How to Drive Traffic Using StumbleUpon*updated*

Thursday, January 23, 2014



How to Drive Traffic using StumbleUpon

Written by: on
Have you heard of StumbleUpon? It's a content discovery tool and a number of bloggers are beginning to discover its traffic-boosting properties. As the name suggests, users simply stumble across carefully selected content, filtered by their interests and preferences. 
How to Drive Traffic Using StumbleUpon from www.anyonita-nibbles.com

When used to its full potential, StumbleUpon can greatly influence traffic to a website or blog. All it takes is for the right person to "discover" your content, cache it in an appropriate list or category and for that content to be stumbled by like-minded users who share interests. When this transpires, content has the ability to go viral within days, if not hours, sending a spike in traffic to blogs and websites.

I've compiled a quick list of StumbleUpon tips to help you identify areas in which it could boost your traffic and to ensure that as a blogger you are getting the most out of this versatile platform.


For the last few weeks, I, along with a number of food bloggers, have begun promoting our own content and each others' via StumbleUpon. We have all pretty much reported seeing an increase in traffic as a result of incorporating this social media platform into our blog promotion routine.

In the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, I must admit that I am not a StumbleUpon expert. I only started using it this year and I'm only going to share with you tips that I've learned over the past few weeks that have increased my traffic and made sharing routinely on StumbleUpon a valuable part of my blog promotion strategy. That said, I do not intend to pass this information on as ultimate StumbleUpon knowledge. I am certain that there are others with more knowledge of this platform than the little I have gleamed from my sporadic use of it this month. But with more and more bloggers joining us in promoting one another's content via StumbleUpon (and nearly all of them asking basic questions about StumbleUpon), I thought it would be nice to lay out a few tips.

Check out these great pins for tips on food blogging, too:

I have already mentioned that StumbleUpon is a content discovery tool, preoccupied with bringing engaging content to its users, but not just any content. Content that has been chosen by people intended for other people with similar interests. StumbleUpon is like a virtual scrapbook of things you would share with your best friends. That is what makes it so powerful.
When content gets discovered on StumbleUpon, it gets slated into appropriate interests. Everyone who stumbles within a specific interest usually does so because they find it interesting. There is a set number of interests available to choose from in the StumbleUpon platform, so you can be certain that your post will fit into an appropriate category. While some interests have more followers than others, each of them is in the thousands, many in the thousands of thousands. Just think: if only 10% of those people liked your content, traffic to your site would skyrocket.
How to use StumbleUpon to drive traffic to your blog:
  1. StumbleUpon is not just about you and your blog.
    Don't limit yourself by listing only interests that reflect what your blog is about. StumbleUpon is first and foremost, a way for people to find cool websites, not a billboard advertisement for your blog. List your genuine interests when creating your StumbleUpon profile and you'll benefit more.
  2. StumbleUpon is not your personal backlink generator.
    Don't stumble every post you create. In fact, you shouldn't discover your own content anyway. Join a group where bloggers get together to support one another via StumbleUpon and let someone else discover your content on StumbleUpon while you do the same for them. It's the best way to avoid getting penalized for spamming the site. I belong to a number of these groups on Facebook. If you're interested in joining, leave me a comment and let me know! This practice has been identified by StumbleUpon as being against their rules and I can no longer advocate this behavior nor do I participate in it.
  3. StumbleUpon is a pretty cool site; use it genuinely.
    StumbleUpon is the source of much knowledge; take advantage of it. Spend a few minutes each day using the site the way it was intended: stumble in your interests and find out new stuff.
  4. StumbleUpon has a strict "like" limit.
    If you discover or like too many times in one day from the same website, StumbleUpon will block you from discovering any new content from the site in question for a set amount of time. (Usually around 8 hours or so.) You can get around this by first adding pages to your lists and then thumbs upping or liking them or you could simply wait for the ban to be lifted.
  5. StumbleUpon likes balance.
    The number of stumbles you make on content from within your interests list needs to be roughly equal to those outside of your interests and for every discovery you make, you should try to stumble about 5 times. 
How to get started with StumbleUpon:
  1. Set up a complete profile. Select some interests when prompted, and remember: you can't have too many interests, but you can have too few. I have 51 interests on my profile, for instance.
  2. Find some channels to follow. Channels are like the "big accounts" of StumbleUpon. You'll find companies like The Food Network here.
  3. Connect with other stumblers. StumbleUpon works because people share content that other users with similar interest will enjoy. Establishing a network of users whose interests mirror your own means things you share are more likely to get a good reception and you're more likely to find interesting things too. There are a number of Blogger Facebook groups that promote StumbleUpon activity. Alternatively, you can join this link party and live your StumbleUpon username to find other bloggers with StumbleUpon accounts.
  4. Use StumbleUpon daily. You don't have to spend hours stumbling, but it's worth taking at least 10 minutes and using the site organically. Find an interest or a user you've connected with and stumble from their likes or recommended pages. It's this type of organic stumbling that the StumbleUpon algorithm looks for.
Have you used StumbleUpon to promote your blog or website? Have you found that it's increased traffic? I'd love to hear about your experiences with StumbleUpon since I'm still learning about it myself!
How to Drive Traffic Using StumbleUpon From www.anyonita-nibbles.com

37 comments:

  1. i am interested in the co-operative blogger support groups...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Message me here: http://www.facebook.com/anyonitanibbles and I can get you added. You'll have to use your personal Facebook account, though, because Facebook doesn't allow pages in private groups.

