How to Get 1 Million Pageviews in Your First Year Blogging: Interview with Frances Vidakovic

Getting 1 Million pageviews and visitors to your website as a beginner blogger is a dream for many!

But Frances Vidakovic was able to achieve both in her first year blogging!

What’s her secret?

I interviewed her to find out!

Many new bloggers complain that they are not getting enough visitors to their website.

More visitors to your website = more sales, whether affiliate sales or sales from your own products.

Just imagine if you were getting 1 Million visitors to your website. What kind of impact it would have on growing your blog?

Let’s find out.

Read my interview with Frances below where she shares her top tips for boosting traffic to your blog as well as the resources you absolutely need to get there quickly!

Pay attention because there are some golden nuggets in here if you really want to get 1 Million visitors to your website in one year just like she did.

 

How to Get 1 Million Pageviews in Your First Year Blogging: Interview with Frances Vidakovic

1 – Can you tell us about yourself and your blog?

Absolutely, I would love to! I’m Frances Vidakovic and I blog over at InspiringLifeDreams.com where I inspire moms (and kids too) to dream big and live a more intentional life.

My niche is an unusual mix of parenting mixed with self-development. In addition to over 340 valuable blog posts, I have a shopfront with over 20 digital e-books and courses that tackle all areas of life as a parent – including mindset and motivation, nurturing healthy relationships with your partner and kids, raising teens, raising kids with special needs, and creating a life you love.

I was lucky enough to have my blog become quite successful early on, achieving a total of over 1 Million pageviews within the first year.

Nine months after launching I went full-time as a blogger and I have been living the work from home dream ever since!

2 – What inspired you to start a blog? 

I actually stumbled upon the idea of blogging quite by accident.

Once upon a time, I was just an author with many books available on Amazon (including three chick-lit novels) but I started to get tired of directing people over to Amazon to make sales there.

I wanted to have a shopfront and platform of my own where I could be more in control of sales and actually share more about my life and parenting experiences.

I still can’t believe I discovered blogging so late in my writing journey because after writing numerous books over 100,000 words, I was in heaven to find I could write and publish an article of only 2000 words and have it instantly accessible to my readers.

The day I officially became a blogger was the same day I found my dream job.

My philosophy is that life is short and time is precious.

So to be able to convey this message to my readers – that the time to start chasing your dreams is TODAY, not tomorrow – and have people make positive changes in their life based on my words – makes my heart feel so full. 

I actually have a degree in psychology and worked for over a decade as a life coach so I feel blessed that I have been able to mesh my two things together – my love for writing about parenting and self-development.

 

3 – What do you love the most about blogging and what frustrates you? 

I have to be honest and say the thing I love most about blogging is the ability to be able to earn more than I ever have before by working from home. 

I love the freedom and flexibility of being able to stay in your PJs all day if you wish. I love not having to answer to a boss, because as a blogger I am the boss of my own business. I also love the potential that exists as a blogger to grow because really, the sky’s the limit in this field.

The most frustrating thing about blogging, on the other hand, is that I have so many ideas that I want to act upon and not enough time. 

One of the difficult things about being a blogger, in the beginning, is that you are often a one-man or woman show and if you have an idea it is up to you alone to action it. Of course, outsourcing is an option but bloggers often forget to tell you how hard it is to give up some of that control after doing it all yourself for so long.

I’m slowly learning to view this feeling of frustration as a gift. It is definitely a sign that your blog and business are full of growth and potential. My advice to others (and myself!) is if you need help to get to the next stage of your business, you should definitely get that help you need! 

 

4 – As a full-time blogger, how many hours per week do you blog? What does your typical day look like? 

First and foremost I am still a mom so I make blogging work to suit my family’s schedule. While the kids are at school, I aim to work at least 24 hours a week – six hours a day, four times a week. 

I love to batch my work so I will typically write blog posts and create lead magnets and digital products for three of those days and on the final day I tend to all other blogging must-do tasks like sending out an email to my list, creating and scheduling pins in Tailwind and doing SEO keyword research etc.

But this schedule is not set in stone. I always work according to the blogging goals that I have set for the month and I make these goals my top priority. 

