Now that I blog, how will anyone ever know about it? -Part VI of starting a mom blog
October 4, 2007
Now that you are rocking and rolling with your new blog, it is time to figure out how to get people to (a) realize that you are blogging and (b) get visitors to come see your amazing writing skills. There are a few tried and true ways to get traffic your way. From comments to web-rings to communities. Your writing will keep them coming back, but you have to get them to your blog first.
The best way to reach out and let others know about your blog is to read other blogs and make comments. Seriously. That is the best way to not only meet new people, but to let them know what you appreciate about their writing as well. (We all like the feedback on our writing, correct?) A mutual admiration society, so to speak.
Take this series for example. Throughout this series I have found many new bloggers simply because they have commented on my entries. Heather of Rookie Moms, Terri of Wheat Among Tares, Kyran of Notes to Self, Jeana of Days to Come, lovebabz of A Life in Transition and finally Karen of A Deaf Mom Shares Her World–though that list is certainly not complete. Many of you have made comments and through those I have found some amazing new blogs! What is my point? When you take the time to comment, the majority of bloggers will come visit your blog. So comment, comment, comment. (Did I mention you should comment?) Also, when you have readers comment on your blog, it is a good idea–especially when you are new to blogging– is to respond. Some bloggers choose to respond in their own comments and some email the commenters back. I know it is time consuming, but it does pay off in making blogging friends and connections.
Another way to get links that will lead readers your way is to join a web-ring. A web-ring is a list of blogs that have something in common. Take for instance Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. They are a great group of bloggers that lead a very popular web-ring of moms who blog.
Our members are an amazing group of women who have tackled various tasks, platforms and charity events. We wanted to offer an oppurtunity for each of you to be profiled with your latest undertaking.
Another one that is great to join and meet other bloggers is The Mom Blogs.
Our goal at theMomBlogs.com is to create the most comprehensive directory of blogs by moms. Our directory has several different categories to help moms find the most relevant type of blog they are looking for and we have state/country categories also to help find other mom bloggers near you.
And of course there is Blogging Chicks.
The purpose of this blogroll is to promote women’s blogs. Everything I require is so that we meet that goal.
This is a women’s only blogroll. It is made up of a wide range of blogs covering a spectrum of interests, political affiliations and religions. This is a diverse group of women, intentionally so.
That list is by far not all inclusive because there are many other blogrolls and web-rings that are great and a wonderful source for you to get your name out there. And I would be remiss if I did not tell you one of the greatest blogrolls (and one of the largest) is BlogHer’s own Mommy & Family blogroll.
There is also Technorati. It is easy to go there and to claim your blog. From there people can list your blog as a favorite, add it to their watchlist or just see how long it has been since you updated. (But remember to ping them!) That should be true of all of the major blogrolling services such as Blogrolling. Ping them and they will come!
One other useful way to get your blog noticed is to have a link to it in all of your out-going correspondence. Use it as your tagline. People actually do click those to see what you are talking about. I have found (and been found) many a times from an email I sent out that had nothing to do with my blog, but because it had a link to it, the reader followed it and I gained a new reader. No hard sell. No pushing anyone with the “READ MY BLOG” statements. Just a casual link at the end of my email.
A much appreciated form of social blog politeness is to link to other blogs that you find inspiring, humorous or just enjoyable. When you link to another blog, most bloggers notice traffic coming from your site and will follow it to see what you are saying. I am sure you appreciate it when another blogger links to you. Even veteran bloggers enjoy the reciprocal links.
Finally, join communities. There are so many. BlogHer, of course is a great resource. There are also communities such as Maya’a Mom, Cafe Mom and iVillage. Those are merely a few, but some well trafficked sites that will not only be a resource for you to find new bloggers, but for them to find you, too!
Obviously, I cannot possibly list all of the webrings, blogrolls and communities here, but feel free to add your favorites in comments. (Remember the first part of this? Comments are a great way to be seen.)
What it all boils down to is the same thing I have mentioned enough times that you just may want to say it with me: content! Write posts that have substance and are of interest to someone other than your dog. (Though, if your dog is reading your blog, I would love to know about it!) I gave you a few (just a small scratching of the surface) ways to get your blog name out there. The rest is up to you. Write. Enjoy what you write. And engage your readers. That is what will gain you a readership. Word of mouth will get your readership up and the next thing you know, you will be a mom blogging rock star.
So, now that you are on your way to stardom, what’s next? The big question many bloggers have: Can I make any money doing this? Should I even try? Coming up next in the series: Ads? Love them or hate them? Take a stand and stand by it!
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~Jenn is off to comment on blogs and share the blogging love now.~
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Here are the links to parts One, Two, Three, Four and Five of this series.
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You can also find my writing at Mommy Needs Coffee, Mommybloggers and Aggroqueen.
Posted by Jenn @ 4:07 pm
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Wow, just when I’ve started to wonder about blogging (how to blog, where to blog and why bother to blog), I found your series on getting started. Thanks for all the info. I still haven’t made any decisions yet, but it was great to find so many answers in one place.
Kathy
October 21st, 2007 at 11:00 pmPhew. Well I am doing that already! I have been blogging since August so still very much in the learning stages. But I average around 150 visitors a day. Sounds good to me! But is it? I know the A listers are getting thousands a day. But for a blog just over 3 months old, that should be good?
November 10th, 2007 at 6:26 am