There are a variety of specific tactics one can use to create links to their blogs. Many of those strategies are outlined in this ebook. However, despite the power of articles, sigging and other strategies, one must still consider some of the traditional means by which they can acquire links.
Links are half of the traffic battle. By taking advantage of some tried and true link building strategies, you can really help your cause.
LINK TRADES
This is one of the original free link-building techniques. You find a site that compliments your own in terms of content and you then send the webmaster or blogger an email inquiring about trading links.
The upside is that it is completely free and can create an opportunity for cooperative and interesting interaction with someone who shares your interest.
The downside is that the success rate is pretty low. Some people will even recommend avoiding this tactic altogether, because you are likely to be ignored more often than a trade occurs.
Trades can be tough because no one likes the idea of linking to a potential competition. Additionally, if you are operating a fledgling blog, you probably have far less to offer your trading partner than they have to offer you. There are also legitimate concerns about honesty in link trading. Many people have been known to agree to link trades only to never put up the reciprocal link or to keep it there only until you have verified its presence.
In some circumstances, however, a link trade can be a good decision. If you find a site that seems like a natural companion to your blog, it is worth floating an offer.
FREE LINKS
There are many sites that will accept and list links without any obligation or only with the requirement of a link back to them. These sites can be a great way to building your backlink totals. Note that this strategy is not particularly different than the link exchanges noted above. However, these processes tend to be automated and are generally more reliable. Nonetheless, one must be aware of the possibility of getting a raw deal.
Screen these options carefully, however. There is little value in a link from a disjointed “free for all” site. Additionally, your blog could be penalized if you reciprocate with a link to a bad neighborhood. Instead, stick to sites that are related to your own and that are of a high enough quality that you won’t feel guilty sending your blog’s visitors there.
You can find sites that offer this opportunity by doing a Google search involving your keyword(s) and phrases such as “add a link,” “add your link,” or “add URL.”
Clearly, you want to amass as many links as possible. However, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you are compelled to offer thousands of backlinks from your blog. First, the design of most blogs is ill-suited for this.
Second, there are concerns about the number of outbound links on your site and how a search engine might perceive them. Finally, there are those will argue that if you have too many outbound leaks, your site could become too “leaky,” leading to visitors wandering from your blog to someone else‘s site.
BONUS TIPS
1. Track your trades! Make sure the other side is holding up their end of the bargain. Check your backlinks occasionally and make sure those who are supposed to be offering links to your site are doing so.
2. Ask for anchor text! A link to http://www.widgetz.com is fine, but it is not quite as good (in the eyes of the search engines) as a text string stating All of the Best Widgets that serves as a hyperlink to your site. This is called anchor text and it can produce better results than a traditional URL link.
DIRECTORIES OVERVIEW
Links are a key to traffic, and one great source of free links is directory submission. You have undoubtedly seen these sites online. They are organized compendiums of websites on a variety of subjects. They feature a brief description of a site and then a link to the site. You can get traffic a few different ways from a directory. There will be those who surf there and click on your link.
You can also get that highly desirable search engine bump from adding to your blog’s backlink collection. To make things even more enticing, some of the directories actually have their information “scraped” by a variety of other sites, multiplying the potential value of a link. There are paid directories. They charge a fee (sometimes nominal, sometimes costly) in exchange for listing your site. For our purposes here, we will focus on free directories.
TYPES OF FREE DIRECTORIES
Free directories are those that will list your blog without charging you for the privilege. Their acceptance criteria may vary, and there is no guarantee that a directory will list your site. In most cases, however, inclusion is a very strong likelihood.
Some directories are wide-ranging and contain an immense variety of categories. Others are specific to a certain geographical area or topic niche. Be sure to submit your blog to only those directories that would be interested in your content.
Free directory listings can be completely free without obligation of any sort. Other sites, however, will require a link to the directory placed on your blog. Is the value of the link from the directory worth the hassle of the link from your blog? It depends on the directory. If you are dealing with a directory that is frequently visited and highly regarded by the search engines, it may be worth a link. If it is related to your specific niche and may be of value to your readership, it may also be a good decision. However, there are enough directories that do not require backlinks to justify avoiding many directories requiring reciprocal links.
DMOZ: THE OPEN DIRECTORY PROJECT
The “mother of all directories” is DMOZ. This is a human-edited compendium of web resources with an expansive array of categories and sub-categories. DMOZ ostensibly filters out “junk sites” and lists only those pieces of the internet that contain content that meets the varying standards of editors.
DMOZ listings are coveted by many webmasters because Google apparently relies on the listings as one component of its valuation process for sites. A DMOZ listing can also generate some traffic in and of itself.
Getting into DMOZ appears to be deceptively simple. You browse through the categories until you find the one that best matches your blog. You then click on the link for adding a new URL. A few simple questions are asked in a form, which you then submit.
Although the “application procedure” is simple, getting listed is not a piece of cake. The amount of time a category editor will take before getting to your site and looking at it can vary considerably. Some have said that it took several years before DMOZ took a gander at their site.
Even then, inclusion is not guaranteed. The requirements and expectations of editors vary and many seemingly adequate sites have been rejected by DMOZ.
It is worth trying to get into to DMOZ. The possible upside is sufficient to warrant a quick application. However, the best advice to bloggers is to submit your blog and then forget it about it. If you get in, that’s great. If not, you are not alone.
FINDING FREE DIRECTORIES
There are literally of thousands of free directories available. Most of them will probably have a category that is related to your blog. There are places online that maintain a list of directories. One example can be found at http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/free-web-directories.html, which provides several hundred directories.
New directories are being launched every day. Submitting to a new directory may not produce results on par with using an established directory, but inclusion can be a great deal faster. Additionally, new directories are often excited about adding new listings and are more likely to make free listings available without the requirement for a reciprocal link.
You can find many new directories that are looking for sites by perusing forums populated by people in the online business. The Digital Point Forums, for example, contain an entire forum area dedicated to new directory announcements.
SUBMITTING TO DIRECTORIES
Most directories make submission intuitive. Generally, you browse the categories until you find the area that is best-suited for your blog. You then click on a visible link to add a new listing. This generally brings you to a form you must complete.
There are certain bits of information you will want to have handy when submitting to directories. You will need to know your site’s URL, its title, your email address, and you should have a brief description of your blog (as well as some of its keywords) available. Filling out forms like these can be redundant. As a result, special form submitting software (some of which is freeware) has been created to make the process easier. Those who use Firefox as a browser can also make use of a handy extension that makes completing forms of this sort much faster.
BLOG DIRECTORIES
The directory tips we just covered will work for any site. One of the great advantages to using a blog is that you can make use of these traditional tactics easily and effectively while also benefiting from strategies unique to blogs. An example of this is the blog directory.
Blog directories live up to their name. They are organized directories consisting completely of blogs. They will list your blog under the appropriate categories with a description and other relevant information.
The submission process is similar to that required of other directories. You may be asked to provide the URL for your RSS feed (if available), as well. Often, blog directories request either a link back to the directory or the inclusion of a graphical button on your blog as a precondition for inclusion.
As blogging grows in popularity, these blog directories are becoming important locations for many searchers. Some people rely on these to find timely and interesting information instead of traditional search engines. You cannot afford to overlook listing your site on some of the more popular blog directories.