During the school holidays the idea of keeping to any sort of schedule is near impossible with the kids at home so I instead make sure to work early before the kids wake up (usually 5-7am) and then again a few hours later at night. 

I like to always keep in mind the ROI (return on investment) for my time because with kids, I do often feel time-poor. It’s all about using the time you have wisely, staying focused and always, always working smarter, not harder.

 

5 – You have helped tons of bloggers including me with your ebook – “Content is King”, can you tell us more about it? 

Of course I would love to! My book CONTENT IS KING is a comprehensive 200 page e-book aimed at helping bloggers become a content-creating machine. 

It focuses on the importance of content creation for blog growth and outlines all my secret tips and tricks for writing 20 blog posts every month, which is something I consistently did during my first year of blogging and helped me achieve over 1 Million pageviews in my first year as a blogger.  

Blogging experts often speak about the importance of building an email list or learning the secrets of Pinterest promotion, traffic growth and affiliate marketing.

But honestly, you can’t build an email list without subscribers first opting in, after reading valuable content on your website.

You can’t make affiliate sales if a visitor isn’t impressed with the content you have shared.

You can’t get even a little traffic to your website if your content isn’t enticing enough. 

Great content absolutely needs to come first. As bloggers, we can’t skip over the importance of this task because creating valuable content is what will have your readers coming back to you for more.

During my first year of blogging, I consistently published 20 blog posts per month (once I saw the value of having extra content!) and by month nine I had my first 150,000+ pageviews month.

After 18 months, I finally had the luxury of taking a breather from massive content creation because I had already accumulated a strong portfolio of content that I could either promote or that was established enough to bring me consistently high traffic every month. 

I definitely feel that the secret to my blogging success was consistently creating valuable content for my readers. 

 

6 – Can both new and advanced bloggers use your ebook Content is King? 

Yes, definitely! After two years of blogging and my serious love for content creation, I still find immense value and fresh inspiration whenever I revisit this book.  It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie, intermediate or advanced blogger, content creation is still an important part of blogging, no matter where you are on your journey.

This book is also perfect for anyone who can’t fathom the idea that it’s even possible to consistently write 20 blog posts a month.  The truth is it is definitely possible. I have done it time and time again and this book will show you how it can be done. 

Of course, you don’t need to publish 20 blog posts every month forever until the end of time but I encourage every blogger to test out this strategy and observe the impact it has on your business.

7 – With so many blogging tools and resources out there, can you tell us what distinguishes your ebook Content is King from the rest?

After investing in so many blogging tools and resources I really feel as if there is nothing out there yet that simplifies the process of content creation quite like Content Is King does.

It really is in a league of its own.

With over 200 pages, it goes deep into the art of content creation and teaches you everything – from clarifying what constitutes great content and understanding the purpose of your content to brainstorming ideas for blog posts and showing you exactly how to batch the task of writing 20 blog posts a month.

The feedback from bloggers who have read CONTENT IS KING has been amazing so far. That’s because this book really does help you break through that mindset that writing needs to be hard or that publishing 20 blogs posts a month isn’t impossible. It isn’t hard, it is possible and this book shows you how it can be done.

8 – In addition to your Content is King ebook, what else do you recommend for boosting traffic to your blog? 

 

Prior to writing CONTENT IS KING, I first created the course BOOST YOUR TRAFFIC. This was in response to all the questions I would get from other newbie bloggers who were curious about how I reached 1 Million pageviews and visitors on my website in my first year of blogging.

Fun fact: I actually worked in marketing for six years prior to blogging so this course covers all the marketing tips and tricks I had accumulated over the years about traffic growth, many of which I used to quickly grow my own website.

BOOST YOUR TRAFFIC is perfect for anyone wanting to get more traffic to their blog, who might feel like all their efforts so far are in vain or if you already have established traffic, it shows you how to exponentially increase your traffic because really the sky’s the limit when it comes to this metric.

Related post: 13 Ways to Market & Increase Traffic to Your Blog

9 – A lot of bloggers struggle with traffic but you didn’t, what’s your secret for getting 1 Million Pageviews?  

