If this is your first year blogging, you might be hearing about something called the summer slump. It has to do with lower traffic during the summer months. But is it a real phenomenon, and if so, does it happen to all bloggers?
In this post, I’ll explain everything about the summer slump for bloggers – what it is and why it happens, plus I’ll give you some actionable tips to help you avoid the dreaded summer slump altogether.
What Is “Summer Slump” For Bloggers?
Summer slump is a term that refers to when blog traffic decreases during the months of June, July, and August.
Many bloggers feel frustrated with the low traffic during summer. It can significantly affect their income, and seeing traffic dry up can be scary enough in its own right.
Why Does Traffic Go Down In The Summer?
The reason that there tends to be less traffic in the summer is because people are spending less time on the internet, in general.
With brighter, warmer days, most people tend to spend more time outdoors. Kids are enjoying their summer breaks from school, and families are traveling for reunions and sightseeing trips.
How To Survive The Summer Slump
You’ve heard that failing to plan is planning to fail? Yes, with blogging, too, it never hurts to think ahead.
Most blog niches see less traffic in the summer – with a few exceptions (oh you camping/outdoors niche bloggers you!).
So chances are the summer slump IS going to happen with YOUR blog.
The best way you can ready yourself for it is to prepare some blog posts in advance. You can save them as scheduled posts in WordPress and they’ll be published automatically at the date and time you choose.
Think about how nice it will feel if you can get about 10-20 posts scheduled for the whole summer. It’s a great thing because it’ll give you more time to focus on driving traffic back to your blog, or to work on other blog-related tasks that you’ve been meaning to work on.
Or hey, you might just decide to use the extra time to relax and enjoy the nice warm weather!
Help! Summer Slump Is Upon Me. What Do I Do?
Create Content For The Busier Months Ahead
Traffic tends to pick up and build all the way from September to the end of the year for a lot of bloggers. You could get your blog ready for the more intense months by creating seasonal blog posts (think about upcoming holidays and winter ideas).
If you don’t feel up to writing, there are other ways you can get your blog more prepared for a higher traffic volume. How about setting up your email opt-in forms, writing a welcome email sequence, or creating an opt-in freebie?
Already got all that stuff done? In that case, you could create a tripwire product to sell, or work on a larger product like a course or ebook.
Take A Class
Extra downtime in the summer is the perfect time to take a blogging course. When you have time to properly sit down and study the material, and implement what you learn on your own website, you can really move your blog to the next level.
It’s best to pick a specific area to focus on learning and improving in. Look for courses that are not only well-reviewed, but offer specific, technical lessons that are right for your experience level.
Do An SEO Audit On Your Site
Often times, new bloggers are so eager to get their first posts up that they don’t think too much about SEO.
Taking the time to work on SEO is definitely worth it. Itcan have long-lasting effects on your traffic in the future – possibly allowing you to avoid next year’s summer slump altogether!
Go Get Some Backlinks
Don’t just wait for people to link to you – be proactive and go get those backlinks! With your extra summer downtime, you can find backlink opportunities like doing guest posts, or reaching out to other bloggers to ask for backlinks.
Summer Slump – Final Thoughts
If your blog’s in the middle of a summer slump, remember that it won’t last forever. Even though seeing low traffic can be demotivating, remember that all the work you’ve put into your blog is still valid.
Try to use this less-busy time to prepare for the higher-traffic months ahead. Think about what kinds of holidays, events, and seasons are coming up that your target market will be searching for in the near future.
The best thing you can do to avoid a summer slump is to prepare content in advance. Write posts that people will be searching about during summer! Do your research to find good summer topics, and get those summer posts scheduled in advance.
And don’t forget to enjoy the summer weather while it lasts!
