A while back I started a thread about guest posting over at the problogger forum. The questions kind of inspired me to write a post about it.
Why is this important? Well, in case you are new to blogging, guest posting is one of the most important (not to mention free) blog promotion strategies I know of. Writing a guest post for an “a-list” blogger can do wonders for both your traffic and your page rank.
I see this issue from both sides: I have had the privilege of writing a guest post for some a-list bloggers. I also receive requests for guest posts on my blogs (though I’m not anywhere near the “a-list” level).
Here are some tips I think you’ll find particularly helpful for landing a guest post on a highly ranked, high traffic blog.
Believe in Yourself:
Here’s the wonderful think about the blog world: you have the same access to the a-list bloggers as everyone else. Don’t underestimate your God-given talents. The successful bloggers, after all, had humble beginnings just like you. The worst thing that can happen is your post doesn’t get accepted—you’ll never know until you try.
Do Research:
Most a-list bloggers will have a post explaining whether or not they accept guest posts and what their requirements are. Read it carefully and follow the guidelines when making your post.
But your research shouldn’t stop there. Hopefully you’ve been reading your “target blog” for a while and know what kind of articles the blogger prefers.
Here’s another important tip: search the blog and see how your post idea compares to what is already there. This is especially important with the high-ranking blogs—you’ll want to be sure you are sending something unique. Bonus points if you can find a topic that hasn’t been mentioned on the blog in a while.
Bring Your A-Game:
“Give your best content away” –I’ve seen this advice several times from blogging gurus. This is especially true when trying to guest post for an a-list blogger. Most of these guys have several posts to choose from every week (if not daily). Make sure you have chosen your most helpful, informative, entertaining, unique, and ingenious content for your a-list guest post.
Note: I prefer to go ahead and write/send a whole post (instead of asking permission first). I think this is much more efficient, but there are different schools of thought here.
Be Patient
This one is a must for dealing with a-list bloggers. A successful blogger manages a flood of email daily and it may take a while for you to get an answer. Be prepared to wait at least a week (probably longer).
Here’s an example: I recently submitted a guest post (re: fitness) to a self-help blog. I waited about a week before contacting them to make sure they had received my submission. The editor responded, saying he receives about 50 posts a week and it usually takes him two weeks to respond to a guest post proposal.
IF YOUR POST IS NOT ACCEPTED:
There’s always a chance you post will be rejected. As I’ve already said, successful bloggers have plenty content to choose from. Here are two tips for responding to a rejected guest post:
Humbly Accept Feedback
Most bloggers will try to help, even if they reject your guest post. The blogger may ask you to expand on a few points and re-send it. He/she may explain that you’ve missed the mark completely. Just be thankful that a really busy person took time to respond to you.
Try Again
Don’t give up just because your first guest post was not accepted. Take what you’ve learned from the process and try again.
Here’s another hint: you may want to submit the same article to a different blog (I’ve had success in doing this). After all—there’s more than one a-list blogger out there. Just be sure you’ve heard a definite answer from one before submitting it to the next—you don’t want to destroy your reputation by withdrawing the guest post or creating duplicate content.
Showing posts with label Website Traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Website Traffic. Show all posts
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog: Part 5
I was fairly new to using forums for traffic when I first wrote this series. It's been a few months and I'll like to share something else I have noticed:
Forums are a great place to get content and ideas for content.
I'm not suggesting you use other people's posts/articles without their permission--I've never done that and never will. But here are some ways forums help you write/generate content:
Questions: You can see some of the most commonly asked questions about your topic.
Videos, pictures, etc: You may find a youtube video or other free content that you didn't know existed.
Guest posts: Other forum members are often good candidates for writing guest posts for your blog.
News/Announcements: News articles, research and events related to your topic are often posted on forums.
These are a few ways forums have helped me with content.
Forums are a great place to get content and ideas for content.
I'm not suggesting you use other people's posts/articles without their permission--I've never done that and never will. But here are some ways forums help you write/generate content:
Questions: You can see some of the most commonly asked questions about your topic.
Videos, pictures, etc: You may find a youtube video or other free content that you didn't know existed.
Guest posts: Other forum members are often good candidates for writing guest posts for your blog.
News/Announcements: News articles, research and events related to your topic are often posted on forums.
These are a few ways forums have helped me with content.
Traffic is Traffic (part 2): The Bounce Rate
I recently commented on Entrecard's plan to cut down on users' bounce rates. For those unfamiliar with the term, bounce rate is the rate at which users "bounce" to another site instead of staying and visiting more posts within your blog. Having too high of a bounce rate can apparently have a negative affect on your page rankings.
