What is a Blog?

• An abbreviation of "weblog," blogs are Web sites that take the form of online journals, frequently updated with commentary on any number of topics. The "blogger" typically offers readers links to interesting information alongside his/her commentary.
• Blogs exist on virtually every topic---from knitting and dog care, to politics and technology. They are a fast-growing way for interested individuals to come together and share their experiences, views, and resources.
• As of July 2006, there were more than 80 million blogs in existence. It is estimated that 175,000 new blogs are created each day, and more than 1.6 million blog posts are made per day.
• There are thousands of political blogs—conservative, liberal, moderate and otherwise—that are being updated multiple times a day.

68 Traffic Generation Techniques

Traffic is the key to success of any blog and blogger. It is the measure of success of a blog. One of the greatest advices that I usually give to other bloggers is- "Be involved in building traffic first. Everything else come along with traffic."

No matter what your objectives as a blogger are, you have to think in terms of traffic and visitors. In today's post I will tell you 68 traffic generation techniques that I learned while blogging.Here is the list-

1. Do a solid keyword research before writing your posts.
2. Use your primary keyword in title
3. Use your secondary keywords in subtitles.
4. Use all your keywords throughout your content.
5. Build links for each of your posts with your keywords in anchor text.
6. Build some more links.
7. Write articles in other people's Ezines.
8. Write and submit articles in top article directories.
9. Build a very useful lens at Squidoo.com
10. Build a useful hub at hubpages.com
11. Submit your blog in top web directories like Dmoz and Yahoo directory.
12. Write useful and unique content.
13. Write some more.
14. Write list type posts.
15. Write about Obama.
16. Tag your posts.
17. Be first to mention an update or an interesting news.
18. Even better. Be first and best to write about an update or an interesting news.
19. Write controversial but well backed posts.
20. Run contests on your blog.
21. Request other bloggers to announce your contest.
22. Be active on StumbleUpon
23. Submit your own top posts to StumbleUpon
24. Exchange stumbles with other fellow stumblers
25. Submit your pages in Digg and Reddit
26. Start Twittering at Twitter.com
27. Twitter more.
28. Answer questions in Yahoo answers with a link back to your related posts.
29. Answer questions in Help.com with a link back to your related posts.
30. Answer questions in Wiki.answers.com with a link back to your related posts.
31. Leave some useful and unique comments on other blogs of your niche.
32. Make your comments attention grabbing stuff.
33. Make use of trackbacks.
34. Be a guest-poster in a bigger blog of your niche.
35. Do some more guest posting.
36. Network with other fellow bloggers.
37. Announce your new blogs from your existing related blog.
38. Exchange posts with like minded fellow bloggers.
39. Be active in well trafficked forums in your niche.
40. Leave your link in signature in forums.
41. Be helpful and ask questions in forum.
42. Write unique articles in forums.
43. Give a viral ebook for free with free give away rights.
44. Place a "tell a friend" script at the bottom of your posts.
45. Give away free ebooks to some one who uses "tell a friend" script.
46. Be active in google groups. Ask questions and answer questions.
47. Be active in Yahoo groups
48. Be active in MSN groups.
49. Make some useful microblogs and funnel traffic to your main blog from micro blogs.
50. Make friends at BlogCatalog.
51. Join some groups at BlogCatalog and be active there.
52. Make friends at Mybloglog.
53. Tell other bloggers about a top post or great post you have written.
54. Research and make free reports .
55. Distribute those reports for free and mail it to fellow bloggers.
56. Upload some interesting photographs in flickr with link back to your blog in description.
57. Make some interesting videos and upload them on Youtube.
58. Upload those videos to Google videos and Metacafe as well.
59. Ask your readers to bookmark your posts (No ask no gain.)
60. Make wordpress templates.
61. Make use of press releases to announce your blog or contests or anything else worth aqnnouncing.
62. Build lists using Aweber.
63. Giveaway free ebooks to those who subscribes to your newsletter.
64. Interview fellow top bloggers in your niche.
65. Create viral softwares and tool.
66. Take part in webinars.
67. Write post about what you learned in a webinar.
68. Network through Myspace.

