete beginner in how to start and build a business online, so I put my trust in those experts that said they would teach me.

      But, because I didn’t have a clear plan and didn’t have a clear end result in place, I didn’t really know what I needed to know, do or have. So I got led by the nose sometimes and bought stuff I didn’t need, or that was complete rubbish.

      I want to stop that happening to others starting out, or who’ve been trying to make their blog work for sometime and getting nowhere. And I do this by highlighting the steps that are almost always missed out of what’s being taught elsewhere and teaching how to put these missing steps into action for them.

      Thanks Mark for adding to this conversation and sparking off such a great response. As you can tell this is a topic dear to my heart :).

      - Tom

  • Richard Seaton

    Reply March 17, 2016

    Hi Tom
    So many vital points. What a very helpful post to enable beginners to start out correctly, and for experienced bloggers to remind themselves of the nuts and bolts. I wish I’d seen this when I started out 2 years ago, but at least I’ve seen it. We can so often get swept up in out own ‘awesomeness’ when we start to get results, that we lose sight of those basics. Then we have to rewind and restart. (sounds like me editing my videos) Thanks again for these reminders. I’ll be regular here now Ric

    • Tom

      Reply March 17, 2016

      Hi Ric,

      Good to see you here - Welcome!

      Yes, you’re right about these points being useful to experienced bloggers too for reminding us about keeping in touch with why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s that reason, our end result, that brought our readers and clients to us in the first place, right?

      Glad to have you on board, Ric.

      - Tom

  • Peter Beckenham

    Reply March 18, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    I just wish I had read this post when I first started blogging because for sure I was all over the place when it came to traffic.

    For me to get any traffic initially was a reason for high fives even if that traffic didn’t stick around long enough to even read more than the post headline!

    However, I quickly realized that targeted traffic was the name of the game and after a complete overhaul of my marketing approach I finally clarified exactly who was my target audience.

    Then it was a logical step to create posts that answered the specific pains and struggles of my target audience.

    This finally started gaining me traffic that not just stuck around but really got engaged and involved.

    Then after using your free 30 minute consulting call I realized my marketing strategy and the setup of my blog were at odds with each other.

    The steps to really clarify on my blog what I was all about have definitely improved my traffic sources and now I feel like I’m well on the way to a successful blogging experience.

    Many thanks again Tom

    Best wishes from the remote Thai village blogger

    Peter

    • Tom

      Reply March 18, 2016

      Hi Peter,

      Excellent news! You’ve put in a lot of hard work to implement my advice and it’s so good to hear it’s paying off for you.

      You make a good point about how you marketing strategy and blog setup being at odds. You’re not alone. Often it’s this mis-match that can damage people’s traffic conversion. This is often because that traffic comes expecting to see and get certain things that convince them they should stick around - But these certain things are not in place and this often results in a lot of that traffic leaving without following any Calls-To-Action.

      Now, following my advice and recommendations, you’re putting these things in place and reaping rewards. Great job, Peter! It’s always truly rewarding when a client puts my strategies into action and gets results they want.

      Here’s to your growing success, Peter, may it continue on. Remember, you can always book another call.

      - Tom

  • Sam Nuku

    Reply March 18, 2016

    Hey Tom

    I liked the video. You’re right. Clarity is powerful. Without it we have no direction which means we can’t speak to the right customer which means we can’t attract the right customer.

    Good share. Thank you. Sam

    • Tom

      Reply March 18, 2016

      Hi Sam,

      Thank-you. Precisely, got it in one. That’s what it’s all about.

      Great to have you stop by to add your thoughts, Sam and welcome to Traffic Smart Marketing. Stop by again soon.

      - Tom

  • Stephen

    Reply March 26, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    Thank you for this post.

    It’s such a fundamental question: Why do you want to blog?”

    This has certainly made me take a step back and think. Getting traffic is great, but if we don’t have a clear purpose to use that traffic then it is all for nought.

    • Tom

      Reply March 26, 2016

      Hi Stephen,

      Welcome! You’re absolutely right. Knowing what you want your traffic to do when it arrives on your blog - and how to persuade it to take that action - is key to your success.

      It’s not all just about getting traffic. It’s about getting the right kind of traffic. Without the right kind of traffic, you’ll struggle to convert them into readers, subscribers and buyers.

      - Tom

  • James McAllister

    Reply April 6, 2016

    Hey Tom!

    You’re so right and if you really focus on what you want to achieve you don’t even need as much traffic as you may think to get the results you want.

    My own end goal is to sell my courses, and this is usually done through my email list. My blog therefore acts a tool to get people onto my email list, and provide additional value to those who arrive on my list from another place such as a squeeze page. Once I realized what my end goal was, I was able to take actions to further that - namely investing in paid advertising and developing profitable systems. It’s amazing how much of my traffic comes from somebody that originally found me on say, a Facebook ad and landed on articles through an email.

    So much different than some of my old blogs, where the only way I knew how to get traffic to my site was from getting lucky in the search engines and the answer to everything was “more content” lol…

    Thanks Tom, wish I would have had this sort of clarity years ago!

    - James McAllister

    • Tom

      Reply April 12, 2016

      Hi James and Welcome, great to have you stop by.

      Yours is an excellent example of having an end result in mind and making what you do get you closer to that end result. You’re right, having a clear end result can give you clarity too on what to do, how to do it and - most importantly of all - why you need to do it. The best results come from knowing why you’re doing something.

      Yours is also a good example of how knowing your end result can help you achieve results that are so much better than relying on tired old tactics like SEO.

      Yup, me too James. I wish I’d known this strategy when I first got online in 2011.

      Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts and your success strategy with us because examples from other successful bloggers like you gives readers confidence these real strategies work.

      Cheers James.

      - Tom

  • Andrew M. Warner

    Reply April 10, 2016

    Hey Tom,

    Great post here.

    Traffic is something I was all over the place with before. I was given the wrong information when I started and I had to struggle to even get to respectable.

    Wasn’t an easy task at all.

    That question, “What do you want your blog to do for you?” is so key. It’s something that a lot of people don’t really ask, but it’s so crucial. Not all traffic is good at all. If it doesn’t convert to subscribers or leads it doesn’t really matter.

    Traffic that doesn’t convert is useless.

    - Andrew

    • Tom

      Reply April 12, 2016

      Hi Andrew,

      Thanks. “Traffic that doesn’t convert is useless.” - spot on! I’m glad you’re growing your blog successfully now. It’s good to see good people succeeding.

      Good to have you stop by, Andrew.

      - Tom

  • Psychic Nest

    Reply April 26, 2016

    Hi Tom,

    When I started my blog as a part of my website, I had to write down a bunch of questions before I even start writing. Questions such as “What kind of people I want to attract?” came handy to help with the first steps. When I started learning about SEO, I had to write a bunch of questions.

    This is because the business was renovated and this time I needed a clear focus. Your article is amazing for all those people who really feel like giving up. Thank you for giving them heads up. You are right, many of us have been there. Heads up!

    Zaria

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