So what I think about banner exchange programs and bounce rate? I still think traffic is traffic. Here's what I mean: you are probably not going to get a huge number of hits from banner exchange programs. If banner exchange is giving you a really high bounce rate, then you probably don't have that much traffic in the first place and need all the help you can get.
Let me give you an example. I've been using Adgitize for my fitness blog for a few months now. I get an average of about 50 hits a day on that blog from Adgitize campaigns. Does it affect my bounce rate? I doubt it, since my fitness blog has been averaging 700-1,000 hits a day. In other words, those 50 extra hits just don't make that much difference.
This blog, on the other hand, is a different story. I get around the same number of daily hits from Adgitize (maybe a little less), but this blog gets under a hundred hits a day overall. The bounce rate may hurt this blog's rankings, but its either high-bounce traffic or no traffic for now. I'll take the high bounce traffic over no traffic.
I'm not an expert on this kind of thing, but this is what I'm thinking for now.
Seth Godin: How to Get Traffic for your Blog
Here's an article from Seth Godin's blog that you might find helpful. I read it a long time ago when I was relatively new to blogging. Seth has some good ideas for writing traffic-generating content.
Entrecard and Adgitize: Traffic is Traffic
One criticism of banner exchange programs (such as EC and Adgitize) is that members drop by your blog only to earn click credits. I do understand this concern. But here's the way I see it:
*For a brand new (or obscure) blogger, any form of traffic is better than getting just a handful of hits a day.
*If someone visits my blog and has no incentive to stay, that's my fault--something is lacking in my content.
In other words, EC and Adgitize do a pretty decent job of bringing extra traffic to your website. But high quality content is what will keep readers there, and that is your responsibility.
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog: Part 4
Using Forums--Part 4: Staying Involved
Once you've chosen your forums, you'll need to participate and stay active. Keeping up with several forums can be a bit time consuming, so here are some pointers:
*Keep some kind of schedule: visit every forum you've joined at least once a week--more if you can. The more active the forum, the more opportunities you'll have to participate. Try to follow threads you have posted in.
*Use Bookmarks: I use bookmark tabs in my browswer to organize the way I visit forums.
*Email Updates: Some forums automatically send updates to your email (updates on specific threads you've posted in or a updates from the whole forum). For this reason, you may want to create a new email account specifically for your forum participation.
*Quick Links: Most forums will have a link to new or unread posts along the top (sometimes this is under the "quick links" tab). This is very useful for finding "fresh" discussions to join.
I think I've covered the basics of using forums. I'm still learning, so just let me know if you think I've missed something.
Once you've chosen your forums, you'll need to participate and stay active. Keeping up with several forums can be a bit time consuming, so here are some pointers:
*Keep some kind of schedule: visit every forum you've joined at least once a week--more if you can. The more active the forum, the more opportunities you'll have to participate. Try to follow threads you have posted in.
*Use Bookmarks: I use bookmark tabs in my browswer to organize the way I visit forums.
*Email Updates: Some forums automatically send updates to your email (updates on specific threads you've posted in or a updates from the whole forum). For this reason, you may want to create a new email account specifically for your forum participation.
*Quick Links: Most forums will have a link to new or unread posts along the top (sometimes this is under the "quick links" tab). This is very useful for finding "fresh" discussions to join.
I think I've covered the basics of using forums. I'm still learning, so just let me know if you think I've missed something.
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog: Part 3
Using Forums—Part 3: Links, Signatures, and Moderation
One Problogger article encourages bloggers to “do nothing” when you first join a forum. I disagree.
Let me explain why:
I’m not going to waste my time on a forum that will not allow any form of link/signature, and I would not advise you to waste yours. If all links are banned, I want to know fairly quickly. After all, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of other forums to choose from.
Think about it: most forums make money from the traffic they create (through adsense, online stores, etc). If my participation helps the forum make money, why shouldn’t I at least be allowed to have a signature or an occasional link? A strict, “no links” policy basically causes forum members to invest their time, energy and (in some cases) expertise for free—no fair!
Here’s more information on my process of finding forums with reasonable moderation policies:
*Some forums require a certain amount of posts before you can have an address in your signature. No problem—that’s a good way to reduce spam, so I don’t mind earning the privilege. Just post a few times a day until you've earned the right to have a signature.
*Sometimes I’ll just send a direct message to a moderator, telling him/her that I’m new to the forum and I’ll probably be putting a link in every once in a while. That’s a quick way to know how strict the moderation will be (if the moderator likes your blog, he/she will be more likely to allow you to post links).
