1. Increased Exposure

Vandelay Website Design gets far more exposure as a result of this blog than it would from any other method, outside of spending a ton of money on advertisements. Without the blog, 99% of those who have heard of us probably never would have. There’s obviously no shortage of designers and design firms out there, so we all need to stand out in one way or another. In my opinion, a blog is as good a way as any.

2. Improved Name Recognition

With the competitive nature of the design business, having a name that is recognized by potential clients can be an advantage. A blog is just one way that you can achieve name recognition, but it is a very achievable method.

3. The Learning Experience

Writing new blog posts can be a challenge that constantly builds your knowledge and your ability as a designer. Personally, I like the fact that I can produce content for the blog and learn at the same time. By writing blog posts that will challenge your knowledge and abilities, you can improve your overall performance as a designer by learning on the go.

4. Networking

Whether you design for a firm or whether you freelance out of your home, networking with other designers, SEOs, marketers, and potential customers can make your work more enjoyable and productive. With a blog, networking online is a natural occurrence and you will be blown away by the connections that you can make so easily.

5. Helps Customers to Find You

A blog can bring potential customers to you in a number of ways. They could come to your site through search engines, through social media, or through a link to one of your posts. They could even be one of your subscribers that follow you on a regular basis. Publishing a popular blog will bring plenty of new people to your site that can potentially turn into business.

6. Improved Content on Your Site for Search Engines

As I just mentioned, potential customers may find your site through search engines. With a blog you will have far more pages indexed than you would otherwise, plus it will be fresh content that covers a variety of design-related topics and draws search traffic for a much greater number of keywords and phrases. Just having a small design portfolio will not give you a very good chance of drawing search engine traffic because the web design market is so competitive. However, with a blog you can easily build up search traffic over time.

7. Improved Communication Skills

As a blogger you will be constantly improving your writing and communication skills. While these skills are important in just about all aspects of life, they are especially valuable skills for designers who need to be able to effectively communicate with clients and other designers. With a blog you can develop skills that will make your projects more successful.

8. Demonstrate Your Knowledge

When prospective customers visit your blog they will be able to see that you know what you’re doing and that you are a qualified designer. While a portfolio can demonstrate your technical design ability, a blog will allow you to put that knowledge into writing and go a step further towards showing customers that you are the one for the job.

9. Potential Promotion When Needed

Once you have built up a decent number of subscribers you will have the ability to promote your work to an interested audience. Say you are having a bit of a slow time when you could use some additional work. Why not publish a blog post that announces a short-term discounted price to your blog readers? Rather than spending considerable time and money to find a new project you may be able to get quick results by simply reaching out to those who subscribe.

10. Variety of Work

One of the nice things about blogging is that it can break up the monotony of your work and give you something different to do. Designers obviously enjoy designing, but sometimes it is nice to mix in another worthwhile activity like writing blog posts.

What’s Your Experience?

I shared the reasons that I think designers should blog, now it’s your turn to add to the conversation.

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With so many free themes readily available (especially for WordPress users) you could literally change you theme everyday if you wanted to. While the availability of themes is a major plus for WordPress users, it can also make some of these decisions more difficult.

First, you need to consider how the theme impacts the blog in the following ways:

1. Branding

Blogs that have been effectively branded have typically used a blog theme as part of their branding strategy. How does your current theme contribute to the branding of your blog? Will changing your theme result in the loss of some of the benefits that you have developed over time in building your brand?

If your blog does have an established brand but you feel it is time for a theme change, consider creating a new theme that will still feature many of the same recognizable elements as your current theme. For example, consider using the same logo, color scheme, layout style, etc. while giving the theme some updates to improve the look. On the other hand, sometimes a drastic change can be good too. It’s a decision that should be thought out by considering what you have to gain and what you could potentially lose.

2. Uniqueness

With so many blogs out there, and so many of them using the same free themes or very similar themes, a unique look is valuable. By changing your theme will you make you blog more or less unique? If you currently use a free theme and you are moving to a premium theme or a custom theme, chances are you will be improving the uniqueness. Blogs that are at least somewhat unique are more likely to be remembered by visitors, so this factor should always be considered. Of course, if you are using a commonly-used free theme you can always make it stand out a little bit more by using a custom logo or a unique header image/photo.