      Delete
  2. I would like to join a StumbleUpon group on Facebook! How can I do this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Message me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/anyonitanibbles and I can get you added. You'll have to use your personal Facebook account, though, because Facebook doesn't allow pages in private groups.

      Delete
  3. Thank you so much! I was actually planning to ask you about this .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! :) I hope you find everything you need; if not, just shoot me an email! :D

      Delete
  4. I am so glad you posted this. I just started using Stumbleupon last month. I figured there was some sort of strategy to get the most out of the site. Would love an invite to one of your groups.
    Cheers,
    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, they don't really publicize it, do they?! I've found that this works for me, so hopefully it will for you, too! If you send me a message on: www.facebook.com/anyonitanibbles, I can get you added to the group. You'll have to use your personal Facebook account, though, because Facebook doesn't allow pages in private groups.

      Delete
  5. Anyonita,
    I'd given up on Stumble Upon. I'll try your tips and see what happens.
    Annamaria

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't give up, Annamaria! :) It took me maybe 48 hours before I saw consistent traffic. Let me know how you get on!

      Delete
  6. I signed up for stumbleupon like a week ago, and I haven't really figured it out yet, so thanks so much for this. I'd love to be a part of one of your groups. Have a great weekend!

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Elizabeth! Sure thing, just send me a message on Facebook to facebook.com/anyonitanibbles and I can get you added! :)

      Delete
  7. I joined Stumble Upon before a month, but didn't spend much time on that. I will go with your tips. Thanks for sharing. Nice post indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Divya! Oh, it's a really great tool! :) I hope you enjoy it!

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd love to join your Facebook groups, Anyonita. I had opened up a Stumble Upon a few years and there were a few things on there. Anyway, I see your point about stumbling each other's content and would be willing to stumble others' content. I stumbled some of your things. Best wishes, Linda Crafts a la mode

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Linda! I'll be off to stumble some of yours today, too! :)

      Delete
  10. I have been playing with stumble upon this week. I would love to find a group to stumble with. Jennifer @ My Family Mealtime

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jennifer! Send me a message on Facebook: facebook.com/anyonitanibbles & I can get you added to a group! :)

      Delete
  11. I have been in love with StumbleUpon long before I discovered Pinterest. And then Pinterest started to get going and I would pin everything that I "stumbled" or a long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a bit sad that it's taken me so long to get into to it! It's brilliant! :) Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  12. Great advice. Haven't seen anything about stumblUpon. Thanks for sharing and pinning to my Blogger board. www.mylifeabundant.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the pin, Tammy! :) I hope you find it helpful!

      Delete
  13. I've been a member of stumble upon for a while now, but just never seen much traffic. So I pretty much stop using it, but I guess I just have stumbled enough. Guess I'll give it another try. Thanks for your tips!

    Linda @ Mixed Kreations

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the key is getting other people to Stumble your content for you. Good luck with it! :D

      Delete
  14. I have just found and pinned a bunch of your posts because they cover things I'm trying to get checked off my 9 billion item long to-do list! haha

    I just started using StumbleUpon recently and am really needing to grow that area. I saw in previous comments to message you on facebook so I'm heading over to do that now!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Michelle, thanks for the pins! :) They're always appreciated! Got your Facebook message & sent you the invite!

      Delete
  15. Thanks so much for sharing these tips, Anyonita! I've been trying to use Stumbleupon more, and I'm looking forward to referring to this. Definitely featuring you in next week's issue. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mel! Good luck with Stumbleupon! It's starting to pick up momentum for me; hopefully you'll have the same success!

      Delete
  16. What a great blog post! I'm falling in love with Stumble Upon me too, lately... And I truly like to join facebook groups you mentioned! What can I do? Can I send you a message on fb me too?
    Thankyou so much,
    MammaNene @ SergerPepper.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Irene,
      Yes, please feel free to send me a message on Facebook so I can get you added :) The more, the merrier!

      Delete
  17. Great post. I know I need to get in the know how about Stumble Upon so I can get it working for me. Great info as always. So great, your post is being featured on The Wednesdady Roundup this week! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At the moment, Stumbleupon consistently sends me about 1,000 pageviews a day. It's really helpful! Thanks for the feature!

      Delete
  18. Thanks for sharing! Your timing is perfect. I was just trying this week to figure out Stumbleupon. I didn't do very well. Thanks for encouraging me to try again. When I figure it out I'd love to be added to your groups.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Danita! :) Don't wait until you figure it out-- come join the group now! :) Send me a message to http://www.facebook.com/anyonitanibbles and I'll get you added!

      Delete
  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

What do you think of this recipe? Be sure to tag me in any recipes you make on social media and use #anyonitanibbles!