Welcome to

Think of this as Blogging 101.  These are the basics of any blog (or website) promotion. I realize that you probably know some of the information in this post but how much of it have you implemented?  It’s often easy to chase after the latest and hottest promotion method from some self-styled guru,  but if you forget these basics you will not have a foundation on which to build more advanced marketing methods.  I will cover more advanced methods, including the “secrets” in all those $*7 eBooks, in posts over the next  few weeks. 

In no particular order, these are my top 10 promotion methods which every blog should include:

1.  Quality counts.  I know I’ve harped on about this at length in previous posts but remember that blog posts will only get linked to willingly if they are worthy.  Visitors will only bookmark if they like what they read. 

2.  Articles.  There are many article directories eager to post your article with embedded links back to your blog.  Most of these are a complete waste of time, especially those that do not have a human review the article.  The best, and the one I always use, is EzineArticles.  Google loves EzineArticles and you will often find their articles on the front page of searches.  This is still the best way of getting an indirect link high in the Google SERPs.   There are some better ways of using the article directories, tweaks which will give 10 times the traffic, and I will cover these in a separate post in a few days.  Aim to write at least one quality article a week on the topic of your blog.

3.  Make sure a link to your RSS feed is readily available.  I like to include subscribe buttons for the major RSS readers in the sidebar.  Subscribers are the fuel that power your blog.  Make it easy for them.  You can also add an RSS to email option.  Feedblitz offers one for free.

4.  Tell your friends about your blog.  Have them tell their friends.  Use this for both online and offline contacts.  Linking to your blog in your email signature is an easy solution.  Are you embarrassed to let your  friends to see your blog?  See tip #1.

5.  Get involved with your blogging neighbors.  Most niches are like communities, bloggers are by nature a sociable bunch and are happy to share tips and chat over IM or email.  Read all the major blogs on similar topics and leave thoughtful comments on posts you like (or dislike).  Join in the conversations on hot topics.  Consider linkbaiting.

6.  Post regularly.  The frequency may depend on your topic but aim to post at least once a day for the first 90 days.  Search engines love frequently updated content. 

7.  Submit to blog and RSS directories. The specialized directories were not created equally, so submit only to the quality directories.  A list of the top 55 are at RSSTop55. if you want to save time, you can use  specialized software - I use  RSS Submit. I find that regular website directories are a waste of time.  They either take years to check and approve your site or are filled with spam.  In any case, search engines discount all but the top half-dozen.

8. Most forums allow you to add a signature link to your posts.  Make quality posts in forums for your blog topic.  You can often rewrite blog posts for this, but make sure you do rewrite - search engines frown on duplicate content.  Link back to your blog, or relevant permalinks from your blog in your signature.  Get known as the guy who is helpful and provides useful information.

7.  Remember the search engines.  Include keywords about your niche in a couple of posts on each page.  For instance, if your blog is about stamp collecting, mention the phrase “stamp collecting” as well as related keywords such as penny black, postal history, stamp catalogs and stamp album.  Don’t make the mistake of just repeating “stamp collecting” over and over.  Search engines aren’t that dumb.  They look for on-topic keywords.  Make your titles descriptive.  Use “Stamp Grading and Condition for Collectors” rather than just “Grading”.  Not sure what other words or phrases to use?  Go to Google and type in your main niche search term.  All the other words and phrases you need are on the pages of the first 3 results.

10 Go social.  There are dozens of social bookmarking sites springing up every month. Create social bookmark chicklets or links for Digg, Delicious and any others you personally use on every post.  Look for bookmarking sites in your topic.  Don’t overdo it - no more than 3 links or it starts to look spammy.  There are a number of advance techniques for using these sites - I will cover these in a post later in this series.  These advanced techniques, incidentally, are the main content of one well-known $297 site promotion course.

Your special bonus tip, if you order in the next 30 minutes… sorry I couldn’t resist that, but here’s one final tip.

11.  To quote from Winston Churchill: “Never give in. Never give in.  Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”  Keep plugging away, the visitors may not come today, nor even next week, but if you blog is worth reading the viral effect will take over and soon you will be moving to a dedicated server.

You’ll notice I haven’t including linking in the above list.  Aren’t all the gurus telling us that we need massive amounts of links?  We must send out hundreds of emails offering link exchanges?  Well, maybe we did last year, but a year is a long time in SEO.  Getting links too fast or from the wrong neighborhoods will do more harm than good.  Let your links grow naturally and in their own good time.  There are of course techniques to speed up the process but these deserve a post of their own.

I will expand and elaborate on many of these in future posts, including some twists that will multiply your traffic ten-fold, but for now base your blog promotion on these solid foundations.

Here’s to your first 10,000.