3. Appearance

Obviously, your theme will be the single most influential factor in the overall quality of appearance for your blog. Will the new theme really be an improvement in quality, or is it just something new? Be sure that if you are going to change themes you are getting improvement in some area of appearance.

4. Usability

Different themes will have varying levels of usability for readers. Your current readers may be used to your theme and where they need to go to find what they are looking for. Will a new theme be more difficult for them to use? You may need to make some adjustments or customizations to a theme to achieve a level of usability that both you and your visitors will be happy with. The usability can be even more important than appearance. If there are significant changes, consider writing a post that will explain where everything is and how to use the new theme.

5. Functionality

There are some areas of functionality that are always important for blogs. Where are the subscription links? Is there a search function? Is there room for advertisements if you are interested in selling ad space? These are all things that should be considered any time you are thinking of changing themes. Also, many blogs display featured content in prominent areas. Some bloggers achieve this by simply linking to popular posts in the sidebar, but others do so by placing links to featured content in other areas, such as the header. If this is something that works well for you, make sure that any new theme you consider will allow you the same possibilities.

Factors to Consider:

1. Will the new theme help you to increase the income that is produced by the blog?

If you are making money with your blog (or if you will be after the new theme is implemented) you should consider spending some money on a premium theme or a custom theme. Making some money with the blog will obviously offset the costs of the theme, plus a better or more effective theme may help you to increase the earning potential of the blog.

2. How does your current theme stack up? How does it meet your needs?

There are too many themes out there to settle for one that doesn’t adequately meet your needs. If other themes will be more effective for you, consider making a change.

3. What are your blogging goals?

Your goals should always be factored into your decisions about blog themes. Are you aiming to be a Technorati Top 100 blog? If so, you’ll most likely need to get a high-quality, unique theme. If your goal is simply to communicate with readers and you’re not concerned with making money, why not stick with a free theme? Take a look at your goals, and decide how a theme will help you to meet those goals.

4. When was the last time you changed themes?

Most bloggers like to change themes every now and them, plus it keeps things fresh and interesting for readers. If it’s been two years since you changed themes, you may want to seriously consider a new one. If it’s only been two weeks since your last change, you’ll probably be better off staying with the same one for a while. This is a pretty obvious question to consider, but what you really need to evaluate is whether or not your blog needs a fresh look.

5. How long will the new theme be effective?

If you are hoping to significantly increase your readership over the next several months, be sure that any theme you choose today will still be sufficient when that time comes. Don’t choose a theme that you will need to change again in a month or two when your blog reaches a new level.

6. Can you keep certain elements to make it recognizable?

If your blog has an established audience, you most likely will want to keep some elements from your current theme to make the new theme still recognizable for visitors. Will you be able to use the same logo or color scheme?

What’s Your Opinion?

What other factors do you think are important? How often do you think a theme should be changed?

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Traffikd includes a page that lists over 400 categorized social media and social networking sites. This page will be continually updated as I hope to make it the go-to resource for finding new social media sites. If you are looking for sites to promote your blog or website, this is a great place to start.

The blog was launched with 5 posts:

• Top 10 Reasons to Use Social Media
• Challenges that Social Media Marketers Must Overcome
• 10 Keys to a Successful Resource List
• Keys to Newsworthy Blog Posts
• What Makes StumbleUpon Unique

The site was just launched about an hour ago so the comments are non-existent and I feel a bit lonely. If you get a chance, please stop by and let me know what you think. (The look of the site is not complete, but I wanted to launch rather than wait longer. If you notice any problems, please use the contact form.)

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8 Keys to Making Yourself Valuable:

Know Your Role

Know what you have to offer, and how you can help others. Try to look at yourself from the perspective of others. What would they want from you? Go a step further and think about what you have to offer that others may not even know about. Focus on fulfilling your role, and doing what you do to the best of your ability.

