Avoid Summer Slump For Bloggers

Avoid summer slump this year by being pro-active with your blog/website. Traffic tends to fall off during summer. Is this your cue to go to the beach? Maybe.

Or it could be your opportunity to do those tasks that you’ve been putting off…and then go to the beach!

This post was originally published August 7, 2018 and has been updated to be current with new information. Affiliate Disclosure.

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My name is Irma and I help new bloggers to learn the ropes. There is a lot to take in that first year of blogging, from choosing a niche to changing your mindset from worker bee mentality to that of successful entrepreneur.

I like to focus on practical information and positive thinking, so if that sounds good to you please sign up for my weekly newsletter of tips and free stuff for bloggers.

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What is A Summer Slump for Bloggers?

It is that time when all of our loyal readers are at the beach, the pool, or their backyard.

But one place they are not is on the computer reading blog posts or newsletters. Our loyal readers are outside! Oh, the humanity!

Summer slump appears to be less about how much traffic you currently have and more about what you can do with the traffic that you do have.

Because you are still getting traffic right? As well, now is the best time to get ready for Q4 and the upcoming holiday sales time.

Yes, You Can Avoid Summer Slump!

I have read multiple blog posts on how to earn money while traffic is low.

And I have read other posts of people who bemoan the summer months. Sigh.

Summer is a great time to work on all those nagging little tasks that you have been putting off.

Clean up your website, start or update your newsletter, clean up old emails…trust me, there is always lots to do!

Here Are Ten Ways To Tackle Summer Slump

Well, you could go outside too you know.

But if that is not an option, and I know it is not an option for lots of bloggers (bad weather, nearby forest fires, sick kids, all of the above) then this would be a great time to finish some projects and cross things off of your list.

1. This is a good time to switch your hosting if you have been thinking about it.

I switched to Siteground, and I couldn’t be happier.

I highly recommend Siteground, because they are so helpful. They never make me feel like I am wasting someone’s time asking questions or seeking help.

Chat is the fastest way to get things done. You get a tech person almost immediately, which is great, because they chat is live. That makes getting things done much simpler.

2. Update Your Website with A New Theme

My theme comes from Generate Press. Get a free version or just go crazy and spend $49 for the Pro version.

Generate Press is a simple theme that you can add on to and create a totally custom website.

Since you only add on what you want, the theme is quick and responsive. There is no bloat and it loads quickly. They also have a lively Facebook group where you can ask question and get direction for customizing the theme.

Avoid Summer Slump for Bloggers
PIN IT!! Avoid Summer Slump for Bloggers

 

3. Create A New Opt-in Incentive

Create a new freebie to entice readers to subscribe to your newsletter. Plan out a new sales funnel and create a nice incentive for your readers.

Make your freebie part of your overall plan to earn more passive income.

4. Create A Tripwire Product

Along with creating a new freebie, how about creating a “next-step” products as well?

If you’ve been thinking of creating a product for passive income, there is no better time.

Create an inexpensive digital product that is an extension of a popular freebie that you already offer.

Sell it for $9 to $29 and pay for your hosting, email service provider, or to buy a new theme.

5. Add New Content to Old Posts

I am currently updating my old posts as well, so you will not be alone in screaming in horror at your old posts.

I actually found a post that was just a bit over 400 words. 400?? Ugh, I shudder.

Lately I am lucky if I can stop at 2000 words per post. It takes restraint, so finding a short little post like that horrified me.

So, I went in there with gloves and goggles on, ready to get into it and I kicked it up to over 1500 words! Yup, pretty proud.

6. Optimize Your Content For SEO

If you are missing any SEO steps with your content, now is the time to fix it.

We are heading for Q4 and the holiday shopping that brings more sales, so get your content on page 1 with excellent SEO.

Related Post: 10 Easy SEO Wins

The latest Google algorithm update just kicked a bunch of rank #1 blogs out of the top spot

This was due to the change in their local and organic ranking system.

It is a long story that you can read here. And here.

In theory, it means that traffic will go down because people are not at home on their computers, but does that mean that conversions are down?

