[H1219]How To Get Your Blog Noticed

When you start writing your first blog on a site like Blogger or any of the dozen other free blogging platforms available, your first thought will likely be, "How do I get people to notice my blog?" It is a perfectly good question and one that millions of bloggers ask themselves every day. After all, with more than 85 million active blogs online at any given time and more than 100,000 new blogs created every day, how do you stand out as worthy of attention.

There are a number of different ways you can make yourself stand out from the pack. Blogging is a unique form of expression because it allows every individual to approach it from their own angle. Combining quality writing with a handful of technical tasks that will increase your visibility, you can start reaching the millions of daily blog readers that are online every day.

Be Unique
Your angle will undoubtedly be different from almost everyone else's. Allow that unique perspective to bleed through your writing and your blog can be very successful. Even with half of the computer owning population reading blogs on a daily basis, there is only so much time to spend reading new blogs. For that reason alone, you need to stand out from the other writers in more than one way. If you write about Formula 1 racing and copy the topics from existing, larger blogs, why would anyone want to read your your blog? Think of a new angle and draw in new readers with that perspective.

Consistency
You must write on a consistent basis to attract attention and keep it. It does you no good to attract a dozen new readers with one blog post and then leave them wondering where you went because you fail to write your next post for more than a week. Consistency helps in other ways as well. If you post new content on a daily basis, Google will index your site more often and you will appear higher in search rankings. Blogger lists recent posts in its own search listings which you will then appear at the top of more often. Write more often and you will be seen.

Controversial Content
This is a tricky topic, especially for some individuals. However, you can count on getting more readership and being noticed by more online outlets if you are controversial with what you have to say. This does not mean you should be rude or openly hostile. Speak your mind and say what you believe unapologetically but do not be a jerk.

Comment on Other Blogs
Everyone wants to receive comments on their posts. After you complete your first blog post, you will probably sit and stare at the comments section wondering where your first comment is; and when it arrives, you will no doubt visit the website of whoever leaves it. The same is true for your fellow bloggers. They are not your competition so much as your peers. If you read their work, they will read yours. And if they like your content, they will link to it and share it with their readers. It's an online domino effect, but you have to start the process.

Discuss Topics with Your Readers
Be engaged with your readers and you will keep them coming back for more. If a reader leaves a comment on your page, visit their blog, respond to their comment and try to think of a way to write about their site in one of your own posts. By integrating your readers into your posts, your blog becomes a collaborative effort rather than a singular endeavor. Your readers feel involved and other blog owners take notice.

Integrate New Ideas and Technologies
The more new ideas you can squeeze into your posts, the better. This means that when a new add-on or widget becomes available that suits your site, take advantage of it. Talk about new technologies, email other site owners and use their new additions to the fullest. Blogger and most other services allow you to add on features to your blog quickly and easily. Use this feature and you will start to see increased interaction with your site by your visitors.

Take Advantage of Every Tool at Your Disposal
There are dozens of websites and directories online that list blogs like yours. These websites index topics, tags, and recent posts for searchers and visitors to sort through and can get you a fair share of high volume traffic if you use them properly. Ping your blog to the major blog directories such as Technorati and Pingoat. These services will list your blog in their directories, include your categories and tags for searching and when you sign up for an account, list your profile for readers to see. There are dozens of websites that offer these services.

To be noticed online, you need only expend the extra bit of effort necessary to gain the momentum needed for new readers and blog owner attention to shift to you. Use these methods and you can guarantee a flock of new readers coming your way.