Look for Opportunities

Networking opportunities are everywhere. Don’t wait for a specific networking event or situation to start building relationships. Keep your eyes open and be ready to realize when there is a potential connection to someone else.

Make Yourself Accessible

If others want to contact you they should be able to do so, and they shouldn’t be intimidated. Just like you should be looking for opportunities, other people are doing the same, and if they see an opportunity to work with you or just get to know you, they need to be able to reach you.

Be Willing to Help

Networking is a two-way street. To get the most out of it, you will have to put in the most that you are able. Being friendly and willing to help is probably the best thing you can do for making friends and having others ready to help you when you need it.

Follow Up

In order to build strong relationships you’ll have to follow up on the contacts that you make and looks for ways to improve the connection. Meeting new people is great, but you’ll also have to work to make those contacts something more valuable.

Be Assertive

Networking requires people to take some action. Don’t just sit back and wait for others to come to you. Make an effort to meet others and be willing to pursue new opportunities.

Keep an Open Mind

You will most likely be building a network without knowing specifically how it will benefit you. I think that is normal. When opportunities do arise, keep an open mind to the thoughts and suggestions of others.

Keep Growing

Always be expanding and strengthening your network. Never sit still and assume that you have all of the friends and contacts that you need.

As a Blogger, What Do You Have to Offer?

Links

Links are very valuable to other bloggers and website owners. Most bloggers tend to link to those that are already a part of their network, or to those that they would like to have as part of their network.

Your Social Media Profile and Votes

Many bloggers and website owners use social media to promote their sites. If you have built a strong profile on a social media site you may be able to submit something for a friend and send them some traffic. You don’t have to be a “power user” to help someone else. Simply voting can help too.

Comments

Every blogger wants and appreciates comments from readers. You can help out those in your network by reading and leaving your feedback. This is especially valuable if you are doing so for a blogger that doesn’t normally receive a lot of comments.

Refer Readers

Because you have your own audience of blog readers, you have the ability and the opportunity to refer your readers to another blog. You can do so by writing a review of their blog or just by mentioning them in a post.

Offer the Opportunity for Guest Posting

Some bloggers in your network may appreciate the opportunity to write for your blog. Not every blog publishes guest posts, but it can be a good experience for everyone if done correctly.

Be Willing to Write for Another Blog

Just the opposite of the previous point, other bloggers may be interested in publishing one of your posts on their blog. If you have solid writing abilities or if you are well-known and respected, a guest post may bring a good bit of new readers to their blog.

Your Advice

If you have experience or knowledge that someone else doesn’t have, your advice can be invaluable. An example that I’ve written about before was when David Peralty helped me with some database security issues. He had more knowledge on the subject than me and he was willing to help. We’ve all got some type of knowledge that we can share with others.

What Are Your Thoughts?

In what ways to you try to build your network? Are there particular methods that have worked well for you?

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It’s easy to sometimes forget about new visitors while you are trying to improve your blog by serving your subscribers, but in order to maximize the growth of your blog, you’ll also need to consider the needs of the first-time visitor.

What Will New Visitors to Your Blog Want to See?

1. What is your blog about?

Many first-time visitors will want to find an About page to learn more about the blog. Your blog should not only include an About page, but it should also be very easy for visitors to find. Using descriptive categories for your posts can also help new visitors to see the focus of your blog.

2. How can I subscribe?

Visitors should never have to struggle to subscribe. Make it as easy as possible by placing subscription links in prominent places and by using commonly recognized icons. Many blogs, including this one, also use a message included in each post to encourage subscribers (mine appears just above the post). You should also offer an email subscription as many visitors will still prefer to use email, and in non-technical industries readers may not even be aware of RSS.

3. What is your best work?

It’s a good idea to display your best or most popular content somewhere that will allow new visitors to easily find it. This can be done in a few different ways. This blog includes a “Popular Posts” section in the sidebar that I manually update with links to posts that are reader favorites. There are also a number of WordPress plugins that will automate the process for you, but then you won’t have complete control over which posts are included. I also like the method used at CourtneyTuttle.com. Court has 3 boxes that appear above every post that include links to several posts that new readers are likely to want to read.