From the moment I started my blog and set my enormous goal of reaching 1 Million pageviews in my first year of blogging, I was determined to reach it.

I had my WHY, which I think is so important to define ahead of time. 

Before you can even think about the HOW, you need to be absolutely clear about WHAT YOU WANT and WHY!

Some people get so focused on an arbitrary goal without understanding why they actually want to achieve it and how it fits into their big picture.

Why do you want to grow your blog?

What do you want to grow and become?

What is your ultimate purpose in life?

What drives you to work hard and with passion?

You can tackle the “how” to-do list later.

My own personal WHY stemmed from my desire to create financial freedom for my family, including my son, who has a degenerative neuro-muscular disease which requires him to use a wheelchair.  

I had a monetary goal I wished to reach and having this very-clearly defined WHY gave me a purpose and direction to work towards during my first year (and beyond). It was the motivation that fueled my fire to work hard and never give up.

Honestly when your WHY is strong enough, you will do anything to stay focused and figure out how to get there.

As Marie Forleo so wisely said – everything is figure-out-able.

My secret isn’t really a secret but more a feeling I had of ruthless determination.

I was determined to leave my part-time job and work from home. I was prepared in invest in my education so that I had all the tools I needed to move forward as a blogger.

If something wasn’t working for me, I was willing to try something different and then different again and again until I hit one something that worked. 

My sole focus during my first year was to create amazing content, surpass my previous income and achieve 1 million pageviews. Because I had my WHY firmly in place, there was nothing that could stop me.  

 

10 – How long did it take you to get 1 Million pageviews on your blog? 

 It took me exactly one year to hit 1 Million pageviews on my blog. That was the goal I set to achieve during my first year of blogging in 2018 and it wasn’t until New Year’s Eve, while vacationing with friends and family, that I realized my pageviews had clicked over to 1,000,1000 or so pageviews.

I cannot express to you the feeling of pure joy that came from realizing this goal. It’s true what they say: everything feels impossible until it’s done.

11 – What are your top 3 tips for increasing traffic to your blog quickly?  

NUMBER 1: My number one tip is definitely to write lots of valuable content that solves a problem for your readers and write it CONSISTENTLY (as outlined in CONTENT IS KING).  Make sure that content is SEO optimized for both Google and Pinterest.

NUMBER 2: Start a Pinterest business account (only if that’s where your audience is at).

If you create enough gorgeous click-worthy Pinterest pins that are keyworded well you will have the traffic coming over to your website soon enough.

NUMBER 3: Be willing to toot your own horn. Don’t wait for others to toot it for you. The best tool you can have as a blogger is confidence. Success will not come as easily if you are insecure about the value you have to offer others. Embrace marketing! Get excited about learning how you can better spread your content to the world. You deserve to be heard.

  

 

12 – What do you think is the best social media strategy for getting traffic to your blog? 

Simple answer: the best social media strategy involves going where your audience is.

If your audience is on Pinterest go there. If they prefer Facebook or Instagram instead, make your mark there.

If you are confused as to which social media platforms would generate the most traffic to your website, I recommend you start by RESEARCHING YOUR COMPETITION!

Note what your MOST SUCCESSFUL competitors are currently doing.

Are they active on Facebook and Pinterest and inactive on Instagram and Twitter? If so, ask why that may be the case?

Could it be that they have already worked out which is the best platform for their business?

Look at how the major influencers are using each platform; how they are engaging with their followers? What are they posting and how often do they post?

What are they doing RIGHT?

Work out what is YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE SOCIAL PLATFORM AND CONCENTRATE ON THAT.

This will be something different for each blogger or business owner but please don’t try to beat a dying horse.

If the results are telling you that your time is wasted on that social media platform THEN STOP DOING IT AND MOVE ON TO SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS AT INCREASING YOUR TRAFFIC.

My personal recommendation is to focus on your best one or two platforms and make those a roaring success. Test no more than one or two platforms out at a time and make sure each post you share encourages or promotes a click over to your website, in order to increase your blog traffic.

 

13 – What are the top 3 things new bloggers should concentrate on to get 1 Million Pageviews? 

