Struggling with my blog, anybody who can help me?

35 replies
I am running a football news blog, and making a loss for a long time.


I have tried many methods to promote my blog, including trying to post one new article in 30 different Facebook groups (each group has around 10000 football fans) on daily basis, tried SEO of my page, tried backlink as well, the result is I have only got 100 traffic everyday, let alone the revenue.


Can anybody tell me what is wrong with my method ? Any suggestion to improve the traffic a lot ? I guess I need to return visitor ? I tried SEO the key word, but most people just click the home page and went away, they did not read my article at all.


By the way, I update my blog everyday by posting a new article on it.
Any suggestion for my blog traffic ?
#blog #struggling
  • Profile picture of the author reachintan
    Can you please forward me your blog link so that I can help you out after analyzing your blog?

    I guess posting original informative football related content on a regular basis and promoting the same on social media should be enough to gain traction.


    Chintan
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    Chintan Mehta

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    • Profile picture of the author syaf
      Do you have your own FB page for your blog? have you tried boosting your page?
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      • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
        Originally Posted by syaf View Post

        Do you have your own FB page for your blog? have you tried boosting your page?
        Yes I have FB page, tried boosting page for several days, it did not work well...
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      • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
        Originally Posted by syaf View Post

        Do you have your own FB page for your blog? have you tried boosting your page?

        Yes, I tried for several days, found it does not work well...
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by T S Chan View Post

      Are you building a list with your blog?

      I am not quite sure it is allowed to post my blog link to the public ???
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by T S Chan View Post

      Are you building a list with your blog?



      Do you mean email list or some other list ? I only have 20 subscribers at the moment...
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      • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
        Originally Posted by albatross1121 View Post

        I only have 20 subscribers at the moment...
        You need more than that to make a dent in your bank account. You say you write 1 new article everyday for your blog. How much traffic is coming from your email or blog email list? I know you're doing social marketing on Facebook groups, but honestly, Facebook groups don't exact carry the best kind of buyer traffic.

        By the way, are you selling anything on your blog? Affiliate products, Adsense, etc??
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  • Profile picture of the author Lucian Lada
    Since your website is about news - things that are time-sensitive and shareable - have you considered setting up a Facebook page and promoting it to get likes? You can select to promote it only to football fans so you can laser-targeted people to like your page.

    I also see a lot of big news websites on Facebook sharing all kinds of funny stuff like videos, memes, etc. Have you considered this? Some of them really go viral and help them grow their fan base (no pun intended.)

    Also, what is your revenue source?
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by Lucian Lada View Post

      Since your website is about news - things that are time-sensitive and shareable - have you considered setting up a Facebook page and promoting it to get likes? You can select to promote it only to football fans so you can laser-targeted people to like your page.

      I also see a lot of big news websites on Facebook sharing all kinds of funny stuff like videos, memes, etc. Have you considered this? Some of them really go viral and help them grow their fan base (no pun intended.)

      Also, what is your revenue source?

      I only share articles, and never thought to share any funny videos, your idea inspired me!!! I will try it, thanks for your suggestion
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      • Profile picture of the author Lucian Lada
        Originally Posted by albatross1121 View Post

        I only share articles, and never thought to share any funny videos, your idea inspired me!!! I will try it, thanks for your suggestion
        Keep in mind that Facebook is not the perfect environment for sharing articles. People are there more in the mindset of "let's waste some time before my train comes" and therefore are more likely to be interested in short, funny or informative bits rather than full-fledged articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesbrands
    Not sure if you are talking US or the beautiful game!

    If it's the latter - Latest News, Opinion and Features | GiveMeSport always appear in my news feed on facebook, seem to be doing well, maybe get some inspiration.

    Football fans are very easy to target on Facebook, a supporter almost always is a fan of the official page - I support Arsenal which currently has 35 million+ likes - easy way to target with Arsenal related stories?

    It's always going to come down to the quality of your content - which without sounding negative is going to be tough, your competing with large news outlets with well paid journalists. I know you have probably heard this before but you need to be unique, offer something a bit different, niche down - pumping out average story after average story is probably not going to work.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      This is a niche that is a tough nut to crack. You have huge News conglomerates that are posting time sensitive news every hour or even every few minutes.

      I know it is about one sport. But still I would think the competition is stiff. As Lucian said, videos could potentially help viewer engagement


      - Robert Andrew
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by jamesbrands View Post

      Not sure if you are talking US or the beautiful game!

      If it's the latter - Latest News, Opinion and Features | GiveMeSport always appear in my news feed on facebook, seem to be doing well, maybe get some inspiration.

      Football fans are very easy to target on Facebook, a supporter almost always is a fan of the official page - I support Arsenal which currently has 35 million+ likes - easy way to target with Arsenal related stories?

