"What is the best way to promote a personal blog?"

After a year of blogging I have learned a few things. Here are my "Top 10" methods to generate traffic and interest in my blog. None of my strategies cost money, but they do cost time, thought and writing enticing posts.

1. I started listing my site on blog aggregators. The ones that were the most successful for me related directly to my topics. After a while I noticed some blog aggregators starting picking up my posts.  Either way, it gets your blog out there for others to find.

2. I read other people's blogs and post comments with links back to my blog. This is somewhat effective, but most of the traffic comes directly from the blog authors, not other readers.

3. There are forums for just about everything. Some forums allow links, others don't. Read their rules. Look for active forums with lots of members and posts. I keep a list of "Forums for Posting" in my favorites list. That way I remember to return periodically to read and post messages.  One flrum post I made on the Sunset Magazine website got my blog showcased on their web page.  Now that was exciting.

4. I joined social networking sites such as www.mybloglog.com, www.myspace.com and www.facebook.com. These have generated some traffic, but I have not spent enough time actively networking.

5. I joined Askville and get some readers to visit my blog.  If you have products that sell on Amazon, you can include links directly in your message.

6. Write, write and write more. Each post I generate creates a larger database of topics. I try to write one a day. Two hundred out of 365 possible wasn't too bad. I have organized my site by topics to help readers easily find what they are looking for.

7. The attention span of readers is short, so I try to keep my posts about one topic and succinct. Pictures say a thousand words, so I include one or more in each post to catch the reader's eye and reinforce the topic.

8. The majority of my traffic comes from web searches. Google alone generates 44% of my traffic. I carefully select titles and key words to match my readers interests. 

9. Post pictures on sites such as www.flickr.com and http://picasaweb.google.com. Include your web link in the picture's description. You can also search other's pictures to find people who might be interested in your site and topics.

10. I carefully watch what is happening on my site, who comes and what do they want. I use two free tools www.sitemeter.com and www.google.com/analytics. Each one gives me a little different view about my site's visitors.

If you want to take a look go to http://PowellRiverBooks.blogspot.com. If you have any questions send me a message, I'd be glad to help in any way I can. -- Margy

Check out Andy Sernovitz's Blog for details on this very topic.  I attended one of his classes and learned a lot!  Some ideas from his class that can be found on his blog include: 

Write Fantastic Content Worth Talking About 

Great writing:

• Your momma taught you-don’t write about yourself. (Example: I ate a sandwich today)
•  Focus on an a topic/audience. (WOMA travels in communities-More general a blog is, the less like people are likely to link to it).
•  Consistency 
•  Something that can’t be gotten anywhere else (I.E.: Recording Session for Vista Boot Up Sound)

Sure-thing must-forward posts:

·         Complaints (works for Michael Moore-otherwise you get a whiny blog. Post 5 positive posts per each complaint).

·         Scoops (discover something cool-Example Cow Chip Cookie stickers for offline marketing)

·         Stats & Research

·         Lists

·         Funny/unusual

·         Useful how-to (has longevity-where most posts are time-sensitive)

·         Whatever is already popular on bigger blogs

Andy wrote the book, "Word Of Mouth Marketing."  Check it out as well.  http://www.damniwish.com/