When I started this blog 6 months ago one of my goals was to reach 100,000 monthly pageviews. This number was never a huge deal for me. However, I wanted to set a goal that would force me to work hard.
I remember writing this number down on a notebook and even laughing about it because I thought it was crazy. My crazy big goal was to reach 100K per month within a year. To my surprise I reached my goal in less than 6 months. It was somewhere between my 4th and 5th month to be exact. Here’s a screenshot of my blog growth:
How did I do it? Here a some basic things I did during my first few months of blogging:
How I Reached 100,000 Monthly Pageviews
I learned ALL that I possibly could about blogging
One of the first things I did and continue to do today is educate myself about what’s going on in the blogging industry. Here the three things that helped me the most:
- I read and implemented what I learned from Ruth Soukup’s book *How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your Soul
. Ruth’s book is hands down one of the best blogging books out there and gives you actionable tips on how to grow and monetize your blog.
- I also watched the Learn To Blog Hangouts by Kelli and Crystal. These ladies are super helpful and offer their blogging tips for free. They also have a Facebook group for bloggers of all levels and a VIP forum that offers in-depth blogging information.
- I researched and researched some more. Not everyone is going to be willing to share their blogging secrets. A few will, but in the blogging world some topics like traffic or money are taboo. It personally doesn’t bother me and I’ve shared what little I do know with my colleagues, but not everyone is the same way and that’s OK. So when I needed an answer to a question no one would answer, I simply researched until I found what I needed.
I established relationships with other bloggers
Bloggers read blogs. We are our own audience and biggest supporters. So when I started out, I joined Facebook groups for bloggers, commented on blogs, showed support via a tweet or a like when asked, and tried to help whenever possible. I hate to say it, but if you only think about yourself you’re not going to get very far. Taking the time to grow your online relationships is crucial for blogging success. Don’t just try to befriend the “bigger” bloggers, some of my highest traffic referrals have come from smaller bloggers with loyal readers. We’re all in this together (insert cheesy High School Musical song here). 😉
I treated my blog like a business
Prior to this blog, I had a blog that was more of a personal journal. I would share about family and faith with some homemaking tips sprinkled in. It never took off because at the time it wasn’t my goal. That blog was a hobby for me so I only posted once or twice a month when I had time. However, when I decided to start this site I knew my goal was to monetize it. So my approach was very different from the very beginning. The first few months I blogged 3-5 times per week. My goal was to build my content and traffic quickly. That meant working while my family slept or waking up super early. My efforts payed off and I saw my traffic grow consistently each month. What I’ve learned is that I have to treat it like the business that it is if I want to continue to see growth.
Now there’s more to this equation and I do plan on sharing more in future posts. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you. Do you blog? What are some of your blogging goals?
*Contains affiliate link
I love this post. Very resourceful information. I find that everything just requires a lot of time, which is why I plan to get an iPad on Black Friday so that I can promote / work on my blog on the go!
-xo, justarlanda
One more question. What tactics that you used produced the best results for driving traffic to your blog? Link parties? Social Media? Which Social Media in particular? Thanks!
Thanks for your insights, Jesenia! I am new to blogging and am establishing my goals for my blog. Congrats on accomplishing yours. I’m still looking for a community that can support/educate new bloggers like myself, so I will try your recommendations. Cheers!
thanks so much for posting the tips! I hope to get where you are one day!! Thanks again!
I am also a new Blogger that has done this for personal reasons and your story has been very inspiring! Thank you for sharing! I plan on following your lead and tips. I will also check out your blog! I love that you are also a fellow Latina!
Oh that’s great Lixa! Good luck in your new journey. Above all, make sure you enjoy yourself. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I am so glad I found this through Pinterest. I am a fairly new blogger. I didn’t even know what a blog was until a few months ago. I started my blog on April 11th 2015. To date I have 1341 page views so still very much at the beginning. At the moment I am hunting for tips on improving my blog. I will pin this for reference. I am trying to get more traffic and some followers! It is a great fascinating world!
