BLOG HELPER

6 Tips to Turn Your Business Blog into a Sales Tool

2009-05-19T22:56:00.001+08:00

Many large and small companies start business blogs to help drive sales and boost profits. Follow these six tips to help turn your blog into a sales tool.

1. Link to Your Online Catalog

One of the simplest ways to turn your blog into a sales tool is by writing posts about your products or services then linking to those products where customers can purchase them. These informational posts should provide valuable information about the product that isn't available in your online catalog such as a more product detailed description or ideas for how customers can use the product to benefit their lives.

2. Write Educational Posts

Including posts in your business blog that help to educate your customers on your products, company and mission is a great way to generate awareness, recognition and interest in your products thereby driving sales.

3. Provide Exclusive Information and Tips

Make your customers feel 'in the know' because they read your blog and reward them for doing so by writing posts that provide exclusive information and tips. For example, you could write a blog post about an upcoming product release or sale. Offering extra incentives to encourage customers who read your blog to make a purchase through special discounts and promotions offered only to blog readers or subscribers is an effective way to turn your blog into a sales tool.

4. Post Product Reviews from Customers or Industry Experts

You can drive sales by inviting customers or industry experts to provide product reviews in your business' blog posts. People are far more likely to buy a product based on recommendations from friends, family and even complete strangers than they are from traditional advertising tactics. Use your blog as a tool to drive word of mouth marketing by letting online influencers contribute with guest posts.

5. Respond to Customers' Questions and Concerns

Write blog posts that address customer questions and concerns. By communicating directly with your customers, letting them know you value them and alleviating their concerns (or reducing their confusion) is an excellent way to drive sales and customer loyalty. Furthermore, respond to comments on your business blog to create a sense of community around it, which will further drive loyalty and repeat sales.

6. Talk About and Link to Other Online Marketing Programs

One of the most important aspects of operating a successful business with an online component is developing an effective online marketing strategy including viral marketing and social media marketing tactics. Don't forget to talk about and link to those marketing programs in your blog posts. Doing so will create a cohesive and consistent online marketing strategy that has a better chance of significantly boosting sales.

How to Find Blog Networks That Pay You to Blog

2009-05-19T22:52:00.002+08:00

Finding a job as a blogger for a blog network can be a great way to enter the world of professional blogging. Determine your area of expertise or the topic where you can add value to readers then market yourself to blog networks as the best person to blog about that topic to drive traffic to the network.

Many blog networks post blogging jobs on job boards, so take some time to search for and apply to open positions.

Following is an overview of some of the most popular blogging networks:

b5media

b5media is one of the Internet's largest new media networks with over 300 blogs in 15 channels and over 10 million visitors each month.

Creative weblogging

Creative Weblogging receives over 5 million visitors per month for its 100+ blogs.

Weblogs inc.

Weblogs Inc. owns some of the most popular blogs online including Engadget, TVSquad andCinematical.

Hubpages

Hubpages allows bloggers to create their own 'hubs' and earn revenue through advertising efforts.

451 Press

451 Press is a growing blog network including hundreds of blogs in a wide variety of topics.

Simply good media

Simply Good Media focuses on blogs with budget-conscious topics.

Today.com

Today.com offers a paid VIP Blogger Program where bloggers can apply to write a blog on the topic of their choice for the network.

Content quake

Content Quake accepts applications from bloggers looking to be paid for writing content on a variety of specific topics.

Families.com

Families.com maintains a variety of blogs dedicated to topics important to families.

Preschoolrock.com

PreschoolRock.com offers a variety of blogs for families with preschool-aged children.

Sheknows.com

SheKnows.com employs professional bloggers to write a handful of blogs on issues of interest to women.

Should You Join a Blog Network or Go It Alone?

2009-05-19T22:49:00.001+08:00

The decision to join a blog network as a professional, paid blogger versus going it alone as an independent blogger can be a difficult one. There are pros and cons to both paths, and each individual blogger needs to evaluate those issues to determine what is the best choice for them personally.

What's at Stake?

One of the biggest issues related to choosing between joining a blog network and going it alone is related to money. Bloggers give up potential ad revenue when they join a blog network, but in return, they are likely to get significantly more traffic very quickly as part of a blog network. What's a blogger to do?

Following are some factors to consider when choosing between joining a blog network as a professional blogger versus remaining independent

Pros of Joining a Blog Network

Blog networks offer the following benefits to bloggers:

Consistent income: Blog networks typically pay professional bloggers a monthly fee or fee per post plus a portion of ad revenues based on the number of page views the blog gets each month. Of course, this can vary from one blog network to another, so it's important to do your homework to make sure the blog network you're considering joining offers a pay structure that meets your needs. A stable income is very attractive to some bloggers.
Build an online presence: Blog networks have the ability to drive traffic to a blog quickly. That traffic can help a blogger develop a strong presence in the blogosphere and the Internet as a whole.
Establish the blogger as an expert: The thought is if a blog network recognized your knowledge about a given topic as good enough to hire you to blog for them, then you must be a great resource on that topic. As you build your online presence and the quality content of your blog grows, you will also build your brand image as an expert in your field.
Be part of a larger community: Blog networks offer bloggers the opportunity to be part of a larger online community of like-minded individuals. The opportunities for learning and networking are vast to members of blog networks.

Cons of Joining a Blog Network

Blog networks can be viewed negatively based on the following factors:

Low pay: Blog networks traditionally offer low pay to professional bloggers. Incentives are generally provided based on monthly page views, which motivates the blogger to spend a significant amount of time promoting the blog as well as writing blog posts. A blog usually needs to generate traffic in the hundreds of thousands of page views per month for a blogger to make more than a small amount of money relative to their efforts.
Big time commitment: Professional blogging requires a massive time commitment. Not only do members of blog networks have to promote their blogs to generate traffic and income, but they also usually have monthly requirements to meet in terms of post length, number of posts and more.
Your work may be edited: Some blog networks employ editors who can make changes to a professional blogger's writing. Often the blogger may disagree with those changes. This could be an issue for a blogger who uses their blog as a platform for other writing jobs.
Negative attacks: Being part of a blog network can boost traffic to a blog very quickly. With more traffic comes a greater potential for readers to negatively attack the blogger through derogatory or offensive comments. Additionally, attacks could come in the form of the blogger's content being copied and used without permission on other websites. Blog networks are particularly susceptible to these types of attacks.

Resolution

Should you join a blog network or stay independent? That decision is up to each individual blogger. First, determine your long term goals for your blog. Then review the pros and cons of joining a blog network.

Remember, while blog networks can bring a steady income and large amounts of traffic, you'll have to give up a large portion of the ad revenue generated from the site. Could you have grown your blog to receive the same amount of traffic to generate enough ad revenue to match your pay as part of a blog network?

Think about your monetary goals as well as your non-monetary goals for your blog before you decide which path to pursue.

Top 5 Tips for Professional Bloggers

2009-05-19T22:47:00.000+08:00

If you're ready to move from personal blogging to become a professional blogger, where someone else pays you to author a blog for them, then you need to familiarize yourself with the following 5 success tips for professional bloggers to ensure you're positioned for a long and prosperous career.

1. Specialize

In order to have a chance at becoming a successful professional blogger who is capable of becoming a well-known paid blogger, you need to identify where your areas of expertise lie then focus on them. Position yourself across the blogosphere as an expert in that area by focusing your blogging efforts in 1-3 subjects then look for blogging jobs related to those subjects.

2. Diversify Income Sources

To succeed as a professional blogger, you need to start out by diversifying your income sources. You never know what might happen to a blog you're writing for another person or company. Unfortunately, the blogosphere is turbulent and a blogging job that seemed solid one day could disappear the next. Give yourself added security by finding income sources from more than one blogging source.

3. Provide Original Content

As you diversify your blogging jobs to multiple employers, it's critical that the content you provide to each is unique. Even if your blogging contract doesn't explicitly state that content you provide should be original and not copied elsewhere, it's a good practice to follow if you want to develop a reputation as a first-rate professional blogger.

4. Plan Ahead

One of the biggest downsides to professional blogging is the lack of time off. Professional bloggers are expected to be available and working 365 days of the year. With that in mind, your success as a professional blogger hinges on your ability to plan ahead in terms of taking time off for vacations, illnesses or emergencies. Regardless of what is going on in your personal life, you'll still have to meet the requirements in your blogging contract.

5. Don't Undervalue Yourself

Bloggers who are just starting out in paid blogging have a tendency to undervalue themselves and accept paid blogging jobs that pay less than minimum wage. Take a moment to calculate the per hour pay rate for each blogging job you pursue. Make sure the pay is truly adequate. Think of it this way - time spent blogging for too little pay could be better invested in searching for a blogging job that does pay well. Of course, all professional bloggers have to start somewhere, but as you gain more experience and develop your online reputation as an expert in your blogging niche, additional opportunities to diversify will present themselves to you if you look for them. Don't sell yourself short.

6 Steps to Get a Professional Blogging Job

2009-05-19T22:44:00.001+08:00

Once you've decided to pursue a paying position as a professional blogger, you'll need to get the experience that hiring managers are looking for. Follow these steps to boost your chances of landing a professional blogging job.

1. Define Your Area of Expertise

People who hire professional bloggers have high expectations from those bloggers. Professional bloggers need to create fresh, timely and meaningful content for their readers, and they need to be able to participate in the blog's community providing information that readers want to see. You'll need to be able to establish yourself as extremely knowledgeable in any subject matter for which you apply to be a professional blogger. Just like any job, the most qualified person will get the position.

2. Learn to Blog

Before a hiring manager can be interested in your skills, you need to polish them. Create a personal blog on a topic of interest to you that you are passionate about and begin to blog about it. Take the time needed to fully understand all of the blogging tools available to you.

Learning to blog also requires learning how to promote your blog through social bookmarking, social networking, participating in forums and more. Invest quality time in learning how to market your blog as hiring managers will expect this from the professional bloggers they hire.

3. Build Your Online Presence

Once you establish your own blog and your area of expertise, invest quality time in growing your online presence. To be considered an expert and knowledgeable in your topic, you need to develop your credibility by networking online. You can do this through social networking and forum participation as mentioned in step 2 above. You can also accomplish this by writing great content on websites such as associated content, Hubpages or another site that allows anyone to join and post content.

As you build your online presence, remember that you're also building your online brand. Everything you say online can be found and seen by a hiring manager. Keep your online content appropriate to the type of brand image you're trying to create.

4. Search Blogging Job Boards

Take the time to view the websites where blogging jobs are posted and apply to the ones in your area of expertise. You need to commit to your blogger job search, because many qualified bloggers apply to every blogging job. You need to apply quickly to be considered.

You can find professional blogging jobs using this list of blogging job sources.

5. Show You Can Add Value

When you apply for a professional blogging job, remember the competition is tough. Show the hiring manager how you can bring value to that blog through great content and promotion which will lead to increased page views and subscribers, which will then lead to ad revenue for the blog owner. Include your blogging experience in your application along with links to your blog posts or other online writing clips that demonstrate you understand the blog's topic and what the hiring company wants.

