Blog Rings/Networks
Submitting your website to a blog network or blog ring is another excellent way to get more readers. There are many of these networks but the one that I use is BlogTopSites.com. BlogTopSites is a blog ranking website that makes your blog easier to find and search for as well. After you sign up for an account on their website, you just need to copy a bit of code and paste it somewhere on your site just like we did with Technorati. Make sure you select an appropriate category to post your blog in. For WordPress users, you can join Blogs Of The Day by simply installing their plugin, which uploads your blog stats directly to them.
If your blog has matured enough, you might want to research into high quality blog networks, such as 9rules, that help out your blog immensely.
Feeds Help Readers Keep an Eye on Your Content
By now you may have a few extra readers, but how can you help them come back? Many blog users will immediately scan the page for an RSS feed if they like your content. Most blogs, such as WordPress, already have RSS feeds integrated for entries and comments. As for websites, your CMS, something like Drupal, should come in handy for creating a feed. Regardless of whether or not you run a blog or website, placing the standard feed icon on your site will help people locate your RSS feed instantly.
Using the default feeds may suffice, but you won’t have any idea about how many people you will be catering to. The FeedBurner service will take your feed and reproduce it on their fast servers while tracking reader statistics. I highly recommend signing up for the service and letting them burn your feed. I won’t through the steps of signing up for FeedBurner, but once you’re done with that find the “Publicize” tab. Click on “FeedCount” and activate the service. FeedCount lets you post a little icon on your blog that displays the current circulation of your feed as well as make it easier for people to subscribe to your feed. Select the colors you wish to use for the icon and post the code somewhere on your blog. Come back a few days later and you should see some detailed reader statistics under the “Analyze” tab on the FeedBurner website.
Getting To Know Your Readers
The next step is tracking your visitors, seeing where they came from, what they saw and how they left. You will be able to easily assess what content your readers appreciate the most and concentrate on that aspect of your blog or website. Most webhosts include some type of stats monitoring applications such as the Urchin suite. However, those bundled solution are not typically the best out there. There are many free website traffic monitoring services out there. Just to name a few, there is Measure Map, Performancing’s Metrics, Google Analytics, CrazyEgg and AWStats.
However, I prefer a paid solution, Mint. The best part of Mint is an open API that lets developers create plugins called Peppers that dramatically extend functionality. I had previously posted an article about the top Peppers I use. There is also a Mint Pepper for tracking your FeedBurner stats. If you want to see some screenshots of Mint in action, take a look at the Mint Show and Tell flickr group.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully my suggestions have helped out at least a few people. If you post guides or reviews on your blog or website that you think many people can benefit or learn from, I suggest posting a link on del.icio.us or Digg. If your page gets on the frontpage of Digg or on del.icio.us popular, you’re set. Many tech websites have an email address for tips. If you think your content is worthy, I would try sending them an email with your article. You never know, they might post it. Even if they do not have a tips line, a polite email to the editor-in-chief or webmaster could do the trick. Even at the lowest level you will establish some rapport between that company or person, which may help you out in the future. Learning to send such emails is very important for a tech site that wants to land some products for review.
Holding a contest can greatly boost traffic. Even if it is for a small thing such as a giving away in invite for the latest Web 2.0 beta service, you will be amazed at how many people find out about it. You can establish a relationship with some of your readers, and they might link to your website on theirs. Commenting on other blogs can also earn you a few hits if you put down your URL.