Thankyou for your helpful friendly tips. Some great posts!
Yay! Good luck with the new blog. I actually have a board full of blogging tips on Pinterest that might help. My advice is take one thing at a time and don’t get overwhelmed trying to do it all. Thanks for stopping by!
As a new blogger literally JUST starting off your growth is inspiring! I look forward to reaching large goals like this and growing my blog little by little 🙂
Congrats on your new blog Heather! I’m sure you’ll do great, it takes a little time, but just keep at it and you’ll see results. Also check out Brilliant Business Moms for some great podcasts that offer a wealth of information. I was interviewed for one and shared more information about my blogging journey. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
thank you for posting this information! I can’t wait to read Ruth’s book and Kelli & crystals videos. I started my blog just over a month ago. With only 1,000 views I feel I need to do more. I appreciate your information and can’t wait to learn, learn, learn!
Love your pointers. I had a question. . .
Do you have any recommendations for Facebook Blog Groups? I went to search for “Blog” and “Writing Blogs” and there were very few listed, with 10-30 participants each. Are these the groups you were referring to? Just checking. thanks.
Yes! Learn To Blog is a great one and also Inspired Bloggers Network. You can also join some local blogger groups, those are great since you can actually meet up.
You hit the nail on the head with this one. You must establish relationships if you are ever going to be successful blogging for dollars. I’ve been blogging for years now, and it is all about trust in the social network era.
Hi Larry. Yes, relationship and trust is everything in this industry. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Congratulations on your success! You have obviously worked very hard and it has paid off. I’m truly happy for you. Thanks so much for being so willing to share your tips and advice with us. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
Inspiring! I blogged for one year as an experiment, and while I loved it, it was a crafting blog, and I just wasn’t up to the challenge of crafting so much and working at my day job full time. I had a blast for that one year, then closed it down. However, I’ve been thinking of starting up again to talk about tips for people who are in my same field of business, and this post is helpful. Thanks!
thank you for the great reminder. My blog was started to help others and that has to stay the focus. When value is provided the readers will come!
Great post! I found your blog on Pinterest and am amazed at your growth in views! I just started my blog a month ago and your story has inspired me to work harder!
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Thank you for sharing this. I am an aspiring writer, but have not started my blog yet while I research and brainstorm. I was so excited to see that the only book that you recommended is the one that I am reading! I just subscribed because from what I have seen so far of your content, writing style, and motto of family over laundry, I can learn a lot from you as a writer, but also as a wife and mom! Can’t wait to read more!
I absolutely love this post! It gives me hope… I started a blog to keep my friends/family in the loop of my pregnancy now i would like to write more about my family life here in NYC with my firefighter husband, my stepson and now my newborn baby. i would also like to write about my process in losing weight after baby. Having the baby has kept me super busy and I havent been able to write as much as I would like to. But I see from what you wrote I am going to have to step it up and wake up super early! xoxoxo
Jesenia, I love your blog. There are so many things I can relate. This post came in the best time possible. I’m planning to start my own blog and I just didn’t have courage to do it. I guess I didn’t believe enough in myself. But you’re right, I should think about it like a business. Thanks a lot for your tips. Wish you a lot of success with your blog.
[…] 7.reaching 100,000 page views in less than 6 months […]
Hi, Jesenia!
Thank you for this post, I really needed a brain boost because I started my blog about a week ago. It’s SO challenging and fun, but confusing at times as well.
Have a lovely Sunday 🙂
Thank you for sharing, great information! I just started blogging in September, I am loving it. I love the sense of community.
Oh I love all of these tips, I am looking at picking up How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your Soul [Kindle Edition] as you suggested.
I am currently blogging as you mentioned earlier as a hobby (I work full time at the moment, and have been using that as an excuse NO MORE!) I have started getting myself organized and getting around.
Thank you for all your tips and I appreciate your willingness to share 🙂 It gives me the dream of knowing I can keep going and I too can make it happen, thank you for your inspiration !
