Increase Blogger Blog Traffic by Using the Free Blog Catalogue Directory

Blog Catalogue is a free online blog directory. Its purpose is to allow bloggers to promote their own blogs in order to increase targeted traffic, find blogs created by others, and to network with other bloggers. This article provides detailed information about using the Blog Catalogue directory to increase traffic to a Blogger blog.

There are many blog directories to help increase traffic; some offer free services, whilst others require annual payment. One of the best free services is Blog Catalogue - a sophisticated mixture between a blog directory and a networking site, with numerous functions, such as a member's only forum, and the ability to review and 'favourite' listed blogs, join groups, befriend other bloggers, etc. Blog Catalogue also provides a list of useful tools and resources for bloggers, which members are able to review, creating a link to their profile page. Each group also has it's own discussion area for group members. The only condition of use (besides the blog being approved) is that you must add a blog catalogue button to your blog's front-page.

Both personal and professional bloggers are welcome at Blog Catalogue. Signing up is very straightforward, although it does take several business days for each new blog to be approved, and if you need to edit details (due to a spelling error or other adjustment) the blog will return to the back of the approval queue. In the meantime, you will be asked to provide a blog description and related keywords, as well as to create a profile. Throw yourself into this aspect of it - you're here to promote your blog, so use this opportunity to sell your blog and your personality to potential readers. The more appealing your profile is the more traffic your blog will receive.

Because of the superior functions provided by Blog Catalogue, it is possible to generate traffic to your blog quickly and easily. However, due to the review function, it is advisable not to register your blog until you have several pages of quality content, and not to become an active member of any groups or the forum until you are 100% happy with the look and functionality of your blog.

To get the most out of using Blog Catalogue it essential to join whichever (active) groups are relevant to your blog content, make friends with other members, review blogs, broadcast announcements, and generally be an active member of the network. Registering will bring a trickle of visitors, but to increase traffic in any real capacity regular participation in the Blog Catalogue community is required. The more active you are in the forum and group discussions, the more members will see (and may click on) the link to your profile. This can mean an increase traffic to your blog, and in members reviewing and rating your blog. Your blog will be internally ranked by Blog Catalogue, so the better reviews your blog receives, the higher up the list it will climb. The highest ranking blogs appear on the first page of category results, and so on; appearing on page one or two greatly increases your chances of increasing traffic and gaining subscribers or followers.

There is also an option to upgrade your membership to a paid service, providing far greater exposure within the Blog Catalogue community. There are two upgrade options, one starting at $8 p/m, and the second at $60 p/m. Option one is arranged on a first-come, first-served basis, and your money will get you a top five slot for your particular niche, and sponsor links leading to your profile, which links to your blog. Option two puts your blog in the spotlight slot on the first page of your blog category, and is guaranteed to increase traffic, with sponsor links redirecting to your blog.

Effective Online Promotional Tools: Writing Articles for Online Publishers to Promote a Blog

Writing articles for online publishers that allow self-serving links within the text-body is an effective way for new bloggers to promote and drive traffic to a blog, in addition to creating valuable back-links that help improve the blog’s page rank. There are many online publishers facilitating such promotion, and the best part is that it's absolutely free.

Online promotional tools are often too expensive to be considered by those new to professional blogging, or simply blogging for pleasure. However, most serious bloggers have the skills to write a 400-500 page article, focusing on a topic or topics most often featured on the blog. Clever use of this form of promotion can help a new blog become more successful in many ways, and all it costs is the time it takes you to write an article.

With a little SEO knowledge it is possible to take advantage of the publishing site’s well-established page ranking, and quick indexing by search engines, to promote web-pages that may otherwise remain unseen. When coupled with the additional exposure to traffic from the publishing site’s writer-members, this can be an effective way to drive targeted traffic to a blog.

There are a number of online publishers to choose from when looking for ways to effectively promote a blog. Choose one which appears regularly in search engine results for keywords relevant to blog content. Some publishers place ads on the articles, sharing the revenue generated with writers. Others allow writers to add their own advertising, such as Adsense, Amazon Associates, and Chiquita, to the articles. In this way the articles are potential money earners, in addition to effective online promotional tools.

When choosing a topic for the article it is necessary to consider the keywords most often used in blog posts (if unsure simply check the label list in Blogger dashboard) and those that make up meta-tags - not using meta-tags? Click HERE to find out how to add them to a Blogger blog. It’s best to choose a title phrase that includes keywords which are not too often written about, but searched for reasonably often.

The free Goggle Adwords keyword tool helps determine this, and can aid greatly in choosing effective titles for articles, and in creating rare keyword combinations. Choosing rare keyword combinations for an article is beneficial because it reduces the competition from other blogs and websites, meaning the article will be more likely to be displayed on the first page of search results. People rarely search further than the first two or three pages, so appearing on the first page will guarantee an increase in views, which may convert to blog traffic, as long as the article presents the link in the correct manner.

To promote a blog effectively the articles must be relevant to the blog’s general subject-matter (or at least that that of several articles/blog posts). Articles will ideally introduce a broader subject than that of the blog posts they links to, which should contain more useful or detailed information. For example, when creating a promotional article to promote this blog post, a suitable title might be ‘Cost-Free Ways to Promote a Blog.’ The article would list several free methods of driving traffic to a blog (such as listing in blog directories and using social bookmarking sites) and would list Writing Articles for Online Publishers as one of these, turning the text into a link to this article. Anyone needing more details regarding how to do so is likely to visit the link, thus driving targeted traffic to the blog, and potentially gaining a subscriber or follower.

Online Publishers That Allow the Use of Self-Serving Promotional Links within Articles:

Hubpages

Infobarrel

Squidoo

Ezine

For more information about writing articles online, freelance writing, and online publishers, please visit Freelance Writing Online

Blogspot in Draft: New Free Blogger Templates

Brilliant news for bored Bloggers!

Blogger recently released a draft version, allowing users to choose from several new professional-looking templates, all of which are easily customisable - even for those with no understanding of html - and all of which are absolutely free.

As you can see, I've already installed one here, and I'm very pleased with the result. It took a few moments what with adjustments, because it's a slower system then the current one, but I was able to change the size of the page elements with the simple use of a slider, choose from various new layouts, and adjust the colour and font for all text (even on gadgets). You can also add an image from a selection, which will form the background of your blog. To do this simply click on the tiny arrow next to the 'background image' box in the 'background' tab (I haven't used this particular function on this website, but you can see example HERE & HERE. There are many backgrounds to choose from, mostly themed (unlike the two I linked to, which are abstract designs), so you should find something suitable for your blog - if not simply leave it transparent).

To make use of the new version you need to log in at the address below, where you will find a new 'template designer' tab has been added to the 'layout' section, in your dashboard. From there it's pretty much self-explanatory - enjoy!

Please note that installing a new template on your blog will remove your current template, as well as all your widgets, gadgets and previous customisations; so, be sure to download a copy of your current template before changing, in case you are unhappy with the results.


Blogger in Draft


Image Credit