You can find lists of blog directories in many places, or you can simply search for blog directories using your favorite search engine. One good list of directories can be found at http://www.toprankresults.com/blog-submit-list.htm.
Some of the blog directories also attempt to double as active blogger communities. Thus, in some cases it may be necessary to create a membership to the site first. This is generally a quick and easy process.
PINGING BLOG DIRECTORIES
The ping is another unique tool for blogs that enables you to notify blog directories that your site has been updated. A ping is nothing more than a quick transmission to the blog directory, notifying them that there is new content.
These pings can send you to the top of the “updated blogs” lists, improve your visibility and increase traffic. It has also been shown that pinging can alert spiders from search engines to check out your site for updates and indexing.
Pinging should be done every time new content is added to your blog. However, if you are adding several posts in rapid succession, you may want to either ping only once or spread out your posts over a longer period of time. Many directories and blog services do not look at over-pinging favorably.
The easiest way to ping directories is through the use of an automated tool. There are two popular pinging devices you can access that will notify a host of services every time you have made an update. The more venerable of the two is Ping-o-Matic which can be found at http://www.pingomatic.com. A newer entry into the free ping tool category is Pingoat. Pingoat operates a bit more quickly and seems to service more directories. It can be found at http://www.pingoat.com.
BONUS TIPS
1. Break it into Pieces! There are so many directories that you might want to make directory submission an ongoing process. You can add your blog to a few directories each day in your spare time. The cumulative effect will be significant!
2. Write a good description! When describing your blog, make it an attractive and interesting possibility for a reader. You also want to make sure your description contains keywords related to your site. Most directories want legitimate, accurate descriptions. Avoid superlatives and “advertising” rhetoric when writing your description.
ARTICLES OVERVIEW
Article distribution has grown into one of the web’s most popular viral marketing strategies for sites of all types. Although many bloggers are not acquainted with this technique, they benefit as much from it as can any other site. Promoting with articles not only creates a direct stream of traffic from your article, it also enhances your backlink totals, making your blog even more attractive to the search engines.
The underlying idea of this strategy is relatively simple. You write an article (preferably something directly related to the subject matter of your blog). You then make the article available to others free via one or more article repository sites. Webmasters looking for content for their sites find your article at the repository and then use it on sites they own. The article contains a “resource box” that includes a little information about you and a link back to your blog. Thus, every time the article is used, another link back to your blog is generated.
The unquenchable thirst for valuable content makes this technique a real winner. A single article on a hot topic may eventually find its way onto scores of other websites. Each time that article is used, your traffic potential is enhanced.
Surfers who find and read the article may be inspired to stop by the source’s blog for more quality information. Search engines, meanwhile, will notice the links and make note of them, increasing the standing of your blog in terms of search results.
WRITING AN ARTICLE
One can write articles from scratch on topics related to their blog’s subject or they can produce articles based on posts already placed on the blog.
In order to avoid any potential risk of a duplicate content penalty from Google or other search engines, it is generally a good idea to produce an article that is not merely a word-by-word reproduction of an existing post. The risk of experiencing problems is minimal and could only occur in some fairly specific circumstances, but the ease with which a post can be modified while turning it into an article is slight enough to justify taking a little extra care.
Remember, although the articles will serve as a form of advertisement for your blog, they should be informative and compelling pieces, not just a direct pitch for visitors to stop by! Ideally, your article will serve to show off some of your better writing and insight and will persuade readers to take a look at what else you have to offer. Well-written pieces are also more likely to be nabbed by webmasters on the hunt for free content.
Ideally, articles used for this strategy should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 to 700 words.
WRITING THE RESOURCE BOX
The resource box will contain whatever biographical information you would like to impart, along with a note about your blog and its URL. It is critical to make sure your site’s address is included in the resource box--that is how others will find their way from your article to your blog.
Most article repositories will have a size limitation on the resource box in order to prevent people from writing advertising copy for their site or blog. Be prepared to provide a brief synopsis of who you are and what your blog does in the resource box.
Optimally, your resource box will contain your name, a brief observation or two about your experience or expertise in the field under consideration, a note that you operate a blog (make sure to include the blog’s title), and a link to the blog. There is no need for superfluous information. Your goal is to put a “face” on the well-written article you have provided. If your article is effective, the end result will be success. If the article is miserable, no amount of hyperbole in a resource box will help you.
SUBMITTING THE ARTICLE
There are scores of sites that will accept your article. A quick Google search of “submit articles” or even “free articles” will give you a variety of options.
Many sites limit acceptance to articles on a particular theme. For instance, there are many business-related article repository sites. These sites will not be interested in your article about dog grooming, no matter how often you send it their way! Only submit articles to sites that are a good match for your article’s content.
Some sites will allow you to instantly submit an article using an online form. Others may require you first create a free author’s membership. This is a relatively quick and painless process. Since you will be promoting your blog with some regularity via the use of articles, it is worth setting up these accounts at some of the higher profile article sites.
When submitting your article, make sure it is consistent with all requirements. Some sites have different rules about the inclusion of HTML in an article, for instance. Also make sure your resource box is properly formatted and that you will end up with a “live link” back to your blog upon completion.
REPETITION
Increasing traffic via the submission of articles is a great way to give your blog a boost. One great aspect of this traffic-generation technique is that it is not merely a one-shot proposition. You can repeat the process as often as you would like, simply by writing a new article.
Some bloggers will author a new article monthly. Others weekly. Some will just do it when the mood strikes them. Every new article sent out into cyberspace, however, has the potential of creating a flood of links back to your site, as well as convincing some article readers to visit.
Thus, it should be repeated whenever it is feasibly possible. Additionally, the process becomes a bit faster each time it is undertaken. You will have author accounts established.
You can also maintain a list of the article submission sites you use, making it easy to find and access them. Articles are an amazing way to create free links back to your site. Links, as noted, are one of the key components to traffic success vis-à-vis search engines.
This is a powerful strategy and is one that is too often overlooked by bloggers.
BONUS TIPS:
1. Hot Topics! Your article is likely to find a home on more websites and to attract more interest if it provides information about a red-hot topic. If there is some aspect of your subject matter that is of particular interest, consider authoring an article on that topic.
2. Consider Automation! There are products available that will allow you to submit your articles to hundreds of article repositories automatically. They decrease the amount of time required to effectively implement an article distribution strategy. These tools may be a wonderful fit for a blogger who is really interested in driving a great deal of traffic to a blog on a very competitive subject matter. There is a cost involved and there are some concerns about the efficacy of automatic submission, but it is worth investigation if you are ready to take your article distribution plan to “the next level.”
TRAFFIC EXCHANGES OVERVIEW
There are a variety of traffic exchange sites online that are willing to send visitors to you in exchange for you checking out other members’ blogs. Basically, you visit someone else’s blog and earn credits that can then be “cashed in.” The site then directs other traffic exchange members to your blog, where they earn credits.
Usually, the exchange works on a two to one ratio. For every two blogs you visit, the exchange program will send one to your blog. Occasionally, you may be given random “bonus credits” that improve the ratio somewhat. Some exchange programs also allow you to use the credits you have earned to place banner advertisements for your blog on the site.
Most exchange programs are easy to use and do require that visitors spend a minimum amount of time at your blog in order to earn credits.