6. Make Your Writing Sample Shine

Many hiring managers will request that professional blogging applicants provide a sample blog post related to the blog's topic to get a better understanding of the type of content the applicant would write if they got the job. This is your opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Write a sample post that is relevant and timely and shows you know the topic better than anyone else. Include useful links to show you understand the topic's place in the blogosphere. Finally, make sure your sample post does not contain spelling or grammatical errors. In other words, make it impossible for the hiring manager to refuse your application.

5 Blog Sponsored Review Sites That Pay You to Blog

2009-05-19T22:41:00.002+08:00

Aside from advertising and affiliate programs, another popular blog monetization method is to write blog sponsored reviews for any one of the many websites that pay you to blog. Learn about five of the most popular blog sponsored review sites that pay you to blog and start earning money from your blog.

1. Paypercost

PayPerPost is one of the most popular blog sponsored review sites available. Blog publishers are called Posties, and those Posties join the PayPerPost publishers network and search for open opportunities that their blogs qualify for. When an opportunity is secured, the blogger writes the post based on the instructions provided and is paid based on the current PayPerPost terms.

2. Review me

ReviewMe is nearly as popular as PayPerPost, however, it works quite differently from PayPerPost. When you become a ReviewMe publisher, you don't have to search for opportunities as you would with PayPerPost. Instead, advertisers search for publishers whose blogs and websites best match their requirements then offer those publishers posting opportunities.

3. Sponsoredreviews

SponsoredReviews works both ways in that publishers can search for open opportunities posted by advertisers or advertisers can search for publishers whose websites or blogs match their requirements then offer opportunities to those publishers.

4. Payu2blog

PayU2Blog is a smaller player in the sponsored review market. As a PayU2Blog publisher, you will be given paid posting assignments on a weekly basis based on the blog profile you create.

5. Social Spark

SocialSpark comes from Izea.com, the same company that created PayPerPost. The goal of SocialSpark is to create a "full disclosure" sponsored review system, so there is no question that the posts written as part of the program have been paid for. Additionally, SocialSpark is a social site where advertisers can handpick bloggers to help them promote their products and services through sponsored reviews or display advertising. If you're interested in making money through sponsored reviews, but you're concerned about losing your Google page rank or search traffic because of the penalties Google often places on blogs and websites that participate in social reviews and paid text link programs, then SocialSpark might be a good option for you.

Add a PayPal Donation Button to Your Blog

2009-05-19T22:39:00.000+08:00

As you spend time visiting other blogs, you'll probably notice dontation buttons on many blogs. Some may be obvious and say "Donate" while others could be a simple linked line of text that says, "Buy me a cup of coffee".

While the words and appearance may vary, the purpose is the same. In each case, the blogger is asking people who read and enjoy the blog to donate some money to help keep the blog going.

You can easily set up a donation button through PayPal. Just sign up for a PayPal account and follow the simple instructions on the paypal donations web pages to obtain the code that will link to your PayPal account. Next, you'll simply copy and paste the code into your blog (most people do this in an easy way by putting it on the blog's sidebar so it appears on as many pages as possible).

Once the code is inserted in your blog, the donation button will appear automatically. When a reader clicks on the donation button on your blog, they'll be taken to your personal PayPal donation page. Whatever money they donate, will be deposited directly into the bank account you chose during your set up process through PayPal.

It's important to understand that a donation button is not likely to bring much revenue, but it's simple enough to add to your blog that it's worth the few minutes of effort it takes to get it up and running

How to Make Money from Your Blog (Other Than Using Ads)

2009-05-19T22:37:00.002+08:00

The Value of Monetizing Your Blog Through Nonadvertising Opportunities:

Displaying ads on your blog is certainly a simple way to try to generate an income from it. However, ads are not a guaranteed money-maker. For one reason, they are often dependent on the actions of your blog's readers. For another reason, generating a significant amount of money through advertising on your blog is unlikely (possible but unlikely) unless your blog receives a very large amount of traffic each day.

By diversifying your income-generating opportunities , you'll have a greater chance of successfully monetizing your blog. Following are a variety of nonadvertising methods to earn money from your blog.

Sell Merchandise:

Many bloggers have success selling branded and non-branded merchandise on their blogs through cafepress.

Ask for Donations:

It can't hurt to ask your readers to donate to your blog. Some of them just might do it. You can add a donation button to your blog through Paypal.

Sell Your Guest Posting Services:

Most bloggers write guest posts for other blogs for free as a way to promote their own blogs. However, you can also offer your guest posting services for a fee.

Write and Sell an Ebook:

If your blog has loyal readers then they must like what you have to say. Similarly, if you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, then there is a good chance people will want to read more from you outside of your blog. Leverage that position by writing an ebook and offering it for sale on your blog.

Write a Book:

If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and developed a strong following, you could write a book and either try to have it published or self-publish.

Become a Professional Blogger:

Many blogs and blog networks look for talented and knowledgeable writers to author blogs, and many of those blogging jobs are paying. Apply to blogging jobs to boost your blogging income.

Apply for Other Writing Jobs:

Blogging can help you polish your writing skills, which can help you land other freelance writing jobs online and offline. Transitioning into freelance writing from blogging is not unusual and can be very lucrative.

Become a Public Speaker:

If you've successfully established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and generated a decent amount of traffic to your blog, you could offer your services as a public speaker at events related to your area of expertise.

Become a Consultant:

If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, you can offer consulting services to other people or business' who could use the help of your expertise. Alternatively, you could offer consulting services related to developing and writing a successful blog.

Directory of Blog Advertising Opportunities

2009-05-19T22:35:00.000+08:00

Following is a list of companies that provide advertising opportunities for bloggers to generate an income from their blogs. These are in alphabetical order.

This directory is meant to give a comprehensive list of advertising opportunities for bloggers, but is not intended to be an endorsement by About Web Logs. Do your research to make sure a new advertising or blog monetization opportunity is right for you and your goals for your blog before you commit to anything.

Ad Networks

BrightAds from Kanoodle

Affiliate Advertising

Amazon Associates

eBay Affiliates

All Posters Affiliates

5 Tips to Monetize Your Blog and Make Money Blogging

2009-05-19T22:32:00.002+08:00

Many bloggers want to find ways to generate an income from their blogs. Following are five tips to monetize your blog and start bringing in some money from your blogging efforts.

1. Advertising

Including advertisments on your blog is the most obvious way to derive an income from your blogging efforts. Ads can come in the form of text links or banner ads, and advertising options are available that you can easily tap into through pay-per-click, pay-per-post and affliate programs online. google adsense, amazon associates, ebay affliates and pay per cost are just a few of the most common advertising programs available to bloggers.

2. Merchandise

Another simple way to monetize your blog is by selling merchandise through a service such as cafepress who will work with you to create custom items for you to sell through your blog.

3. Reviews

Bloggers can make money by reviewing products, events, businesses and more through blog posts.

4. Ebooks

A great way to bring in some revenue on your blog is by writing an ebook and offering it for sale through your blog. Ebooks are particularly successful for bloggers who have positioned themselves as experts in their fields and advertise their ebooks as additional or exclusive information just for readers of their blogs.

5. Donations

Many bloggers add a donation button to their blogs asking readers to make a monetary donation to keep the blog alive. Donations are also solicited with clever taglines such as, "If you like this blog, why not buy me a cup of coffee?" The donation link leads the reader to another website such as paypal where the individual can easily make their donation.

Blog Advertising Overview

2009-05-19T22:27:00.002+08:00

The Main Types of Blog Advertising Opportunities:

Online advertising offers three primary types of ads bloggers can use to make money from their blogs.

Pay-per-click: The advertiser pays the blogger each time someone clicks on the advertiser's ad.
Pay-per-impression: The advertiser pays the blogger each time the ad appears on the blog's page.
Pay-per-action: The advertiser pays the blogger each time someone clicks on the ad and performs an action such as making a purchase.

Contextual Ads:

Contextual ads are typically pay-per-click ads. The ads are delivered based on the content of the page on the blog where the ads will be displayed. In theory, the ads shown on the page should be relevant to the content of the page thereby increasing the chance that someone will click on them. Google adsense is an example of a contextual advertising program.Google adsense and Kontera are examples of contextual advertising opportunities.

Text Link Ads:

Ads that are not served based on the content of a blog's page but rather are placed based on specific text in the posts of a blog are called text link ads. text link brockers and text-link ads are examples of text link advertising opportunities.

Impression-Based Ads:

Ads that pay bloggers based on the number of times the ad appears on the blog are called impression-based ads. fastclick and tribal fusion are examples of impression-based advertising opportunities.

Affiliate Ads:

affliate ads give bloggers a choice of programs to provide links to products. Bloggers are paid when someone purchases the advertised product. Amazon affliates and ebay affliates are examples of affiliate advertising programs.

Direct Ads:

Many bloggers offer an option for visitors to purchase advertising space on their blogs. Direct ads are typically shown in the form of banner ads or similar display ads provided directly to the blogger by the advertiser to be uploaded to the blog. Pricing and payment methods vary from blogger to blogger (often dependent on the amount of traffic the blog receives). Direct advertisers on blogs are sometimes called sponsors of that blog.

Reviews:

Reviews (often called sponsered reviews) are an indirect form of advertising on blogs. A company might contact a blogger directly asking them to write a review for a product, business, website, etc. If the blogger is paid to write the review, then it is a form of advertising revenue. Some companies offer forms of review advertising such as pay per cost

5 Tricks to Increase Google Page Rank for Your Blog

2009-05-19T22:24:00.001+08:00

Google page rank is an elusive term that most bloggers don't completely understand. In fact, there are probably few people in the world who completely understand it, because Google keeps the secrets of its page rank algorithm very guarded. Boosting your Google page rank isn't something you can do in a day. If it were, everyone would have a Google Page Rank of 10. Keep reading to learn a few of the tricks to increase your blog's Google page rank that are fairly easy to implement over time.

1. Get Incoming Links from High Quality Related Sites

The best way to increase your Google page rank might not make a difference over night, but it will make a big difference in time. The key is to get incoming links to your blog from highly authoritative and well-trafficked websites and blogs that are related your blog's topic.

For example, if you write a blog about finance, getting a link from The Wall Street Journal website would give your blog a big boost. If you could get more high quality links from popular sites such as Fortune.com, SmartMoney.com, and so on, your blog's Google page rank would most certainly jump.

2. Remember to Use SEO Techniques

Search engine optimization is an important part of increasing Google page rank.

3. Write Original Content

Do not copy content from another site. Even if you're copying and republishing your own content from one page or one site to another, do not do it. Google's algorithm cannot tell the difference and will either give the originating site the credit and downgrade the others or downgrade all of the sites that publish the duplicated content. Google acts harshly toward any kind of content scraping, even if you're completely innocent. Once your page rank is downgraded, it can be nearly impossible to get it back up again.

4. Don't Go Link Crazy

Many bloggers hear that it's important to have incoming links to boost their blog's Google page rank, so they start leaving comments anywhere and everywhere across the web, participating in random link exchanges with anyone who is willing to participate, and so on. Remember, as the first item on this list says, Google's algorithm cares about quality links, not quantity. In fact, your page rank could be downgraded if your blog is deemed to be little more than a bunch of links.