Thanks for sharing these resources! I am just getting started with my art and handicrafts blog. I appreciate the reading resources you’ve supplied as figuring out how to get readers seems to be the hard part of blogging in the beginning. Look forward to reading your blog!
What an inspiring post! I love that you wrote it down so that you could see it all the time. Writing my down now!!! Congrats.
Girl, I love all your post, I’ve been following you on pinterest for a while. I just started my blog this week and am trying to get things set up right! It’s been a crazy week learning wordpress etc. I was just checking out your picmonkey post!
Congrats on your progress, I love all of your post.
Your story is inspiring. I have been blogging since the end of April. My goal is to monetize eventually. I am building content and patiently (though impatiently at times) waiting for the blog to grow. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to share your tips! So encouraging to know there are bloggers willing to help out their blogging community. Just started my blog and looking forward to learning as much as I can, thanks again!
Thanks for the tips! I just started my blog + this is super inspiring.
I keep hearing about that book, I guess it’s time for me to check it out and see if it helps!! Thanks for your post!
Love this! I’ve blogged for fun as a hobby in the past but I have been learning as much as I can about blogging and started a new blog in August with the goal of treating it as a business. I’m telling myself it will take a year or more and to be consistent, but it’s encouraging to hear of your success and know it may be possible even sooner.
Thank you for these tips! I just started my blog one month ago and love it! My goal is to be able to be a stay-at-home mom once my husband and I start a family. I would love to be able to help with the income through my blog! Thank you for these tips! God bless!
I found your blog and this post via Pinterest and I am hooked! Thank you so much for sharing your resources! I have blogged on and off for years but never considered doing it as a job until a month ago. I am still building my blog & website but I feel like gleaning information is the biggest key. So, thank you! 🙂
I blog 3 times a week and my traffic has grown a lot since I first started 3 months ago. I had over 1,000 page views in my second month! I don’t know if I’m going to hit 100,000 any time soon but my growth is encouraging! I think my biggest struggle is interacting. Sometimes I feel like if I over-interact I’ll come off as a stalker. That would be bad.
~Meaghan from DIYfaerie
Thanks for sharing this. I found your blog via Ruth at LWSL. I’m looking to implement some of her advice and wanted to see a blog that had already benefited from it.
Thanks,
Emily Grace
Found you through Pinterest!
As a fairly new blogger as well I find it amazing that you were able to accomplish this goal so quickly! Thank you for showing that it is possible. And thank you for suggesting Ruth Soukup’s book – How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your Soul. I have been trying to find books out there to get more information but there doesn’t seem to be any good ones…
Keep these posts coming – us newbies need them!
Jesenia, your story sounds so similar to mine! I have had several blogs over the years on both blogger and WordPress.com. I’ve blogged about teen years, college, and even started a blogspot mom blog last year. January 1st of this year, I finally settled on this one. 🙂 I started making money within just three months and I’m still trying to go at it.
My success with traffic is NO WHERE close to yours though! That’s a crazy number of views for less than 6 months of blogging! You go girl!
Thank you for the tips! I’m currently considering turning my business website into a blog because I do far more business through Facebook and Etsy, and I want to change that. You said reach out to other bloggers. Does that just mean letting them/you know I am here? Thanks!
Love these tips. Having jut started my blog, I have noticed that some of these strategies are crucial. I need to pick up that book! 🙂
I love the book and she recently updated it so it has even more information than before! Worth every cent!
Okay, I wanna know what the rest of your secrets are… 🙂 ’cause I’ve been blogging for eight years now, doing most of this, and my PVs aren’t there yet. My traffic has grown in the past couple of years, since I became more active about pursuing this as a business. I love the LearntoBlog hangouts too. 🙂
Thanks Bonnie. 🙂 I plan on writing another post on specifics of where my traffic is coming from. The hangouts are awesome and I’ve learned a lot from those ladies. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your tips and your story!
