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Blogging is a tough business. For every beautifully designed fashion blog that gains traction, an equally compelling site will remain stuck in traffic limbo, never to capture the audience it likely deserves. As we wrote in our recent article, How to Build Your Blog Audience, it often takes more than exceptional content to break through the noise and find your followers.  

At Shopping Links we’ve rounded up a selection of influencers who we think have nailed the “business” side of blogging. They don’t just have gorgeous websites and consistently great content; they’re also savvy entrepreneurs who understand SEO, digital marketing and what keeps an audience engaged. Browse their sites to get ideas for how you can build a larger and more engaged audience who shops from your site!

Rosie of The Londoner [www.thelondoner.com]

Aside from featuring always-stunning imagery on her image-heavy website, Rosie does a few things particularly well to build her traffic: 

-       Her “Lust List” section allows readers to instantly locate and shop looks they love. 

-       She promotes her blog on all her social accounts, includingFacebook, Instagram and Pinterest: 

She also just launched a newsletter, which is one of the best ways to keep new visitors reading. 

Arielle of Something Navy [www.somethingnavy.com] 

SomethingNavy succeeds by identifying a clear benefit to readers -- shopping -- and focusing heavily on catering to that niche. Readers can “Shop the Look,” browse the “Wish List” and even search for children’s style by shopping “Mini.” 

By directing readers immediately to her newsletter with a popup screen, Arielle captures readers before they forget to sign up: 

Christine of Hello Fashion Blog [www.hellofashionblog.com] 

Christine’s organization sets Hello Fashion Blog apart by making it easy for readers to find what they want to read -- or shop. With a prominent search bar, clear categories, and a well-organized archive of past stories, Christine allows viewers to instantly find the looks, advice or style they’re seeking. She has also ensured that all her images can be “pinned” to Pinterest, giving her even more exposure. 

Mary of Memorandum [www.memorandum.com] 

Attention to detail has helped Mary build her audience -- right down to labeling her images with keywords that help viewers find her site through search engines.Sometimes it’s the little things, like adding ‘alt text’ or a photo description that can boost your site from obscurity to the top of the right search page. 

So what are the common threads? Many of the best  blog sites we see have the following common features:

·      Subscription tools where someone can sign up for regular updates

·      Visible social media buttons that work! There are countless blogs out there that include the buttons but don’t go as far as linking to the bloggers social media (read: so frustrating for your readers)

·      Well-organized categories and subcategories that help the audience quickly find what they’re looking for or interested in

·      A prominent search tool that is easy to use and brings back relevant search results 

·      An “About Me” page that conveys your interests, values and importantly your location!. 

 Keep these elements in mind as you build your blog to see your own traffic grow. 

Have more questions about building your audience or want to be featured on ourShopping Links blog? Reach out at hello@shoppinglinks.com.