regards

-MZA-

Killer Blog Content

You’ve got a chance right now. While everyone else has their eyes on celebrating the holidays and doing all their year end rituals, you can make a commitment. You can make your New Year’s resolution almost a full month early. Here’s what you can commit to for 2009: you’re going to have a killer blog. You’re going to write the kind of blog people post, tweet, link, and even print to stick up on their office wall. Your blog in 2009 is going to be the kind of blog that people use to power their own change. This is your chance to get out there and kick ass.
The Basics

1. Brevity rules. Can you say it briefly?
2. Start at the main point, then work the story up. (Make the main point in the first paragraph.)
3. Use small words. You don’t have to impress people. You have to be clear.
4. Analogies help people understand things better.
5. So do stories.
6. You don’t have to write complete sentences, even though your teacher taught you to do that. But treat it sparingly. Like this. Like a condiment.
7. Keep paragraphs small, if possible. We balk at large blocks of text.
8. Make your point from the reader’s side of the fence. Who is your audience?
9. Depending on how you write, go back and see if you can cut out more. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce.
10. Use the word you’re thinking about, not a fancier, or more polite word.
11. Concepts and the Bigger Picture
12. Set up series of posts, even if you don’t call them a series. Make a post that brings up follow-on points from a previous post, and link back to that post to reinforce the original content.
13. Get your inspiration from reading. #1 source for my ideas comes from other blogs not in my space. Not sure what to read that’s NOT in your space?
14. Think strategically, if this is for business or a cause. Ask yourself what you want your reader to do next. Try to write from that point of view.
15. Theme-wise, writing very helpful things that people can use is way better than writing thoughtful things that make people think and just walk away. You can have thoughtful but not helpful, but you’re striving for helpful and thoughtful in the same piece.
16. Never write the me-too blog. Look to be ahead of the wave and feeding backwards, not behind the wave and eating someone’s wake.
17. Look for ways to think forward, but that tie to your business interests. When I write about the future, I’m also inviting someone to make that future with me.
18. Mix it up. Keep an editorial calendar and note what kinds of posts you’ve written lately. Thought posts? Lists? Interviews? Make sure you’re mixing up the type of post you’ve written lately.
19. Consider the occasional dip into Google Trends to write a story that might draw new audience to your conversation. Don’t do this all the time, because the gimmick can wear off quick. Again, think condiments, not meals.
20. If you don’t have anything interesting to blog, skip a day. Don’t skip many days.
21. And never never never (raise your hand and repeat this with me) “I” (state your name) “solemnly swear never never never never ever to post another ‘I’m sorry I haven’t blogged lately’ posts ever again. Ever.”
22. Consider your audience but write from your passion.
23. Don’t mince words. If it’s a “pissing match,” it’s not a disagreement.
24. Ask questions. Blogs are conversations starting and flowing. Ask. Questions.
25. Link to people. If you write about Mr XYZ, link to Mr XYZ
26. It’s not all about your blog. Get out and comment on other people’s blogs. Often.
27. Leave a few ideas unfinished. Ask for input. It always improves a piece. Blogs are great for that.
28. Make sure your blog’s URL is everywhere: in your email signature, in Facebook, in Flickr, in Twitter, in every outpost you can think about.
29. Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Question yourself often. Look for ways to improve the game.
30. Comment back to the people who have left comments.
31. Follow those people’s links sometimes and go explore their blog.
32. Look for ways to empower the community you inspire.
33. If you haven’t found your community yet, keep looking, searching, and connecting.
34. Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It’s no longer okay not to know even the most basic things.
35. Find great Creative Commons photos and use them for your post (with attribution).
36. Deconstruct what your favorite writers do, and try it your own way.
37. Occasionally, try something completely different.
38. Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough.
39. Write as if someone believes in you, because someone does.
    

Search Engine

As the population with internet access explodes, and more and more people are using search engines to find what they need, the usage of local search also continues to rise. For any sites servicing a local or specific geographic audience, submission to local search based engines is becoming more and more important.

