I have said this before and I will say it again -

anyone can start a blog - it's free and it's easy!
 
However, MOST bloggers and online publishers make LOTS OF MISTAKES when they start out, unless they learn all of the pitfalls and how to properly optimize the site.

Ask questions of other bloggers and consultants. READ. Don't try to figure it out on your own. We will sometimes spend 3-6 hours teaching a client, everything we have learned, all of the best of the best practices, over our 3 years of doing this. We have built and launched over 35 blogs. We have learned what works. And what works better!

We talked about some common mistakes bloggers make a couple months back. One of things we discussed was the benefits of linking with others. But only link IF IT MAKES SENSE! Link Intelligently. The other day a blog about Nike Shoes wanted to trade links with this blog. That really does not make sense! Plus I went to their site and they were "link collecting". They  had 3 pages of all these links they had amassed and they were all over the map! Exchange links when it makes sense. - And I am very generous with my out going links. I feel that hopefully it will come back to me.

Illustrate your site. Think of your site as your online magazine! Use photos, charts, whatever. I am so bored when I see a blog with line after line after line of type.  - At the very least, format the type. Make some things bold! Change up the fonts! Use bullet points. The visitor should not open your blog and see rows of the same font and type and  have their eyes glaze over! Put up a YouTube video. Use a PowerPoint presentation. Jazz it up and keep the reader interested. PLUS, you can get HUGE search engine lift from the photos and graphics!

Don't  abuse  DIGG, StumbleUpon and Del.icio.us - Do not over sell your blog and try to promote every single post. Use these tools sparingly and when you think you have a really great post that will have mass appeal. Plus, some of these sites will slap you if you abuse the tool.

Monitor your analytics. I had a client call me yesterday who had no idea how many hits his site got and where the traffic was coming from. You should be able to tell how many hits you get a day, a month, where they are coming from, who referred them, and what countries they are coming from. If your not using a good tool, try Google Analytics. It's free and  provides tons of useful information. And you should be checking your stats AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, if not once  a week!

The blogosphere is growing at leaps and bounds and getting more crowded every day. To compete and be found, you need to optimize your site! Give them something different. Give them something new and fresh.  Try new tools. It is a trial-and-error business. However, we have learned many tips that have helped shorten one's  learning curve.


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Derrick Sorles and Michael Snell - We Help "Pull"  New Business To You!
            Your Business MD's- Business Blog Consultants -Web 2.0  Consultants and Strategists 



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