4. How can I contact you?

Some readers will have a question or comment that they want to send to you privately rather than leaving a comment on a blog post. If this is the case, they will want to find a contact page that allows them to do just that. There are also a number of different plugins to accomplish this, one of them from Douglas Karr.

5. What else do you have to offer?

Many blogs now are more than just blogs. An example is Blogging Tips, which also offers forums and a marketplace that lets users post and search for services. Another example is the job board at ProBlogger, which is one of the best places for bloggers to find paid positions. Offering something in addition to the blog can be a great way to encourage repeat traffic and draw inbound links as you make your blog a more valuable resource to readers.

6. Is the blog regularly updated and current?

As you know, there are thousands, probably even millions, of abandoned blogs out there. Before visitors will subscribe, they may want to know that you add new content on a regular basis. One of the easiest ways to show that you are current is to include the date on your posts. Of course, if they come in through an older post they will see an older date, but if they are interested in the blog and want to see how up-to-date it is, all they will have to do is go to the front page and check out the publication date of your latest post.

7. Why should I care about you?

Try not to assume that your new visitors will be familiar with your or your blog. In many cases you will have to prove your worth. If you have a decent number of subscribers, consider displaying your numbers through the FeedBurner feed count. When a new visitor arrives and sees a large subscriber count they will often assume that your blog must be a quality resource if you have built that amount of subscribers.

Some blogs also display Technorati Rank or Alexa Rank which can also help to show visitors that they should care about you. Of course, if your rankings are poor and you display them it can have the reverse effect. Another option is to include a brief author bio on the post, which is done nicely at Devlounge in the “about this author” section.

Taglines and descriptions can also be used for a similar purpose. For example, John Chow uses the tagline “The miscellaneous ramblings of a dot com mogul.” This statement serves to brand John Chow as a dot com mogul, which will ultimately make readers value his information.

8. How can I find what I want?

Make an effort to keep your navigation as simple as possible. Displaying links to posts by category is done by almost every blog, and it is effective. The popular post links that were mentioned earlier also helps for this purpose. Sometimes visitors will not have a specific post that they are looking for, but they want information on a certain topic. In this situation it’s very helpful to offer a search feature. Additionally, links to all of your major pages (about, contact, etc.) should be easily found.

9. What type of environment does the blog have?

Blogging is very community-oriented and visitors will often want to see an active, intelligent community. Encourage comments on your blog so that so readers get involved and new visitors can see the activity to occurs. Delete spammy and rude comments as they can hurt the image of your community and turn off visitors. I’m not saying that anything negative or comments that disagree with you should be deleted, but there are some comments that are unnecessarily attacking.

What other factors do you think influence the first experience that a new visitor has at your blog?

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There are 3 elements that can come together to drastically improve your growth, whether it’s a new blog or an existing one. Individually, these elements are powerful and important, but together they can help build on each other and create exponential growth.

CONTENT

Regardless of what strategy you use to grow your blog, quality content is essential. Even if you’re able to drive large volumes of traffic to your blog, visitors won’t stay on your blog or return later without high quality content. As a result, it is probably the most significant factor for long-term blogging success.

The quality of content involves factors like captivating headlines, readability of posts, the uniqueness of your writing, consistency, and more.

NETWORKING

Developing strong contacts and relationships with other bloggers, particularly those in your niche, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your blog. Have you ever noticed that when an existing blogger starts a 2nd blog it tends to take off faster than the first one did? This is in large part due to the network that has already been established. A blogger has used his or her existing blog to build an audience and a strong network, which can be used to gain quick growth for a 2nd project. Freelance Folder is an example of this situation. Jon Phillips already had a successful blog in Smart Wealthy Rich when he started Freelance Folder. Jon used his existing network to find writers and readers for Freelance Folder, which quickly became one of the leading blogs for freelancers.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media allows bloggers to convert quality content and a strong network into growth and traffic. The highest quality content tends to do very well with social media, although not every great blog post is ideal for social media audiences. Along with great content, a strong network will help you to get votes on social media sites and get new visitors and links to your blog. This doesn’t mean that you’ll have to ask others to vote for you (although that will help). If you’ve built a network of people who read your blog and use social media, they will probably vote for you on their own without you asking them.

PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

Chances are most bloggers have already recognized the importance of content, networking and social media. But the challenge can be putting it all into practice and combining these 3 elements together. Your particular strategy will partially depend on what stage you are at with your blog. We’ll take a look at what a new blogger should do and also what an existing blogger should do is he or she wants to experience this type of growth.

For New Bloggers:

New bloggers need to be producing quality content and building a network simultaneously, each is crucial. If possible, before launching your blog prepare as much content ahead of time as you can. Use some of it when you launch and hold some of it back for the following weeks. This will allow you to devote more time towards networking and marketing rather than spending all of your time writing.

Content

The first thing you’ll want to do is clearly define your niche and your target market. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have the flexibility to write on a variety of topics, but focused content is better for gaining subscribers and building repeat traffic. Also, you should develop some content geared towards social media audiences. Take some time and study a few particular social media sites that you think have an audience that would overlap with your blog’s audience. Pay attention to what types of things are doing well on those sites and use that knowledge to come up with some ideas of your own.

One of your major focuses regarding content creation should be on writing unique posts while providing valuable information. When visitors come to a new blog they’ll be unlikely to subscribe if they feel that they can get the same information from other blogs that they already read on a regular basis. If they see that you are unique and you provide new thoughts and ideas they won’t find somewhere else, they’ll be more likely to visit again or to subscribe.

Networking

Make real attempts to build relationships with other bloggers in your niche. You can do so by reading and subscribing to their blogs, leaving intelligent comments on their posts, voting for them on social media sites, and even emailing them if you have questions or comments. Another great way to network with other bloggers is offering to write guest posts for them. One of the reasons this works so well for networking is that it benefits both you and the other blogger, and it’s an easy way to get noticed. Of course, the guest posts that you write should represent the skills and knowledge that you have to offer. Other ways to network include using forums and linking out to others.

Social Media

If you don’t already have accounts on any social media sites, sign up and get started. Most bloggers use the major sites like StumbleUpon and Digg, but also take some time to look for smaller, niche social media sites that can provide more targeted traffic (see our categorized list of social media sites).

Don’t only submit your own content. Take the time to submit and vote for those that are in your network and those that you would like to have in your network. And of course, vote for whatever else you think is worthy.

As far as promoting your own content, choose just a few social media sites that you think are a good fit for your audience. Optimize your site by including buttons or links that let visitors submit or vote for your content at these sites. If you include buttons for almost every social media site you will lower the effectiveness of all of them. So just choose a few and they’ll stand out more.

For Existing Bloggers:

Whether you are looking to improve the readership of your existing blog or looking to start a 2nd blog, these three elements can help take you to the next level. As an existing blogger you’ve probably built a network and become at least somewhat familiar with social media. Now you can benefit from the months or years of work that you’ve done.

Content

Evaluate the level of content that you have been providing. How does it compare with the content provided by other similar blogs? It’s easy to loose a little bit of focus over time and let the quality slip. If that’s the case, you’ll need to develop a plan that will allow you to increase the level of quality.

Take a look at your blog’s stats. Which post have drawn the most traffic? Which have drawn the most comments? Which have drawn the most links? Use the information that you learn to help you know what your readers want and what creates a response from them.

Analyze your posting schedule. Are you better off posting higher quality content less often, or posting shorter articles more frequently?

Network

Make a list of bloggers in your network. Subscribe to their feeds (if you haven’t already) and place them in a separate folder in your feed reader. Identify those that you would like to have as part of your network and include them in this folder as well. As you read through these feeds on a daily basis, be as involved as much as possible. Comment on posts, vote for them on social media, link out to them from your own posts, etc. Bloggers tend to notice when others are sending them traffic and being actively involved on their blog. Many of them will get to know you and return the favor. You should also always be looking to strengthen the existing relationships that you have made.

