Every week I post an entry on my blogging goals. I’ve made several goals for this blog, some of them are short term, some long term, some written down, some still in my head. Each week I write an entry on the goals I’ve written down and share if I’ve reached those goals that week or if I’ve fallen short.
This last week I had a comment from Corner Lot Creations asking how they would go about trying to get more views. Instead of answering in another comment where only a few people would see, I decided to write a longer entry about the question.
I’d like to say first, that I’m not a Blogging Specialist. I’ve been blogging for a little while now (I should really look up that date again), but I’m no pro. Damien, from Postcards from the Funny Farm, has been awesome in answering any questions I have and giving advice. He’s been a lifesaver!
I actually asked Damien this exact question when I started reading his blog. Until that point I was taking my blogging seriously, but not sure what else I could be doing other than writing entries and hoping views / readers / comments would come rolling in. When I saw Damien’s post on HIS goals and how HE was reaching them, I asked how he went about it. Did he wait for people to ask him to to a guest post, or did he go out and ask them? How did he build up his readership? I really had no idea how to go about it!
Here’s what I’ve learned, not only from Damiens’ answer to my questions, but from trial and error:
- Comment constantly on other blogs. I have a blog roll (which has disappeared since I changed the theme of this blog. It still can be found on my other blog though!) that I go through daily. I pick several blogs, and comment on them. It’s also important to find new blogs to comment on as well. Getting out there and reaching people who would normally not see your blog is important!
- Write frequently. I used to just blog a couple times a week. Here and there, whenever I felt like it. Which is fine, I guess. But if you’re looking to expand your readership, build it up and continually get visitors, your best bet is to post AT LEAST once a day. This way your readers will know that they can come to your blog and get a fresh read all the time.
- Sign up with blogging sites. I’ve joined Entrecard.com, blogcatalog.com and blogup and a couple more. I used to be nervous about signing up with sites like this, just because I wasn’t sure if they would suit my needs. But now I’ve realized that I need to just sign up with them, try it out for a while and then see if it’s working. If not, quit. If it is, I keep going.
- Not only should you sign up with these sites, you should become part of their community. Comment in their forums, post your link where you’re allowed to, add friends and show them appreciation.
- Post your link. As much as possible, without being spammy, post your blog link! Use it as your email signature, post it in forums asking for blogs links. I post my link in aprox. 7-10 Etsy forums daily. Just the ones asking for blog links, or sometimes after I sign off from a comment. I always get quite a few views from just doing this!
This is getting long, so I’ll tie it up.
Overall, I’ve seen that blogging is about networking. If you don’t let people know what you have to offer or how to find you, they won’t know those things.
My blog is still a work in progress. Slowly but surely it’s growing and even though it’s hard work, it’s worth every minute!
Katelynjane's Notebook 
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A Bloggers Life
In Uncategorized on September 20, 2008 at 5:00 pmEvery week I post an entry on my blogging goals. I’ve made several goals for this blog, some of them are short term, some long term, some written down, some still in my head. Each week I write an entry on the goals I’ve written down and share if I’ve reached those goals that week or if I’ve fallen short.
This last week I had a comment from Corner Lot Creations asking how they would go about trying to get more views. Instead of answering in another comment where only a few people would see, I decided to write a longer entry about the question.
I’d like to say first, that I’m not a Blogging Specialist. I’ve been blogging for a little while now (I should really look up that date again), but I’m no pro. Damien, from Postcards from the Funny Farm, has been awesome in answering any questions I have and giving advice. He’s been a lifesaver!
I actually asked Damien this exact question when I started reading his blog. Until that point I was taking my blogging seriously, but not sure what else I could be doing other than writing entries and hoping views / readers / comments would come rolling in. When I saw Damien’s post on HIS goals and how HE was reaching them, I asked how he went about it. Did he wait for people to ask him to to a guest post, or did he go out and ask them? How did he build up his readership? I really had no idea how to go about it!
Here’s what I’ve learned, not only from Damiens’ answer to my questions, but from trial and error:
This is getting long, so I’ll tie it up.
Overall, I’ve seen that blogging is about networking. If you don’t let people know what you have to offer or how to find you, they won’t know those things.
My blog is still a work in progress. Slowly but surely it’s growing and even though it’s hard work, it’s worth every minute!