If the improvement of search engine page rankings is the blogger's Holy Grail then far too many of us are wandering in the wilderness looking for it.
Tsk, tsk. It can get mighty thirsty out there.
Let's take a look at some of the methods we can use to find that chalice.
1. Blog directory submissions
Ping-O-Matic, Ping-O-Matic! I've long been in love with Ping-O-Matic. One-click submission to a double handful of blog directories is my idea of nirvana. Better yet, hit that Ping-O-Button after every post (you do post regularly, don't you?) and you've got traffic heading your way.
Listing with other directories, such as Blogflux, Blog Explosion and even, DMOZ, the open directory, will give you increased traffic through backlinking which, in turn, creates the improvement in page ranking your blog wants for Christmas.
2. Social bookmarking
Probably the most powerful of methods in creating that buzz are the likes of Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, StumbleUpon and, of course, Twitter. As each of these sites revolves around building relationships within communities, the key here is to participate regularly and often. Oh, and it does help to actually have something to say!
My favorite tool of the moment is the ReTweet button you see on many blogs. If you like the content, clicking this button automatically creates a message relating to the post, which is then ready to send from your account. You only need click the submit button. Very cool!
Unsurprisingly, with such a huge number of visitors, these sites rank ridiculously well with Google, Yahoo! and MSN. So if your blog receives a plethora of backlinks due to the curiosity of the bookmarking and tweeting glitterati, your blog will no doubt rise well (just like a puff pastry!) in the page ranking stakes.
3. Article submissions
Certainly the slickest method of driving traffic to your blog, article marketing not only syndicates your work across uncounted free content sites but also defines you as an authority in your particular field. Nice for credibility!
Submitting articles is probably the most time-consuming activity of all the traffic-driving options I've seen but it truly is worth while. You can't submit any old junk, though. Article sites, quite rightly, demand a reasonable level of quality and won't put up with straight out self-promotion. But that's why it's called quality content, isn't it?!
After writing an article, your kudos comes in the form of a resource box. This is your authors bio' area and you can include a couple of live links to your blog or web site. So everyone who read's your article, wherever it's posted, will potentially see your site link. That's a lot of eyeballs.
Also many site owners, not having the time or inclination to write themselves, need articles for inclusion on their sites (unchanged and maintaining your author credit, of course). Your article is offered as free content by the article site you posted to. So site owners using free content articles attract many more visitors to their sites and create backlinks for your blog.
Take a look at these article submission sites:
www.ezinearticles.com, www.goarticles.com, www.searchwarp.com, www.usfreeads.com, www.articlecity.com, www.articledashboard.com, www.articlealley.com, www.bluearticles.com.
4. Free classified sites
Classified ad sites are extremely useful and shouldn't be over-looked. US Free Ads is a favorite of mine but also check these sites out:
www.craigslist.org, classifieds.yahoo.com, www.thefreeadforum.com, www.domesticsale.com, www.classifiedsforfree.com, www.adlandpro.com, www.classifiedads.com, www.citynews.com, www.theadnet.com, www.usfreeads.com, www.salespider.com, www.kijiji.com, www.rediff.com
5. Forum sites
One place to whip up traffic is through posting on forums relevant to your blog category. You can be very successful with this, especially if you get involved and become known in a forum. With a great content blog, you can't fail to gather a following.
Some forums, an example is the Free Ad Forum, allow you to place a signature in your profile. So by adding your blog link to your signature and replying to a bunch of postings, you'll get your blog link in front of even more people. Just a thought.
And in a category on its own is Z-List.
I've recently posted the Z-list on my blog and you, too, can use it to increase traffic to your site. Z-list has a viral effect and is an idea introduced by Mack Collier way back in 2007. Simply put, Z-list is a list of blog links, which you post on your blog. Everyone is encouraged to copy the list and insert their own blog details before posting to their blog. This creates backlinks for everybody on the list, thus increasing traffic.
Voila!
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