If you are starting a 2nd blog (or 3rd, 4th, etc.), email your contacts to let them know about your new project and let them know that you would like to have them as a reader if they are interested in the topic. Depending on your relationship, you may also want to ask for some votes on social media sites to jump start your new blog. With an existing network you can quickly build a respectable audience to a new blog, and start getting comments and interaction right away.

Social Media

Most likely you already have at least a few social media profiles. To get considerable amounts of traffic you should produce the highest quality content possible and take advantage of your network and social media. As I mentioned earlier, this doesn’t mean that you will have to ask those in your network for votes. A strong network should include a number of readers that actively use social media and value your content enough to submit/vote on social media sites.

Many bloggers with strong networks do occasionally send out requests to their friends and contacts for social media votes. I receive such requests regularly, and assuming it’s coming from someone that I know, I am happy to help. When I first started blogging and using social media I didn’t want to ever ask for votes, but when I realized that I didn’t mind getting requests from others I decided to try it for myself, with good results. Remember to not ask too frequently, to provide content that is worthy of votes, and always be willing to return the favor.

Whether you are a new blogger or just simply looking to improve the results you’re currently getting from your blog, an emphasis on using content, networking and social media together will produce powerful results. If you have any personal experiences with this that you would like to share, or if you have something to add, please leave a comment.

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There are a number of websites that use blogs as a supplement to the primary content of the site. In fact, this website is an example. The primary purpose of the site is to offer design services and the blog helps to accomplish the overall objectives by driving more traffic to the site and increasing the exposure of the design services.

If you currently run a website that does not include a blog, you could be missing out on a number of key benefits. Here are 5 reasons to add a blog to your site:

1. Repeat Traffic – Blogs allow your interested visitors to subscribe by RSS or by email. If you are selling products or services through your site, most visitors will not buy on their first visit. In this case, the more repeat traffic you get, the more likely you are to make sales. Additionally, these repeat visitors will frequently become very loyal visitors and supporters of your business.

2. Inbound Links – Starting a blog is one of the best things you can do to gain new inbound links. Effective blog content creation will make your site a much more likely target of links from other websites and blogs.

3. Search Engine Traffic/Rankings – One of the great benefits of blogs is the keyword-rich pages that are created each time you publish a new post. If you post consistently to your blog you will quickly see a drastic increase in the total number of pages on your site. The more pages on your site, the more opportunities you’ll have for search engine traffic. With each blog post you can target different keywords and phrases that will expand the type of searches that will draw traffic.

4. Credibility/Authority – A blog is a natural way for you to show your expertise to your visitors. Top bloggers are seen as experts and authorities in their respective fields. If you want others to recognize you as one of the leaders in your industry, start a blog and show them why you are an authority. Gaining this status can help you land more business and allow you to charge higher rates.

5. Interaction with Visitors – Blogs allow readers to interact by participating in the comments. Active readers are more likely to come back.

3 Websites that Use Blogs as a Supplement:

COLOURlovers:

COLOURlovers is a large community site for designers and color lovers of all kinds. Their about page says:

COLOURlovers™ is a resource that monitors and influences color trends. COLOURlovers gives the people who use color – whether for ad campaigns, product design, or even in architectural specification – a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.

The blog at COLOURlovers is just one of the many resources available for visitors. There are currently over 40,000 users of the site and over 220,000 user-submitted color palettes. Articles on the blog frequently draw significant traffic, thanks in part to social media. I’m sure many visitors who find the site through the blog wind up looking through some of the other sections of the site and will return anytime they are looking for color inspiration.

SEOmoz:

One of the leading search engine optimization firms, SEOmoz’s blog is regularly updated and provides some of the industry’s best information. The blog at SEOmoz.org of course has helped to build the profile of the business and has a large, loyal following.

The primary focus of SEOmoz’s website is premium content that users can access through paid subscriptions. Premium members benefit from exclusive articles, ebooks and tools that are not available to the general public. There’s no doubt that the traffic and reputation that are a result of the blog help to increase the amount of premium memberships that are sold through the website. Anyone selling similar products and services would benefit from a similar strategy.