5. Write Great Content

If you write great content, people will want to link to it, particularly high quality websites. Get on the radar screen of popular bloggers and websites by leaving comments, writing guest posts, participating in forums, emailing directly, writing articles, and so on. Build relationships with people who write for high quality sites, and the number of quality, incoming links you get to your blog will grow organically over time.

Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Tips

2009-05-19T22:08:00.001+08:00

Getting a high rank on search engines through user keyword searches can be difficult, but with proper focus on writing your blog posts for search engine optimization (SEO), you can boost your rank for specific keyword searches and your blog's traffic. Follow these tips to get the biggest results.

1. Check the Popularity of Keywords

In order to obtain traffic from keyword searches on the major search engines like Google and Yahoo!, you need to be writing about a topic that people want to read about and are actively looking for information about. One of the easiest ways to get a basic idea of what people are looking for online is to check the popularity of keyword searches on websites like wordtracker, google adwords, google trends or the yahoo! buzz index. Each of these sites provides a snapshot of keyword popularity at any given time.

2. Select Specific and Relevant Keywords

A good rule to go by is to select one keyword phrase per page then optimize that page to that keyword phrase. Keywords should be relevant to the overall content of your page. Furthermore, choose specific keywords that are more likely to give you a better search results ranking than a broad term would. For example, consider how many sites use the keyword phrase of "punk music." The competition for ranking using that keyword is likely to be tough. If you choose a more specific keyword like "Green Day concert," the competition is a lot easier.

3. Select a Keyword Phrase of 2 or 3 Words

Statistics show that nearly 60% of keyword searches include 2 or 3 keywords. With that in mind, try to optimize your pages for searches on keyword phrases of 2 or 3 words to drive the biggest results.

4. Use Your Keyword Phrase in Your Title

Once you select the keyword phrase you plan to optimize your page for, make sure you use that phrase in the title of your blog post (or page).

5. Use Your Keyword Phrase in Your Subtitle and Headlines

Breaking blog posts up using subtitles and section headlines not only makes them more visually appealing on a text heavy computer screen, but it also gives you additional opportunities to use your keyword phrase.

6. Use Your Keyword Phrase in the Body of Your Content

It's important that you use your keyword phrase in the body of your blog post. A good goal to try to achieve is to use your keyword phrase at least twice in the first paragraph of your post and as many times as you can (without keyword stuffing - see #10 below) within the first 200 (alternatively, the first 1,000) words of your post.

7. Use Your Keyword Phrase in and Around Your Links

Search engines count links higher than plain text in their search algorithms, so try to create links that use your keyword phrase. Avoid using links that simply say, "click here" or "more information" as these links will do nothing to help you with your search engine optimization. Leverage the power of links in SEO by including your keyword phrase in them whenever possible. The text surrounding links is typically weighted more heavily by search engines than other text on your page as well. If you can't include your keyword phrase in your link text, try to include it around your link text.

8. Use Your Keyword Phrase in Images

Many bloggers see a large amount of traffic sent to their blogs from image searches on search engines. Make the images you use in your blog work for you in terms of SEO. Make sure your image filenames and captions include your keyword phrase.

9. Avoid Block Quotes

There are differing opinions on this issue with one group of people saying that Google and other search engines ignore the text included in the html block quote tag when crawling a web page. Therefore, the text within the block quote tag won't be included in terms of SEO. Until a more definitive answer can be determined to this issue, it's a good idea to keep it in mind and use the block quote tag cautiously.

10. Don't Keyword Stuff

Search engines penalize sites that stuff pages full of keywords simply to increase their rankings through keyword searches. Some sites are even banned from inclusion in search engine results because of keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is considered a form of spamming, and search engines have zero tolerance for it. Keep this in mind as you optimize your blog posts for search engines using your specific keyword phrase.

10 Blog Contest Giveaway Ideas

2009-05-19T21:58:00.002+08:00

Blog contests are a great way to boost traffic to your blog, but what should you giveaway? Following are 10 blog contest giveaway ideas that will drive interest and entries without emptying your wallet.

1. Products Related to Your Blog

Depending on your blog topic, there are probably many types of prizes you can find or buy to give away in a blog contest. Prizes don't have to be big to be interesting to your blog's readers. Of course, while big prizes tend to drive the most buzz and traffic, prizes that are relevant to your blog are likely to be most appreciated by your loyal readers. In fact, prizes that are consistent with your blog topic will draw the attention of new visitors who are more likely to return and subscriptions .

2. Products or Services from Companies

Sometimes companies contact bloggers and request product reviews. This is a great time to request a sample to offer as a blog contest prize. Most companies welcome the additional exposure a contest (and the promotion that goes along with it) brings. Furthermore, don't be afraid to reach out to companies that offer products related to your blog topic that your readers would enjoy, and ask for a sample to offer as a blog contest prize. The worst that can happen is the company says no. Be certain to provide blog traffic statistics when you make a sample request to demonstrate what a contest on your blog could mean to the company in terms of promotion.

3. Books

There are books written about nearly every subject that bloggers write about. Consider offering a book related to your blog's topic for your blog contest prize.

4. Your Expertise

If you have a talent, knowledge or expertise that people would pay for such as blog reviewing, blog design, copywriting, speaking, consulting and so on, offer those services as a blog contest prize. What comes easily to you might be a valuable prize to someone else.

5. Get Crafty

Can you paint, sew, knit, build, or create some other craft or product that people might enjoy winning? If so, offer a custom design or an item you already created as a blog contest prize.

6. Electronic Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are great blog contest prizes because people love to win money to spend at a popular store. Electronic gift certificates are great for you because you avoid paying shipping charges because the prize can be emailed directly to the winner.

7. Money

People love money, so a blog contest with a cash prize is always popular. Consider signing up for paypal and paying the winner via your PayPal account to avoid paying postage or sending a personal check or money order. If you use PayPal to deliver the prize, be certain to include a disclosure in the original contest post that tells people the prize will be sent via PayPal, and the winner will be responsible for any fees PayPal charges for him or her to receive and accept the prize.

8. Advertising on Your Blog

If your blog is popular and generates enough traffic and subscribers to make it attractive to advertisers, offer advertising space as a prize for your blog contest. Other bloggers and website owners are likely to be very interested in winning free advertising.

9. Guest Posts

If you write a popular blog with a decent amount of monthly traffic, you can offer guests posts as a blog contest prize. Consider offering your services to write a guest post on the winner's blog or allow the winner to write a guest post to appear on your blog. Either way, the winner will gain exposure and traffic from the guest post.

10. Entrecard Credits

Entrecard is a popular social advertising website for bloggers who earn Entrecard Credits to pay for advertising space on other blogs. Consider joining entrecard (if you're not already a member) and offer the credits you earn as a blog contest prize. Other Entrecard members will be very interested in this type of contest.

4 Free Sites to Promote Blog Contests

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There are many websites that allow bloggers to submit links and information about their blog contests offering varying levels of exposure and traffic. Some of these websites allow you to submit your blog contest information for free with no extraneous requirements such as publishing links or badges on your blog. The four sites listed below each allow you to submit your blog contests for free exposure and promotion with no strings attached.

1. Online-sweepstakes.com

Online-Sweepstakes.com is a popular and heavily-trafficked directory of online sweepstakes and contests. To submit your blog contest to Online-Sweepstakes.com, you simply need to register for a free account, select the Add a Sweep button and complete the requested information for your contest. You'll need to provide your blog URL, the contest post URL, the prize description, and the start and end date for entries.

2. Contestblogger.com

ContestBlogger.com offers several forums for online sweepstakes, blog contests and free sample offers. To submit your blog contest to ContestBlogger.com, you must register for a forum account then start a new forum post in the appropriate forum folder with the details of your contest.

3. Sweepstakesadvantange

Sweepstakes Advantage boasts having the largest directory of free online sweepstakes, freebies and contests. There is a special category for blog contests, and it's free to register and submit your blog contests. Just select the "Add Listing" tab in the left navigation bar. You'll be prompted te create a new account if you don't already have one, and then you can submit your blog contest free-of-charge.

4. About.com web logs forum

You can enter your blog contests for free right here in the About.com Web Logs Forum. Simply register for an account then start a new post in the blog contests folder, and provide the details about your contest.

What is a Blog Contest?

2009-05-19T21:39:00.002+08:00

Blog contests are a simple and fun way to increase traffic and a sense of community on your blog. Let's face it. People love to win free stuff, and blog contests are a great way to create a buzz of excitement on your blog.

In the simplest terms, a blog contest is exactly what the term implies - a contest hosted on your blog. Since it's your blog, the nuances of the contest are entirely up to you. For example, you can determine the method of entry, duration of the contest, prize, and more. Again, it's up to you.

The most important thing to remember about a blog contest is it will drive traffic equivalent to the amount you promote it. In other words, if no one knows about your contest, they won't visit your blog to enter. Take some time to visit other blogs and websites to announce your contest. A quick Google search will reveal many blogs and websites that operate solely to announce blog contests. A great reference is about.com's guide contests and sweepstakes. Another great way to promote your contest is through blog carnival.

Finally, make sure you understand the monetary investment inherent in a blog contest. Unless your contest is being sponsored by a company who donated a prize, you'll need to purchase a prize, and most likely, you'll have to pay shipping costs to send the prize to the winner.

Sites to Find Free Twitter Badges

2009-05-19T21:36:00.002+08:00

A great way to attract attention to your Twitter profile and encourage people to follow you on Twitter is to add a Twitter badge to your blog. You can put a Twitter badge in your blog's sidebar, header, footer, or at the end of your posts. It's up to you how much you want to promote your Twitter profile on your blog. Check out the sites listed below to find free Twitter badges that encourage people to follow you on Twitter.

1. Twitterbuttons.com

TwitterButtons.com offers several pages of free Twitter badges as well as easy to copy and customize HTML code, so you can quickly add the badge of your choice to your blog.

2. Randa clay design

Randa Clay Design offers a set of simple Follow Me on Twitter badges. The badges are non-obtrusive and use the Twitter blue and black colors.

3. Slash design

Siah Design offers a variety of Twitter badges. Some are animated and some are not. The designs range from simple to fun.

4. Limeshot design

Limeshot Design offers one Twitter badge design. However, that single design is offered with a variety of backgrounds to choose from, so you can select the color and style background that works best with your blog.

5. Vincentabry.com

VincentAbry.com offers a variety of colorful and creative free Twitter badges. The site is written in French, but the Twitter badges are in English.

Understanding Twitter Terminology

2009-05-19T21:35:00.001+08:00

Twitter terminology can be confusing for novice microbloggers. Take a look at the definitions and descriptions below to get up to speed on the language of Twitter.

1. Tweet

When a Twitter user posts an update to their Twitter account, that update is often referred to as a "tweet" and the user is said to have "tweeted". Tweet can be used as a noun, referring to the actual written update, or a verb, referring to the action of publishing an update.

2. Follow

You can either sign up to follow other Twitter users or they can sign up to follow you. If you follow someone, it simply means that you automatically receive that person's Twitter updates. Each time that person posts an update on Twitter, it appears on your Twitter home page instantly. Updates for all the people you sign up to follow appear in reverse chronological order with the most recent update on top of the page.