TRAFFIC EXCHANGE VALUE
No one will charge you a penny for participating in a traffic exchange. The programs are invariably free of charge. All that is required of you is your time surfing. Thus, the question you need to be asking is whether a minute of your time is worth a traffic exchange visitor to your blog.
If you enjoy looking at other blogs on a variety of subject, it may be a justifiable expenditure of time. After all, you would probably be doing it anyway, so you might as well get some free benefit out of it. However, if you wouldn’t be checking out others’ blogs otherwise, it may not make a great deal of sense to participate in a traffic exchange.
This is primarily because the quality of traffic you get from exchange programs is limited. Most participants are involved simply because they, like you, want to drive traffic to their blog. They are not really particularly interested in your blog or what you have to say. They may not pay much attention to what you offer on your blog. Instead, they will simply stay there for a few moments (as required to earn their credit) and will then click on to the next blog. You will get traffic. You won’t get targeted traffic.
Now, if your blog is truly spectacular, you might be able to grab the attention of some of the exchange program members. You may also encounter some members who are genuinely interested in your blog. However, the overall quality of traffic exchange visitors is not what you might be hoping for.
FINDING TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
There are numerous exchanges, each offering some slightly different twist on the same overall theme. They can be found easily. A simple Google search of “blog traffic exchange” will bring most of the major players in the field to your immediate attention.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t participate as a key part of your strategy! The only time participation in a traffic exchange program makes good sense is if you are going to be cruising around the blogosphere anyway. There are plenty of things you can do with the time you have set aside for blog marketing that will produce longer-lasting and more beneficial results. However, if you are going to be checking out blogs for fun anyway, a traffic exchange program is a nice way of getting something for your time.
2. Don’t let the numbers fool you! Even though participation in a traffic exchange program can get you a slew of visitors, you should realize that many of those directed to your blog probably didn’t pay a great deal of attention to it. Building large traffic numbers is wonderful, but it is only meaningful if the people who took a look did so for some reason other than building traffic exchange credits.
RSS FEEDS OVERVIEW
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication (sometimes referred to as Rich Site Summary) is a means by which blogs can broadcast their content to a number of services and individuals easily. Some have gone so far as to argue that RSS is one of the chief reasons why blogging holds so much potential.
An RSS feed collects the content of your post (depending on your software, you can opt to syndicate the entire post, just a headline, or some other combination) and then sends it in readable, plain text, to any of the targets you might choose.
Bloggers often submit their RSS feeds to popular blog directories, RSS directories and search engines. Users can then find the feeds in which they are interested and “subscribe to them,” reading them with an RSS feed reader. They may also simply read your feed and then hop on over to your site.
RSS feeds are a great way of promoting your blog. There is also some evidence to suggest that RSS feeds can serve to boost the results of your blog in search engine rankings. They are also a wonderful way of getting noticed by at least one of the major search engines.
CREATING AN RSS FEED
Your blogging software will probably handle the process of creating an RSS feed for your blog automatically. For instance, those blogging at Blogger.com are automatically “given” an RSS feed (in Atom format) that they can burn and use. Other blogging services provide RSS feeds, as well.
If your blog service provider or software doesn’t automatically create an RSS feed for your blog, you can build one yourself. Those experienced with HTML may want to hand-code their RSS feed. Those of us who prefer a quicker solution can choose from a variety of software tools (many of which are freeware) to accomplish the goal.
SUBMITTING YOUR RSS FEED
Having a feed will not do you much good if no one reads it! Thus, you must share your RSS feed with others. This can be done, in large measure, by using one of the multiple site ping services mentioned earlier. Pingoat, for instance, will request your RSS feed and will transmit it to a number of sites that aggregate these feeds.
You can also opt to submit your feed to any number of other RSS aggregators. A relatively long list of options, for instance, is currently available at http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm.
A great place to manage your RSS feed needs is at Feedburner, which can be found at http://www.feedburner.com. This free service provides you with a number of tools that can make sharing your RSS feed easier and more effective.
It also offers free circulation traffic (just in case you want to know how many people are tracking your feed) and a lot of handy ways to help other subscribe to your feed.
RSS FEEDS AS A WAY INTO YAHOO
There is a now well-known technique that may enable your site to be discovered and indexed by the Yahoo search engine in record time. This technique makes use of your RSS feed and is a relatively simple thing to do.
You must have a free Yahoo account in order to do this. Create an account if you do not already have one. The sign up procedure is fast and simple.
After logging into your Yahoo account, go to the “My Yahoo” page. There you will find an option to add content to your page. You can add content in the form of your blog’s RSS feed. It is a simple and intuitive process that will only require you to have the URL of your RSS feed (which is easily locatable via your blogging software or service).
One you add your RSS feed to your content page, Yahoo will track the RSS feed in order to keep your page updated with developments. As a result, you have instructed Yahoo to find and note changes made to your blog.
This strategy has successfully allowed many blogs to find their way into Yahoo results in record time. It has been referred to as the Yahoo backdoor and is now a practice commonly used when launching a new blog. With greater use by more people, its effectiveness may have diminished somewhat (especially in terms of search engine results), but it still is the fastest way to crack into any of the big three search engines.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t forget to update! Make sure you remember to either ping using a mass-ping service or to manually alert RSS aggregators about your feed every time you update. Otherwise, you are losing some of the potential value of the feed.
2. Make your feed a moneymaker! Some bloggers who are particularly interested in making their blog pay may want to consider using their RSS feed as a vehicle for advertising. Google’s Adsense program has operated a program to allow some Adsense publishers place ads in their feeds and other means of feed advertising are growing.
COMMUNITY OVERVIEW
Blogs are a magnet for traffic, in many ways. Initially, their very structure and layout tend to be conducive to good results in the search engines. The constantly-updating nature of a blog intensifies that effect. Blogs have another traffic advantage that traditional sites are largely lacking. There is a vibrant and active blogging community that can also help you spur traffic.
COMMENTING
One of the best ways to get others to find your blog is by visiting theirs and leaving comments about their posts and observations. Blogs are often something akin to mini-online communities and comments play a large role in the communicative function of blogs. Bloggers tend to check the blogs of those who have visited and you can develop some regular readers simply by making comments on other blogs.
In many cases, you can leave the URL of your blog in the comments, making it easy for all of that blog’s readers to find you, too.
Trackbacks, which are means by which one blog notifies another of a visit and or comment, can also be used for this purpose. Not all blogging platforms support track backs, but if yours does, you should avail yourself of the opportunity to use them.
The fact that links could be left behind in blog comments led some people to use this is a strategy for increasing their total number of backlinks in order to help with search engine placement. They would leave comments of a suspect nature (or even, in some cases, complete gibberish) along with an address simply to claim the backlink. Blogging services recognized this growing comment spam problem and have taken actions to minimize its effectiveness.
These safeguards include a “no follow” HTML tag that makes the link meaningless in terms of search engines. Some bloggers and services also require users to manually type in a code when commenting, freezing out automated blog spamming attempts and making the process of comment spamming less attractive.
Comment spam still exists, and it is a hated commodity in the blogging community. Thus, if you are commenting on other blogs, please make sure your contribution is legitimate and thoughtful. Feel free to provide your URL, but don’t turn your comment into mere advertising for your blog.
BLOGROLLING
A blogroll is a list of links to other blogs. They can often be found on the sidebars of some blogs and are a way of telling readers what other blogs they may find of interest. Bloggers are notoriously generous about putting other bloggers on their blogrolls and it can be a great way of increasing the links to your blog and direct traffic, too.