Not necessarily.

Want to know what this one blogger discovered about summer slump? Hint: more conversions.

In this blog post by PotPieGirl, Jennifer noticed that her conversions were up over the “summer slump”.

Granted this post refers to Amazon sales, but seriously…conversions going up in summer? Hmmm. Not so much of a slump for some bloggers.

I am not an Amazon Associate, but if you are, keep this in mind. Because Prime Day is in July for a reason.

7. And while You Are Digging Around In The Vault, Look For Content To Update.

If you have posts that no longer serve your blog and what you want to share, go ahead and archive them, especially if they don’t bring traffic. DO NOT DELETE. You may want that post for later.

If they do bring traffic, just keep updating them, because they bring traffic.

You can update the publishing date to the current date. This moves the post up in your blog roll…great for new readers.

8. Remove or Fix Dated Content

I discovered early on in my blogging that you can re-use blog posts for yearly sales, like Amazon Prime day. Just be sure that you do not put the date in your blog post URL.

Then every year I update the post and republish it.

Super helpful, because the post is already ranking. You can add the current year to updated images and pins.

If you do have dated content, you can change the URL using a re-direct plugin. Only do this if you are comfortable doing geeky stuff within your content management system i.e WordPress.

9. Update Blog Post Images

Create a new featured image and make some new pins to share on Pinterest (if you are using Pinterest for Business), for any updated posts.

People do scroll Pinterest from their phones while at the beach, so do not discount this platform. Be sure to make new pins for landing pages and get them out into the pinning-sphere now.

10. Make More Pins

Pinterest likes fresh pins daily. I’m getting in the habit of creating 3 pins per post. I use one and put the others in a folder with the current month.

In two months I will come back and add one of the extra pins to my current rotation.

You cannot add the same pin over and over in Tailwind, but you can make similar pins and upload those to Tribes every 2 months.

11. Start Using The Pinterest Native Scheduler

The native scheduler is awesome! Load it up with your pins, and schedule them to go out whenever you want.

Have one pin scheduled for different times, or a different pin every day. This is an amazing time saver.

You can add 14 pins at one time, setting each to go out at the time your people are typically scrolling the feed. Easy peasy.

12. Use Better Quality Stock Images

You can sign up for Shutterstock or Deposit Photo and start using images that are different from the ones everyone uses from free photo sites.

Not only are the photos different, you know that the up-loader has permission to upload it. There is no guarantee of that at free sites.

A great deal from Deposit Photos can be had if you are signed up to AppSumo.

They have an annual deal for 100 photos for $49 (half price!).

Alternatively, Haute Stock and Ivory Mix send out freebies if you are signed up for their newsletters. These are mostly feminine and floral photos, but they have plenty of white space for text.

13. Prepare for The Upcoming Winter Holidays with New Posts

Choose your popular holiday topics and create a new post that goes along with them. Use Google Analytics to see what was popular for you during last fall/winter.

Related Post: Google Analytics Tutorial (subscribers get the cheat sheet!)

You can never have too many posts on self improvement, goal setting, diets, fitness , and positive thinking ready for the upcoming new year.

14. Update Your Permalink Structure

It used to be recommended to have the date within your blog post URL, but that is outdated. If you want your content to be evergreen, you should avoid having the date of publish on your posts.

Be sure to get help with this if you don’t understand how.

Watch a YouTube video, like the one below, but please don’t attempt this if you are unsure of anything about it. No point making a mess if you don’t need to.

15. Learn To Use A New Social Media Channel

This could be a great time for you to look into using Facebook ads, or how to start an Instagram account, or start pinning for traffic.
I would only recommend learning one of these at a time. Become proficient with one before moving on to the next.

16. Reach Out To Other Bloggers

Make a new blogging friend…or two. Find bloggers who have a similar niche do a guest post swap. Look for ways to network with other bloggers that can promote your blog.

Or just look for blogging mentors that can help you get to the next level, with advice or tips.

17. Read A Helpful Blogging Book

Blogging pro’s are always writing helpful books. Take their advice and see how you can incorporate it into your blog. Read up on ways to tackle your inbox, how to deal with all your sticky notes, or how to create a useful content calendar.