3. @reply

@reply precedes messages sent from one person to another that are public. In other words, anyone who can see your Twitter updates can see the @replies that you send or that are sent to you, whether or not they are following you or you are following them. These messages appear on Twitter updates as @username (with "username" replaced by the person's actual username from their Twitter account).

4. Direct Message

A direct message is a private message from one Twitter user to another. You can only view your direct messages in your direct message Inbox after you log into your Twitter account. You can only send a direct message to Twitter users that you are already following.

10 Ways Bloggers Can Use Twitter

2009-05-19T21:31:00.001+08:00

Twitter is a fun and useful way to promote your blog and drive traffic to it. While it might seem that micro-blogging through Twitter might just be a fun thing to do, you can actually use Twitter to grow your blog. Remember, building relationships is a key part of growing your blog, and Twitter is an excellent tool for building relationships.

Take a look at the suggestions below for how you can use Twitter to drive traffic to your blog.

1. Drive Traffic

Twitter has a viral marketing effect to it wherein your tweets could spread quickly across the Twitter community if they are interesting. For example, if you're hosting a blog contest or launching a new feature on your blog, send a tweet to let your followers know. Chances are they'll spread the word as well. As word gets out, more and more people will visit your blog to check out what all the hype is about.

2. Network with Like-Minded People

Twitter is set up inherently to act as a networking tool. People "follow" users whose tweets they enjoy or interest them. As such, you'll be able to connect with like-minded people by using Twitter which could lead to more traffic to your blog and much more.

3. Make Business Contacts

Just as Twitter is a great networking tool for finding like-minded people, it's also very effective with connecting users with business contacts. Whether you're looking to hire someone to help you with your blog or business (or both), looking for a new job, or just looking to bounce ideas off your business peers, Twitter can help.

4. Establish Yourself as an Expert

Twitter can help support your efforts to establish yourself as an expert in your field or blogging niche to the online community. By communicating through tweets about subject-matter you're knowledgeable in, answering questions via tweets, and searching out new contacts, your efforts to be viewed as an expert (which gives your blog greater credibility and appeal) will grow.

5. Get Ideas for Blog Posts

If you're having a dry spell in terms of coming up with post ideas, Twitter can help get your creative juices flowing. Read and send some tweets and see what people are talking about. Something you read is apt to spark a post idea or two to get you through a temporary state of blogger's block.

6. Ask Questions

Just as you might use Twitter to establish yourself as an expert in your field, other people use it for the same reason. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You just might learn something new and find new bloggers and users to connect with!

7. Provide Live Coverage

If you're attending a conference or meeting that you'd like to share, you can send multiple tweets real-time to share the information you learn then expound on your tweets with blog posts.

8. Ask for Diggs, Stumbles and Other Promotional Help

Twitter is a great place to ask your followers to Digg or Stumble your blog posts. You could also ask other users to blog about your post with a link back to it or spread the word to their own Twitter followers to drive more traffic to your blog.

9. Accuracy and Fact Checker

Imagine you're writing a blog post about a recent event but don't know how to spell the names of the people involved in the event. Send a tweet to get the information you need, and while you're at it, give your followers a heads up about your upcoming blog post.

10. Find and Share Resources

Need a quote, interview or guest post? Want to offer your services as a source? Send a tweet!

5 Tips to Use Del.icio.us to Drive Blog Traffic

2009-05-19T21:29:00.001+08:00

1. Write Great Titles

When you submit a piece of content to del.icio.us, take the time to write a great title for it. Many del.icio.us users will see your submission and decide whether or not they want to click on that bookmark to read the original content or bookmark it themselves based solely on the title you give it.

2. Add a Great Description

Don't stop at writing a great title. When you submit a piece of content, take the time to write a description that will entice del.icio.us users to click through to read the original content or bookmark it themselves. Make your submissions too interesting to pass by with great descriptions.

3. Use Relevant Tags

If you want other del.icio.us users to find the content you submit, make sure you tag your bookmarks intuitively. Think of what tags other users would search for to find content like what you're bookmarking, then use those tags in your bookmark submission. The content you submit doesn't have a chance to generate any interest and traffic if no one can find it.

4. Ask for Bookmarks

When you write a great blog post, ask your readers to bookmark it. Send an email or twitter your friends and ask them to bookmark it, too. Install the del.icio.us tagometer which will show your readers how many people have bookmarked your posts. When people see that others are bookmarking a post, they'll often join in and bookmark it, too.

5. Make Friends

Build a network of friends on del.icio.us. Follow other users, bookmark their content, and develop relationships with them. A strong group of del.icio.us friends can have a powerful influence in terms of drawing attention to bookmark submissions.

5 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic with StumbleUpon

2009-05-19T21:28:00.002+08:00

Stumble upon is a great tool to drive blog traffic, but there are rules to follow to actually get positive results. Use the five StumbleUpon tips below to give your blog a traffic boost.

1. Don't Stumble Your Own Content

It's an unwritten rule of StumbleUpon that you should avoid stumbling your own content. Of course, that doesn't mean you can never submit your own content, but it's always better if someone else submits your content first. If you only stumble your own content, then other users won't feel you add any value to the StumbleUpon community aside from self-promotion.

2. Stumble a Variety of Content from a Variety of Sources

Take the time to stumble content from a variety of blogs and websites as well as a mixture of articles, photos and videos. Only stumble the very best content that you truly want to share with other StumbleUpon users. Avoid stumbling content that doesn't add value to other StumbleUpon users.

3. Use Great Titles and Descriptions

When you stumble content, take the time to write a great title and description for that content to entice other users to click through and view your submission. Vague titles and descriptions are not helpful to other users.

4. Make Friends

Take some time to get to know other members of the StumbleUpon community and befriend them. Your StumbleUpon presence will grow as you network with more users. Don't just add a friend then forget about them. The power of StumbleUpon grows the more you network.

5. Use One Account and One Identity

Don't try to fool the StumbleUpon community by creating multiple accounts or stumbling only your friends' content and vice versa. Chances are you'll get caught, which could lead to your content getting buried or you getting banned from StumbleUpon temporarily or permanently. Follow the rules (even the unwritten rules).

How To How to Start a Facebook Group to Promote Your Blog

2009-05-19T21:22:00.000+08:00

Did you know you can start a Facebook Group to promote your blog? The trick is to create a group that's actually useful to people and that provides helpful information beyond what they can already find on your blog. The last thing you want to do is create a Facebook Group where you do nothing more than republish your blog posts.

The key to a successful facebook Group is to gather like-minded people with shared interests and spark conversations between them. With that in mind, create a Facebook Group that's either about your blog's topic or a related topic where you can weave in your blog on ocassion.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 30 minutes or less

Here's How:

Step 1: Log into your Facebook account and select the "Groups" link on the far left side of the page.
Step 2: Select the "Create a New Group" tab from the top menu bar.
Step 3: A form opens with some required and many optional fields for you to fill out with all the necessary information to start your group. For example, name your group, describe it, determine whether its a public or private group (make it public if you're using it to promote your blog), upload a picture, and so on. The more information you take the time to provide, the better.
Step 4: Invite your Facebook friends to join your group, and promote your group on your Facebook profile, in your blog, in your twitter account, etc. to get the word out. Then start posting questions to the group, useful information, links to your blog (without overdoing it), and more to make the group lively, helpful, and enjoyable. The more active your group is, the more popular it is likely to become.

How To 5 Easy Steps to Add Your Blog to Your Facebook Profile

2009-05-19T21:21:00.000+08:00

Adding your blog to your facebook profile is a great way to promote your blog and drive traffic to it. When you add your blog to your Facebook profile, each time you publish a new post, a snippet of that post appears on your profile's home page as a status update. Every friend that you're connected with on Facebook will automatically see that snippet on their Facebook status updates page where they can click on it and visit your blog to read the rest of the post (and if your Facebook profile is public, everyone in with Internet access can see it).

Follow the steps below to add your blog to your Facebook profile.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 5 minutes

Here's How:

Step 1: Visit your Facebook Profile page and select the "Settings" tab under the "What are you doing now?" status update box.
Step 2: Under "Stories Posted by You", you'll see, "You can automatically import activity from YouTube, Flickr and other services to your profile." You need to select the "other services" link.
Step 3: Select "Blog/RSS" on the far right side of the page.
Step 4: Enter the complete url for your blog.
Step 5: Your blog feed is automatically imported to your Facebook status updates. Next time you publish a post on your blog, check your Facebook profile, and you'll see that post appear as a snippet on your Facebook profile page as a status update. It's that easy to spread the word about your blog using your Facebook profile!

Facebook Overview

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What is Facebook?:

Facebook is a social networking site originally developed for college students, but it quickly became popular for users around the world from varied demographic backgrounds.

How to Use Facebook:

Facebook is membership based. You can register for a free account, develop your profile, then begin locating other members through the Facebook directory and making connections with people you know. Once connected, you can communicate with another member, upload pictures, share your blog feeds, share your twitter feeds, join Facebook groups of interest to you, or start your own group.

Facebook Apps:

Some Facebook members love the extra third-party applications that you can download to your Facebook profile. There are fun applications where you can challenge connected friends to movie trivia or "poke" another member to say hello. It's up to you to decide which applications you want to add to your profile.

Facebook for Blog Promotion:

Facebook works well to drive traffic to your blog because it allows you to network with other people who spend time online and may be interested in reading your blog. You can join relevant Facebook groups and announce interesting blog posts, find like-minded bloggers to network with both within and outside of Facebook, and you can announce your recent posts through a message that everyone connected to you can see. Alternatively, you can publish your blog or Twitter feed as part of your Facebook profile.

Bottom-Line:

Facebook is one more place where you can share your content and meet and communicate with people who might be interested in your blog.

MySpace Overview

2009-05-19T21:18:00.001+08:00

What is MySpace?:

myspace is one of the most popular social networking sites online today. However, it's actually more than a typical social networking site. Users can make friends, write blog posts, add music, and create a custom look to their MySpace pages to make them unique and truly their own. MySpace has a reputation of being popular for teenagers, but people from around the world and from all walks of life successfully use MySpace for personal and professional purposes, including blog promotion.

How to Use MySpace:

MySpace is filled with tools and features to help users connect with other users and communicate. You can add music and videos to your site, customize the look and feel of your profile with custom MySpace layouts and graphics, send messages, write blog posts, instant message your MySpace friends and even join groups.

MySpace for Blog Promotion:

There are many opportunities to spread the word about your blog through MySpace. You can send messages or instant messages to your friends, post a blog post or video, notify groups you belong to, post messages in forums, bulletins, and more.

Bottom-Line:

The MySpace community is huge, so the challenge isn't finding people to connect with but finding the right people to connect and network with who will be interested in your blog. Take some time to test the MySpace waters and try new things. Over time, you'll learn which efforts deliver the best results for you and your blog.

5 Tips to Use Digg to Drive Blog Traffic

2009-05-19T21:16:00.001+08:00

Digg is a social news site that can help drive traffic to your blog. However, Digg is the biggest social news site on the Internet controlled by a handful of top users. How can you get your blog posts noticed in the fast-paced world of Digg? Follow these five tips of Digg etiquette to effectively use Digg and boost traffic to your blog .

