How do I get traffic for my blog?

1. 84

   Aya Katzposted 14 years ago

   I finally started a blog, because people had told me it was a good way to get more traffic for my Hubpages.
   
   So now I have this blog on blogspot, and I have my Hubpages widget embedded there, but how do I get traffic for the blog?
   
   The Google search engines act as if the blog does not exist, and it doesn't show up anywhere on relevant searches for keywords I used or even when I search for my name. That seems odd, because after all, since Google runs it, shouldn't it know about each blog on Blogger?
   
   However, now that I look at other people's blog, many use theirs as a private diary where they seem to think that they are safe from prying eyes.
   
   I don't seem to have mastered the blog traffic concept yet. Any ideas?

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      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Now you know why I came to HubPages, Aya!  Getting traffic for a blog is much harder than getting traffic to your HubPages.  It takes a lot of work on promotion. 
      
      Personally, I don't think having your own blog is a good way of promoting your Hubs.  You want backlinks from authority sites, and your brand new blog has no authority - and you'll have to do hours of promotion to change that.  If you're going to do all that work, you might as well promote your Hubs direct.
      
      I do have my own websites, but I use HubPages to promote them, not the other way around - and that works.  You could do the same with your blog - but I'd start again, with a URL that reflects your subject - I had a quick look on the keyword tool and "humans-apes" could be a good one.  Assuming you're going to write about primates and how they reflect human behaviour.
      
      That's another point - if you write about a variety of subjects, it's harder for Google to decide what your blog is about.  It has more chance of ranking if you focus in on a tight subject for the whole blog.

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         Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa, I'm beginning to see that I will need to spend more time promoting the blog than the hubs.
         
         If I decide to use the hubs to promote the blog, won't that lower my hubscore?

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         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            All my dance Hubs promote one of my websites or the other. It doesn't seem to be affecting my Hubscore!  Misha is another person who uses his Hubs (among other things) to promote his websites - it doesn't seem to be doing his scores any harm either!
            
            Anyway,why are you worried about your Hubscore?  Your scores are only a reflection of how well you're doing - they don't help with visibility of your Hubs on search engines, or with income.

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            1. 84

               Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Marisa, thanks! You've cleared up what Misha is laughing about.
               
               I can be so dense sometimes! So, I should I should just keep writing hubs, as I've been doing, only now use them to promote my blog...

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   2. 59

      mr williamsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I wrote a hub on some advertising methods.
      http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-advertis … s-software
      
      I prefer to use Onlywire Bookmarklet because it freely submits your links to 30 social bookmarking websites automatically. Of course you have to sign up for every one of these services before being able to submit automatically to them. Hope this helps.
      http://onlywire.com

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      1. 84

         Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Mr. Williams. I'll check it out!

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      Daddy Paulposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The key is back links. If you you have enough backlinks to your blog you may get more traffic than Hubpages.

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      kepapposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Deleted
2. 58

   englightenedsoulposted 14 years ago

   Read this hub by Ryan.  It will surely help.
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Blog-Submission … ks-Traffic

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3. 84

   Aya Katzposted 14 years ago

   Thanks, Enlightened Soul, this helps!

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4. 58

   englightenedsoulposted 14 years ago

   I am happy that I was able to help.  Good luck.

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5. 63

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   I have some blogs that I just have with some version of my name as the the title, but I started them as a kind of first step in organizing the writing by "theme".   I don't have comments allowed on them because although I made them public, they're just not ready for prime-time in blog terms.  I figured if someone sees them, fine - and they're just now starting to get a little traffic.
   
   On the other hand, I have some on specific subjects (an adoption blog, specifically), and that one I got into directories, placed an add for an adoption magazine (in return for a link). 
   
   Aya, there are all kinds of blog directories (and there's YouSayToo, which lets you put a picture of your blog and updates on there when you update it).   If your blog is about a specific subject it's easier to get into directories.  Even if it's "your writing in general", though, you can post it on YouSayToo (or other sites like that - I don't happen to know more off hand right now).  You can also post links to your blogs if you have something like a Xomba account (whether or not your blog's name is yours).  You've probably already done this, but make sure you list your blog with your Google account, where you can let them know what the writing is.   I'm still in "Phase I" with the blogs, but even so, they're picking up a little. Phase II will be making them more like real blogs.
   
   I have my Google Reader stuff on my blogs and the other way around.   On any writing/social site that lets you post your own site/blog, that's another thing to do.  Facebook and Twitter (if you've resorted to those yet - everyone eventually seems to) are other ways (if  you do what people do on those sites, rather than (as I do) do nothing but post your stuff. 
   
   A search for "free blog directories" may turn up some stuff.  A good article on a site like Associated Content (with a link in your profile to your blog) could be a beginning.

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      dnrkrishnan25posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      fantastic.....

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   2. 84

      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Lisa. I'm already trying to promote on Twitter and Facebook, and I did find one free blog directory, but I will check out the ones you listed, too.
      
      I did one squib on Xomba that linked both a hub and the blog, but I suppose it's too early to see results from that.

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6. 67

   mcbeanposted 14 years ago

   If you are going to go down the blog directory path, most require a link back to their site, usually via a small button.
   As google takes website speed into account when ranking sites, having 10, 20, or 30 of these on your blog will slow it dramatically. If these directory sites ever offer a plane text link option I would choose that. Text links do not require your blog to look up an image from elsewhere as happens with each of those buttons.
   
   just a thought.

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   1. 84

      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks. I'll use plain text links when I can.

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7. 59

   rambrose57posted 14 years ago

   You can post comments on other related blogs and forums linking back to your blog.  Just be sure to post relevant and thoughtful posts so they don't get regarded as spam.
   
   If you don't mind doing a little writing, you can write keyword optimized articles linking back to your blog and submit them to article directories such as Ezines, GoArticles, etc.

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      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Rambrose, thanks. I have left comments on some blogs I follow, but I'm not sure whether they've been read or not.
      
      Is it acceptable on article directories, more so than here on Hubpages, for articles to contain links to your blog?

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      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Aya, where did you get the idea that it's not acceptable to have links to your blog on HubPages?
         
         It's perfectly acceptable, so long as you don't have more than two links in each Hub.   
         
         As for article directories, many of them have similar rules about how many links you're allowed.

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            Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Is that two links to the same blog, or two links to private URLS?

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               englightenedsoulposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Two link to the same domain.  Otherwise there is no restriction.  You can interlink multiple hubs and can have external links to different sites.

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                  Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks, Enlightened Soul!

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                     englightenedsoulposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     You're welcome.  I am glad that i was able to help.

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                        wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        hey there englightenedsoul .. so wonderful to see you How are the exams going?

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                        1. 58

                           englightenedsoulposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Sorry for replying this late...I completely missed this thread.  Preliminary exams went good, the university exams starts from 19th.  Gosh, I would be a graduate.  Can't wait for them to get over.  I want to write more hubs and actively take part in the challenge.  Also I have to learn a lot from you.  How are you doing?

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8. 64

   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   he-he. Hi Aya

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   1. 84

      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hi, Misha! What's so funny?

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      1. 64

         Mishaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I think recognizing the questions that were burning to myself at some point

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         1. 84

            Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Ah! You mean, once, long, long ago, you, too, had the same questions?

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9. 70

   thisisoliposted 14 years ago

   There are plenty of ways to increase both blogger and hubpages traffic, I am actually writing up a new guide at http://www.traffictomyblog.com
   
   The real key is a mixture of backlinking, SEO, and good keyword targeting.

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10. 64

    Mishaposted 14 years ago

    Yep, and not too long ago

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