Blog Advertising

Showing posts with label Comment. Show all posts

Finding Blog Topics That Will Bring You Traffic

Two simple things you can do to find blog topics that will get you more comment and traffic:

1. Read forums in your niche. I read many forums a day and take note of what is being talked about and discussed frequently. This is the best way to come up with ideas on what to write in my opinion. Here is how you can use forums effectively for find blog topic:

Visit a few forums in your niche and browse through the general section. You want to take note of what is being viewed and replied to the most. Many forums will let you know how many time a thread is viewed and how many reply it receive. Once you find a couple of those threads and read it - you can use those threads to create a post in which you put in your opinion.

2. Read blogs in your niche. I have about 100 blogs that I bookmarked and visit daily because I do not use readers. Reading other’s blog and taking observation will give you a lot of ideas on what readers are looking for. Here is something you can do to find out if readers will enjoy a certain topic:

Take note of the amount of respond from the post you read. If you observe that a certain post get more respond than other then you can compare why. If you have a habit of doing this like me then you know that certain type of post gets more respond.

7 Ways to Treat Visitors from Your E-mail Groups to Keep Them Coming Back

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E-mail groups can be a rich mine of prospects. It's only logical that you do everything you can to make sure that visitors coming in from that source are well taken care of so they come back to your blog or website again and again. After all, it probably took you a lot of time and effort to target your leads and tap your network of contacts in order to generate the listing from that e-mail group. Don’t let it go to waste. Here are 7 ways you can use to treat visitors that come from e-mail groups and make sure they come back again and again:

Have a working website

Nothing could be more frustrating and annoying to a visitor than attempting to get through to a website that hangs or simply freezes. If you want visitors coming from e-mail groups to stick around or come back, make sure your website or blog delivers.

Check your website for general operability and use. Do graphics take too long to load? Perhaps it's best to switch to an image with a lower resolution or change the images altogether. Are there dead links? It's probably time to do a periodic site repair. Is the site troublesome? Perhaps it's time to overhaul the whole site or switch to an account with your ISP that can accommodate your site's demands.

Make sure your site can handle the traffic

Traffic can be a problem, particularly if you're on a shared site or free blog. Ultimately, it all boils down to server and processor limitations, so it's a good idea to check if your server has the memory and processor capacity to handle a surge of traffic coming from your e-mail groups. Although blog platforms and most sites are optimized to handle any traffic surges, it's still best to check.

Know your visitors

Granted that e-mail groups are generally easier to 'read' and categorize than generic listings, it's still best to determine certain tendencies that each group has. To do this, you'll need to spend some time analyzing the figures and reports from your blog or website.

Check your most popular entries – those write ups that have generated a spike in traffic, read visitor comments, discussion threads and posts and check your stats regularly. If you receive e-mail messages from your e-mail groups, you might want to check their content for clues. Familiarizing yourself with your visitors will allow you to offer better content and service and approach them on a more personalized level.

Interact

Don’t make your visitors feel that they just landed on a deserted planet when they visit your website. Make sure that you reply to their inquiries, comments and messages. Go beyond the usual 'Thanks for your comment' or 'Come back for more info' posts. Read their messages and post replies that encourage more interaction.

Have a segregated group? Offer relevant content nevertheless

Relevant content is essential to ensuring that you treat your site's visitors well. Regardless of how diverse your e-mail groups are, it's essential that you still cater to their unique interests and needs. Check your content because this is how you'll win their hearts and loyalty.

Always offer a selection

Variety makes for an interesting blog or website. Even if your site has a theme, make sure you offer other content that may be directly or indirectly related to the main subject.

Practice politeness

Political correctness may be overrated for some but politeness is here to stay. Always treat visitors that come from e-mail groups with respect. Avoid writing insults or leering comments. Remember that people are entitled to their own opinions and their right to express themselves is protected by the law.

You may not agree with what they say but hey, it's a democracy. And that's exactly the reason why you enjoy the privilege of maintaining your own website in the first place. So lighten up and treat your visitors with respect. Who knows? You could even build a stronger e-mail group list in the process.

7 Ways to Leave Comments and Drive Traffic Back to Your Blog

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People say that to make an impression, you'll have to open your mouth. While that is physically impossible in the virtual world of the Internet, saying your piece is not entirely difficult to do. Thanks to forums and discussion boards, you can leave a comment or start a discussion thread about virtually any topic from anywhere in the world. And yes, you can even leave comments to drive traffic to your blog and increase your readership.

Leaving effective comments

You're probably old enough to know that not every comment that gets thrown into an opportunity for interaction creates the desired effect, much less become appreciated by those who hear or read it. If you don't use this technique carefully, you will either waste the opportunity or simply allow it to create the wrong impression. Here are 7 ways you ought to do it:

Choose the sites you leave comments on

Ever wondered why Tiger Woods is great? Because he chooses his battles well. You'll never find Woods swinging his club at a lesser known tournament – not because he's a snob but because he focuses on the games that truly matter and on being on equal ground with other greats.

Keep this in mind before you leave comments on a website. Just because you have the burning need to drive traffic to your blog doesn’t mean you can just drop by a site – any site – and write there.

Choose the sites and blogs whose forums you participate with. Find out if the site deals with a topic or subject related to your very own blog. Practice only purposeful commenting – the kind where you leave only well-crafted comments on sites that will help build the buzz about your blog.