Not all blogging platforms support a blogroll, per se. However, any blogger can add links to other blogs and sites of interest on their own blog. Sometimes this is done as a link exchange, sometimes it is simply done because one writer finds another’s site valuable.
Feel free to add other legitimately interesting blogs to your blogroll. If you add a blog, you might want to notify the other blogger. In many cases, they will reciprocate. You don’t want to minimize the value of your blogroll or to direct your readers to poor sites, so don’t pollute your list with a series of sub-par blogs simply in hopes of generating backlinks.
ALLOWING COMMENTS
In most cases, a blogger is well-advised to allow comments from others. This inspires the sense of interactivity and community that makes blogging so attractive.
You may have to deal with blog comment spam as a result of your willingness to accept comments. This can be a hassle, but most providers offer tools to help you combat the comment spam. If you can do a word or code verification, it will filter out most comment spam. You can also choose to moderate your comments, which means you will have to personally approve them in order for them to appear. This may sound like a good idea, but it can be a really time-consuming process if your blog develops a “talkative” readership. It can also slow down the commenting conversation, which runs contrary to your objectives.
Keep your blog an open forum. Allow as much interaction as possible. This makes your blog more interesting and gives you a great chance to interact with your readership. You can learn a lot about what people are interested in and how to improve your blog by reading the comments left by others.
BONUS TIPS
1.Be an active participant in the blogging community! Find some blogs on your topic that you enjoy and read them regularly. Comment when you feel you have something valuable to add to the conversation. This can inspire others to find you--and they are the kind of targeted traffic you really crave.
2. Engage your readers! When you find comments on your blog, respond to them. Keep the dialog going. Blogs are loved by many because of their interactive nature. If you can make your comment sections lively and interesting it will make for a better blog--and more traffic.
FORUMS OVERVIEW
Online message boards and forums are a great way to socialize and learn. They are also a neat way to promote your blog. There are forums devoted to almost every topic, and with very little research you are sure to find an active community of people interested in the subject matter of your blog. They can be a great place to interact, to refine ideas that may later become staples of your blog, and to enjoy yourself.
Most forums allow participants to have a “signature” attached to their comments. A signature usually consists of a name and a few lines of additional information about the commenter. These signatures can be a great way to let the world know about your blog.
The term “sigging” refers to using your forum signature as a promotional tool.
WRITING YOUR SIGNATURE
You want to use your signature as a means of promoting your blog, but you don’t necessarily want to convert into a block of advertising space. Subtlety is a good idea! Include your name and a link to your blog with a brief description.
Signatures are usually authored via a control panel at the forum. It is worth noting that most signatures will not be written in plain text or in traditional HTML. BB Code and other similar styles will be used. Invariably, the forum will offer a quick guide to the code so that you can construct a signature easily. It is important to make sure you have done this correctly--you want to be sure to have created a “live link” for your site.
USING YOUR SIGNATURE
Your signature will automatically attach yourself to all of your forum posts, assuming you have your settings correct (check your settings at the control panel to be sure).
Resist the urge to post a series of “me, too” responses to threads in an effort to get your signature out there. Forums succeed because users impart real information and opinion. Make yourself into a valuable contributor and it will, in turn, make people more interested in pursuing the link in your signature.
Active participation in forums can be a surprisingly effective way to generate traffic. Not only will other forum readers check out your blog, you will also find that search engines will spider forums and collect your link, adding to your total backlink numbers.
BONUS TIPS
1. Use forums to your advantage! Don’t just look at forums as a means by which to promote your blog--use them as a community and learning tool. There is a lot of great information and expertise being shared in forums and you can benefit as much from that as you can from the increased exposure for your blog.
2. Choose strong forums! If you are going to make use of a few forums in your “sigging” and learning strategy, choose well-populated and vibrant communities. Check to see how often new posts are being made and how many people tend to be at the forum. You have a limited amount of time, so you should spend it in areas that will do you the most good.
ADDING IT UP OVERVIEW
A counter of some sort is a necessity for your blog. It will allow you to monitor your traffic, to determine its sources, and will provide you with information that can help you to improve your blog to produce even more traffic.
GETTING A COUNTER
This ebook focuses on free traffic production strategies, so we are only going to address free counters and stat services. If you are running your own blog on a domain you own, your host may provide you with tracking tools you can easily use. These tend to be more comprehensive than those offered by free services and should be used when possible.
Free counters are readily available. Sitemeter is a popular source for free counters. You can find them at http://www.sitemeter.com. Sitemeter counters will let you know how many visitors you are getting, where they are coming from and other critical information. There is an additional data available to those willing to pay for an upgrade in service, but for many bloggers the basic free package will suffice.
Signing up for a free counter is an easy process at Sitemeter and most other free counter sites. Placing the counter on your site may require some manipulation of your template and will require that you copy the HTML code provided by the counter service into your template. Sitemeter, for instance, offers very simple directions on doing this for a variety of blogger sites. Those more experienced with HTML will be able to add the counter in a matter of moments.
USING YOUR COUNTER
The first use of your counter is simply to monitor your traffic. You will be able to find out how many people are visiting your blog, when they are coming and from where they are coming. Raw traffic numbers help you to determine whether your traffic building efforts are succeeding.
A second use for counters is to learn a bit about how people are finding you. For instance, if you check the referrers for your traffic using your counter service, you may discover that very few visitors are coming from one search engine while others are coming in drovers from another. This will give you an idea of where you need to better concentrate your efforts.
Additionally, the referrer logs will often tell you what people were searching for when they found your site. This can be very valuable information. If you notice an influx of people searching around a particular phrase, you may want to make sure to construct a post on that subject, for instance. It will also give you an idea of whether or not the people who are visiting your site are actually finding what the things for which they were looking.
Getting traffic is great, but it is even better when you know it’s happening. If you operate without a functioning counter, you will have no way of knowing whether or not your traffic-building efforts are paying off.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t count yourself! If you are frequently checking out your own blog, be certain that you take that into account when interpreting your statistics. This often occurs early in the lifespan of a blog when you are tweaking the layout, etc.
2. Look at page views! The number of people who come by your blog is important, but the amount of time they spend there and the number of different pages and entries they read will give you a really good indication of whether or not they are responding well to what you have to offer. Generally speaking, those blogs that post good page view and time numbers tend to have more repeat visitors.
DISCLAIMER
The techniques outlined in this ebook are designed to increase traffic levels to virtually any blog. However, it should be noted that the author makes no guarantee or warranty regarding the levels of traffic that will be produced as a byproduct of these suggestions. Traffic levels are influenced by a plethora of variables, and exact predictions are an impossibility. All of the methods of traffic generation outlined in this ebook are believed to be efficacious, legal and without risk to any user. The author, however, reminds the reader than any and all liability associated with the use of the methods detailed herein is to be borne by the reader. The author refuses to accept responsibility for any losses, financial or otherwise, claimed to be caused by techniques mentioned in this ebook. The author shall not be held liable for any damage alleged to arise from the use of information contained in this ebook, including damages that are alleged to arise from error, omissions or inaccuracies of any sort. Any reader relying upon the information herein or making use of said information does so at his or her own risk. The author disclaims any liability and shall not be held liable for any damages (including, but not limited to) loss of revenue, loss of profit or loss of opportunity.