What is it?
In a nutshell local search involves the use of specialized search engines specifically created to focus on a selected geographic region to find local businesses and websites focused on your area.

Local search is commonly utilized as a directory, where users select their location, and narrow their search by categories till they find the listíng they want. In many cases local search engines also guess at the users' location by using their IP, so when you visit the site and search, for example, "Mamak Corner" you automatically see results specific to your location.

Google has been doing this for a while to one degree or another. When you perform a search in Google using a geographic modifier the map comes up with results specific to that location. You can also take it one step further and search Google Local specifically.

But Google isn't the only engine out there focused on local search. There are several of these directories ranging from the better known Best of the Web, right down to small town specific websites offering local search options. You even may find a web directory or guide specifically created for your city, and chances are, it will be a great place for you to submit your site.

Many local directories are free for basic listings along with paid advanced listing options.

Who needs it?
Local search is ideal for anyone serving a specific region, especially those with brick and mortar stores. While you do not necessarily need a physical location, some local search directories, including Google Local, require that you do.

Only recently have small local businesses realized the need to be found in the major search engines. I know that if I am personally looking for a bike tune-up, the first place I turn to is online, to find the various bike shops in my area, if at very least, I search online to find their contact info. I can't remember the last time I picked up a phone book. As the internet grows in popularity, there are more and more people like me who use it exclusively to find what they want, local or otherwise. For businesses not found within the various local search sites, they are missing out on a growing piece of their market.

Considering the limited expense in getting lísted in local search directories, traditional brick and mortar business can't afford to not be listed, it's quickly becoming a necessity.

Why bother?
With more people using these directories, and the incredibly low cost of "free" involved in being listed in many of them, it only makes sense to get listed. These directories, even the lower traffic ones, are a great free source of relevant traffic and the few minutes required to submit to them (usually around 10 minutes or so) only needs to result in a very small handful of site visitors to make it worthwhile.

Where to get listed?
When it comes to local search there are a few places you don't want to miss such as Google Local. Many local search directories are country specific, so try your searching by using your country name; such as, "Canadian business directory".

Try to focus your efforts on finding local directories that not only focus on your geographic region, but also offer you something in return.

How to decide if a directory is worthwhile
There are 5 main factors you need to consider when choosing to submít to a local search directory.

1. Location
What geographic regions does the directory serve? Do they serve your location?

2. Relevance
Does a relevant category exist? When you navigate to your appropriate category, are the other business listings relevant to your business? Some local directories may focus only on one industry, such as hotels. If the theme of the directory will not cater to your industry, you certainly don't need to be listed there.

3. Price
How much does the directory charge? If it is free, it's most likely worthwhile. If there is a cost associated with the listing, you need to know more to find out if it's money well spent (which is where the next two points come in).

4. Traffic
Does this directory have much traffic? The quickest way to get a rough idea on this is to check their Alexa rating. Alexa is a rough indicator of how busy a site is, the busier the site, the closer their ranking will be to 1. If the site looks like it has very limited traffic, then you need to find out if the listing will have any SEO benefits if you are to spend any money here. (A low traffic free directory is likely still worthwhile however.)

5. SEO
Will your listing help you with your organic rankings? This is relatively simple to find out. You want to first check the Google Page Rank for their home page. If it is low (less than 5) then this is not one of the major directories. If it is between 5 and 10, then they likely have some authority. Next check the page your listing will actually reside on. Is this page indexed by Google, and does it have any Page Rank? If so, is the link back to your site search engine friendly?

Many local search directories may link to your site using the rel=nofollow tag, or by redirecting through a variety of tracking methods, which can cause your link to have no value in terms of SEO. However, some of them will give you a straight link fully readable by Google, so you will also get the added benefit of increased link density from many of these links. Some directories will also create a brand new page just for you. In that case, your page will not be indexed by Google and will have no Page Rank, but in time, it will. If this is the case, check a few of the listings to see if their pages are indexed.

If Google can not see this link, it has no SEO value. If the directory has no SEO value, and no traffic, it is not worthwhile to pay for this submission. (That said, if it's a free listing, you may as well list your site there.)