18. Take A Blogging Course

I recommend Pinterest for traffic. If you are interested but are not sure where to start, I recommend any or all of these:

For brand new-to-Pinterest bloggers, I suggest Pinterest Ninja to get you set up.

Manual Pinning Simplified is the course for pinning using your mobile phone.

And if you don’t want to pay for scheduling tools, get Carly’s Pinteresting Strategies.

19. Set Up Your Email Newsletter Welcome Series

There is no better way to connect with your tribe than email. And once you get set up you will wonder why you waited.

Set up your welcome series of 3, 4, or even 5 emails, set to go out automatically. Welcome your new peeps with a warm and personal message explaining how you can help them.

20. Do Some Blogging Housekeeping

  • Clean up and delete emails.
  • Unsubscribe from emails.
  • Tidy up your desk.
  • Organize tasks in your planner.
  • Set new goals. Update older goals.
  • Plan seasonal content
  • Organize blog courses and eBooks on your computer. Move files to a usb drive or external HDD for safe keeping.

21. Back up Your Blog!

I use UpDraft Plus! and it sends a copy of my weekly backup right to my email. It takes minutes to run a backup, but it saves a lifetime of pain if something goes wrong with your website.

Don’t risk it.

 

Conclusion

Okay, enough. If you are still reading, stop. Go outside before summer is over. Come back in after a reasonable amount of time and get back to work.

Summer slump? Nope, not here!

Are you ready to start your blog and/or side hustle? Now is the time to create your own future and future income. Please sign up for my weekly newsletter of tips and free stuff for bloggers, like my passive income checklists. See if a blogging “side hustle” is right for you!

 

Happy blogging and follow me on Pinterest!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and please share it with anyone that you think can benefit from it. Our success benefits everyone! Questions? Comments? Please leave them in the box below. I am always happy to hear from you!

And sharing is caring 🙂

-Irma 🙂

Avoid Summer Slump For Bloggers

24 thoughts on “Avoid Summer Slump For Bloggers”

  1. Hi, Irma. Thank you for all the great info that are very helpful. What do you like most about PicMonkey? Have you ever used Snappa? That is a great picture application. I love it so much. It is very easy to be used and have the free programme. Wish you all the best, Melani.

    Reply
    • Hi Melani and thank you for visiting again,

      I like that you can manipulate photos with Pic Monkey. I was in a course for blogging and the host had a video on all the fun things that she does with Pic Monkey when making pins for Pinterest. One thing she did that was cool was adding in text to a photo and then erasing parts of the text so that it looks like parts of the photo are super imposed over the text. A very cool effect that cannot be done with Canva because it does not have an eraser.

      Also, the hub is great especially if you are working on a few projects – or in my case, pins – on the same day. You can go back and forth easily.

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  2. Very accurate information and I completely relate to “the summer slump” and have experienced it for the first time this summer but I like what you’ve been doing my instead of getting frustrated about the temporary loss of traffic you are using this time to make the fall and winter a better time, I love it!
    I also want to fully get my head around email marketing as there is definitely a lot of opportunity there.
    Great post, I hope to see more!

    Reply
    • Hello Jack and thank you for visiting us today,

      Yes, there is always so much to do on our blogs lol. I was shocked by the drop off in traffic myself, but now is a good time to focus on the results that you want and how to achieve them. For me, that means some much needed SEO. Best of luck with your choices 🙂

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  3. You explain it so well of us bloggers. thank you for writting this. All the best.

    Reply
    • You are welcome and thank you for visiting us today!

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  4. Thanks for the great tips what to do during the summer slump. I’m just sorry that your blog reminds me of unfinished work on my ” long list “. The first things I’m going to finish are fixing my old posts and looking for tips on how to improve my writing style more converting like. Because traffic is what I need more. One more thing I liked was a recommendation of Pic Monkey. I will check it out.

    Reply
    • Hello Kari and thank you for visiting us today!