Links are half of the traffic battle. By taking advantage of some tried and true link building strategies, you can really help your cause.
LINK TRADES
This is one of the original free link-building techniques. You find a site that compliments your own in terms of content and you then send the webmaster or blogger an email inquiring about trading links.
The upside is that it is completely free and can create an opportunity for cooperative and interesting interaction with someone who shares your interest.
The downside is that the success rate is pretty low. Some people will even recommend avoiding this tactic altogether, because you are likely to be ignored more often than a trade occurs.
Trades can be tough because no one likes the idea of linking to a potential competition. Additionally, if you are operating a fledgling blog, you probably have far less to offer your trading partner than they have to offer you. There are also legitimate concerns about honesty in link trading. Many people have been known to agree to link trades only to never put up the reciprocal link or to keep it there only until you have verified its presence.
In some circumstances, however, a link trade can be a good decision. If you find a site that seems like a natural companion to your blog, it is worth floating an offer.
FREE LINKS
There are many sites that will accept and list links without any obligation or only with the requirement of a link back to them. These sites can be a great way to building your backlink totals. Note that this strategy is not particularly different than the link exchanges noted above. However, these processes tend to be automated and are generally more reliable. Nonetheless, one must be aware of the possibility of getting a raw deal.
Screen these options carefully, however. There is little value in a link from a disjointed “free for all” site. Additionally, your blog could be penalized if you reciprocate with a link to a bad neighborhood. Instead, stick to sites that are related to your own and that are of a high enough quality that you won’t feel guilty sending your blog’s visitors there.
You can find sites that offer this opportunity by doing a Google search involving your keyword(s) and phrases such as “add a link,” “add your link,” or “add URL.”
Clearly, you want to amass as many links as possible. However, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you are compelled to offer thousands of backlinks from your blog. First, the design of most blogs is ill-suited for this.
Second, there are concerns about the number of outbound links on your site and how a search engine might perceive them. Finally, there are those will argue that if you have too many outbound leaks, your site could become too “leaky,” leading to visitors wandering from your blog to someone else‘s site.
BONUS TIPS
1. Track your trades! Make sure the other side is holding up their end of the bargain. Check your backlinks occasionally and make sure those who are supposed to be offering links to your site are doing so.
2. Ask for anchor text! A link to http://www.widgetz.com is fine, but it is not quite as good (in the eyes of the search engines) as a text string stating All of the Best Widgets that serves as a hyperlink to your site. This is called anchor text and it can produce better results than a traditional URL link.
DIRECTORIES OVERVIEW
Links are a key to traffic, and one great source of free links is directory submission. You have undoubtedly seen these sites online. They are organized compendiums of websites on a variety of subjects. They feature a brief description of a site and then a link to the site. You can get traffic a few different ways from a directory. There will be those who surf there and click on your link.
You can also get that highly desirable search engine bump from adding to your blog’s backlink collection. To make things even more enticing, some of the directories actually have their information “scraped” by a variety of other sites, multiplying the potential value of a link. There are paid directories. They charge a fee (sometimes nominal, sometimes costly) in exchange for listing your site. For our purposes here, we will focus on free directories.
TYPES OF FREE DIRECTORIES
Free directories are those that will list your blog without charging you for the privilege. Their acceptance criteria may vary, and there is no guarantee that a directory will list your site. In most cases, however, inclusion is a very strong likelihood.
Some directories are wide-ranging and contain an immense variety of categories. Others are specific to a certain geographical area or topic niche. Be sure to submit your blog to only those directories that would be interested in your content.
Free directory listings can be completely free without obligation of any sort. Other sites, however, will require a link to the directory placed on your blog. Is the value of the link from the directory worth the hassle of the link from your blog? It depends on the directory. If you are dealing with a directory that is frequently visited and highly regarded by the search engines, it may be worth a link. If it is related to your specific niche and may be of value to your readership, it may also be a good decision. However, there are enough directories that do not require backlinks to justify avoiding many directories requiring reciprocal links.
DMOZ: THE OPEN DIRECTORY PROJECT
The “mother of all directories” is DMOZ. This is a human-edited compendium of web resources with an expansive array of categories and sub-categories. DMOZ ostensibly filters out “junk sites” and lists only those pieces of the internet that contain content that meets the varying standards of editors.
DMOZ listings are coveted by many webmasters because Google apparently relies on the listings as one component of its valuation process for sites. A DMOZ listing can also generate some traffic in and of itself.
Getting into DMOZ appears to be deceptively simple. You browse through the categories until you find the one that best matches your blog. You then click on the link for adding a new URL. A few simple questions are asked in a form, which you then submit.
Although the “application procedure” is simple, getting listed is not a piece of cake. The amount of time a category editor will take before getting to your site and looking at it can vary considerably. Some have said that it took several years before DMOZ took a gander at their site.
Even then, inclusion is not guaranteed. The requirements and expectations of editors vary and many seemingly adequate sites have been rejected by DMOZ.
It is worth trying to get into to DMOZ. The possible upside is sufficient to warrant a quick application. However, the best advice to bloggers is to submit your blog and then forget it about it. If you get in, that’s great. If not, you are not alone.
FINDING FREE DIRECTORIES
There are literally of thousands of free directories available. Most of them will probably have a category that is related to your blog. There are places online that maintain a list of directories. One example can be found at http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/free-web-directories.html, which provides several hundred directories.
New directories are being launched every day. Submitting to a new directory may not produce results on par with using an established directory, but inclusion can be a great deal faster. Additionally, new directories are often excited about adding new listings and are more likely to make free listings available without the requirement for a reciprocal link.
You can find many new directories that are looking for sites by perusing forums populated by people in the online business. The Digital Point Forums, for example, contain an entire forum area dedicated to new directory announcements.
SUBMITTING TO DIRECTORIES
Most directories make submission intuitive. Generally, you browse the categories until you find the area that is best-suited for your blog. You then click on a visible link to add a new listing. This generally brings you to a form you must complete.
There are certain bits of information you will want to have handy when submitting to directories. You will need to know your site’s URL, its title, your email address, and you should have a brief description of your blog (as well as some of its keywords) available. Filling out forms like these can be redundant. As a result, special form submitting software (some of which is freeware) has been created to make the process easier. Those who use Firefox as a browser can also make use of a handy extension that makes completing forms of this sort much faster.
BLOG DIRECTORIES
The directory tips we just covered will work for any site. One of the great advantages to using a blog is that you can make use of these traditional tactics easily and effectively while also benefiting from strategies unique to blogs. An example of this is the blog directory.
Blog directories live up to their name. They are organized directories consisting completely of blogs. They will list your blog under the appropriate categories with a description and other relevant information.
The submission process is similar to that required of other directories. You may be asked to provide the URL for your RSS feed (if available), as well. Often, blog directories request either a link back to the directory or the inclusion of a graphical button on your blog as a precondition for inclusion.
As blogging grows in popularity, these blog directories are becoming important locations for many searchers. Some people rely on these to find timely and interesting information instead of traditional search engines. You cannot afford to overlook listing your site on some of the more popular blog directories.
You can find lists of blog directories in many places, or you can simply search for blog directories using your favorite search engine. One good list of directories can be found at http://www.toprankresults.com/blog-submit-list.htm.