1. Digg the Original Source

Digg users are very particular about how the site is used. There are a variety of rules that Digg expects users to follow. One of the most important rules of Digg etiquette is to always submit the original source of a story. If you're submitting a blog post or page that expounds on the original source of a story by adding new information or opinions, that's okay, but make sure your submission adds value to the conversation or story. If it doesn't, find the original source and submit that instead.

2. Don't Digg Your Own Posts

Digg will penalize users who submit their own content too frequently. If you want your blog posts to have a chance at making it to the main page of Digg (and generating a lot of traffic to your blog), don't be the first to submit your post. Ask a friend or colleague to submit it first.

3. Digg Several Articles at a Time

When you ask your friends to Digg your blog post, make sure they Digg more than just your post while they're at it. Digg keeps tabs on people who just Digg a single item while they're on the Digg website in order to penalize spammers (particularly those who are paid to Digg specific stories). Ask your friends to Digg your post as well as a few other stories of interest or on the main page of Digg at the same time.

4. Use a Good Title and Description in Your Diggs

When you Digg something, give it a good title and description. The title and description are what you're using to convince other users to click on the submission, read the article and hopefully Digg it, too. Sell the article with a great title and description to increase your chances of getting more Diggs for it.

5. Be an Active Digg User

Digg users who are very active have a better chance of getting their Digg submissions noticed and attracting more Diggs to them from other users. Submit various posts (particularly breaking news items), add friends, comment, and add an avatar to your profile to make your Diggs stand out from other submissions in Digg's list format. The more active you are, the more people will notice you and become interested in investigating your submissions, which will ultimately lead to more Digg opportunities for your own blog posts. More Diggs for your own blog posts equal more traffic to your blog.

Top 10 Tips for Guest Bloggers

2009-05-19T21:11:00.001+08:00

When you contact another blogger and ask him or her if you can contribute a guest post to be published on his or her blog, follow these ten tips to increase your chances of getting your guest post accepted.

1. Read the Blog Where You Want to Submit a Guest Post

If you want to have any chance at convincing another blogger to publish your guest post on his or her blog, then it's absolutely imperative that you take some time to get to know the other blogger, the content of his or her blog and the audience for that blog. Take some time to read through the blog's current content and archives. Read through the comments and get a feel for what content is acceptable and popular on that blog. Then submit a guest post idea that is relevant and fills a gap in the existing content.

2. Provide Your Credentials

When you contact another blogger and pitch your guest post, be certain to provide your credentials. Make the blogger understand why you are the person to write your guest post and why the blogger's audience should listen to and care about what you have to say.

3. Provide Your Blog Statistics

If your blog statistics are good, then make sure the other blogger knows what they are. Share your monthly unique visitor and page view stats as well as your rankings from Google, Alexa and Technorati - anything that will demonstrate that a guest post from you will provide useful links and potential traffic from your own blog readers when you promote it on your blog.

4. Be Honest and Straightforward

Don't waste the other blogger's time or try to butter him or her up with compliments. Chances are the other blogger will see right through it. Instead, get to the point. Most bloggers (particularly successful bloggers) are very busy. Ensure your email pitch spells out who you are and what you can provide to the blogger and his or her audience clearly and concisely. Additionally, don't embellish your credentials, blog stats or other information about what you can provide. Chances are you'll get caught.

5. Demonstrate You Know Something About Blogging

Tell the other blogger how you'll deliver your guest post. For example, if you send your guest post in a Word document, then the blogger has to take extra steps to copy and paste it into his or her blogging software to remove extra html code that Word automatically embeds. Make sure the other blogger understands that you will make it very easy for him or her to publish your guest post. Also, ensure the other blogger knows that you will provide content that is unique to his or her blog and that all images and content you provide will be yours or properly cited to avoid copyright problems.

6. Provide Links to Your Blogs and Online Writing

Show the other blogger that you can write coherent and compelling blog content by providing links to your blogs and relevant online writing samples.

7. Start Small

Start your guest blogging efforts on smaller blogs. It's always best to publish guest blog posts on blogs that are bigger than yours to drive the most traffic and gain the most exposure, but it's often best to start by guest blogging on smaller blogs, learning the ropes and building your online reputation and own blog traffic before you pitch a guest post idea to highly popular blog.

8. Write Your Guest Post Before You Pitch It

If you have time, write your guest post and attach it in your email when you contact the other blogger. This will allow the other blogger to see exactly what you can provide him or her, which a busy blogger is likely to appreciate. Rather than having to email back and forth to determine if you can provide quality, relevant content, the other blogger will immediately know what you can provide, which just might increase your chances of having your guest post accepted for publication.

9. Provide Your Best Content

When it comes time to actually write your guest post, make sure the content you provide to the other blogger is your absolute best. Provide your guest post on time, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and in the agreed upon format to increase your chances of being asked to return as a guest blogger. Also, don't overload your post with links to your own blogs or websites and other online activities. Instead, include a short bio (a few sentences) with one or two key links to a page or website that provides access to any other links you want to share. If your guest post looks like spam because it's covered in links to your own content, then it's unlikely you'll be asked to return as a guest blogger.

10. Promote Your Guest Post

Once your guest post goes live, be sure to promote it and drive traffic to it. If the other blogger sees a boost in valid traffic to your guest post with new visitors leaving comments and joining the conversation, it's likely you'll be asked to write another guest post in the future. Don't just spam the post with comments from yourself (even if you use multiple usernames), your friends and family though. Top bloggers will know it if you do, and you won't be asked to return.

11 Free Link Building Tips

2009-05-19T21:05:00.002+08:00

Incoming links are an essential component of building a successful blog. Links give your blog more authority on Technorati and a higher Google Page Rank. Together, those ratings can make your blog more attractive to advertisers, which allows you to charge higher advertising rates. Additionally, as your blog grows in authority and your number of incoming links grows, your Google search engine rankings will rise, which equates to more traffic to your blog. With more traffic comes more ad impressions, greater potential for pay-per-click ads to actually be clicked on and ultimately, more money for you.

1. Write Content People Want to Read

The easiest way to get people to link to your blog from their own blogs and websites is to publish great content. Naturally, if you write posts that are interesting, useful and helpful, people will want to talk about those posts on their own blogs and share them with other people. That means more links to your blog!

2. Submit to Blog Directories

There are a number of blog directories where you can add a link to your blog such as blogher. Some even include a social aspect such as blogcatalog and mybloglog, which provide multiple ways to increase the number of incoming links to your blog simply through your registration.

3. Get on Blogrolls

Once you have a good amount of compelling content published on your blog, approach other bloggers with equal or more authority than your blog (as demonstrated through their technorati irankings and Google Page Rank) and suggest a blogroll reciprocal link. This is most successful when both blogs are related to the same subject and you develop a relationship with the other blogger by leaving comments on his or her blog prior to suggesting a blogroll link exchange.

4. Write Guest Posts

Guest blogging is a great way to not only drive new traffic to your blog and promote your blog but also to increase the number of incoming links to your blog. This is particularly helpful when you are able to write a guest post on a blog that has a higher Technorati authority and Google Page Rank than your blog has.

5. Hold Blog Contests

blog contests are a great way to drive traffic to your blog and increase the number of incoming links to it. First, you can promote your blog contest on a variety of blog contest promotion sites to add incoming links. Additionally, you can include a contest rule that tells entrants they can earn an additional entry into your contest by writing about the contest on their own blogs with a link back to the original contest post.

6. Join Blog Carnivals

blog carnivals are a simple way to increase the number of links to your blog. Simply find a blog carnival related to your blog's topic (or start your own), write a post for the carnival and submit your post link to the main blog carnival site. Your post link will be published as part of the blog carnival bringing in another free link that can also drive a significant amount of traffic.

7. Write Articles for Other Sites

There are many websites that accept submissions from just about anyone such as ehow and associated content. Additionally, pursue opportuntities to write for online magazines and publications related to your blog topic that accept freelance submissions. Be sure to include a link to your blog with your article and bio.

8. Create Other Blogs and Websites

Create additional blogs, websites, squidloo lenses, hubpages hubs and more, and interlink all of them to increase your links exponentially.

9. Comment on Other Blogs

When you leave a comment on another blog, always be certain to include your blog's url in the URL field of the comment form. While some blogs use the "NoFollow" html tag in their blog template (meaning the link back to your blog won't count by Google's standards) it's a good habit to always include your URL, so the opportunity always exists for an incoming link with every comment you submit.

10. Include Your Blog URL in Your Online Forum Signatures

Join online forums and message boards related to your blog topic and actively participate. Ensure your blog URL is included in your forum signature, so it appears as a live link each time you submit a message in the forum.

11. Participate in Social Networking Sites

social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace provide areas where you can include your blog's URL in your profile. Use your social networking accounts to further promote your blog and drive additional traffic to it.

10 Free Blog Promotion Tips

2009-05-19T20:58:00.003+08:00

f you want to grow your blog, then it's critical that you take time to promote it. Unfortunately, the old theory, "if you build it, they will come," doesn't apply to blogs. With over one hundred million blogs being tracked by blog search engines such as technorati, publishing compelling content isn't enough to drive awareness and traffic for your blog. Instead, you need to invest in some old-fashioned sweat equity to give your blog a traffic boost. The 10 free blog promotion tips below will help you get started.

1. Comment on Other Blogs

An easy way to give your blog a promotional boost is by commenting on other blogs. Each time you comment, enter the same name and url in the corresponding fields in the blog comment form. Doing so will help your search engine optimization efforts over time. When you leave relevant, interesting and useful comments on other blogs (particularly those that are related to your own blog's topic), people will notice and follow the link back to your blog to learn more about you and read more of what you have to say.

2. Post Frequently

Posting frequently can boost your search engine traffic. Each new post acts as a new entry point for search engines to find your blogs. Writing with search engine optimization in mind can also boost the potential each of your posts has to lead traffic to your blog.

3. Participate in Online Forums

Join forums related to your blog topic and become an active, contributing member. Include a link to your blog in your forum signature, so it's always available to other members.

4. Use Social Media

Leverage the promotional opportunities that the social web provides. Join social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn and include links to your blogs and recent posts in your profiles. Join social bookmarking sites like digg, stumble upon and delicious and submit great content (not just your own). Additionally, consider jumping on the microblogging bandwagon and join twitter. All of these efforts will increase awareness of your blog and give it added exposure.

5. Link to Other Blogs in Your Own Posts

Try to include links to other blogs in your own blog posts. Refer to other blogs you enjoy reading or specific posts you found particularly interesting. When those other blogs have the trackback feature turned on in their blogging software programs, you'll automatically get a link back to your own blog in the comment section of those posts. At the very least, the other blogger will see the incoming links from your blog in their blog statistic reports, putting you and your blog on his or her radar, and that means more exposure for you.

6. Include Your Blog Link in Your Email Signature and on Business Cards

Basically, include your blog URL everywhere you can. Your email signature and business cards are two of the most obvious places to promote your blog with a link or printed URL, but don't be afraid to think out of the box. Promotion is key to success when it comes to blogging. Don't be shy about tooting your own horn!

7. Hold a Blog Contest

Blog contests are a great way to attract new visitors to your blog. The most important thing to remember when using a blog contest as a promotional tool is to get the word out about the contest by announcing it on website contests.

