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If you have managed to create a website with good levels of growing traffic, it can be disheartening when the number of visitors starts to decline.  It’s important not to panic or end up feeling low.  Many bloggers have periods when their traffic plateaus or starts to decline.  The important thing is to recognize it’s happening and take action to get your traffic back on track.

Here are five of the most common reasons why websites lose traffic and the most effective solutions.

1.  Seasonal Rises and Falls

Seasonality is one of the most common reasons why websites see a rise and fall throughout the year.  Every niche has a natural traffic trend, with increased popularity at certain times of the year.  For example, a gadget blog is likely to get more traffic in November and December, as people search for Christmas presents.  However January and February may be much quieter. 

The Solution:

If your website is fairly new you might not have enough visitor data to understand the seasonality of your niche.  So it’s important to install an analysis plug in as soon as you create your website, such as Google Analytics for WordPress, which allows you to monitor your traffic.  Also you can use websites such as Google Trends, which show you the keywords most searched for on the web and the trends for any keyword.  This may give you an idea of when to expect traffic highs and lows. 

If you think your website is being affected by seasonality, don’t panic!  Simply try to maximize the opportunities that seasonality brings.  Tailor your content to the different times of the year and make a note of what works.  For example, if you have a blog about digital cameras, in November and December it’s important to maximize the Christmas traffic.  Make top 10 lists of The Best Point and Shoot Digital Cameras, How to Buy a Digital Camera, or The Top 10 Online Digital Camera Retailers. 

Naturally you may see a decline in traffic in January, so think of content that people may need.  Articles such as, How to Use Your New Digital Camera or Tips for Taking the Best Digital Photo take advantage of website visitors looking for tips on how to use their new digital camera.  You might even run a photograph competition for the best amateur digital photo.  Think outside the box and get creative!

2.  How Often Are you Posting?

This is a very common reason why website traffic declines.  You need to keep your content fresh and current.  You can’t simply leave a site without putting new content onto it regularly.  

The Solution:  

It really depends on your niche how often you need to post.  However a good rule of thumb is at least three times per week, up to maximum a few times per day.   More importantly is to get a regular rhythm, posting at roughly the same time each day with the same frequency.  This can help to create a loyal readership.

3.  Content Quality

Now of course not all of us are natural writers.  That’s why when you create a website it’s important to find a topic you enjoy, are passionate about and have good knowledge of.  This will make it much easier to create quality posts.  If you’re not creating good content that people want to read, of course your traffic will decline.

The Solution: 

Take a look at other websites in your niche and see what’s popular out there.  What style of writing do people like?  Ask yourself, are you being relevant to your bloggers?  Are you providing them something of value?  Are you answering their questions and providing solutions?

Also check your grammar and spelling.  People hate blogs that are difficult to read and have poor spelling.  For more ideas on how to create good quality content, read our tips on How to Engage and Grow your WordPress Blog Readership.  

4.  Are You Promoting Your Content?

This may sound obvious but after you create a website, even with the best quality content you need to let people know you’re there and what you are about.  Effective promotional activity depends on your niche and the style of your website, but it’s important to get your message heard. 

The Solution:

One of the most effective ways of promoting your website is through social networking sites, such as Facebook, Linkedin, Digg, Twitter and Stumbleupon.  Here are some ideas:

• Make it easy for people to share your content.  Sociable is one of the best social networking plug ins, putting a drop down menu of up to 99 different sites at the bottom of each post, making it very simple for people to spread the word about your site.
• Directly connect to Facebook and Twitter:  once you’ve built up a good network of contacts on Twitter and Facebook, using the Gigya Socialize plug in your visitors can directly connect to your website from Facebook and Twitter.  They can also bring all their friends with them!  This is one of the best ways to keep in touch with thousands of people all at the same time, alerting them of when you have new content or special offers on your site. 
• Twitter Feed: another really simple plug in that allows you to connect directly with Twitter, putting your latest posts as RSS feeds on Twitter and updating your blog with tweets.  This saves you time and effort and can be really effective at driving traffic to your site.  All of these social networking plug ins are available for free on our resources page.
• Linkedin: another great social networking site to promote your content is Linkedin.  For more information on how to tap into Linkedin traffic and networking, read this article on 5 Secrets to Using Linkedin to Boost Quality Blog Traffic.

5.  Don’t Give Up!

This is one of the best pieces of advice you’ll hear when you create a website.  It takes time to build up blog traffic and it’s not going to happen overnight.  Don’t expect your content to suddenly take off.  You need to put in time, effort and some creative promotional thinking in order to bring in traffic that will enable you to monetize your blog.  The most important thing is to keep on top of what’s going on with your blog.  Use plug ins such as Google Analytics for WordPress and understand where your visitors are coming from and what they like and don’t like.  Then you’ll know how to make your blog a real success.