If the site is completely irrelevant but you have the urge to leave a comment, do so only during your spare time. Otherwise, focus your energies only on more productive activities.

Know what you're saying

Before you leave a comment with the purpose of driving traffic to your blog, at least write one that is useful. Your goal is to be noticed AND respected for your opinions so leaving useless and dead end comments such as 'Cool!' and 'Way to go!' just won't cut it.

If this is the best you can do, forget about leaving comments right now and focus on other strategies to drive traffic to your blog. Better avoid this technique than be embarrassed or be viewed as lame or mediocre.

But if you can write and have something meaningful to say, by all means, do so. With every comment you have, make sure you keep it short, concise, to the point and useful. Talk about relevant topics and avoid those that will do nothing for your purpose.

Avoid strong language

Of course, some sites will probably allow you to leave comments that are strongly worded or at least camouflaged as symbols such as !#$%&*, but there are ways to get your point across, regardless of how angry, upset or argumentative you are.

Furthermore, majority of sites and blogs impose certain regulations that restrict the use of certain words. Try to rephrase a sentence without losing its main thought. Use an online thesaurus, if necessary. Remember that once a comment is posted online, there's no way to get it back especially if it's not your site. You can leave that comment there to rot but you can never take it back.

Do not be rude

Have a sense of humor. The Internet is a vast expanse of space, currently limitless. In fact, it's a whole universe unto itself. If people leave comments on your post that seem to insult you or argue with you, don't fight back without thinking.

First of all, we are a democracy and people have every right to their own opinion. Second, firing back with the same kind of idiotic language will not be a good reflection on you. Third, you're way better than that. If you must defend your stand, do so with class.

Calm down

Please, if you must drive traffic to your blog by leaving comments on other websites, keep it professional and tone it down. DON'T LEAVE MESSAGES LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!

A good rule of thumb is to follow accepted structure of the English language or whatever language it is you're using to post. If you must use exclamatory points, make sure they are truly needed. Otherwise, avoid them.

Leaving comments written in purely bold or capitalized letter smacks of desperation and unprofessionalism. It's hardselling and makes people stay away in droves.

Check replies to your blogs

Maximize commenting on other sites and drive traffic by frequently checking back on the forum you participated in to see if there are any replies to the post you left. This is a good way to build buzz and network.

Check your facts

If you will be quoting someone or citing a certain study, make sure your facts can be corroborated. Don't use make believe or newly invented figures and statements or even half-truths and try to pass them off as legit. You will be exposed. If you want to drive traffic to your blog by leaving comments, make sure you don't tarnish your reputation with the effort.

Do's and Don'ts for Reciprocating Traffic to Promote Your Blog

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Some mockingly call it as the mutual admiration society and wherein people praise – and link to – each other in order to generate traffic. No matter how way you look at it, reciprocating traffic works not just for promoting websites but blogs as well. Here are several dos and don’ts to take note of if you’re in the mood for sharing some love with your fellow bloggers.

How to Reciprocate Traffic for Blog Promotion

Reciprocating is easier than you think. You just have to take note of what other bloggers are doing for you and return the favor. Of course, you can also consider initiating things by being the first to post a comment, include a link in your directory, respond with a blog entry, or review another blog.

As long as what you’re doing places focus on you and the other blogger, you’re doing the right thing!

Make your reciprocation valuable

If you are going to reciprocate a favor, be sure to make it valuable and meaningful for the other blogger. It would simply be a waste of web space if all you’re going to say is hi and goodbye. If that’s what you’re going to do, it’s best not to reciprocate at all.

To make reciprocation valuable, consider which areas you can make the greatest contributions – pages which, even better, the other blogger would appreciate to gain more traffic for. Look for questions that coincide with your fields of expertise.

Make it mutually beneficial

Reciprocity is not merely an exchange of links. It also includes mutual acknowledgment – and maybe even recommendation – of each other’s expertise. When you post a comment or display a link in your website, make sure that the information you provide not only reflects positively on the other blogger but on yourself as well.

Pay attention to house rules

Reciprocation means visiting another person’s blog and as they say, when in Rome, it’s important to do as the Romans do. Every blog has its own set of house rules and you must pay attention to them. One example of house rules is the inclusion of links in your comments. Some bloggers prefer not to have any links displayed without their express permission.

Acts of rudeness commonly result from simple misunderstanding and ignorance of rules. If you’re unsure about your statement, you can always email the other blogger and ask for confirmation as to whether your reply is adequate or not.

Don’t be condescending

It’s easy to be so without even being aware of it. When you are visiting a blog that’s less popular than yours, don’t act or speak in such a way that you’ve made it very clear to everyone the other blogger should be grateful for you little act of reciprocation. That’s a big no-no to do, and you’re sure to receive unpleasant feedback even if it’s true. Such things are better left unsaid.

Always return the favor

Last but not the least, remember to return every favor you receive! This is the golden rule of all golden rules and to violate once or several times is something that no Internet marketer forgets. Soon, tales of your infamy will spread and you shouldn’t be surprised if the popularity of your blog starts declining.

Regardless of how much or how little you’ll benefit from reciprocating the favor, do it anyway. It’s called good business!