8. Join a Blog Carnival

Blog carnivals are an easy way to get links to your blog in front of a lot of people. The more closely related to your blog topic that the carnival is, the more traffic you'll get from it.

9. Guest Blog

Offer your services as a Gust blogger for other blogs in your niche, particularly ones that get more traffic than yours does. Guest blogging is a great way to get links to your blog and your own thoughts and writing in front of people who are likely to be interested in learning more about you and your blog.

10. Write Multiple Sites and Link Them Together

The more blogs or websites that you write, the more interlinking is possible. That interlinking can be used to promote your blog through different channels that might attract different audiences. Create an integrated blog marketing plan by aligning your promotion efforts across your various blogs and websites to reap the biggest rewards.

10 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic

2009-05-19T20:53:00.002+08:00

The blogosphere is a big and busy world with over 100 million blogs and growing. How do you attract visitors to your blog? Follow these simple tips to drive traffic to your blog.

1. Write Well and Write Often

Frequently updating your blog with useful content is the first step to building your blog's audience. The content you write is what will keep readers coming back for more. Make sure you have something meaningful to say to them and say it often to maintain their interest and keep them loyal.

Furthermore, post frequently to increase the number of chances you have for your blog's content to be noticed by search engines such as google or technorati.

2. Submit Your Blog to Search Engines

Get on the radar screen for the popular search engines such as Google and yahoo by Submitting your blog's url to them. Most search engines provide a 'Submit' link (or something similar) to notify the search engine of your new blog, so those search engines will crawl it and include your pages in their results.

It's important to understand that simply submitting your blog to search engines doesn't mean your pages will appear at the top of a Google search results screen, but at least your blog will be included and will have the chance of being picked up by a search engine.

3. Use and Update Your Blogroll

By adding links to sites you like in your blogroll, the owners of those blogs will find your blog and will be likely to add a reciprocal link in their blogrolls. It's an easy way to get the link to your blog in front of many readers on other blogs. The hope is that some of those readers will click on the link to your blog on the other blogs' blogrolls and find your content interesting and enjoyable turning them into loyal readers.

4. Harness the Power of Comments

commenting is a simple and essential tool to increase your blog's traffic. First, respond to comments left on your blog to show your readers that you value their opinions and draw them into a two-way conversation. This will increase reader loyalty.

Second, leave comments on other blogs to drive new traffic. Make sure you leave your blog's Url in your comment, so you create a link back to your own blog. Many people will read the comments left on a blog post. If they read a particularly interesting comment, they are highly likely to click on the link to visit the commentor's website. It's important to make sure you leave meaningful comments that are likely to invite people to click on your link to read more.

5. Syndicate Your Blog's Content with an RSS Feed

Setting up an RSS feed button on your blog makes it easy for your loyal readers to not just read your blog but also know when you publish new content.

6. Use Links and Trackbacks

Links are one of the most powerful parts of your blog. Not only are links noticed by search engines, but they also act as a tap on the shoulder to other bloggers who can easily identify who is linking to their sites. Linking helps to get you noticed by other bloggers who are likely to investigate the sites that are linking to them. This may lead them to become new readers of your blog or to add links to your blog from theirs.

You can take links to other blogs a step further by leaving a Trackback on the other blog to let them know you've linked to them. Blogs that allow trackbacks will include a link back to your blog in the comments section of the post that you originally linked to. People do click on trackback links!

7. Tag Your Posts

It takes a few extra seconds to add tags to each of your blog posts, but it's worth the time in terms of the additional traffic tags can drive to your blog. Tags (like links) are easily noticed by search engines. They're also key to helping readers find your blog when they perform searches on popular blog search engines such as Technorati.

8. Submit Your Posts to Social Bookmarking Sites

Taking the time to submit your best posts to social bookmarking sites such as digg,stumble upon, reddit and more can be a simple way to quickly boost traffic to your blog.

9. Remember Search Engine Optimization

When you write your blog posts and pages, remember to optimize your pages for search engines to find them. Include relevant keywords and links but don't overload your posts with too many relevant keywords or completely irrelevant keywords. Doing so can be considered spamming and could have negative results such as your blog being removed from Google's search entirely.

10. Don't Forget Images

Images don't just make your blog look pretty, they also help people find you in search engine listings. People often use the image search options offered by Google, Yahoo! and other search engines, and naming your images with search engine optimization in mind can easily boost your traffic.

What is a Blog Trackback?

2009-05-19T20:48:00.003+08:00

A blog trackback is basically a tap on the shoulder to another blogger. Consider this scenario to further explain trackbacks:
Imagine you are reading your friend Bob's blog about the New York Knicks. Bob published a great Post about a recent game between the Knicks and the Orlando Magic called The Knicks Rule.
Now, imagine you write a blog about the Orlando Magic, and you decide to write a post that talks about Bob's The Knicks Rule post. As a courtesy, you could send Bob an email to let him know you wrote about his post on your blog, or you could give him a call. Luckily, the blogosphere makes that courtesy call a lot easier and gives you an opportunity for some self promotion, too.
To let Bob know you wrote about his post on your blog, you can link directly to his The Knicks Rule post from your own post and follow the steps in your blogging software to create a trackback link on Bob's post.
A trackback creates a comment on Bob's post with a link directly back to your new post! Not only have you completed your courtesy call with your trackback, but you've also put your link in front of all of Bob's blog readers who just might click on it to see what you have to say about the topic. It's simple and effective!
How Can I Create a Trackback?
If your blog and the blog you want to link to using a trackback are both hosted through Wordpress, you can simply include your link as you normally would in your post, and a trackback will automatically be sent to the other blog. If you and the other blogger use different blogging platforms, you'll need to obtain the trackback URL (or permalink) from the other blog post. Typically, this can be found at the end of the post (possibly through a link called 'Trackback URL' or 'Permalink'). Keep in mind, not all blogs allow trackbacks, so it's possible you may not be able to find a trackback link on some blog posts.
Once you have the trackback URL from the blog post you want to send a trackback link to, copy that URL into the 'Trackbacks' section of your original blog post. When you publish your blog post, the trackback link will automatically be sent to the other blog. Some bloggers hold all comments (including trackbacks) for moderation, so it's possible your trackback link may not appear on the other blogger's post immediately.
That's all there is to it! Trackbacks provide a courtesy tap on the shoulder and self promotion all rolled into one.

What is Sphinn?

2009-05-19T20:45:00.000+08:00

Sphinn is a Social Site for Online Marketers:

If you write a blog or run a website, then, chances are, online marketing and search engine optimization are important to you. Sphinn is dedicated to letting users share and discuss stories on the web related to search and interactive marketing.

Sphinn is a Social Bookmarking Tool:

You can use Sphinn to save, share or find new items, stories, articles and more related to online marketing and SEO. It's also a great site to find blogs to read about online marketing and search engine optimization.

Sphinn is a Social Networking Tool:

You can join in a discussion about any bookmarked item. Conversations on Sphinn are typically lively and highly interactive. You can also search for other users on Sphinn's Network page. In addition, Sphinn offers an Events Calendar that lists a variety of in-person events related to interactive and search marketing.

Bottom-line:

Sphinn is extremely helpful for people who want to find, share and discuss blog posts and articles about making money online, interactive marketing and SEO.

How to Find Blogs

2009-05-19T20:39:00.002+08:00

Finding blogs is getting easier everyday thanks to the enhanced blog search engine tools available online. This directory provides a list of blog search engines to help you find blogs.

Google blog search

The Google Blog Search function is an excellent way to find blogs. You search using keywords just as you would for a standard Google search, and you can sort the results by date.

Technorati

Technorati tracks over 100 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of social media. That means Technorati provides extremely comprehensive blog search results. Users can see which blogs and blog posts are most popular in several categories at a glance and conduct a variety of searches with very current results. While Google's Blog Search might not provide the most current information in the blogosphere, Technorati will.

Sphere

Sphere is a great blog search engine that provides users the taggedopportunity to sort results by time and relevance and also provides links to see related content to your search. One of the best features is one that allows users to view their search history.

Ice rocket

Ice Rocket offers some very unique and helpful features. First, you can enter your keywords then search within blogs, the web, MySpace, news or images. Second, you can view the popularity of your keyword search using the Ice Rocket Blog Trends Tool. This can certainly help with a blogger's marketing and monetization planning.

Bloglines

Bloglines is a blog search engine and a feed reader. It provides features that allow users to search and subscribe to news feeds and blogs. Users can search for posts, feeds or citations.

Blogpulse

Blogpulse offers a wide variety of tools to help users find blogs and information including Buzz-tracker, trends search, blogger profiles, conversation tracker and more.

Blog catalog

BlogCatalog is a social blog directory where anyone can search for information from blogs that have been submitted to the catalog.

Mybloglog

MyBlogLog is another social blog directory where registered users can search for information from blogs that have been submitted to the directory. MyBlogLog is owned by yahoo.

Blogher

BlogHer is an example of a blog directory where users can find a variety of blogs on specific topics or with something in common. For BlogHer, all of the blogs in the blog directory are written by women.

Creating a Blog Comment Policy

2009-05-19T20:35:00.000+08:00

Eventually, every blog receives comments that the blogger feels are inappropriate for his or her audience. Each blogger will have different opinions about what is and is not acceptable to publish on his or her blog. The important thing is to remember to communicate that information to your readers by publishing a blog comment policy on your blog.

A blog comment policy can be written in a friendly or professional tone. The content is more important than the tone. In your blog comment policy, include a list of the types of comments that you reserve the right to delete. For example, you might want to delete comments with more than two links included in them ( blog comment spam), comments with profanity, or comments that attack another reader.

Your blog comment policy can include any restrictions you want. The purpose is to ensure that everyone understands upfront what could cause their comments to be deleted, so there are no surprises when the time comes that you have to press the delete button.

How To How to Create a Podcast in 10 Easy Steps

2009-05-19T20:31:00.007+08:00

Creating a podcast is easy once you dive in and give it a try. Follow the 10 easy steps below to create a podcast and join the world of audio blogging.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

Step 1. Get a microphone.
To record a podcast, you need to have a microphone that is compatible with your computer.
Step 2. Get audio software.
Once you have a microphone, you need to get software that allows you to record audio through that microphone and save it on your computer's hard drive.
Step 3. Prepare your podcast content.
Take some time to think about what you're going to say during your podcast. You can even write a script.
Step 4. Record your podcast.
Turn on your microphone, start your audio software and begin recording. Save the file when you're done.
Step 5. Upload your podcast file to your online host.
Upload your podcast file to your web host. If you plan to record a lot of podcasts or your blog gets a lot of traffic, you might want to create a new hosting account to hold your podcasts, so you don't reach your blog hosting bandwith limits too quickly.
Step 6. Get the URL of your uploaded podcast file.
Once you upload your podcast file to your hosting account, copy the podcast URL and keep that URL handy.
Step 7. Create a new blog post.
Open your blogging application and create a new blog post . Give it a title and add any text you'd like to introduce your podcast.
Step 8. Paste the URL for your podcast file into your new blog post.
Using the URL you copied earlier for your uploaded podcast file, paste that information into your new blog post as new media or a new enclosure link, depending on the blogging application you use.
Step 9. Publish your new blog post.
Select the publish button in your blogging application to send your new blog post with your podcast link included live online.
Step 10. Test your podcast link.
Open your new live blog post and select your podcast link to ensure it's working correctly.

