- Decide on a stand alone domain name www.myblog.com or directory of existing site www.mysite.com/blog. Sub domain is also an option blog.mysite.com. Avoid hosted services that do not allow you to use your own domain name!
- Obtain and install customizable blog software - WordPress and Moveable Type are my favorites.
- Customize blog look and feel templates - aka design.
- Research keywords and develop a glossary - Keyword Discovery, WordTracker, SitePoint, SEOBook Keyword Research.
- Optimize the blog:
- Template optimization - RSS subscription options, social bookmark links, HTML code, Unique title tags, URLs, Sitemap
- Add helper plugins specific to WordPress or MT
- Create keyword rich categories (reference your keyword glossary)
- Enable automatic trackback and ping functionality.
- Create Feedburner Pro account and enable feed tracking.
- Setup a Google account for Sitemap, validate and prep for future submission.
- Identify authoritative blogs, web sites and hubs for outbound resource links and blogroll.
- Format archived posts, related posts.
- Enable statistics for tracking - Google Analytics, ClickTracks.
- Submit RSS feed and Blog URL to prominent RSS and Blog directories / search engines.
- Engage in an ongoing link building campaign.
- If podcast or video content are available, submit to Podcast and Vlog directories.
- Submit blog url to paid directories with categories for blogs - Yahoo, BOTW, bCentral, WOW, JoeAnt.
- Optimize and distribute a press release announcing blog.
- Request feedback or reviews of your blog in relevant forums, discussion threads. If you have a resourceful post that will help others, point to it.
- Research and comment on relevant industry related blogs and blogs with significant centers of influence.
- Post regularly. If it’s a news oriented blog, 3-5 times per day. If it’s an authoritative blog, 3-5 times per week, but each post must be unique and high value.
- Monitor inbound links, traffic, comments and mentions of your blog - Google Alerts, Technorati, Blogpulse, Yahoo News, Ask Blogs and Feeds.
- Always respond to comments on your blog and when you detect a mention of your blog on another blog, thank that blogger in the comments of the post.
- Make contact with related bloggers on AND offline if possible.
- When making blog posts always cite the source with a link and don’t be afraid to mention popular bloggers by name. Use keywords in the blog post title, in the body of the post and use anchor text when you link to previous posts you’ve made.
- Use social networking services, forums and discussion threads to connect with other bloggers. If they like your stuff, they will link to you.
- Remember when web sites were a new concept and the sage advice to print your web address everywhere you print your phone number? The same advice applies for your blog.
============= - If your blog’s goal is to promote you as an authority, interview other prominent bloggers in your industry. Your own credibility will improve by association.
- Build out your online networks through services such as MyBlogLog, Twitter and Facebook and leverage them to promote particularly useful content on your blog.
- Once your blog has 1000 or more subscribers, show your Feedburner badge
- Host images with Flickr making sure to include an anchor text link in the image description back to the post where the image is used.
- Use your blog to gain press/media credentials at relevant industry conferences and use the event to create content, connections and increase your knowledge.
This post was originally published on June 15, 2006 and has continued to receive many inbound links. As time changes, so do some tactics, so we’ve added a few tactics (after original 25) that have emerged in their usefulness. What would you add to this list?
There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:
BalasHapus1. Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to "Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by TNL.net
2. Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.
3. Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.
4. Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.
5. Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.
6. Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.
7. Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?
8. Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.
9. Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"
10. Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.
11. Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.
12. Add a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.
13. Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure to use your blog URL like it is your name.
14. Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.
15. Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.
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