 It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the beginning stages of blogging but if I had to pinpoint three things to concentrate on, I would say they are:

Number 1: Create lots of valuable content for your readers, as per my suggestions in CONTENT IS KING. You learn all my strategies and tricks to get those 1 Million Pageviews and visitors to your website quickly.

Number 2: Learn SEO. Even though SEO traffic is traditionally slow to come by, it is so important to start planting those seeds early on. There is nothing quite like getting free traffic from Google later on down the track!

Number 3: Start working on creating fabulous opt-ins or lead magnets to capture email addresses so you can build your email list. While it’s great having lots of content that generates lots of traffic, the ultimate goal should be to build an email list filled with your ideal audience because it is easier to serve your tribe in this way.

 

 

 14 – What are some of the mistakes you see beginner bloggers making? 

 Ooh I could go on and on here, only because I feel like I have made some of these mistakes in the beginning myself.

The top three mistakes I commonly see are as follows:

1)       Not treating your blog as a business.

 If you want to treat your blog as a hobby, go for it! I’m pretty sure there are millions of fun, diary-type blogs out there in the world that give bloggers a great way to journal and vent online.

However, if your goal is to make money, then you need to keep monetization strategies at the forefront of your mind.

Is your ultimate goal to make money from ad income or sponsorships, digital products or affiliate marketing or a combination of all these things?

If you still haven’t gotten clarity on your business model take your time to think about it.

You can always pivot or change your direction if something isn’t working out. Every blog post you write in addition to provide value or inspiration to the reader should ultimately help you either capture an email address or promote a digital product of your own or an affiliate link.

 

2)  Secondly, to run a profitable business – any business – you must be willing to invest in yourself and the tools you need to get you there.

I see lots of newbie bloggers asking very basic questions that could have been covered by investing in a few great blogging courses.

At the very least you need to invest in an SEO course and Pinterest strategy course (if Pinterest is where your audience is at). 

You also need to protect your blog legally – in fact that is one of the first things entrepreneurs in the real world do.

You need to protect yourself legally and the business of blogging is no exception.

3)  Finally, a lack of belief in yourself.

I encourage new bloggers not to doubt the value their blog can potentially bring to the world. Focus on what your audience wants and needs from you and serve your audience. 

Believe you can do it! I never doubted for a second that I was capable of creating a successful blog.

Because of this steadfast belief and relentless determination, I went full-time as a blogger after only nine months and get 1 Million pageviews and visitors to my website.

My all-time favorite saying is: everything you want is on the other side of fear.

So be willing to step outside your comfort zone, feel the fear and do it anyway. When you stretch yourself daily as a blogger and set massive goals that you ACTION DAILY, amazing things are sure to happen.

 

Final Thoughts from Amira – How to get 1 Million Pageviews to Your Website in 1 Year:

Wow, right? What an insightful and informative interview! I really enjoyed interviewing Frances and couldn’t agree more with everything she said!

She’s so right when she says, “Content is King,” because without valuable content, you are NOT serving your audience at all.

This was 1 of the big blogging lessons I learned after I made my first $10,000 and to generate 1 Million website visitors, you need to start producing more valuable content quickly!

After enrolling in her Boost Your Traffic course and reading her Content is King ebook that I couldn’t put down, I learned a lot!

Here’s what I loved about her ebook that you would too and this is going to seriously increase traffic to your blog:

• 100 Blog post ideas for you!
• Her Blog post writing checklist
• Her technique for ranking on Google faster
• Different kinds of posts you can write quickly
• So reasonably priced!
• Blogging Secrets Cheatsheets – what other bloggers aren’t sharing with you!
• and more

Definitely check out her incredible ebook here to learn all her secrets and tips to get those 1 Million pageviews on your blog!

WANT MORE BLOGGING TIPS LIKE THESE? Join our Facebook group HERE to learn more + how to protect your online biz legally!

 

About Frances:

With a degree in psychology and a diploma in journalism, Frances Vidakovic is an author of 21 books, certified life coach and course creator. She now focuses on creating exceptional parenting and self-development content, designed to help moms live their best life possible at InspiringLifeDreams.com. Frances has been featured on various platforms, including Scary Mommy, Thrive Global, Medium and SBS Radio.