It can be so frustrating when your blog growth is slow. You’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into writing blog posts and yet still the numbers aren’t going up.

I’m here to tell you that slow blog growth is absolutely normal. It took me a long time to grow my blog and even now traffic can fluctuate massively each month. So, try not to be too disheartened if the stats aren’t reflecting the time and effort you’re putting into your blog right now. Low visitor numbers don’t mean you’ve failed.

But I totally get why you’re ready to give up on something that doesn’t appear to be working. I mean, why should you spend time creating content that isn’t making an impact? It’s not as though you haven’t got a million and one other things to do for your business. So, surely you’d be better off focusing on the things that do get results, right?!

Firstly, I wouldn’t be doing what I do unless blogging worked. It has been my only source of income for the past 13 years, so trust me it works. The thing to remember though is that blogging is a long-game strategy and it’s all about learning how to play it. Or perhaps more importantly, it’s about making sure you stay in the game!

If you’re struggling to stay motivated because your blog growth is slow and you’re on the cusp of chucking it all in, you’re in the right place!

Here are 8 motivating tips to keep you going when blogging feels pointless.

1. Remember Your ‘Why’

Can you remember why you decided to start a blog for your business? Because as time goes by, it’s all too easy to forget what those reasons were. I mean, of course it’s going to feel a bit pointless if you can’t actually remember what the point was in the first place!

If you’re currently feeling a bit ‘meh’ about blogging, it’s time to remind yourself of your ‘why’.

Need some help?

Let me remind you why blogging is great for your business.

Blogging…

• Increases brand awareness
• Generates leads
• Boosts sales
• Positions you as an expert
• Diversifies your audience
• Improves your online presence

Take some time to reconnect with the reasons why you started blogging. Write the reasons down and put your list somewhere you can see it often. I like to put mine on a mini whiteboard that I have on my desk, but you could put it in a ‘goals’ notebook or even have it as the desktop image on your laptop.

It doesn’t matter where you put it, just make sure it’s somewhere you won’t forget about it. You’ll need to regularly check back in with it every time you start to feel wobbly and discouraged.

2. Stop Focussing On The Numbers

It’s really easy to get caught up in the numbers and stats when you’re trying to grow your blog. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, surely? But instead of obsessing over traffic, page views, likes, and follower counts I want you to start viewing it from a different angle.

The reality is those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Because you could be bringing in hundreds of visitors to your blog every day but that still might not be as valuable, powerful, or impactful as having just 10. You see it’s all about how engaged that audience is, not how large it is.

A small audience of dedicated, loyal, engaged readers are more likely to:

• Spend longer time on your website
• Navigate through to different pages on your website
• Read your other blog posts
• Return to your website
• Share your blog posts

Large audiences on the other hand can sometimes be misleading. Yes, the numbers look good, but when you dig a little deeper, you’ll often find that a large proportion of those visitors aren’t doing much when they land on your site. The stats will tell you you’ve had a visitor even if they click through to your page and literally stay there for just 1 second. But what value is that to you?

So, instead of obsessing over numbers, shift your focus to the value you’re providing. Measure yourself against how useful your content is, how inspiring, how meaningful, how much you’re helping someone. Because that is far more positive and far more motivating than any number ever will be.

3. Set Yourself Smaller Goals

We’re all guilty of it. Setting ourselves huge goals and feeling like we’re complete and utter failures when it’s been a month or whatever and we’re nowhere near achieving them. And I tell ya what, social media has got a lot to answer for that.

Because hop on over to Instagram, Facebook or wherever it is you hang out, and I’ll bet you’re seeing other businesses or entrepreneurs who are harping on about how much money they’ve made, how successful they are, or how many people they’ve signed up to this, that, and the other. And they make it look easy. Like all they’ve had to do is show up on the internet and boom all their dreams have come true in an instant.

What we don’t see is the hard graft, the mistakes they’ve made along the way, and the length of time it has actually taken them to get to where they are now. We just see their end goal. And it makes us feel crap, like we’re not good enough, that we’ve failed.

End goals are great, but the reality is no one achieves them straight out. Those bigger goals are made up of lots of smaller goals, which all combine together to make that big end goal achievable. But when your blog growth is slow it can be all too easy to hyperfocus on that one end goal.

Here are some smaller, more manageable, goals that will help keep you motivated when your blog growth is slow:

• Publish 1 blog post a week
• Update 1 old blog post
• Check old blog posts for broken links
• Plan a month’s worth of blog titles
• Research 5 blog posts
• Optimise your existing posts (my SEO checklist will help with that – just saying!)

No matter how small, or inconsequential the small things may seem, celebrate them and keep the momentum going. Progress feels way more satisfying when it’s achievable. And by doing just one of these small tasks it will take you a step closer towards reaching your big goal.

4. If Blog Growth Is Slow… Look For Inspiration Elsewhere

When your motivation levels have dipped because blog growth is slow and you’re wondering what to do and whether you should even bother any more, the best thing you can do is look for ways to be reinspired.

You may not realise it, but how you’re currently feeling can really affect the tone and energy that you give off in your writing. If you’re feeling unenthusiastic and uninspired about your content, the chances are your readers are picking up on those vibes too.

When the passion goes, it shows. So, if you want blogging to work as a long term strategy for your business you need to keep those energy levels high and keep your writing interesting and engaging.

Inspiration will often hit when you least expect it. Try doing one or some of these things:

• Read posts from other bloggers in different industries to you
• Listen to a podcast
• Read a motivational book
• Take a walk
• Do some art

5. Experiment with New Strategies

Have you ever thought that the reason why your blog growth is slow is because your strategy isn’t right? None of us particularly like to admit that what we’re doing is wrong. Especially if it’s the way we’ve been doing something for a long time. But the fact is, if your blog traffic has plateaued or is on a downward trajectory, there’s clearly something you’re doing that’s not right.

