Whether you’re just starting out with your blog, or you’ve been blogging forever, everyone can use a few new ideas here and there. I write for a living, but even I need inspiration sometimes! So I put together this list of my favorite traffic-generating blog post ideas. Happy writing!

1. How-To

What do you do when you need to know how to do something? You Google it. And guess what? So does everyone else.

This is basic SEO: If tons of people are searching “How to bake a pecan pie” and you write a blog about baking a pecan pie, they will land on your site!

Side note: When I wrote my blog on Pecan Pie, I wrote it because I had just done it and I was proud of myself. Ironically, the next day, “Pecan Pie” was trending on Pinterest! Win-win!

So, the best way to make sure you write posts that will generate a lot of traffic, is to make sure you know what is trending at the time.

2. Recipes

Since I mentioned it above, I figured it would be a perfect segue… Recipes are fantastic traffic generators because they can be shared to Pinterest!

If you spend a lot of time on Pinterest like I do, you’ll know that recipes are one of the most popular pins, which means if you write a recipe blog and share it on Pinterest, you’ll likely have a viral blog on your hands in no time! (Or you’ll just fall into a deep Pinterest black hole of no return. It happens to me daily, it’s fine)

3. Guides

Are you an expert in something? Whatever it is (baking, gardening, business, childcare), if you have tons of tips and expertise, putting together an essential guide can land you tons and tons of traffic.

People are always looking for “ultimate guides” online, so creating one will guarantee a spike in traffic and interest.

Tip: Want to increase your traffic AND email subscribers? Offer your guide as a download that your followers can receive via email! 🙂

4. Questions

Do you know what the top Google search is? (No, it’s not Jeffrey Dean Morgan… is that just me?) The top Google search is posed as a question!

If you center your blog post around frequently asked or commonly asked questions, your blog will go traffic crazy.

Why?

Because Google has this fun thing called a knowledge graph, and if you answer a common question in your blog, your site might be posted in this nifty little box!

Here’s a crackin’ example of Google’s knowledge graph:

5. Product reviews

I love working with brands and I love reviewing products, because it’s fun and helpful to readers. Product reviews are a high traffic generator for two reasons:

Shoppers constantly search for reviews and testimonies from real people (aka bloggers) Brands often repost product reviews or sponsored content

6. Contests

Who doesn’t love free stuff? If you’re lucky enough to be hosting a contest, you will also be lucky enough to reap the benefits of more blog traffic! Everyone loves contests, and if you host one on your blog, it will be clicked on, engaged with, shared, reposted. You get it.

7. Advice

Just like the How-To and Questions blog topics above, “advice” blogs are extremely popular. A few weeks ago, I was actually searching for advice online and instead of finding news articles or medical journals, the first things that popped up were blogs!

If you have advice to offer, post a blog about it! Chances are, there are a bunch of people who need to hear what you have to say. And even if it doesn’t go “viral,” you’ll still be able to sleep easier at night knowing you helped at least one person with your advice. And that makes it worth it, right?

8. Travel

Have you recently gone on a trip? Are you in the middle of planning a trip? Are you a full time traveler (or at least trying to be?)

Then write about it!

When I mentioned that one of the most popular type of pins on Pinterest are recipes, the other types are travel-related. Everyone wants first-hand knowledge and tips in regards to travel, and these posts can never go wrong!

So if you’ve recently traveled or are planning to, posting a blog about it will result in traffic galore for you.

Tip: Bonus points if you write about how to travel cheaply!

9. Gift ideas

Since we’re right smack dab in the middle of the holidays, it would be wrong for me not to include a “gift ideas” blog topic.

BUT the amazing thing about these type of blogs is that they perform well any time of the year, making them evergreen (aka they never go out of style).

People are always searching for the “perfect” gift, and they’re always searching for gift guides and gift ideas, so create a really awesome one and get those views!

10. Personal posts

This is my personal favorite, and although it won’t get you the viral, crazy traffic that you’re looking for, it does give you loyal readers that keep coming back for more. By being open and letting your readers into your personal life, you’ll soon create a solid community, which is the most important thing in this blogging world.

These are my favorite traffic-generating blogs, and after working in the marketing world these are the topics I’ve found that have always performed the best for my clients, too.

Do you have any blog topics that have driven tons of traffic to your site? ⚡️