10 Expert Ways to Get Blog Traffic Without Google
Relying solely on Google for blog traffic will likely lead to disastrous results, as there will be few visitors. Getting blog traffic without Google sounds impossible since Google has a commanding influence over website traffic.
The SEO landscape is changing thanks to AI, Google algorithm updates, and other data-driven technologies. Simply put, it’s pivot time in the blogging and content marketing world.
Fortunately, my 15 years of experience have taught me alternative strategies for gaining blog traffic. You won’t abandon Google but will reduce your dependence on the search engine giant.
What About AI and Google?
Sites producing hundreds to thousands of AI-generated articles are feeling the sting. Namely:
- Google’s March 2024 Core Update has deindexed hundreds of websites in its early stages, targeting low-quality content and AI-generated spam.
- Deindexed sites face significant consequences, losing organic search traffic and advertising revenue.
- The update aligns with a study by Originality.ai, which found a high prevalence of AI-generated content among the affected websites.
Blog Traffic Without Google: Is It Possible?
Before any traffic strategy, take a good, hard look at your blog content. You will never rank if your content doesn’t deliver on its promise to your reader.
Google used to favor well-written content following their E-E-A-T guidelines. E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Up until the Google Helpful Content Update in September of 2023, some keys to blog traffic success include:
- High-quality, relevant content
- SEO optimization with a solid keyword strategy
- Page speed score
- High-quality backlink strategy
Unfortunately, Google’s Helpful Content Update changed things so chaotically that long-time successful bloggers felt the impact. The folks at HouseFresh wrote a detailed, insightful post on how Google is killing independent sites.
“Traffic is so bad, now I won’t be surprised anymore, if it stops completely after one of the next updates,” one of my colleagues reported.
A blog traffic world without Google is possible. Like anything, building something new is a marathon, not a sprint.
Here are 10 ways to bring traffic to your blog despite Google:
YouTube
Yes, Google owns YouTube. When you have your blog on YouTube, you can promote your blog and create more traffic. Add your blog link in the description of a YouTube video, which visitors can click for more information in your full blog post. Add your brand to the video’s background for more visibility. Embed YouTube videos, where appropriate, in blog content.
Email Marketing
From email newsletters to email marketing and funnels, the sky’s the limit if you do it right. When I consult with brands about their email marketing strategy, many say their biggest mistake was not building an email list when they first started out.
From opt-ins in the right place to properly done nurture sequences, a robust email list has saved many a blogger post Google HCU.
For example, Cathy Bendzunas of ILovemyChi.com encourages pet parents to sign up for her newsletter in one of three ways:
- Embedded join box
- Grow button from Mediavine ad network
- Join page she places in her Facebook group
I send emails twice a week for my blog, FidoseofReality.com. My lists are segmented, and all new subscribers become part of a nurture sequence. Check out my freebie as a thank you for opting in to my email list.
Bonus Tip: Check the spamminess of your emails with MailTester to see if they might be going to spam.
Pinterest is a search engine, not a social media platform, and not everything performs well on Pinterest.
Nearly one billion users visit Pinterest monthly because it is a visual search engine. In most cases, users are there to find something, not scroll like Instagram.
Tips from a successful Pinterest agency:
- Consistently pin high-quality pins – one a day, 20 a week – it’s up to you
- Using the Pinterest scheduler or a tool like Tailwind is fine – their agency saw no difference in data for the past few years
- Pin to relevant boards but not all at once
- Make pins easy to read and understand
- Use keywords in your pin description
- Check trends.pinterest.com to see what is trending to stay ahead
- Pinning in bulk is fine but not all at once
LinkedIn is a big cocktail party. No one likes to hear people rant on and on about themselves at a cocktail party, and most people don’t care for ‘it’s all about me’ people.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile. Make it complete and professional, and tell what you do.
Join relevant LinkedIn Groups – gain credibility, share, and follow group rules. Be a giver and provide quality content to people. Build relationships.
LinkedIn offers a small business action plan.
Content Marketing
Connecting with your target audience by giving them high-quality content consistently is at the crux of long-term content marketing strategy.
Examples of content to attract and engage with your audience include:
- Get on podcasts
- Send out press releases if its appropriate – why should I care?
- Paid ads on social media
- Social media in general
- Infographics
- White papers for in-depth info on certain topics
- Online courses
- Blogs are a form of content marketing – properly SEO-optimized
- Webinars you host to teach something
- Facebook and LinkedIn groups with content
- Video ads
- Interactive content like quizzes and to get the answer put your email in like this quiz I created for Great Pet Living.
Social Media
Put the social in social media. I have been dispensing that advice since starting my career in copywriting and content marketing. Be social and engage with others if you want them to engage with you.
Promote and spread the word where your ideal customer avatar (ICA) hangs out. They can be on one of these platforms according to your industry:
- YouTube
- Quora
- TikTok
- Snapchat
What would you do if you met an ideal customer in person? You’ll introduce them to your brand and products or your blog post. But you would not say, “Buy my thing right now!” That would bad.
Social media marketing is also a long-term strategy. You don’t have to be everywhere. Just where your potential clients reside.
Referral Marketing
You can use referral marketing on social media, through email, videos, and any other direct communication channel with your followers. This method can be as simple as asking your fans to tell a friend about your business or incentivizing them to do so.
Traffic From Other Search Engines
Serve user intent on non-Google search engines like DuckDuckGo and Bing.
Refresh Outdated Content
This one deserves a blog post of its own. Competitors steal content all the time through better SEO rankings and optimization. Maintain and increase your rankings on search engines by auditing your present content and updating as needed.
Offline Marketing
Network. Attend conferences and business events that make sense. Share business cards (yes, that’s still a thing), and consider pitching yourself as a speaker.
By diversifying your traffic sources and implementing these strategies, you can effectively attract visitors to your blog without entirely relying on Google’s search rankings.
Need help with your copywriting and content marketing strategies and management? Let’s talk.
