Build My Blog

I have submitted a few articles to the blog carnivals to see if it would drive any amount of traffic to this site. So far I am still undecided about the traffic opportunity due to the uninspiring results I have received.

I have submitted on two different rounds on two different carnivals. The first one I did I received a whopping 2 visitors when the carnival was posted. I wasn’t sure that it was worth the effort especially when the next couple of times brought about the same results. So maybe it is not such a great way to bring visitors, but maybe I am submitting to the wrong carnivals and haven’t found a big one yet.

The positive thing about submitting to carnivals though is the link you will receive. Links are like gold on the internet. Each link from a different blog carnival will bump your Technorati authority. That is definitely nice if you are playing the Technorati game and trying to boost your visibility in that network.

So my conclusion so far is that while blog carnivals are good for getting links and being visible in the community, they haven’t shown me to be a decent method of building traffic.

If you ask a business owner what their most effective advertising is they would most all say ‘word of mouth’. They can easily spend thousands of dollars on print or online ads, even more for television spots, but the most effective is word of mouth.

Everyday, everywhere we go we are bombarded by advertising. There are billboards on the side of the roads, commercials all over the television and radio, even ads on tables at your favorite diner. Anywhere you look it is as if there are a thousand businesses fighting for attention. People have become numb to advertising, accepting it as a part of life and glancing past it usually not giving it a second thought.

Word of mouth advertising comes from a trusted source. How do you feel when you are taking your car to a new place to get a service done? ? Do you feel less apprehensive about it if friends that have work done there have recommended the service shop or do you go to the place with the biggest ad spot?

You can’t buy that kind of recommendation. What does that have to do with websites you may be asking? Well, you CAN buy word of mouth advertising on the internet. There are many bloggers that do a pay for post, including myself if you are interested. If you are just starting out this may be a great way to get exposure to your website, especially if you are selling a product or service.

Also, don’t be afraid to tell your fiends about your new website, if nobody knows about it, how are people supposed to find it? This also applies to any forums you may belong to.. don’t be afraid to put your website in your signature or announce it in a post if allowed. Leave your trail on other blogs in their comments by adding to the discussion. Do not just leave your web url, that is bad form and your credibility will go down the tubes. Let people know you are there and if you have something to offer they may suggest the site to others. Keep offering quality content and get the word out.