I ping my blog after every update!

Why ping your blog? In fact, what the heck IS "pinging" a blog anyway?

Well, at its simplest, pinging a blog is simply letting a list of search engines which specialize in blogs know that you have updated your blog content. This keeps you at, or at least near, the top of their list.

Pinging a blog is simple and easy. I personally ping my blog(s) using a free pinging service at ineedhits.com. Just look for the tab at the top of the page that says, you guessed it, "Free Tools".

Have a great day!

Don

If you have a WordPress blog, you should be able to set it up with a list of free pinging services that automatically ping your new blog posts. I have about 6 of them. Another great thing to do is have your RSS feed from your blog feeding to blog directories so the word goes out by RSS feed every time you put up a new post. You'll need a Feedburner account to set that up. And that's also free.

Good point, Bob. Thank you. And, "yes" gentle reader, I do also have a feedburner account for each of my blogs.

Any other tips gratefully accepted.

Have a great day.

Don

Why Less SEO Improves Your Blog Posting
By TJ Philpott

Your blog posting is what people come to see and why they also return. In fact the loyalty of readers, and not the search engines, is what makes or breaks the level of success any blogging sites may have. It stands to reason therefore, that the satisfaction of the blog reader should be the #1 priority for any site administrator. There are those however who still put more of an emphasis on SEO convinced this is the way for them to increase their blog traffic. Well true as it may be that search engines can 'deliver' traffic to your site, it is what people see when they get there that determines if they will return, and YES you do want them back!

So how do you gain the return and loyalty of your blog traffic? Well for starters, since as already mentioned the growth and success of any blogging sites are based upon the loyalty of people perhaps your posting should keep this in mind.

Here are 5 reasons composing posts that are not 'hyper optimized' for search engines but rather written for people will help your site grow quicker and stronger.

They Read It

The content you place on your site is for and read by other people and quite often an optimized posting can be difficult to read. It often happens when trying to place the right keywords, that the body of your content ends up not reading naturally. When this occurs people tend to get frustrated trying to figure out what you are saying. Remember you want to impress them, not frustrate them! Successful blogging sites have a lot of loyal readers and this is not how to win their loyalty!

They Prefer It

By concentrating more on just simply 'communicating' to your visitors, you are much better able to convey your thoughts and personality as well! You are not distracted by where to place what keyword therefore your entries are not only more informative but also entertaining. This is what people prefer!

They Refer It

Guess what, if others like what they read they normally will recommend it to their friends and colleagues. When this occurs and others also find value in what they view, they in turn will also refer others as well. The result is more blog traffic! Take that search engines!

Posting is Less Complicated

The administrators of any blogging sites know full well the time and effort that goes into maintaining their platforms. By not putting too much emphasis on optimizing entries, this makes posting a breeze thereby minimizing the difficulty and time that goes into a task that is performed quite frequently.

Write It Right & They WILL Come!

After people begin to repeatedly visit your site now is the time to cater to their needs and not those of the search engines! With a well written entry that people can easily understand and better enjoy, word gets out and your traffic continues to build. Remember blogging sites are really highly focused social gatherings and communities like these do tend to pass the word to other like minded people.

No question that your blog posting is what will determine the level of success your site achieves. The question here is how much of an emphasis should be place on SEO for the sake of attracting blog traffic? Consideration needs to be focused on gaining loyal readers and an optimized post does not always make for an easy read. The opinion here is that there is a need for proper optimization, no doubt, but not at the risk of losing loyal readers. More emphasis needs to be placed on writing so you can be understood by people and not found by search engines. Your blogging success is more about the 'loyalty' of the blog reader and not necessarily a properly optimized post.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.

To learn more about the type of blog posting readers prefer and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques simply visit: http://blogbrawn.com/

Article Source: Why Less SEO Improves Your Blog Posting

BLOGGING TO THE BANK

Blogging Success: 3 Keys to a Profitable Blog
By Angela Booth

You can turn a blog into an entire home business. Many people have already done so, and you've heard their success stories online. Most of them didn't reach their success overnight. They started exactly where you are.

Over the past 10 years I've created many blogs, and I found three keys to profitable blogging.

Here they are.

1. Keep Creating (Good) Content Which Gets Results

People reach your site by finding your content online, and this means that you need to create new material regularly. There's no way around this.

The good news is that if you create very specific content, in order to achieve a specific purpose, you can create set-and-forget blogs which will keep working for you long after you've created them.

I've been guilty of creating content just for the sake of it myself. However this strategy doesn't work. You need to create content which has a particular aim in mind and which gets the results you want.

2. Get Traffic: Keep It Simple

There's nothing complex about getting traffic. You can buy traffic, or you can get "organic" traffic from the search engines, social media sites, and other sites.

Ideally, you'll aim to get traffic from many sources. Create a plan which will enable you to get traffic you want, at the price you want to pay, and then constantly test your results.

3. Develop an Exit Strategy: the Money Is in the Sale

Your website is an online property, and as such you can sell it at any time. Commonly, you can get 10 to 15 times your monthly earnings. However, you can earn much more depending on the potential the site is showing.

If you create an exit strategy before you create a new site, the big benefit is that you know what you're aiming for. You know what your goals are, how much money you want to make, and that you can offer the site for sale as soon as your site nets enough income.

So there you have it. Three keys to a profitable blog. Put them into action, and you'll be pleased at the results.

You can make make blogging both FUN and profitable. Angela Booth's been blogging since 2000, so she knows what works. She's developed many blogs, as well as a method, which she teaches in her Lazy Rich Blogger blogging guide. This method works. To learn more, join Angela at her popular blog, the Blogging for Dollars Blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ -- join thousands of successful bloggers today.

Article Source: Blogging Success: 3 Keys to a Profitable Blog

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Blogging to the Bank

Blogging for Cash