How can I get listed?
Unlike organic SEO, getting lísted in a local directory is often as simple as finding the local directories that are relevant and submitting your site. Once you have decided that a directory is worthwhile, filling in a few online forms and submitting payment where applicable is all it takes. Most paid local directories will have your listing posted within a few days, if not immediately. Free directories can take anywhere form a couple of days to several weeks, depending on their policies, etc.

StepForth will soon be offering a Local Search service, so stay tuned....

How to verify your blog on Sitemaps

Google have provided instructions on how to verify your blog or site. Here's a step by step (this assumes you've already (1) signed up with Google Sitemaps as per my previous post; and (2) for Add Site, entered the URL of your blog e.g. http://megatzanuar.blogspot.com in my case):

Login to Sitemaps.

1. Against the name of the blog or site you want to verify, under the Site Verified? column, click the Verify link:
2. You get a new page. In the Choose verification method dropdown, pick Add a META Tag:
3. A box appears under the dropdown, with some code in it, it looks something like this (I've airbrushed out the one for my blog!):
4. Copy that code from *<*meta> (be careful not to copy the box instead of the text inside the box).
5. Go to your blog template (it's easiest to do this in a new browser window or browser tab) and paste that code between your head tags - Google have given an example (opens in new window) showing how and where to put it.
   
6. Save the template changes, and republish your blog.
7. Now go back to Google Sitemaps and tick the checkbox against "I have added the META tag to the home page of [your blog name]" (which is just under the box with the new code, see the pic above), and then click the Verify button.

That's it. It worked to verify my blog nearly instantly.

Regards


-MZA-

Blogspot blogs on Google Sitemaps

Finally, it's now possible for Blogger users to verify Blogspot blogs on Google Sitemaps. It's not only Blogspot members who benefit - if you use some other blogging platform which doesn't let you upload files to your blog host's servers, but does let you tinker with your blog template (specifically the head section of your blog's webpages), now you can verify your blog too.

For those who don't know: what's Google Sitemaps, and why would you want to verify your blog? In summary, you'd want to add your blog to Sitemaps and verify it in order that:

• your blog gets indexed better by Google, so that people will hopefully be more likely to find your blog's webpages when they search on Google;
• when you update your blog, e.g. write a new post, you can ping Google, i.e. get Google to come and re-crawl your blog very quickly, so that people who search Google will find the most current information about your blog; and
• you can get more info about how Google indexes your blog, and maybe tweak it to improve the likelihood of people finding your blog in future when searching on Google.

How to submit your blog sitemap, and verification
I've already explained briefly and in more detail how to submit your blog sitemap to Google (including why it's important to make your feed file as full as possible for that purpose - you can still offer your readers or subscribers headlines or excerpts-only feeds, if you wish).

Previously we mere Blogger users, and others who don't have permission to upload files to their blog host server's root, were deprived of the ability to verify our blogs on Sitemaps, which I for one thought was ludicrous given that Google own Blogger (and I kept saying so).

Clearly I wasn't the only one - finally, in February, Google asked for views on whether people wanted to be able to verify their blogs or sites in other ways, and as mentioned in the Sitemaps blog post yesterday, the response was overwhelmingly "YES!!"

So now they've provided a way to verify your blog via a meta tag.

Regards


-MZA-

More About Tweeter

I received a comment asking how Twitter can help increase traffic to a blog. My answer was that one of the step we can take is to Tweet each time we publish a new post. Well, you can tweet all you want, but if you have no followers at Twitter, it is not going to help much. So one must try to get more followers at Twitter.

If you too want to try to use Twitter as an application to increase traffic to your blog, better join Twitter very quickly because if you are late, you may not get the user name you want because someone else have taken it.

Why is Twitter's user name important? This is because the user name you select will become the URL of your Twitter home page, like mine is http://twitter.com/enviroman. So in order for people to find you easily on Twitter or for members and potential members to recognize you, you will need a user name that is associated with your blog.

Regards


-MZA-