Some of the blog directories also attempt to double as active blogger communities. Thus, in some cases it may be necessary to create a membership to the site first. This is generally a quick and easy process.
PINGING BLOG DIRECTORIES
The ping is another unique tool for blogs that enables you to notify blog directories that your site has been updated. A ping is nothing more than a quick transmission to the blog directory, notifying them that there is new content.
These pings can send you to the top of the “updated blogs” lists, improve your visibility and increase traffic. It has also been shown that pinging can alert spiders from search engines to check out your site for updates and indexing.
Pinging should be done every time new content is added to your blog. However, if you are adding several posts in rapid succession, you may want to either ping only once or spread out your posts over a longer period of time. Many directories and blog services do not look at over-pinging favorably.
The easiest way to ping directories is through the use of an automated tool. There are two popular pinging devices you can access that will notify a host of services every time you have made an update. The more venerable of the two is Ping-o-Matic which can be found at http://www.pingomatic.com. A newer entry into the free ping tool category is Pingoat. Pingoat operates a bit more quickly and seems to service more directories. It can be found at http://www.pingoat.com.
BONUS TIPS
1. Break it into Pieces! There are so many directories that you might want to make directory submission an ongoing process. You can add your blog to a few directories each day in your spare time. The cumulative effect will be significant!
2. Write a good description! When describing your blog, make it an attractive and interesting possibility for a reader. You also want to make sure your description contains keywords related to your site. Most directories want legitimate, accurate descriptions. Avoid superlatives and “advertising” rhetoric when writing your description.
ARTICLES OVERVIEW
Article distribution has grown into one of the web’s most popular viral marketing strategies for sites of all types. Although many bloggers are not acquainted with this technique, they benefit as much from it as can any other site. Promoting with articles not only creates a direct stream of traffic from your article, it also enhances your backlink totals, making your blog even more attractive to the search engines.
The underlying idea of this strategy is relatively simple. You write an article (preferably something directly related to the subject matter of your blog). You then make the article available to others free via one or more article repository sites. Webmasters looking for content for their sites find your article at the repository and then use it on sites they own. The article contains a “resource box” that includes a little information about you and a link back to your blog. Thus, every time the article is used, another link back to your blog is generated.
The unquenchable thirst for valuable content makes this technique a real winner. A single article on a hot topic may eventually find its way onto scores of other websites. Each time that article is used, your traffic potential is enhanced.
Surfers who find and read the article may be inspired to stop by the source’s blog for more quality information. Search engines, meanwhile, will notice the links and make note of them, increasing the standing of your blog in terms of search results.
WRITING AN ARTICLE
One can write articles from scratch on topics related to their blog’s subject or they can produce articles based on posts already placed on the blog.
In order to avoid any potential risk of a duplicate content penalty from Google or other search engines, it is generally a good idea to produce an article that is not merely a word-by-word reproduction of an existing post. The risk of experiencing problems is minimal and could only occur in some fairly specific circumstances, but the ease with which a post can be modified while turning it into an article is slight enough to justify taking a little extra care.
Remember, although the articles will serve as a form of advertisement for your blog, they should be informative and compelling pieces, not just a direct pitch for visitors to stop by! Ideally, your article will serve to show off some of your better writing and insight and will persuade readers to take a look at what else you have to offer. Well-written pieces are also more likely to be nabbed by webmasters on the hunt for free content.
Ideally, articles used for this strategy should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 to 700 words.
WRITING THE RESOURCE BOX
The resource box will contain whatever biographical information you would like to impart, along with a note about your blog and its URL. It is critical to make sure your site’s address is included in the resource box--that is how others will find their way from your article to your blog.
Most article repositories will have a size limitation on the resource box in order to prevent people from writing advertising copy for their site or blog. Be prepared to provide a brief synopsis of who you are and what your blog does in the resource box.
Optimally, your resource box will contain your name, a brief observation or two about your experience or expertise in the field under consideration, a note that you operate a blog (make sure to include the blog’s title), and a link to the blog. There is no need for superfluous information. Your goal is to put a “face” on the well-written article you have provided. If your article is effective, the end result will be success. If the article is miserable, no amount of hyperbole in a resource box will help you.
SUBMITTING THE ARTICLE
There are scores of sites that will accept your article. A quick Google search of “submit articles” or even “free articles” will give you a variety of options.
Many sites limit acceptance to articles on a particular theme. For instance, there are many business-related article repository sites. These sites will not be interested in your article about dog grooming, no matter how often you send it their way! Only submit articles to sites that are a good match for your article’s content.
Some sites will allow you to instantly submit an article using an online form. Others may require you first create a free author’s membership. This is a relatively quick and painless process. Since you will be promoting your blog with some regularity via the use of articles, it is worth setting up these accounts at some of the higher profile article sites.
When submitting your article, make sure it is consistent with all requirements. Some sites have different rules about the inclusion of HTML in an article, for instance. Also make sure your resource box is properly formatted and that you will end up with a “live link” back to your blog upon completion.
REPETITION
Increasing traffic via the submission of articles is a great way to give your blog a boost. One great aspect of this traffic-generation technique is that it is not merely a one-shot proposition. You can repeat the process as often as you would like, simply by writing a new article.
Some bloggers will author a new article monthly. Others weekly. Some will just do it when the mood strikes them. Every new article sent out into cyberspace, however, has the potential of creating a flood of links back to your site, as well as convincing some article readers to visit.
Thus, it should be repeated whenever it is feasibly possible. Additionally, the process becomes a bit faster each time it is undertaken. You will have author accounts established.
You can also maintain a list of the article submission sites you use, making it easy to find and access them. Articles are an amazing way to create free links back to your site. Links, as noted, are one of the key components to traffic success vis-à-vis search engines.
This is a powerful strategy and is one that is too often overlooked by bloggers.
BONUS TIPS:
1. Hot Topics! Your article is likely to find a home on more websites and to attract more interest if it provides information about a red-hot topic. If there is some aspect of your subject matter that is of particular interest, consider authoring an article on that topic.
2. Consider Automation! There are products available that will allow you to submit your articles to hundreds of article repositories automatically. They decrease the amount of time required to effectively implement an article distribution strategy. These tools may be a wonderful fit for a blogger who is really interested in driving a great deal of traffic to a blog on a very competitive subject matter. There is a cost involved and there are some concerns about the efficacy of automatic submission, but it is worth investigation if you are ready to take your article distribution plan to “the next level.”
TRAFFIC EXCHANGES OVERVIEW
There are a variety of traffic exchange sites online that are willing to send visitors to you in exchange for you checking out other members’ blogs. Basically, you visit someone else’s blog and earn credits that can then be “cashed in.” The site then directs other traffic exchange members to your blog, where they earn credits.
Usually, the exchange works on a two to one ratio. For every two blogs you visit, the exchange program will send one to your blog. Occasionally, you may be given random “bonus credits” that improve the ratio somewhat. Some exchange programs also allow you to use the credits you have earned to place banner advertisements for your blog on the site.
Most exchange programs are easy to use and do require that visitors spend a minimum amount of time at your blog in order to earn credits.
TRAFFIC EXCHANGE VALUE
No one will charge you a penny for participating in a traffic exchange. The programs are invariably free of charge. All that is required of you is your time surfing. Thus, the question you need to be asking is whether a minute of your time is worth a traffic exchange visitor to your blog.
