Blogs need no introduction now. Among Internet fraternity, it seems everyone has one or two, Pakistani users base included. Word blog -- in case anyone still does not know - came by combining Web and log and it was "most used world on the Internet for some years." According to Forrester Research, a tech-consulting company, "Blogging's share of Web traffic is exponentially growing and the blog traffic trend is likely to further increase in time to come. Most Internet users like blogs, they like blogging, and the ability of instantly self-publishing text and pictures has tremendous potential for creative people. The phenomenon is being perceived as next generation web sites.
Building a 'great' blog, conceiving and writing quality contents regularly, counting hits and expecting comments is very daunting task. It is lonely. What if no one reads what you write so painstakingly? For that blog has to be promoted. How to promote a blog and be read in this part of the world is the issue.
Ask this to bloggers and they will sure point to comprehensively written article titled 'Promoting Your Blog' by Biz Stone – Former Blogger Senior Specialist at Google Inc and former Creative Director of Xanga Inc. Apart from being a Blog Specialist, Biz Stone is a prolific writer too. The article suggests almost everything that can be done to promote a blog. It is Blogger.com specific but users of other services can also benefit from the common tips and techniques discussed by the author. For those who are interested, another article "How to Promote and Develop your Blog" referring to some promotion resources and more is one the web and interested users can search and find. In Pakistan blogosphere, one needs to do much more to make a blog visible and noted.
Writing regularly, paying attention to grammar and capitalization while writing attention grabbing headlines and blurbs, making intelligent use of search engine friendly keywords and publicizing blog by word of mouth all may go waste if visitors take the impression that the blog is an obvious self promotion. "People do not like self praise," says Kamran Khan, a sociologist. So while writing, one has to keep in mind the interest of the target segment. The visitors will come back if they hope to find something of their own interest.
Internet users, particularly bloggers, look for blog URLs. Putting your blogs' URLs in search directories, in own email signature files, letterheads (people are still using letter heads, your truly included), sending the posts to your own circle that may be expecting (warning: it they are not expecting your posts, you may fall in the category of spammers that most Internet users have rightly come to dislike) or putting URLs on visiting cards may help. I know a teacher who writes URL of his blog on blackboard in the class every day and tells his students what he has written there for them (no wonders he gets quite a lot of traffic). A fellow blogger has put his blog URL along with his nick in MSN messenger on his business card.
Liberally linking to other like minded bloggers, installing blog roll and enabling track backs may also generate more traffic. For business and organizational blogs keyword advertising is another preferred solution for blog promotion.
There are all sorts of add-ons (clock, guest book, tag board, hit counter, search box, quiz and survey box, links to others resources, list of referrals and more) available on the web that can help make any blog more meaningful and useful.
As the blogging services are becoming popular and more and more people are gathering around blogs, marketers have started paying attention to these sites. Some text and image advertising programs have sprung up who pay to bloggers per click. Be careful while adding advertisements on a blog. Though the Internet readers have learnt to ignore every type of ads that cross their desktops in so many ways yet some readers do not like them. I realized this when I joined Google AdSense program. Remember, I n the beginning, Google used to place ads on every blog using Blogger.com but now they have started sharing this pie with the bloggers all over the world. Blogger can generate extra money by monetizing their blogs using AdSesne and earn some extra dollars. What I got instead is this: "Nobody has extra time to click on the ads you have placed there," was the remark of my friend who otherwise subscribes to my views. "Remove these ads from your site," wrote many others.
Blogs show better search results. Unlike mainstream (and static) websites, blogs have fresh content, rich interlinking, are ad-ons. Google searches have a definite dip in blogs because of the search company's stake in blogging in the form of Blogger.com. Google even have a separate search engine for blog search?
Blogs are usually referred to as random venting of thoughts without any specific topic. If one wants a following, the blog has to be focused and topical. Only then it will get out of personal circle of the blogger and be read by others.
Best that I personally have experienced, while trying to promoting my own blogs, is leaving comments on others' blogs. But you have to leave informed and quality comments and not just any thing, like "great idea" or a "nice picture," to mark the presence. Comments should be written after reading the posts. When one agrees (or disagrees) with the issue under discussion and tells the writer on the basis of wise argument, a debate is likely to be generated. Bloggers are good at reciprocating (remember every one is interested in creating a loyal following of their own). Comments also add new perceptions and rich content to blogs. Most blogging services provide comment systems that make it possible to get back to the commentator even if they are not bloggers. Even visitors of a particular blog may talk to each other. Sociologists have always been saying about people's enormous desire to communicate, share and be heard. This is easily possible through blogs.
The bottom line is this: write a great blog. Keep it updated. Promote your blog aggressively and your readers can take your blog to the next level.