What You Need:

PC microphone
Audio software
Hosting account to upload and store your podcast file

How To How to Create a Vlog in 10 Easy Steps

2009-05-19T20:27:00.001+08:00

Creating a vlog is easy once you dive in and give it a try. Vlogging can also be a lot of fun. Follow the 10 easy steps below to create a vlog and join the world of video blogging.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

Step 1. Get a microphone.
To record a video, you need to have a microphone that is compatible with your computer.
Step 2. Get a webcam.
Once you have a microphone, you need to get a webcam that allows you to record video and save it on your computer's hard drive.
Step 3. Prepare your vlog content.
Take some time to think about what you're going to say or do during your vlog.
Step 4. Record your vlog.
Turn on your microphone, start your webcam and begin recording. Save the file when you're done.
Step 5. Upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video.
Upload your vlog file to a site like YouTube or Google Video where you can store it online.
Note: See the Tips below to learn an alternate method to insert your video into a blog post.
Step 6. Get the embedding code of your uploaded vlog file.
Once you upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video, copy the embedding code and keep it handy.
Step 7. Create a new blog post.
Open your blogging application and create a new blog post. Give it a title and add any text you'd like to introduce your vlog.
Step 8. Paste the embedding code for your vlog file into your new blog post.
Using the embedding code you copied earlier for your uploaded vlog file, paste that information into the code of your new blog post.
Step 9. Publish your new blog post.
Select the publish button in your blogging application to send your new blog post with your vlog in it live online.
Step 10. Test your vlog.
Open your new live blog post and view your vlog entry to ensure it's working correctly.

Tips:

If your blogging platform includes an icon in the post editor to upload a video directly into your post, select that icon and follow the steps given to upload your video directly into your blog post rather than uploading it to a separate site and copying the embedding code as described in Steps 5, 6 and 7 above.
You can also use external video equipment such as a digital video camera to record vlogs, download them to your computer then insert them into a blog post rather than recording directly on your computer.

What You Need:

Microphone compatible with your computer
Webcam compatible with your computer

Add Related Posts to Your Blog Entries

2009-05-19T20:24:00.001+08:00

A simple trick to keep visitors on your blog longer is to add a list of links to related posts at the end of each of your blog entries. Naturally, the posts you include need to be truly relevant to your visitors in order for this trick to work.

By including links to related posts in each of your blog entries, you make it easy for your visitors to read more about a topic of interest to them. If a visitor takes the time to read one of your posts in its entirety and finds links to related posts at the end of that entry, it's highly likely that he or she will be interested enough in that topic to want to read more about it. Your related posts links makes it incredibly easy for that visitor to keep reading with a simple click of the mouse.

There is a popular wordpress plugin that automates the process to add related posts to the end of each of your blog entries, but the results the plugin pulls aren't always the best in terms of being closely related and of high interest to your visitors. Many bloggers take the time to manually create a list of related posts at the end of each of their blog entries.

The method you choose to add related posts to your blog entries is up to you, but if you want to keep visitors on your blog longer, develop reader loyalty or simply increase your page views to support your monetization efforts, then try experimenting with adding related posts. Remember to use a blog statistic tracker to determine how well your efforts are working.

Avoid Blog Comment Spamming

2009-05-19T20:21:00.001+08:00

Most blogs allow readers to write comments on posts, and many bloggers use comments as a way to increase the number of links to their own blogs in an attempt to boost traffic through click throughs and higher rankings on search engines such as Google. Leaving comments on blogs with a link back to your own blog isn't taboo, but if not done correctly to abide by the unwritten rules of the blogosphere, those comments could be considered comment spam.

What is Blog Comment Spamming?

Comment spam occurs when a person leaves a comment on a blog post that overtly includes links to the commentor's blog or website solely for the purpose of building link count and boosting search engine results. It's a search engine optimization technique that is frowned upon in the blogosphere.

How to Avoid Being Accused of Blog Comment Spamming

To avoid being accused of comment spam, only include links within your comments if they provide added value to the conversation. Links should be relevant and useful, and they should not be included in excess. Even links in a comment signature can be considered blog comment spamming.

Instead of including links within your comment, include your blog's URL in the space provided when you enter your comment. On most blogs, your name will automatically link to the URL you enter when your comment goes live on the blog. This is a completely acceptable way of linking as part of commenting. However, it's also important that all comments you leave on blogs bring added value to the conversation or your comments will be disregarded and provide no real benefit for you or the blogging community.

HTML Overview for Bloggers

2009-05-19T20:16:00.001+08:00

What Is HTML?:

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML is the basic programming language used to write pages on the World Wide Web. Basically, HTML tells your web browser how to display text, images, links, sounds and more on your screen.

What Are HTML Tags?:

HTML relies on tags to produce commands and customize elements on a web page. Tags are basically instructions telling the browser when to start displaying a specific item or enhancement (such as bold or italics) and when to stop that enhancement. For example, to display a word in bold, the HTML code with the appropriate tags would look like this:

I love blogs.

That sentence would display on your browser as follows:

I love blogs.

What Are Some Basic HTML Tags Used in Blogs?:

The most basic HTML tags used in blogs include:

Bold: and
Italics: and
Underline: and
Text size: and
Text color: and
Paragraph:
and
Line Break:
Do I Need to Learn HTML to Start a Blog?:
The short answer is no. Luckily, there are a variety of blogging software options available online (many are free) where people with no HTML knowledge can easily start a blog. Those blogging platforms include wordpress,blogger,typepad,movable type, myspace and more. Each provides a WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, so you can modify and customize your blog without the use of HTML. Of course, vast customization will require the use of HTML and other web design tools. However, learning HTML can help you save time, money and more.

5 Popular Blog Hosts

2009-05-19T20:14:00.001+08:00

1. BlueHost

Bluehost is a very popular blog host that consistently gets positive reviews for its up-time and support services. Bluehost offers comprehensive shared hosting packages that are suitable for most bloggers at an affordable price.

2. Host Gator

Host Gator offers shared, dedicated and reseller blog hosting packages that suit beginner bloggers' needs as well as the needs of the most popular blogs and websites. Host Gator has a reputation for reliability and excellent support.

3. Godaddy

GoDaddy has a great reputation of providing blog hosting services suitable for any size blog or website. Negative reviews are typically related to domain name registration searches that yield results showing a domain name is available, but when the potential buyer returns even one day later to purchase that domain name, it displays as no longer available. Aside from that complaint, reviews are typically positive.

4. 1 and 1

1and1 is a popular blog host, however, it does not use a cpanel (a control panel that makes it easier for non-technical bloggers to configure their blog via their hosting account). There are also complaints regarding the support services offered by 1and1. However, the prices are competitive and 1and1 has been around for a long time, making it a viable blog hosting choice.

5. Host monster

HostMonster is gaining in popularity as more bloggers are recognizing it as a reliable blog host with competitive features and an affordable price.

How to Choose the Best Blog Host for You and Your Blog

2009-05-19T20:12:00.000+08:00

1. Cost

Review the services offered by several blog hosts and find the one that matches your needs at the best price. Then do some more research. Ask other bloggers what host they currently use to get some current opinions about services and pricing. Beware that blog host service packages change frequently, so it's important to always check the blog host's website for information about the company's current package features and prices.

2. Data Transfer Limitations

Make sure you check how much data you can transfer through your blog each month as part of each blog host you review. The transfer limit needs to be high enough to accomodate all the data you publish on your blog being viewed by every person who visits your blog. Remember, you can always upgrade to higher transfer limits as your blog grows, so don't overbuy initially.

3. Space

Each blog host accountholder is allocated a specific amount of server space to store their blogs. Check the space allocations for the various hosting packages each blog host offers to make sure you're selecting the best option for your needs and budget. Remember, most typical bloggers don't need terabytes of space, so don't be swayed by packages that offer exorbitant amounts of space.

4. Reliability - Speed and Up-time

If visitors can't view your blog (or you can't log in to update it), then there isn't much point in visiting again. That's why it's extremely important to understand the up-time offered by your blog host. Additionally, if the speed in accessing your blog is too slow because your blog host's server has exceeded its capacity, visitors will become frustrated and click away from your blog. Make sure you evaluate blog hosts based on their reliability to ensure you and your visitors will actually get what you're paying for.

5. Support

If you have a question or problem about your hosting services, it's imperative that your blog host has employees available at all times to help you. Review the type of support offered by each blog host to ensure it's adequate.

20 Ideas for Writing a Blog Post

2009-05-01T23:47:00.000+08:00

Blog Post Suggestions for When You Can't Think of What to Write About

The more you blog, the harder it can be to come up with fresh ideas to write about. Two of the most important parts of a blog are compelling content and frequent updates. Take a look at the following blog post ideas to spark your creative juices when you can't think of what to write about. Just remember to try to apply each of these ideas appropriately to your blog topic.

1. Lists

People love lists, and just about any kind of list is bound to attract traffic. Top 10 lists, 5 things not to do, 3 reasons I love something, etc. Start with a number then take it from there.

2. How-to

People love to find easy-to-follow instructions to help them accomplish a task. Whether you want to teach your readers how to throw the perfect curve ball or how to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito, the choice is yours.

3. Reviews

You can write a review of just about anything on your blog. Take a look at the following suggestions:

Products
Websites
Books
Movies
Music
Restaurants
Hotels

The possibilities are nearly endless. Just think of something you've tried and write about your experience and thoughts.

4. Photos

Post a photo (or photos) related to your blog topic.

5. Link Roundup

Write a post that includes a list of links to other blog posts that published great posts or to websites you like.

6. Current Events

What's going on in the world? Write a post about an interesting bit of news.

7. Tips

Write a post to share tips to help your readers accomplish something in an easier, faster or cheaper way.

8. Recommendations

Share recommendations for your favorite books, websites, movies or other "favorites" related to your blog topic.

9. Interviews

Interview a prominent figure or expert in your blog topic then publish a blog post about it.

10. Polls

Register for an account with a site like Polldaddy.com then publish a poll related to your blog topic in one of your blog posts.

11. Contests

People love to win prizes, and Blog contests are a great way to drive traffic to your blog as well as encourage visitors to leave comments. Blog contests can be used to write several posts such as an announcement post, a reminder post and a winner post.

12. Blog Carnivals

Join a blog carnival (or host one yourself) then write a post about the carnival topic.

13. Podcasts

Sometimes it's easier to talk about something than it is to write about it. If that's the case, try audio blogging and post a podcast.

14. Videos

Share a video from YouTube or one of your own, or host a video blog.

15. Quotes

Share a quote from a celebrity or prominent person in a field related to your blog topic. Be sure to cite your source!

16. Links to Interesting Content from Digg or StumbleUpon

Sometimes you can find some really interesting submissions on Digg, StumbleUpon and other social bookmarking sites. It's fun to share links to some of the best submissions related to your blog topic or of interest to your readers in one of your own blog posts.

17. Your Turn

Turn the tables and post a question or comment then ask your readers what they think about that question or comment. Your turn posts are a great way to spark a conversation.

18. Guest Posts

Ask other bloggers or experts in a field related to your blog topic to write a guest post for your blog.