      Pic Monkey is great. I have been watching YouTube videos on how to manipulate photos by making text look like it is behind an object in the photo. So cool!

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  5. Wow a lot of very useful information thank you. I do have to agree those two books..think and grow rich..Happy Pocket Full of Money are a most read.I own both of them:) Lots of useful info in the resource library also. I bookmarked your page so I can continue to read your posts

    Reply
    • Awesome Cathy and thank you for visiting us today!

      I am daily inspired by Think and Grow Rich, and Happy Pocket Full of Money is my new favorite.

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  6. This post is such a valuable tool for us bloggers.

    As much as I want to be outside, which I do take advantage of, you’re totally right! I sure am not on my phone reading articles. I’m having a couple pops on the beach!

    I like the different ways to keep yourself busy during this time and the one thing I have learned most about blogging is that there is always something new to learn.

    Cheers to a great summer,
    Kahlua

    Reply
    • Hello Kahlua and thank you for visiting us today,

      I have to work on stuff all the time, so I have a running list of things that I should do and I pick whichever one I feel like for the day lol.

      I myself am taking a week off to go sit in the sun. I have deleted everything that I time blocked in Google Calendar and I have a bunch of non-blogging books on my tablet on the off chance I have time to read.

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  7. Hi, Irma, this is an amazing article! In fact just yesterday I was thinking about rewriting one of my articles. I think this creates a fresh set of ideas as well as applying good blogging practices.
    I see here that you also gave some very good recommendations on learning how to blog.

    Also, you talked about Pic Monkey are you able to save any of your work with the free version?

    Reply
    • Hi Viviana and thank you for visiting us today,

      It is amazing what a little time can do for you perspective of old blog posts. I can tweak every post I have written and find something new to tell the reader!

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  8. Hi Irma what a fantastic article I needed this right now. This is a must read for all bloggers. You have got so many thoughts and ideas running in my head and your so right.
    It’s a great time to polish old blogs read up more on goggle new seo standards and I have been thinking too about implementing Email into my site.
    Thank you so much for this awesome article.
    David

    Reply
    • Hello David and thank you for visiting us today,

      Email is huge. I am so glad that I got over my problems with writing weekly to my tribe. I have been working on all of these little projects all summer.

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  9. Hi Irma, wow! What an inspirational site, and a helpful article! Thank you so much for this – I’m still a noob blogger and still have to learn about a lot of the things mentioned but I’ve already saved you under my favorites and I’ll be back lots to learn and implement ! <3

    Reply
    • Way to go Nadia and thank you for visiting us today,

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  10. Absolutely brilliant content here! A lot of things that I can take into consideration, I have yet to dive in to pintrest, not something I even considered but I’m guessing it is very beneficial?

    Reply
    • Hello Kevin and thank you for visiting us today,

      Pinterest is the third largest search engine so it is an awesome way to gain free organic traffic. It is also a visual search engine, which is why you see all those awesome pins on the site.

      Almost 40% of the new users are men! It helps everyone to gain more traffic to their websites, and your job is to create enticing pins that not only make people want to click on over to your site, but you need something for them to do when they get there i.e. and opt-in offer. Jump on the Pinterest band wagon because it is going strong!

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  11. Hi Irma!

    The summer makes me think a little more about my blogging so it’s welcome to read and get some new ideas here.

    I totally agree with you that email marketing is crucial for your business. I use Mail Chimp and are happy with them but I’m sure there are others that’s equally good.

    Great tip to see what posts that have to little content, I will check that out after this. Did I understand right that you recommend about 1500 to 2000 words for every post?

    /Regards, Jan

    Reply
    • Hello Jan and thank you for visiting us today,

      No! I recommend that you post whatever you want to post for the number of words that gets your point across. I was just saying that I am writing longer posts now, and finding such a short post was kind of shocking to me lol. I knew it could use an update with more information, newer graphics etc.

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply
  12. I like the affiliate topic, because i believe it’s beneficial to me and other peoples to earn extra income.

    Thanks for your article

    Reply
    • Awesome Piseth and thank you for visiting us today!

      Cheers,
      -Irma 🙂

      Reply

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