If you enjoy looking at other blogs on a variety of subject, it may be a justifiable expenditure of time. After all, you would probably be doing it anyway, so you might as well get some free benefit out of it. However, if you wouldn’t be checking out others’ blogs otherwise, it may not make a great deal of sense to participate in a traffic exchange.
This is primarily because the quality of traffic you get from exchange programs is limited. Most participants are involved simply because they, like you, want to drive traffic to their blog. They are not really particularly interested in your blog or what you have to say. They may not pay much attention to what you offer on your blog. Instead, they will simply stay there for a few moments (as required to earn their credit) and will then click on to the next blog. You will get traffic. You won’t get targeted traffic.
Now, if your blog is truly spectacular, you might be able to grab the attention of some of the exchange program members. You may also encounter some members who are genuinely interested in your blog. However, the overall quality of traffic exchange visitors is not what you might be hoping for.
FINDING TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
There are numerous exchanges, each offering some slightly different twist on the same overall theme. They can be found easily. A simple Google search of “blog traffic exchange” will bring most of the major players in the field to your immediate attention.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t participate as a key part of your strategy! The only time participation in a traffic exchange program makes good sense is if you are going to be cruising around the blogosphere anyway. There are plenty of things you can do with the time you have set aside for blog marketing that will produce longer-lasting and more beneficial results. However, if you are going to be checking out blogs for fun anyway, a traffic exchange program is a nice way of getting something for your time.
2. Don’t let the numbers fool you! Even though participation in a traffic exchange program can get you a slew of visitors, you should realize that many of those directed to your blog probably didn’t pay a great deal of attention to it. Building large traffic numbers is wonderful, but it is only meaningful if the people who took a look did so for some reason other than building traffic exchange credits.
RSS FEEDS OVERVIEW
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication (sometimes referred to as Rich Site Summary) is a means by which blogs can broadcast their content to a number of services and individuals easily. Some have gone so far as to argue that RSS is one of the chief reasons why blogging holds so much potential.
An RSS feed collects the content of your post (depending on your software, you can opt to syndicate the entire post, just a headline, or some other combination) and then sends it in readable, plain text, to any of the targets you might choose.
Bloggers often submit their RSS feeds to popular blog directories, RSS directories and search engines. Users can then find the feeds in which they are interested and “subscribe to them,” reading them with an RSS feed reader. They may also simply read your feed and then hop on over to your site.
RSS feeds are a great way of promoting your blog. There is also some evidence to suggest that RSS feeds can serve to boost the results of your blog in search engine rankings. They are also a wonderful way of getting noticed by at least one of the major search engines.
CREATING AN RSS FEED
Your blogging software will probably handle the process of creating an RSS feed for your blog automatically. For instance, those blogging at Blogger.com are automatically “given” an RSS feed (in Atom format) that they can burn and use. Other blogging services provide RSS feeds, as well.
If your blog service provider or software doesn’t automatically create an RSS feed for your blog, you can build one yourself. Those experienced with HTML may want to hand-code their RSS feed. Those of us who prefer a quicker solution can choose from a variety of software tools (many of which are freeware) to accomplish the goal.
SUBMITTING YOUR RSS FEED
Having a feed will not do you much good if no one reads it! Thus, you must share your RSS feed with others. This can be done, in large measure, by using one of the multiple site ping services mentioned earlier. Pingoat, for instance, will request your RSS feed and will transmit it to a number of sites that aggregate these feeds.
You can also opt to submit your feed to any number of other RSS aggregators. A relatively long list of options, for instance, is currently available at http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm.
A great place to manage your RSS feed needs is at Feedburner, which can be found at http://www.feedburner.com. This free service provides you with a number of tools that can make sharing your RSS feed easier and more effective.
It also offers free circulation traffic (just in case you want to know how many people are tracking your feed) and a lot of handy ways to help other subscribe to your feed.
RSS FEEDS AS A WAY INTO YAHOO
There is a now well-known technique that may enable your site to be discovered and indexed by the Yahoo search engine in record time. This technique makes use of your RSS feed and is a relatively simple thing to do.
You must have a free Yahoo account in order to do this. Create an account if you do not already have one. The sign up procedure is fast and simple.
After logging into your Yahoo account, go to the “My Yahoo” page. There you will find an option to add content to your page. You can add content in the form of your blog’s RSS feed. It is a simple and intuitive process that will only require you to have the URL of your RSS feed (which is easily locatable via your blogging software or service).
One you add your RSS feed to your content page, Yahoo will track the RSS feed in order to keep your page updated with developments. As a result, you have instructed Yahoo to find and note changes made to your blog.
This strategy has successfully allowed many blogs to find their way into Yahoo results in record time. It has been referred to as the Yahoo backdoor and is now a practice commonly used when launching a new blog. With greater use by more people, its effectiveness may have diminished somewhat (especially in terms of search engine results), but it still is the fastest way to crack into any of the big three search engines.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t forget to update! Make sure you remember to either ping using a mass-ping service or to manually alert RSS aggregators about your feed every time you update. Otherwise, you are losing some of the potential value of the feed.
2. Make your feed a moneymaker! Some bloggers who are particularly interested in making their blog pay may want to consider using their RSS feed as a vehicle for advertising. Google’s Adsense program has operated a program to allow some Adsense publishers place ads in their feeds and other means of feed advertising are growing.
COMMUNITY OVERVIEW
Blogs are a magnet for traffic, in many ways. Initially, their very structure and layout tend to be conducive to good results in the search engines. The constantly-updating nature of a blog intensifies that effect. Blogs have another traffic advantage that traditional sites are largely lacking. There is a vibrant and active blogging community that can also help you spur traffic.
COMMENTING
One of the best ways to get others to find your blog is by visiting theirs and leaving comments about their posts and observations. Blogs are often something akin to mini-online communities and comments play a large role in the communicative function of blogs. Bloggers tend to check the blogs of those who have visited and you can develop some regular readers simply by making comments on other blogs.
In many cases, you can leave the URL of your blog in the comments, making it easy for all of that blog’s readers to find you, too.
Trackbacks, which are means by which one blog notifies another of a visit and or comment, can also be used for this purpose. Not all blogging platforms support track backs, but if yours does, you should avail yourself of the opportunity to use them.
The fact that links could be left behind in blog comments led some people to use this is a strategy for increasing their total number of backlinks in order to help with search engine placement. They would leave comments of a suspect nature (or even, in some cases, complete gibberish) along with an address simply to claim the backlink. Blogging services recognized this growing comment spam problem and have taken actions to minimize its effectiveness.
These safeguards include a “no follow” HTML tag that makes the link meaningless in terms of search engines. Some bloggers and services also require users to manually type in a code when commenting, freezing out automated blog spamming attempts and making the process of comment spamming less attractive.
Comment spam still exists, and it is a hated commodity in the blogging community. Thus, if you are commenting on other blogs, please make sure your contribution is legitimate and thoughtful. Feel free to provide your URL, but don’t turn your comment into mere advertising for your blog.
BLOGROLLING
A blogroll is a list of links to other blogs. They can often be found on the sidebars of some blogs and are a way of telling readers what other blogs they may find of interest. Bloggers are notoriously generous about putting other bloggers on their blogrolls and it can be a great way of increasing the links to your blog and direct traffic, too.