*Sometimes I’ll just include a link or signature to a post and see what happens (remember: I am talking about a relevant link to a high quality blog or post). This my last resort, but I'll do it if I can't figure out the forum's link/signature policy. If a moderator warns me or removes the link, I’m gone and never coming back. I’ll just move on to the next forum.
This strategy is more assertive than the before mentioned “join and do nothing at first” approach. But I don't think it has hurt my blog's reputation at all.
Remember: the key is to participate meaningfully and only post relevant links. If moderators will not allow any links (or at least a signature with your blog address), then don’t waste your time working for someone else’s profit.
One Problogger article encourages bloggers to “do nothing” when you first join a forum. I disagree.
Let me explain why:
I’m not going to waste my time on a forum that will not allow any form of link/signature, and I would not advise you to waste yours. If all links are banned, I want to know fairly quickly. After all, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of other forums to choose from.
Think about it: most forums make money from the traffic they create (through adsense, online stores, etc). If my participation helps the forum make money, why shouldn’t I at least be allowed to have a signature or an occasional link? A strict, “no links” policy basically causes forum members to invest their time, energy and (in some cases) expertise for free—no fair!
Here’s more information on my process of finding forums with reasonable moderation policies:
*Some forums require a certain amount of posts before you can have an address in your signature. No problem—that’s a good way to reduce spam, so I don’t mind earning the privilege. Just post a few times a day until you've earned the right to have a signature.
*Sometimes I’ll just send a direct message to a moderator, telling him/her that I’m new to the forum and I’ll probably be putting a link in every once in a while. That’s a quick way to know how strict the moderation will be (if the moderator likes your blog, he/she will be more likely to allow you to post links).
*Sometimes I’ll just include a link or signature to a post and see what happens (remember: I am talking about a relevant link to a high quality blog or post). This my last resort, but I'll do it if I can't figure out the forum's link/signature policy. If a moderator warns me or removes the link, I’m gone and never coming back. I’ll just move on to the next forum.
This strategy is more assertive than the before mentioned “join and do nothing at first” approach. But I don't think it has hurt my blog's reputation at all.
Remember: the key is to participate meaningfully and only post relevant links. If moderators will not allow any links (or at least a signature with your blog address), then don’t waste your time working for someone else’s profit.
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog: Part 2--The Basic Steps
Let me tell you the steps I’ve taken in using forums to promote my blogs:
1. Go to a search engine and type in your keyword, plus the word “forum.” Let’s say your blog is about archery: you would search, “archery forum.”
2. Visit the forums you find and choose which ones you want to join. Here are some criteria to consider before joining:
*Relevant discussions: you want to join forums with discussions related to your blog’s topic.
*Posting dates: an active forum should have at least a few new posts every day. If the latest post was a year ago, you’re obviously on a forum with little activity (and little value to your blog).
*Signatures: Ideally you want a forum that allows you to put your blog address in your signature. See if other members have signatures with their website addresses.
*Links/Link Policy: Look for forums that allow you to insert links in your posts. Unless it the moderation is very strict, they will allow you to insert links (I'll be talking about this in further detail in part 3).
3. Participate in the forums you’ve joined:
*Respond to a few threads.
*Create your own new thread/discussion.
*If you have a blog post that answers a specific question on the forum, insert a link to that article/post. But use this privilege wisely—your goal is not to see now many links you can put in the forum, but to put appropriate links when the opportunity arises.
4. Repeat this process. You can continue to join forums you find with step one. You can also search different keywords to find more related forums.
Those are the basic four steps. Next post I'll give you more details.
Let me tell you the steps I’ve taken in using forums to promote my blogs:
1. Go to a search engine and type in your keyword, plus the word “forum.” Let’s say your blog is about archery: you would search, “archery forum.”
2. Visit the forums you find and choose which ones you want to join. Here are some criteria to consider before joining:
*Relevant discussions: you want to join forums with discussions related to your blog’s topic.
*Posting dates: an active forum should have at least a few new posts every day. If the latest post was a year ago, you’re obviously on a forum with little activity (and little value to your blog).
*Signatures: Ideally you want a forum that allows you to put your blog address in your signature. See if other members have signatures with their website addresses.
*Links/Link Policy: Look for forums that allow you to insert links in your posts. Unless it the moderation is very strict, they will allow you to insert links (I'll be talking about this in further detail in part 3).
3. Participate in the forums you’ve joined:
*Respond to a few threads.
*Create your own new thread/discussion.
*If you have a blog post that answers a specific question on the forum, insert a link to that article/post. But use this privilege wisely—your goal is not to see now many links you can put in the forum, but to put appropriate links when the opportunity arises.
