Q&A: I’m so lost…blog help!?
adminsparks 
Question by Rita W: I’m so lost…blog help!?
I started a blog about a month ago and I am so overwhelmed by all the things you need to do to market your blog. There are so many terms like pings and SEO, I don’t even know what they mean and I’m supposed to work on this stuff. Where the heck do i start?! My goal is to get my blog out there for people to read, if I make money great, but I just want people to read it right now. Can someone telll me where to start? Whats the first thing I should do? Thanks
I do have google analytics, but that is about the extent of what I’ve done.
Best answer:
Answer by kee
If you are overwhelmed, just decide on a few strategies to master and then move on from there. There are numerous methods to promote a blog, but that doesn’t mean that you have do them all at once. There are complicated methods as well as simplistic ones. Take the time to read the information available and test things out.
First, read articles from the following sites regarding promotion and traffic generating strategies. Then, pick a few major methods and try to master them. Some major ways include RSS feeds, search engine optimization (SEO), social networks, partnerships and community building:
Problogger: http://problogger.net (the site I prefer)
Daily Blog Tips: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/
Blogging Tips: http://www.bloggingtips.com/
Also, if you are using a developer-based blog service (like Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, and etc.), they probably have promotion tips in their Help section. Google Analytics is a visitor statistics tracking service, that can help you find out how to target your promotion strategy, content creation, and or money-making opportunities, but that’s about it.
Here are some specific web pages that may help:
Daily Blog Tips (Website Traffic Series – 18 articles, see links at bottom of post)
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/website-traffic-series-part-1-web-design-and-css-galleries/
How to Find Readers For Your Blog
http://www.problogger.net/how-to-find-readers-for-your-blog/
Kick Your RSS: Jumping on the Syndication Bandwagon
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/25/kick-your-rss-jumping-on-the-syndication-bandwagon/
Search Engine Optimization for Blogs – SEO
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/08/15/search-engine-optimization-for-blogs/
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips for Bloggers
http://www.problogger.net/search-engine-optimization-tips-for-bloggers/
Using Social Media Sites to Grow Your Blog’s Traffic
http://www.problogger.net/using-social-media-sites-to-grow-your-blogs-traffic/
21 Ways to Make Your Blog or Website Sticky
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/07/18/21-ways-to-make-your-blog-or-website-sticky/
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