Not all blogging platforms support a blogroll, per se. However, any blogger can add links to other blogs and sites of interest on their own blog. Sometimes this is done as a link exchange, sometimes it is simply done because one writer finds another’s site valuable.
Feel free to add other legitimately interesting blogs to your blogroll. If you add a blog, you might want to notify the other blogger. In many cases, they will reciprocate. You don’t want to minimize the value of your blogroll or to direct your readers to poor sites, so don’t pollute your list with a series of sub-par blogs simply in hopes of generating backlinks.
ALLOWING COMMENTS
In most cases, a blogger is well-advised to allow comments from others. This inspires the sense of interactivity and community that makes blogging so attractive.
You may have to deal with blog comment spam as a result of your willingness to accept comments. This can be a hassle, but most providers offer tools to help you combat the comment spam. If you can do a word or code verification, it will filter out most comment spam. You can also choose to moderate your comments, which means you will have to personally approve them in order for them to appear. This may sound like a good idea, but it can be a really time-consuming process if your blog develops a “talkative” readership. It can also slow down the commenting conversation, which runs contrary to your objectives.
Keep your blog an open forum. Allow as much interaction as possible. This makes your blog more interesting and gives you a great chance to interact with your readership. You can learn a lot about what people are interested in and how to improve your blog by reading the comments left by others.
BONUS TIPS
1.Be an active participant in the blogging community! Find some blogs on your topic that you enjoy and read them regularly. Comment when you feel you have something valuable to add to the conversation. This can inspire others to find you--and they are the kind of targeted traffic you really crave.
2. Engage your readers! When you find comments on your blog, respond to them. Keep the dialog going. Blogs are loved by many because of their interactive nature. If you can make your comment sections lively and interesting it will make for a better blog--and more traffic.
FORUMS OVERVIEW
Online message boards and forums are a great way to socialize and learn. They are also a neat way to promote your blog. There are forums devoted to almost every topic, and with very little research you are sure to find an active community of people interested in the subject matter of your blog. They can be a great place to interact, to refine ideas that may later become staples of your blog, and to enjoy yourself.
Most forums allow participants to have a “signature” attached to their comments. A signature usually consists of a name and a few lines of additional information about the commenter. These signatures can be a great way to let the world know about your blog.
The term “sigging” refers to using your forum signature as a promotional tool.
WRITING YOUR SIGNATURE
You want to use your signature as a means of promoting your blog, but you don’t necessarily want to convert into a block of advertising space. Subtlety is a good idea! Include your name and a link to your blog with a brief description.
Signatures are usually authored via a control panel at the forum. It is worth noting that most signatures will not be written in plain text or in traditional HTML. BB Code and other similar styles will be used. Invariably, the forum will offer a quick guide to the code so that you can construct a signature easily. It is important to make sure you have done this correctly--you want to be sure to have created a “live link” for your site.
USING YOUR SIGNATURE
Your signature will automatically attach yourself to all of your forum posts, assuming you have your settings correct (check your settings at the control panel to be sure).
Resist the urge to post a series of “me, too” responses to threads in an effort to get your signature out there. Forums succeed because users impart real information and opinion. Make yourself into a valuable contributor and it will, in turn, make people more interested in pursuing the link in your signature.
Active participation in forums can be a surprisingly effective way to generate traffic. Not only will other forum readers check out your blog, you will also find that search engines will spider forums and collect your link, adding to your total backlink numbers.
BONUS TIPS
1. Use forums to your advantage! Don’t just look at forums as a means by which to promote your blog--use them as a community and learning tool. There is a lot of great information and expertise being shared in forums and you can benefit as much from that as you can from the increased exposure for your blog.
2. Choose strong forums! If you are going to make use of a few forums in your “sigging” and learning strategy, choose well-populated and vibrant communities. Check to see how often new posts are being made and how many people tend to be at the forum. You have a limited amount of time, so you should spend it in areas that will do you the most good.
ADDING IT UP OVERVIEW
A counter of some sort is a necessity for your blog. It will allow you to monitor your traffic, to determine its sources, and will provide you with information that can help you to improve your blog to produce even more traffic.
GETTING A COUNTER
This ebook focuses on free traffic production strategies, so we are only going to address free counters and stat services. If you are running your own blog on a domain you own, your host may provide you with tracking tools you can easily use. These tend to be more comprehensive than those offered by free services and should be used when possible.
Free counters are readily available. Sitemeter is a popular source for free counters. You can find them at http://www.sitemeter.com. Sitemeter counters will let you know how many visitors you are getting, where they are coming from and other critical information. There is an additional data available to those willing to pay for an upgrade in service, but for many bloggers the basic free package will suffice.
Signing up for a free counter is an easy process at Sitemeter and most other free counter sites. Placing the counter on your site may require some manipulation of your template and will require that you copy the HTML code provided by the counter service into your template. Sitemeter, for instance, offers very simple directions on doing this for a variety of blogger sites. Those more experienced with HTML will be able to add the counter in a matter of moments.
USING YOUR COUNTER
The first use of your counter is simply to monitor your traffic. You will be able to find out how many people are visiting your blog, when they are coming and from where they are coming. Raw traffic numbers help you to determine whether your traffic building efforts are succeeding.
A second use for counters is to learn a bit about how people are finding you. For instance, if you check the referrers for your traffic using your counter service, you may discover that very few visitors are coming from one search engine while others are coming in drovers from another. This will give you an idea of where you need to better concentrate your efforts.
Additionally, the referrer logs will often tell you what people were searching for when they found your site. This can be very valuable information. If you notice an influx of people searching around a particular phrase, you may want to make sure to construct a post on that subject, for instance. It will also give you an idea of whether or not the people who are visiting your site are actually finding what the things for which they were looking.
Getting traffic is great, but it is even better when you know it’s happening. If you operate without a functioning counter, you will have no way of knowing whether or not your traffic-building efforts are paying off.
BONUS TIPS
1. Don’t count yourself! If you are frequently checking out your own blog, be certain that you take that into account when interpreting your statistics. This often occurs early in the lifespan of a blog when you are tweaking the layout, etc.
2. Look at page views! The number of people who come by your blog is important, but the amount of time they spend there and the number of different pages and entries they read will give you a really good indication of whether or not they are responding well to what you have to offer. Generally speaking, those blogs that post good page view and time numbers tend to have more repeat visitors.
DISCLAIMER
The techniques outlined in this ebook are designed to increase traffic levels to virtually any blog. However, it should be noted that the author makes no guarantee or warranty regarding the levels of traffic that will be produced as a byproduct of these suggestions. Traffic levels are influenced by a plethora of variables, and exact predictions are an impossibility. All of the methods of traffic generation outlined in this ebook are believed to be efficacious, legal and without risk to any user. The author, however, reminds the reader than any and all liability associated with the use of the methods detailed herein is to be borne by the reader. The author refuses to accept responsibility for any losses, financial or otherwise, claimed to be caused by techniques mentioned in this ebook. The author shall not be held liable for any damage alleged to arise from the use of information contained in this ebook, including damages that are alleged to arise from error, omissions or inaccuracies of any sort. Any reader relying upon the information herein or making use of said information does so at his or her own risk. The author disclaims any liability and shall not be held liable for any damages (including, but not limited to) loss of revenue, loss of profit or loss of opportunity.
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