4. Repeat this process. You can continue to join forums you find with step one. You can also search different keywords to find more related forums.
Those are the basic four steps. Next post I'll give you more details.
Using Forums: Introduction
Using Forums to Promote Your Blog
Part 1: Introduction
Blogging guru Justin Brooke considers forums “the most underrated traffic strategy of any other free traffic method.” Darren Rowse also mentioned using forums a recent post at Problogger.net. Last and least, yours truly wrote about it here on my blog.
Experts (and amateurs like me) agree: forums are a great way to bring traffic to your blog. They give you access to a concentrated audience who are already interested in your topic (assuming you choose to join appropriate forums).
The next few posts will explain my process for using forums. Problogger already has an anonymously written post about this. It's a pretty good article, but I don't agree with it 100% (I'll tell you why in Part 3 of this series).
Tomorrow I'll explain the four basic steps for using forums (Part 2 of this series).
Part 1: Introduction
Blogging guru Justin Brooke considers forums “the most underrated traffic strategy of any other free traffic method.” Darren Rowse also mentioned using forums a recent post at Problogger.net. Last and least, yours truly wrote about it here on my blog.
Experts (and amateurs like me) agree: forums are a great way to bring traffic to your blog. They give you access to a concentrated audience who are already interested in your topic (assuming you choose to join appropriate forums).
The next few posts will explain my process for using forums. Problogger already has an anonymously written post about this. It's a pretty good article, but I don't agree with it 100% (I'll tell you why in Part 3 of this series).
Tomorrow I'll explain the four basic steps for using forums (Part 2 of this series).
10,000 Unique Visitors Scams
I see websites offering to give you 10,000 hits (unique visitors) for 8-10 dollars. Please don't fall for this.
Usually about the best you can do is a penny per click--that's the lowest most advertisers (adwords, etc) will allow. I've been able to get cost down to half a cent per click by running some flat rate ads on high traffic websites (through adbrite). But a penny per click is dirt cheap in terms of internet advertising, and it's about the best you're going to do.
10,000 hits for ten bucks would mean you get one thousand hits per dollar; a tenth of a cent per hit. There's that old saying, "If something sounds too good to be true . . ." Well, it definitely applies here.
I made the mistake of trying one of these scams years ago. I think I paid about 8 bucks and received no traffic. I complained to paypal and won, but I don't think I ever got my money back (don't fall for money-back guarantees).
Usually about the best you can do is a penny per click--that's the lowest most advertisers (adwords, etc) will allow. I've been able to get cost down to half a cent per click by running some flat rate ads on high traffic websites (through adbrite). But a penny per click is dirt cheap in terms of internet advertising, and it's about the best you're going to do.
10,000 hits for ten bucks would mean you get one thousand hits per dollar; a tenth of a cent per hit. There's that old saying, "If something sounds too good to be true . . ." Well, it definitely applies here.
I made the mistake of trying one of these scams years ago. I think I paid about 8 bucks and received no traffic. I complained to paypal and won, but I don't think I ever got my money back (don't fall for money-back guarantees).
Twitter: Three Benefits to Bloggers
I've only recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. I didn't really see the point of "micro-blogging." It just seemed like a bunch of drivel--who wants an hourly update of what you are doing?
Two things changed my mind. First, I joined FaceBook and got used to updating my status. Second, I notice viritually all of the serious bloggers were using it. So I finally decided to start my own twitter account. Now I see how beneficial it is for bloggers.
Let me share just a few ways Twitter can help:
1. Advertising multiple blogs in one place: Twitter gives you one place to share updates from all your blogs (or from other blogs if you like). What most bloggers do is use a website like tinyurl.com to shorten the address, then post updates on their twitter account. It looks like this:
2. Gaining followers: Twitter is an online community. Users often search for other users with similar interest or related posts. The more followers you get, the more potential blog readers you'll have. Note: think of the keywords you use when you post updates about your blog--this can help people find you.
3. Finding content: Following other members can help you find useful content for your blog. As mentioned they often post articles, links to videos, and other links which can help you.
I'm sure there are more benefits to Twitter, but these three are the most significant for me.
Increasing Your Blog Traffic: Creating Multiple "Roads"
All roads lead to Rome.
This cliche is based on a historical truth. The ancient Roman Empire had a well developed system of roads, making it easy to travel to Rome. It is one of the reasons Christianity spread so rapidly.
This little history lesson has application for bloggers: one key to building traffic is creating multiple ways for people to find your blogs. Like real roads, it takes time to build links back to your website. But the more you can make, the more traffic you will receive.
