Market That Blog

In a recent post I noted that I've been a little addicted to blogging lately - more so than ever. I read blogs, link to blogs, write my own blog, and most importantly, market my blog. With all of these things combined, however, blogging can be a very time consuming thing. But what's the point of dedicating all this time if no one can find your blog to read it?

While the sole concept of blogging could be therapeutic for some, I find it to be an online networking and self-promotional tool more than anything else. Therefore, it's important that I stay on top of the different ways to make my blog noticed online. So with that said, how do I not only get new traffic to my blog, but keep the old traffic returning?

New Posts
No one wants to pull up a blog that hasn't been updated since January of 2006. What's the point? Unless the topic is immune to being outdated, the info is old and probably not worth anything anymore.

By posting regularly, you're doing multiple things. One, is that you're giving your current readers something to come back for. Keep your current subscribers interested and if they're into what you're saying, chances are they'll pass your blog info on to someone else.

Another plus is that by writing often, you're consistently keeping your blog refreshed. And by keeping it refreshed, you're keeping your name at the top of the blog search engines. With the thousands... no, let me revise... millions of blogs that there are out there, you can't afford to be at the bottom of the list. Keep your blog updated and you'll be sure to be updated on search engines.

Blog Stats
Keeping an eye on your blog's stats is a great way to know how well you're really doing. You may think just because you have a published blog, you'll have readers, but that's not true at all. There are several programs that I use to keep an eye on my blog traffic. A few of them being Feedburner, StatCounter Pro and MyBlogLog. I can get a wide range of info from each of the different programs. Best of all, these programs are free.

Subscriber Links
So, they're not the prettiest things in the whole world. But by adding a few link buttons to your blog, you can gain a lot of traffic. By adding an RSS feed link, or placing a couple of buttons to link to major blog portals such as Technorati and such, you can give your visitor a one-stop sign-up spot to receive your news and recent blog posts. This a great way for people to tag your page, should they like it, so they won't lose it. They'll be sure to return. Furthermore, add a few links for them to forward your blog posting to a friend. Referrals are great!

Participation
There's a lot to be said for actively participating in the online community. What does that mean? Go to a favorite website and see if they have a discussion board. Find a topic you're interested or well-versed in and speak up! By showing that you know your stuff, and by being sure to sign your posts with your blog address in your signature, you're getting free advertising. And not only are you putting your online info in front of people, you're showing that you're a smarty pants as well.

Linking
Ever been to a blog and seen a huge list of links to other sites and blogs? They weren't put there by the author just to be nice. They're there for publicity. Seems a little backwards, yes, but here's how it works. You're bored at work and find a cool blog. It's got great info and you're really impressed by the author. You quickly type a message to the blogger and say, "Great blog. I'd like to link to you from mine. Would that be okay?" Of course, they'll say yes. But chances are, they'll be curious about who's checking out their site. They'll realize that you're a nifty blogger yourself and probably add your link. Now, you're getting their readers. And they're getting yours. Traffic for everybody.

While the list is pretty much endless, these are a few points that I've learned work well. It can be daunting to seek out a forum and type your thoughts, to keep track of your stats, and to post regularly. But, what I've found, is that it becomes routine. And eventually a likable activity.