It’s time to mix things up a bit and get experimental!

Now, I totally get that this may make you feel a bit unsettled, especially if like me you like what you know and you’re not keen on change. But if you want blogging to work for your business it’s absolutely critical that you tweak your strategy to suit changing demands.

Because my goodness I wish I could tell you that blogging was this static process that once you’ve learnt how to do it you’ll never have to change what you do, but it really isn’t. And unless you update your strategy so that it evolves with tech, audience needs, and search engine requirements, blogging won’t work for you.

Try experimenting with these different strategies:

• • Improve SEO – Your blog posts might need a clearer structure or better keywords. Improving your SEO will help your search engine rankings and keep you both current and visible.

  • Repurpose content – Save time by repurposing your blog posts into social media posts, newsletters, podcasts, videos etc. By keeping your message consistent across all of your platforms, it will help you to streamline your content creation process.

  • Try different content formats – Adding videos or eye catching graphics to your blog posts may help with engagement. Experiment with different blog structures and make a note of which ones work best.

Trying new things can really help to reignite your motivation and will often lead to unexpected results. You won’t know unless your try!

6. Engage With Your Audience

It feels good when someone leaves a comment on your blog post or likes a post you’ve shared on social media, right? You gotta admit, the warm, fuzzy dopamine hit that a thumbs up delivers is pretty darned addictive. I mean, it’s a sign of being seen, being valued, and being recognised. And who wouldn’t want all that!?

Not every post you share will get a reaction. When radio silence hits and a whopping great big tumbleweed comes a tumbling, it’s gutting. And then come the questions…. What did I do wrong? Why don’t they like it? It can proper send you down a swirling, whirling negative hole of doom if you let it.

But remember, just because people haven’t reacted doesn’t mean they haven’t seen it, read it, liked it. They just haven’t publicly reacted. And that’s fine. To be honest I don’t react to posts as much as I used to. I’m still reading them; I just can’t be arsed to react. So, please don’t be too discouraged when your posts don’t get a response from people.

That being said, when you do get a comment, even if it’s just the one, make sure you respond to it. Because connection between writer and reader is what forms loyal bonds. Encourage further engagement by asking a question, sharing another resource that might help them, invite them to share their thoughts. Take time to build a relationship, because connections build growth. An audience that feels valued, engaged, heard will be your biggest cheerleaders.

In the same way that blogging takes time to get results, so too does building a community. When you create content that connects and that speaks directly to your audience, that’s when the magic dopamine hits come. Keep going, give them what they want, and engage with them.

7. If Blog Growth Is Slow…Have A Break

One thing you 100% need to avoid is blogger burnout. Burnout can creep up when you push yourself too hard and you start piling too much pressure on yourself. And that’s no good for your blog, it’s no good for your business, and it’s certainly no good for you.

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt in my blogging career is that it’s OK to step away from it and take a break if things feel too much. If your blog growth is slow, it can very much feel as though you’re failing and that can end up making a massive dent in your confidence.

Taking some time out and having a rest from writing blog posts for a while isn’t going to break your business. But forcing yourself to carry on, might do. Remember rest isn’t quitting. It doesn’t make you a failure. Quite the opposite in fact. Blogging is a long game, and rest is essential if you want to keep going.

You’ll create your best content when you’re on good form. So, rest up and come back to it with fresh energy and positive vibes.

8. Track Your Wins

As I mentioned earlier, blog growth isn’t just about numbers. But it can be hard to ignore them entirely, which is why my next tip will help you turn your focus to something far more positive.

It’s so easy to ignore the little wins. Wins we have every day in fact. They often get overshadowed by the looming end goal. But they shouldn’t be ignored. Keep a ‘Wins Journal’ so that you can keep track of and celebrate the small successes and milestones that you reach on your blogging journey.

Wins could include:

• A lovely comment you’ve received
• Someone sharing your post
• A new client finding you from one of your blog posts
• Knowing that one of your blog posts has helped someone

Every time something positive happens, either with your blog or in any area of your business, write it down in your journal. The in the moments where you’re having a wobble and feeling like you want to quit, look back at the journal and remind yourself just how far you’ve come.

Because growth really isn’t just about those big traffic surges. Growth is way more meaningful than that. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the impact you’re making along the way. If you want to stay motivated to blog, despite your blog not getting views, it’s the deeper growth that will keep you going.

Final Thoughts

Staying motivated when your blog growth is slow isn’t easy. It can feel really frustrating and massively disheartening. But I want you to know you’re not alone in this. Slow blog growth is all part of the process. Do you remember the old tale about the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady always wins the race!

Focus on progress over perfection. Every blow grows at its own pace and what matters most is that you keep showing up and sharing your message.

It’s important for you to explore why your blog growth might be slow, but it’s just as important not to obsess over it.

If you take just two words away with you after reading this blog post, I want them to be consistent and persistent. Consistently share valuable content on your blog and persist.

The growth will come with time.

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Author Bio

Bex Stafferton is a blogger who started off writing her blog The Art of Healthy Living as a hobby when she was a stay at home mum and caring for her two young children. The same blog now earns her a full time salary while working part time hours.

Bex is on a mission to help teach businesses how having a blog on their website is a valuable marketing tool. Helping to build a strong online presence, grow an engaged audience, and increase sales.

When she’s not blogging, Bex spends her time hiking up mountains, trail running, cuddling her two cockapoos, and volunteering at a local wildlife rescue centre.