See Also: Four Free Ways to Bring Traffic to Your Blog
Adgitize
I joined Adgitize yesterday. I read about this program a few weeks ago, but there was one thing I didn't like: you couldn't control who advertised on your blog. Note the past tense--that has changed now, and you have the option of rejecting certain ads.
Adgitize is kind of like Entrecard, except you can earn money through it (not just credits). You can also put more than one ad on your blog, which allows you to double (or triple, or quadruple) your credits earned--very helpful for lower traffic blogs.
I went ahead and paid for a month's worth of advertising for one of my blogs. It gave me results pretty quickly. Here's a picture of my statcounter stats:
Awesome!
I'm really interested to see how this turns out. I'll write a more thorough review after a few weeks, but so far, so good! It was really simple to sign up and get their codes.
If you're interested in joining, please use this link and put a few pennies in my pocket:
Adgitize is kind of like Entrecard, except you can earn money through it (not just credits). You can also put more than one ad on your blog, which allows you to double (or triple, or quadruple) your credits earned--very helpful for lower traffic blogs.
I went ahead and paid for a month's worth of advertising for one of my blogs. It gave me results pretty quickly. Here's a picture of my statcounter stats:
I'm really interested to see how this turns out. I'll write a more thorough review after a few weeks, but so far, so good! It was really simple to sign up and get their codes.
If you're interested in joining, please use this link and put a few pennies in my pocket:
10 Ways To Keep Blog Traffic LOW
Follow these steps to keep the traffic low and the hits awayl
10. Don’t even think about advertising—even for pennies per click. If you do this, you may get traffic without advertising some day.
9. Write only about the most boring and mundane aspects of your life, like what you had for breakfast or your jerky boss.
8. Don’t tell your friends about your blog—they might actually be interested in it.
7. Don’t mention your blog on your social networks like Friendster or MySpace.
6. Don’t include your blog address in email signatures.
5. Stay off the forums and out of the chat rooms—there are other people there who might notice you
and your blog.
4. Don’t pay any attention to your blog design and layout. Who cares if it's ugly?
3. Don’t read pro blogs or follow their advice. What do they know?
2. Pay no attention to those who comment. Avoid interaction at all cost. Never leave a comment on
their blogs, either.
1. Don’t update—that way people will get bored and stop visiting.
10. Don’t even think about advertising—even for pennies per click. If you do this, you may get traffic without advertising some day.
9. Write only about the most boring and mundane aspects of your life, like what you had for breakfast or your jerky boss.
8. Don’t tell your friends about your blog—they might actually be interested in it.
7. Don’t mention your blog on your social networks like Friendster or MySpace.
6. Don’t include your blog address in email signatures.
5. Stay off the forums and out of the chat rooms—there are other people there who might notice you
and your blog.
4. Don’t pay any attention to your blog design and layout. Who cares if it's ugly?
3. Don’t read pro blogs or follow their advice. What do they know?
2. Pay no attention to those who comment. Avoid interaction at all cost. Never leave a comment on
their blogs, either.
1. Don’t update—that way people will get bored and stop visiting.
Blogging Tip: Four Free Ways to Bring Traffic to your Blog
But what if you have no advertising budget for your blog? No problem! Here are some free methods you can use to get more traffic to your blog.
1. Social Networks:
Most of you are members of social networking sites (such as myspace, facebook, friendster, etc). If not, you should be. This is one of the easiest ways to get your core group of readers started. Just announce your blog or post your updates in shout-outs, bulletins, etc. Those in your network already have some kind of connection to you (even if they are just “chat mates”), so many will take the time to read your blog.
2. Blog Directories
If you look down on the right side of this blog, you’ll see all of the blog directories I’ve registered with (such as blogcatalog.com).
Blog directories help you in a couple of ways. Your blog will get hits from those searching the directory (especially from other members of the directory). In addition, adding your link to a directory helps improves your blog’s ranking in search engines (SEO).
Most directories only require a reciprocal link or banner. The registration takes a few minutes, but it is a worthwhile investment of your time. Once you get registered and put the banner on your blog, the work is over. The directory does the rest—most of them will list your recent posts in the directory.
3. Forums/Message Boards
There are multiple online forums for every imaginable topic. Find a few that are related to your blog’s topic and join. Many forums allow you to put your blog address in your “signature.” Many allow you to post links, especially if you post an article that is related to the discussion. Just be sure to follow the forum’s rules and do not flood it with irrelevant links.
4. Entrecard
Entrecard is a banner exchange program I’ve mentioned in a previous article.
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