How to get more blog traffic 2020

The fundamentals of driving blog traffic haven't changed as much as people think, but 2020 brought some important shifts in how search and user behavior work. The core strategy remains the same: target keywords with real search volume where you can rank, create content better than what currently ranks, and build topical authority around themes your audience actually searches for.

Start by auditing what's already working. Look at your Google Search Console to find keywords you're already ranking for in positions 4-15—these are low-hanging fruit where small content improvements or a rewrite can push you into the top three. Also identify content gaps by researching competitor sites that rank for keywords relevant to your services. If you're an SEO agency, look at what other agencies rank for that you haven't covered yet. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to understand search volume and difficulty, but don't obsess over exact numbers—if it's a question your prospects ask, it has value. Build clusters of related content around core topics rather than isolated blog posts. If you write about "technical SEO audit," create supporting posts about specific technical issues, site speed, mobile optimization, and structured data. This builds topical authority, which Google increasingly rewards, and keeps readers on your site longer.

2020 specifically saw increased importance of two things: first, search intent alignment became more critical as Google's algorithm refined what "relevance" means; second, user experience signals started mattering more noticeably in rankings. This means your content needs to actually answer what someone typed in Google—not a tangential angle. It also means fast load times, mobile-friendly design, and readable formatting directly impact rankings now, not just conversions.

For traffic growth specifically, don't neglect internal linking strategy and outreach. Link strategically to your cluster posts from your homepage and service pages. When you publish new content, reach out to industry contacts and ask them to link if it genuinely helps their readers. Building backlinks remains important, but focus on quality from relevant sources rather than quantity.

One practical tactic many agencies miss: repurpose top-performing content. If a blog post gets traction, create a case study around that topic, record a video walkthrough, or turn it into a downloadable resource. This multiplies traffic from a single piece of research and gives you multiple ranking opportunities around the same keyword theme.