19. Point/Counterpoint

A point/counterpoint post is where you present two opposing sides to an argument or issue. This type of post can even be separated into two different posts where the first presents one side of the argument and the second presents the other side.

20. Answer Reader Questions or Comments

Look back through the comments left by your readers and find any questions or statements that can be used to spark a new post.

The 3 Cs of Blogging .

2009-05-01T23:41:00.002+08:00

Increase Blog Traffic with Comments, Conversation and Community. One of the most important aspects of developing a successful and popular blog is growing your audience of both new and loyal readers. A critical component of achieving those goals is to develop relationships with your readers by following the 3 Cs of Blogging - Comments, Conversation and Community.

1. Comments

Comments are the lifeline of a blog. Ask your readers to leave comments, request their opinions and respond to them promptly. Make them feel like they are valuable members of your blog and take the time to develop relationships with them. Develop a Blog comment policy so visitors' expectations are set upfront and your loyal readers are protected.

2. Conversation

You need to start the conversations on your blog by writing compelling blog posts that invite readers to join in. Keep your content fresh and entertaining. Research your audience and your blog statics to learn what your audience wants from your blog then write content that meets their needs. When your readers take the time to join in the conversation, make sure that conversation is truly two-way by responding and making your readers feel comfortable in expressing their thoughts and opinions on your blog.

3. Community

When comments and conversation starts flowing on your blog, a community will naturally develop around it. Your goal as the blogger is to keep the community entertained, interested and on topic to ensure your entire audience continues to derive value from your blog. Too many tangent conversations about Reader A's cat on a blog that is not about cats, will bore the rest of your audience and drive them away. You need to act as the conversation starter, motivator and moderator to develop the strongest community and to achieve the greatest success.

How to Write Posts that Get Noticed and Keep Readers Interested

2009-05-01T23:33:00.002+08:00

One of the most important keys to blogging success is providing exceptional content. Follow these five tips to make sure your blog posts not only get read but make people want to come back for more.

1. Choose the Appropriate Tone for Your Blog

Every blog has a target audience it's written for. Before you start writing blog posts, determine who your primary and secondary audiences will be. Who will want to read your blog and why? Are they seeking professional information and discussions or fun and laughter? Identify not only your goals for your blog but also your audience's expectations for it. Then decide what tone would be most appropriate for your blog, and write in that tone and style consistently.

2. Be Honest

Blogs that are written in an honest voice and truly show who the writer is are often the most popular. Remember, a critical component to a blog's success is the community that develops around it. Represent yourself and your content honestly and openly and reader loyalty will undoubtedly grow.

3. Don't Just List Links

Blogging is time-consuming, and sometimes it can be very tempting to just list links to other online content for your readers to follow. Don't fall into that trap. Readers don't want to have to follow a breadcrumb trail to find something interesting to read. In fact, they might find they like where you lead them more than they like your blog. Instead, give readers a reason to stay on your blog by providing links with your own synopsis and point of view about the content of those links. Remember, a link without context is a simple way to lose readers rather than retain them.

4. Provide Attribution

Don't risk being accused of violating copyrights, plagiarism or stealing content from another blog or website. If you found information on another blog or website that you want to discuss on your blog make sure you provide a link back to the original source.

5. Write in Short Paragraphs

The visual appeal of your blog's content can be just as important as the content itself. Write your blog posts in short paragraphs (no more than 2-3 sentences is a safe rule) to provide visual relief from a text heavy web page. Most readers will skim a blog post or web page before committing to read it in its entirety. Text heavy web pages and blog posts can be overwhelming to readers while pages with a lot of white space are easier to skim and more likely to keep readers on the page (or to encourage them to link deeper into the site).

Top 10 Tips for Beginner Bloggers

2009-05-01T23:25:00.001+08:00

Starting a blog can seem overwhelming, but in truth, it's one of the simplest ways to join the online community. Follow these tips to ensure your blog is positioned for success.

1. Define Your Goals

Before you start a new blog, it's essential that you define your goals for it. Your blog has a greater chance of success if you know from the beginning what you hope to accomplish with it. Are you trying to establish yourself as an expert in your field? Are you trying to promote your business? Are you simply blogging for fun and to share your ideas and opinions? Your short and long term goals for your blog are dependent on the reason why you're starting your blog. Think ahead to what you'd like to gain from your blog in six months, one year and three years. Then design, write and market your blog to meet those goals.

2. Know Your Audience

Your blog's design and content should reflect the expectations of your audience. For example, if your intended audience is teenagers, the design and content would be quite different than a blog targeted to corporate professionals. Your audience will have inherent expectations for your blog. Don't confuse them but rather meet and exceed those expectations to gain reader loyalty.

3. Be Consistent

Your blog is a brand. Just like popular brands such as Coke or Nike, your blog represents a specific message and image to your audience, which is your brand. Your blog's design and content should consistently communicate your blog's overall brand image and message. Being consistent allows you to meet your audience's expectations and create a secure place for them to visit again and again. That consistency will be rewarded with reader loyalty.

4. Be Persistent

A busy blog is a useful blog. Blogs that are not updated frequently are perceived by their audiences as static web pages. The usefulness of blogs comes from their timeliness. While it's important not to publish meaningless posts else you may bore your audience, it's essential that you update your blog frequently. The best way to keep readers coming back is to always have something new (and meaningful) for them to see.

5. Be Inviting

One of the most unique aspects of blogging is its social impact. Therefore, it's essential that your blog welcomes readers and invites them to join a two-way conversation. Ask your readers to leave comments by posing questions than respond to comments from your readers. Doing so will show your readers that you value them, and it will keep the conversation going. Continue the conversation by leaving comments on other blogs inviting new readers to visit your blog for more lively discussions. Your blog's success is partially dependent on your readers' loyalties to it. Make sure they understand how much you appreciate them by involving them and recognizing them through meaningful two-way conversation.

6. Be Visible

Much of your blog's success relies on your efforts outside your blog. Those efforts include finding like-minded bloggers and commenting on their blogs, participating in social bookmarking through sites such as Digg and Stumble upon, and joining Social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Blogging is not a demonstration of, "if you build it, they will come." Instead, developing a successful blog requires hard work by creating compelling content on your blog as well as working outside of your blog to promote it and develop a community around it.

7. Take Risks

Beginner bloggers are often afraid of the new blogging tools and features available to them. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things on your blog. From adding a new plug-in to holding your first blog contest, it's important that you keep your blog fresh by implementing changes that will enhance your blog. Alternatively, don't fall prey to every new bell and whistle that becomes available for your blog. Instead, review each potential enhancement in terms of how it will help you reach your goals for your blog and how your audience will respond to it.

8. Ask for Help

Even the most experienced bloggers understand the blogosphere is an ever-changing place and no one knows everything there is to know about blogging. Most importantly, bloggers are part of a close-knit community, and the majority of bloggers understand that everyone is a beginner at some point. In fact, bloggers are some of the most approachable and helpful people you can find. Don't be afraid to reach out to fellow bloggers for help. Remember, the success of the blogosphere relies on networking, and most bloggers are always willing to expand their networks regardless of whether you're a beginner blogger or seasoned pro.

9. Keep Learning

It seems like everyday there are new tools available to bloggers. The Internet changes quickly, and the blogosphere is not an exception to that rule. As you develop your blog, take the time to research new tools and features, and keep an eye on the latest news from the blogosphere. You never know when a new tool will roll out that can make your life easier or enhance your readers' experiences on your blog.

10. Be Yourself

Remember, your blog is an extension of you and your brand, and your loyal readers will keep coming back to hear what you have to say. Inject your personality into your blog and adapt a consistent tone for your posts. Determine whether your blog and brand will be more effective with a corporate tone, a youthful tone or a snarky tone. Then stay consistent with that tone in all your blog communications. People don't read blogs simply to get the news. They could read a newspaper for news reports. Instead, people read blogs to get bloggers' opinions on the news, the world, life and more. Don't blog like a reporter. Blog like you're having a conversation with each of your readers. Blog from your heart.

Quiz - Should You Start a Blog?

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If you're thinking of starting a blog, but you're not sure if you have what it takes

to be successful, or you're not even sure if blogging just for fun is right for you,

then take this short quiz to learn if you have what it takes to start a blog.

Just jot down your answers to the questions below, and follow the instructions at

the end of the quiz to calculate your scoreand get your personal result.

1. Do you like to write?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

2. Can you write? Can you write coherently and be somewhat

grammatically correct?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

3. Do you like to share your thoughts often and with anyone who will

listen?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

4. Do you enjoy socializing online?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

5. Are you comfortable using the Internet and learning new

technology?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

6. Are you self-motivated and self-disciplined?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

7. Can you fit blogging into your schedule consistently?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

8. Are you prepared for people to disagree with you (and sometimes in

nasty ways)?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

9. Are you ready for the behind the scenes work blogging entails?

This includes blog maintenance, moderating comments, responding to emails,

and so on.

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

10. Do you like to read?

A) Yes or Always

B) Kind of or Sometimes

C) No or Never

The Results

Calculate your score using the system below:

"A" responses = 3 points each

"B" responses = 2 points each

"C" responses = 1 point each

Add up your points and use the scale below to learn what type of blogger you

can be right now.

25+ points = Power Blogger: You already have what it takes to be a highly

successful blogger!

16-24 points = Casual Blogger: You have what it takes to be a good blogger

and grow a comfortablefollowing.0-15 points = Hobby Blogger: You would

enjoy writing a blog, but if you want to take it to a higher level of success, you

need to retool yourlifestyle, likes and dislikes to more closely match the profile

of a Power Blogger.

Elements to Start a Blog Successfully

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1.Personality

Your blog should reflect your personality and who you are. If it reads like dull
news it's unlikely that people will want to return again and again. Inject your
personality into your blog posts. Write like you speak. Make your blog posts
conversational. Use your unique voice to tell your story in each and every
blog post. Your unique voice is what makes your blog personable and interesting.

2. Opinion

One of the key components of your personality and unique voice is your opinion
on topics related to your blog's overall subject matter. Don't be afraid to inject
your personal opinions into your blog posts. Without your opinions, your blog
posts will read like news stories. What makes a blog interesting is the personal
opinions of the blogger behind it.

3. Participation

Don't just publish a blog post and forget about it. The strength of a blog comes
from the community that evolves around it. In order to grow the community on
your blog, your readers need to feel like they are participating in a 2-way
conversation. If someone leaves a comment, respond to it. If a reader emails
you directly with a legitimate question or comment, respond to that person.
Make your readers feel important by talking with them, not just at them.

4. Value

Your blog needs to bring something useful or interesting to readers or there is
no point in their visiting. In other words, your blog needs to add value to
readers' lives for them to take the time to read what you have to say. You can
add value by publishing posts that provide more than just news recaps or a
list of links to other websites and blogs. Your blog posts need to actually say
something unique in your own voice, with your own opinions, and in a
conversational manner.

5.Availability

Don't publish a blog post and then disappear for a week or month. Successful
blogs are updated frequently. Readers grow to rely on them for the useful
information, valuable commentary, or engaging conversations that happen on
your blog. If readers can't rely on you to be there when they visit with new
content or conversations, they'll look elsewhere.