Blogging is big business. At the close of last year, there were more than 126 million
blogs on the Internet. As any blogger who makes a living
writing online will tell you, in order to succeed, you need to treat your blog as
a business.
Want to gain more traffic and get people interested in what you have to say? If
you’ve already done the basics, like submit your blog to search engines, you’re
ready to take the next big steps. Here are six foolproof ways to promote your blog
and gain visitors.
1. Get social.
Start connecting with other people who share similar interests or who write about
a topic near and dear to your heart. Join
Twitter,
Facebook,
StumbleUpon and other social media sites
and start networking with others. Don’t just toot your own horn either. Just as
in real life, if you talk about nothing but yourself, people stop listening. Work
at forming other relationships and live by the 80/20 rule; promote others 80% of
the time and yourself in 20% of your social media postings.
2. Create a link exchange.
Most blog software has a built-in feature called a blogroll where blog authors can
add links to sites they read and respect. Once you’ve started making genuine connections
around the Internet, ask other authors and friends to exchange links with you. You
promote another blogger’s work and they promote your website.
3. Submit your site to RSS directories.
Gone are the days where visitors go directly to websites on a regular basis to read
updates. Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds are used by millions of people each
day to save time and access their favorite website postings in one central location.
Submit your blog to
RSS directories so that readers
can easily find and engage with your blog.
4. Be a part of the community.
Don’t underestimate the value of creating a network of friends online. Join forums,
blogging
networks, and read and comment on other websites.
5. Offer updates by email.
People are busier than ever today. Want to make sure your message reaches its target
audience? Offer blog updates or a newsletter by email and keep your listeners interested.
6. Guest blogging.
Once you’ve formed alliances with like-minded bloggers, start guest blogging. A
guest blog post is where you write an article on someone else’s blog for one day.
You not only share your knowledge with a whole new audience, but you also link back
to your site, promoting yourself in the process. Contact other bloggers and ask
if you can write a guest posting or
link up with others who are also interested in the
same thing.
Remember, there are millions of blogs online. You may be one of the greatest bloggers
of the century, but it won’t matter unless people can find you. Your blog might
be a hobby now, but it can become big business. Brand yourself and your blog and
you’ll be well on the path to success!