      It's always going to come down to the quality of your content - which without sounding negative is going to be tough, your competing with large news outlets with well paid journalists. I know you have probably heard this before but you need to be unique, offer something a bit different, niche down - pumping out average story after average story is probably not going to work.
      My football news is mainly about UK news, which focus on the top 4 team, including Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea,Liverpool.


      Do you mean you have 35 millions+ likes ? Any experience to share ?
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  • Profile picture of the author cooler1
    What way are you monetizing your blog? Have you tried promoting football related products on your blog, such as the Clickbank product Epic Soccer Training.
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by cooler1 View Post

      What way are you monetizing your blog? Have you tried promoting football related products on your blog, such as the Clickbank product Epic Soccer Training.
      I monetize my blog with Google AdSense, and some other promoted content ad. I have not tried football related products, but it is a good idea to try Clickbank.


      The trouble is I don't know how to persuade potential customer to buy product on Clickbank? Does it mean I have to create a product feedback page ?
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      • Profile picture of the author mmg1865
        Originally Posted by albatross1121 View Post

        I monetize my blog with Google AdSense, and some other promoted content ad. I have not tried football related products, but it is a good idea to try Clickbank.


        The trouble is I don't know how to persuade potential customer to buy product on Clickbank? Does it mean I have to create a product feedback page ?
        Have you tried promoting Bookmakers through your website.

        Bet365, Ladbrokes, BetFred, SkyBet etc all have affiliate websites you can join for Free.

        You do NOT get a fee for actually referring someone, but what you do get is a % of there spend on that particular bookmakers website.

        I've made over £300 alone in 3 months for referrals I've given to Bet365. And the number of signups I've had isn't massive. Only 10 in total.

        Its early days for me, I've only started out this season, and its only since Christmas that I've really kicked on.
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        • Profile picture of the author Eagle07
          You may want to include helpful tips on how to become a better player in that game.Post helpful tips and strategies on winning the game. You may want to include helpful video training or drills from youtube into your site. Monetize the site with adsense ads and related affiliate offers.
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        • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
          I have used BetFred before, and withdrew it after one month as there was no one sign up for their account



          Originally Posted by mmg1865 View Post

          Have you tried promoting Bookmakers through your website.

          Bet365, Ladbrokes, BetFred, SkyBet etc all have affiliate websites you can join for Free.

          You do NOT get a fee for actually referring someone, but what you do get is a % of there spend on that particular bookmakers website.

          I've made over £300 alone in 3 months for referrals I've given to Bet365. And the number of signups I've had isn't massive. Only 10 in total.

          Its early days for me, I've only started out this season, and its only since Christmas that I've really kicked on.
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          • Profile picture of the author mmg1865
            Stick with it, it takes time.

            You have to build you reputation first, and be clear that the link they are clicking will take them to the Bookies site for a signup.

            If you check my latest Serie A post, right at the bottom you can see how I've done it.

            The general conversion stats are low for any website.

            It something like 1-5% of your visitors will click the links you have placed, and 0.1-.05% of your visitors will sign up.

            If you keep providing good information, and get a high % of return visitors then your chances of conversions will be greater.

            If you believe you have good content, then stick to producing that on a regular basis, look at channeling visitors from different media and don't give up. Its not a short game but one that has to be constantly worked on.

            Keep the faith in what you are doing.. Good luck

            Originally Posted by albatross1121 View Post

            I have used BetFred before, and withdrew it after one month as there was no one sign up for their account
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            • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
              Look at the headlines on ESPN.com or any major sports site. What are they all about?

              DRAMA!!!

              Johnny Football.

              Peyton taking steroids.

              Brett Favre's dick!

              Go all TMZ with it and I bet you'll have better luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author martbost
    One other item to consider since it is timely news is to expire content. Many people think that keeping every post forever is a good idea, but it does not set well in the search engines with regards to content curation.

    Make sure that you expire older content that doesn't apply to current trends. This coupled with the new content you are bringing will help keep the blog healthy.

    Also make sure that you have a good 404 redirect structure built into the blog so that expired links properly redirect to a page that others can easily find related content on your site.

    Hope this helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sven300
      It is difficult to give an opinion on your blog if you do not want to post the link to your blog...

      A priori, without seeing your blog, I would say this: try a sub-niche. Specialize in something very special about football.

      As others have said, you are probably trying to compete against large websites and excellent journalists.

      Your website should have original content. If you simply make a cheap vesion of what others are doing, you will never succeed.

      Hope this help!
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      I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson
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  • Profile picture of the author Surge Calls
    I suggest analyzing your sales funnel and see what the holes are. For example, if your landing page is weak I suggest making it more targeted towards your audience and having a call to action that drives action. You should also try paid traffic or ads, it is fast, effective and performance based way to drive traffic and subsequently leads to your website.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mattdawg841
    It sounds like you need to just simply hang in there and keep doing what you're doing! The football niche is probably extremely competitive so it will take a little longer for your efforts to pay off.