My blog has been a hobby for years, but now I want to do what you’re doing, and I’m not sure if I should scrap everything from before or work with it and refine it. I’m in the middle of trying to work with the second option, and I appreciate you sharing these resources.
[…] more about how I reached 100,000 pageviews in less than 6 […]
Wow, this sounds impressive, you worked extremely hard for your goal. Blogging to me is a hobby but I wanna make it grow so I can become a travel blogger in 4 years. Do you have any tips if I should keep a blog in english or my native language? Because I figured out that writing in german is way easier than doing it in english…
I saved that post and I will follow you on bloglovin 🙂
Great question! I’m personally more comfortable with English than Spanish, but I’ve been thinking of blogging in both languages because I want to connect with a Spanish speaking audience as well. The beauty of a blog is that it’s your space and you can do whatever your heart desires. 🙂
That would be interesting being as how many people now speak English and Spanish interchangeably. (Spanglish) I know that eventually I will start to find myself sprinkling in some Spanish words or phrases from time to time, it just can’t be helped sometimes, am I right?) but maybe will consider writing in Spanish once in a while, to mix things up, or not…lol
I’ll be looking for your future posts! Thanks.
I love blogging but my growth has been pretty slow. I started my blog about 18 months ago and recently changed the name. I thought your advice was great and felt you were answering the exact questions I have been asking myself. I enjoy reading your blog. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! I hope that my post was encouraging and not the opposite. I did blog for almost two years without much growth so I can totally relate. I just wanted to share that it can be done and that with a little sacrifice you can reach your blogging goals. 🙂
Congratulations! I personally love to follow your blog, so I’m very happy for you. I’m like you in that I have no problem sharing either. 🙂
Thank you Sarah! That means a lot coming from someone I admire. I agree, sharing is caring. 🙂
What a great post! So many tips & intros to things I didn’t know about! I’m even more encouraged to grow my blog! Thank you.
[…] Yes, you can. Is it easy? No, but it’s not impossible. I have personally been able to monetize two different blogs. There are many ways to make money from blogging beyond displaying ads on a blog page. You can make […]
This is really an awesome post. I was on a bit of a hiatus from moving and not having internet set up so I’m still in the process of re-working everything.
I am so glad I found your blog and this post. I have had my blog for quite a while but I was only blogging occasionally since I started it for fun and to improve my writing while I worked on my degree. I just redesigned it and decided to take blogging more seriously as a business. I am still working on the design though. Thank you so much for sharing this information. It will sure help me as I work on increasing readership. 🙂
Hello! I am wanting to get my numbers up on my blog as well. I recently took over the blog as the previous person didn’t have the time anymore. Then numbers are super low compared to what they were. I just had my second child earlier this year as well. I am going to try and make more posts in a week than I have been. Still trying to get that balance between children, life, and blogging. 🙂 Thanks!
I happened upon this article after going through Pinterest and I’m really glad that I did. You make some great points and I appreciate the tips that you’ve offered. I’m trying to do a lot of what you’ve suggested.
My goals are small, at this time, but I think they’re definitely manageable. As my blog continues to grow, so will my goals.
Thank you for sharing you resources with us. I have a blog and you tube channel and I would love to learn how to increase my traffic. My blog is so specific I feel like it doesn’t reach people outside of my group. Maybe you could check it out and tell me what you think 🙂
Thanks so much.
Wendy Cranford
http://www.luvinstampin.com
I’ve only been blogging for a month and I’ve become a little discouraged. Your post has helped a lot. I’m going to see about a Facebook group first thing tomorrow. Ruth’s boo is what got me started blogging! I blog 3 times a week and post something to my Facebook every day. Thanks for the great post.
Thanks for the tips and for getting honest about all of the effort it entails!
Warm regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
Congrats on meeting your goal in such a short time! I always love reading your posts.
