Get Yourself Out There!

This is a pretty obvious topic for SEO, but I had to touch on it and maybe I can point out a thing or 2 that can help.  When I do designs for people, I get asked SO often, "How do I get people to see my blog?".  Well, that is the question, how do we get people to see our blogs, and not just anyone, how do we get relevant, interested readers?  Below is a list of some ideas to get you started (no specific order).



Advertise
Advertising is the FASTEST way to get your name out there.  Obvious I know, but it really can pay off!  Make sure that if you are looking into advertising, that you really do your homework though.  There are so many options out there, and blogs out there.  How do you pick one that will benefit your blog the most?

First, make sure that the readers of the blog or website that you want to advertise on, are the readers that you are looking for.


Second, check or ask for the blog or website's statistics.  Make sure that they get enough traffic to send you traffic.  Important: When you are looking at statistics, look at how many unique visitors that they receive daily, don't let them only give you the number of impressions that they receive each day.  The difference is that "impressions" stand for the number of times that the blog or site is seen (1 person could "see" the website 20 times, by clicking from post to post, or even a simple refresh of the page).  "Unique Visitors" stands for the number of individual people visit that site per day. 

If you are flat out broke.... like me :)  Don't stress, there are plenty of other ways to get out there, but advertising is hands down the fastest, easiest way to do it.

Make Friends
Reach out to the people that you think would find your blog interesting.  If your blog is about sewing, try to reach out to every sewer, crafter and person that you think would benefit from reading your blog.  Here is a quick list of places and things you can do to reach out to potential readers:

• Blogs - Find authors of other blogs that are similar to yours, read them, comment on them.  I am not saying, go out and try to steal other peoples readers, make relationships with other bloggers that may find your blog interesting, but genuinely do it.  I don't know about you, but it really bugs me when people just leave me a comment and throw their link in there, just to attempt to boost their rank in a search engine.  So don't just superficially comment and buddy up to people (that is just annoying and a waste of your time), find people that you really like, and really read their blogs.  More times than not, if you develop relationships with others, it is a you pat me on the back, and I will pat you on the back.
• Forums - Forums are awesome!  Find forums on your topic, they are a fabulous way to meet people that share common interests.  If you are an "expert" in your topic, forums are a perfect place for you to answer other peoples questions and send them to your blog.
• Social Networking - Facebook, Twitter, Blog Frog, Bloglovin' and on and on.  These can make or break your blog, this is another way to get on a more personal level with your readers (notice a theme - develop relationships)
• Craiglist.org - This one, works for some and not for others.  If you ofter a local service (photography, etc), then YES, it is a must.  Craigslist also has discussion forums, community listings, and more.
• Directories - I couldn't even begin to list all of the directories out there (http://www.blogguidebook.com/ , http://www.themomblogs.com/ , etc... I will have to put together a list some time for you)
• Email Signatures - This one is easy to not even think about.  Make sure that your link is on ALL your emails, you never know what relative (or anyone) that will be curious and click on it, and if you are lucky, pass it along.
• More - I am sure you can find more.  Google your topic, dig deep, find out where your readers are and contact them.

Get to Know Your Readers
When you do start getting readers (assuming that you are just starting out), keep them!  How?  If they comment, comment back.  If they follow, follow back.  If they email you, email them back.  Get my drift.  If you take the time to get to know your readers, you will be able to have that long lasting relationship that keeps your readers coming back.

Along with getting to know your readers, make sure that you let your blog evolve with your readers.  Don't be afraid to let your blog change with your readers, isn't that the goal, to have a blog that people want to read?