    Just don't get discouraged…if you're putting out good content, people are going to find it. That's just how it works.

    But if you want to be proactive, step up the FB posting…instead of once per day, post 5x's per day in the groups and every hour on your FB Fan page. And if you can, try to make sure that it's viral content that people will want to share.

    I hope that helps and you got this!
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    It is difficult to give an opinion on your blog if you do not want to post the link to your blog...
    Nearly impossible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Unregistered
    Driving Traffic to a blog can be challenging....blog syndicates can help and being persistent with your posts. Ask questions and always always always have a call to action. Do you monetize your blog, are you building a list? All of these and more should be your goal with having a blog. what platform do you use. I know kalatu blogs rank amazing these days and a super creative and easy to use. Check out mine and you can see a link on the right to kalatu blogs: www.mylifechangebiz.com
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  • Profile picture of the author dkm2000
    That's a great question, "How Do You Persuade Someone To Buy Clickbank Products?"

    There are many ways you can try and test them to see if they are converting.

    1. Banner in your sidebar.
    2. Every email you send to your list leave a link at the bottom of the email.
    3. Offer a free ebook to your list with a link placed in the footer of every page.
    4. Write a product review post.
    5. Write out an email campaign about the product your are promoting.

    Loads more ideas are out there. Try these few and test your conversions to see which is working best then scale that method up.

    Hope this has helped.
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    • Profile picture of the author albatross1121
      Originally Posted by dkm2000 View Post

      That's a great question, "How Do You Persuade Someone To Buy Clickbank Products?"

      There are many ways you can try and test them to see if they are converting.

      1. Banner in your sidebar.
      2. Every email you send to your list leave a link at the bottom of the email.
      3. Offer a free ebook to your list with a link placed in the footer of every page.
      4. Write a product review post.
      5. Write out an email campaign about the product your are promoting.

      Loads more ideas are out there. Try these few and test your conversions to see which is working best then scale that method up.

      Hope this has helped.

      Thanks for your advice
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  • Profile picture of the author LouisMcknight
    Based on what I have read so far I see two problems that you have.
    You need traffic good traffic and engagement. The first thing I would do is not post to facebook groups. I have never seen any traffic coming from there. I would make a fanpage and post my content on my fan page. Then log in using your fanpage. Then visit other fanpages that are in a similar niche if you see something that you can comment on do it. They made a post you like like it. This will raise brand awareness and allow you to gather followers. Next thing I would do is pay Twitter a visit. I would look at other sports news sites twitter page and run them through Twitonomy and analyse there tweets. Then when I had a list of the ones that were liked and retweeted the most I would make post on my blog with that title and then post it to another twitter hash tag. You can also engage there followers if you see someone asking a question answer it or if someone says something reply to it. Now this all takes a lot of time to do but your going to get engaged traffic and that means conversions for you. You can also do the same thing with fanpages I don't know of any free services for facebook at the moment though.
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  • Profile picture of the author DeadRooster
    OK, so, first of all, you need to define your end-goal here.

    What is it you ultimately want to do? Are you blogging because you want to make money? Is that your whole reason for blogging? If that's the case it's my opinion that you're going about it all wrong.

    Here's why:

    If you're writing articles about football you are going after an audience that wants information. But, what is it they would want to BUY?

    If it's someone that is reading your blog to find out about the latest game details, scores or specific player news are you going to try to sell them a course on how to PLAY football?

    It doesn't make sense. What do people who read this sort of thing WANT.

    Probably, they just want to relax, watch the game and drink beer.

    So, before you go any further, try to understand who your readers are and what they want, THEN you have to figure out what they're willing to pay for and promote THAT.

    You might have a shot at promoting team jerseys, coffee mugs with a team logo or something like that. I'm not sure ClickBank is the place to find products (except maybe betting systems, etc.)

    Anyway, good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Sven300 View Post

      It is difficult to give an opinion on your blog if you do not want to post the link to your blog...
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      Nearly impossible.
      And yet the advice (and some affiliate spam) just keeps coming...

      Originally Posted by DeadRooster View Post

      If you're writing articles about football you are going after an audience that wants information. But, what is it they would want to BUY?
      And what segment of that audience even wants to buy anything?

      There are a lot of casual fans for every sport and pseudo-sport who don't really spend a nickel.

      I mentioned pseudo-sport because I'm a casual fan of pro wrestling. It's like a combining a soap opera, a morality play, and testosterone-infused mock combat. I watch the free stuff on TV, but I don't buy tickets to live events, tee shirts, fake championship belts, etc. because I don't care that much.

      So who does care enough? Not sure about soccer, but with American football, I can think of two groups - rabid fans of a particular team and fantasy sports geeks (I use the term affectionately). Make the right offer to either of them, and the credit card pops out like it was on springs.
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