Wow – WoW – WOW! This is so awesome. I’m a huge fan of Kelli and Crystal. I will be buying that book as soon as I’ve hit submit on this comment. I think that my biggest set back is NOT treating my blog as a business and not having a routine schedule. This is something that I’m going to change ASAP!
Thou shalt be pinned! HUHAH! LoL
WOW! Congratulations on your success! I learn so much from Kelli and Crystal too. Like I’ve shared with you before, I LOVE the look of your blog. It’s so clean and easy to navigate. Keep it up! You have a follower in me!
This is some really good tips. I have to agree that ebook has been one of my favorites too! I also love Learn to Blog hangouts and group and now their forum.
Found you on Pinterest & at the perfect time! Your success is quite encouraging as I am literally just finishing up my very first blog entry this weekend…i I haven’t even settled on alayout for my blog yet! Thanks for the great info.
Congratulations on reaching your goal! It is always great to reach our goals through hard work as it makes it even more worthwhile in the long run. Running your blog as a business is a key to being successful and I wish you all the luck and continued growth!
I had no idea that you’d only been blogging for six months. I really thought you’d been doing this for years. What an inspiration! Thank you for sharing the awesome resources. 🙂
I have a hard time juggling working on my own blog, raising my 4 & keeping up with the house plus commenting on other blogs but it is the best way to drive traffic! I just need to keep trying lol
I am very excited for you and agree with your hard work and thinking of helping others also. Its not about only ourselves and I hope this post goes viral for you.
Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations! I’ve read Ruth’s book and implemented a lot of her tips for Pinterest. They really work!
Jesenia, you are a rock star! I am totally going to be following this series on your blog. As you know, I have a blog. It’s been growing (mostly fluctuating back and forth) but not this exponentially. I’m looking forward to your wisdom and will be checking out your links. Thanks for being willing to share about your journey. Great job!
Thank you so much for the tips in this article. I’ve only been blogging for a week but I’m serious about making this a proper business, not just a hobby. I’m an avid fan of Kelli and Crystal and I’ve a to-do list the length of my arm from watching their amazing hangouts.
I’ve not seen Ruth’s book so I’ve put it on my list of books to read.
Thanks again and well done on your phenomenal growth!
Great tips Jesenia!!! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and for introducing me to Kelli & Crystal’s group! Oh and Ruth’s book is definitely one of the best blogging books ever! 🙂
Jesenia, what an inspiring post! Especially for someone like me who has only been blogging since the end of June. I am really loving the Learn To Blog Facebook page and have learned SO much from Kelli and Crystal, plus all the other wonderful bloggers. I want very badly to leave my job and start blogging full-time. Just got to start making that money! I have to know what is the question (and answer) you couldn’t find an answer to that you referenced above? Thanks so much for your post. It has really got me encouraged to hunker down and hope for your kinds of numbers! Congratulations!
Jesenia, I’d say that your growth is pretty amazing! I had no idea that you’ve only been blogging for 6 mo.! I think a large part of your success has also come from your good writing style. You have the gift of being clear and concise which I think really appeals to people.
I totally agree with your tips. Ruth Soukup’s book has been my favorite book about blogging too. And I’m going to check out the Learn to Blog Hangouts when I get a chance.
One of my blogging goals this year is to learn as much as I can about blogging without spending anything. Right now we don’t really have the money for me to attend a blogging conference and with having a baby it’s not exactly the best time to do something like that anyway. So I’m trying to read any blog posts that I find that seem relevant and helpful, I’ve joined some blogging groups, I’ve read some free ebooks about blogging and writing and listened to a number of podcasts on the subject. I’ve been amazed at what all I’ve been able to learn for free since I’ve started really being intentional about it!
Another thing that I’ve started doing lately is to focus on growing my Pinterest following. I’m still on Twitter, FB and Google Plus but since none of those have brought me that much traffic, I decided to not spend that much time trying to grow them and instead focus on the social media that IS bringing me tons of traffic. And it seems to be paying off because my Pinterest following is growing as is the traffic that I get from it.
Blessings to you as you continue to grow your blog!