David Airey:

David Airey is a graphic designer based in Scotland. DavidAirey.co.uk naturally includes his design portfolio and all of the necessary information that you would expect to find about his services. However, the bulk of the site is a blog in which David writes about various topics related to graphic design and logo design.

I know from being a reader of David’s blog that he views the blog as a way to reach new clients. His approach is quite similar to that ours. A portfolio site and blog like David’s is relatively easy to set up with WordPress using the page feature to create all of the portfolio, about, and contact pages, and obviously using blog posts to create content for the blog. In my opinion this is a much more effective strategy than simply setting up a small portfolio website with very little content.

These are just 3 examples of how a blog can work in conjunction with a website. All three examples have different approaches and different reasons for using a blog. If you currently don’t use a blog on your site, take a look at the examples and see if there is anything that you can implement for yourself.

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Why is Networking Important for Bloggers?

1. New readers – Many of the people that you network with on social media sites, forums and at other blogs will sooner or later visit your blog and become regular readers. Best of all, these will be some of your most consistent, most loyal readers.

2. Inbound links – One of the primary reasons for networking with other bloggers is gaining backlinks. Bloggers link to other bloggers that they like, and if you are well-liked and well-connected you’ll get more links. After all, people can’t link to you if they don’t know about you.

3. Help and advice – Friends and networking contacts are a great resource when you need a qualified opinion. If you’ve already built a relationship with someone it’s much easier to ask for their advice and help, as opposed to approaching someone you don’t know.

4. Helping others – Part of being a successful networker is bringing value to others. If you expect or desire help from your contacts when you’re in need, be willing to help others too.

5. Becoming an authority – If you want to be well-known and respected in your industry, you need to be actively networking. The more people know you and know about you, the better exposure you will receive.

6. Drawing comments on your posts – A goal of almost every blogger is to have active, valuable conversations through the comments. Having a strong network with your readers certainly improves your ability to accomplish this.

7. Team projects – Many people prefer to work with others on new projects and ventures. If you have a strong network there are probably plenty of others who have similar interests that might be a good fit for a team project like a second blog for example.

8. Promotion for products and services – One of the best methods of promotion is a referral from a trusted source.

How Can You Start to Build a Network?

1. Be willing to help others – The bloggers that I know who have the strongest networking skills are also very willing to help others. Sure, it may take some of your time occasionally, but you’ll build strong relationships and people will usually be willing to return the favor later. In fact, some people will even look for ways to pay you back.

2. Use social media – Social media sites like StumbleUpon are great for meeting other bloggers and networking. Most users of social media expect to meet others there, so it is a natural place to get to know them. Also, by using social media you have the ability to send traffic to other bloggers, which is always a great way to get noticed and make friends.

3. Link out to others – Using outbound links to get the attention of other bloggers is a common method. If you’re hoping that those you link to will notice you and visit your blog, focus on linking to smaller blogs as the larger ones get so many links that they are unlikely to really notice and appreciate it. Links can also be a very powerful tool once you have begun to network with another blogger. Show them that you appreciate their work and that you want to help them by giving a link every now and then.

4. Email bloggers to introduce yourself – Most bloggers appreciate hearing from their readers. Simply take a moment to email someone and tell them why you read their blog and what you appreciate. Briefly tell them a little bit about yourself as well. Most bloggers will respond positively to this if you don’t seem pushy or spammy.

5. Be proactive in general – Most of the methods mentioned so far have one thing in common, you taking action. Try to develop a more proactive mindset and approach. Being proactive will certainly lead to meeting more people and better chances to develop your network.

6. Participate in group activities – Some of the best and easiest exposure I’ve received has come from participating in a few group writing projects and contests. In most cases they won’t require much extra work for you, but it will provide you with a convenient way to meet others.

7. Use forums – If you’re looking for a quick, easy place to network with other bloggers forums like Authority Blogger are a great solution. While it is difficult to drive much traffic to your site through forums, they are one of the best places for networking.

8. Write guest posts – Several of the best contacts that I’ve made over the past several months were initiated when I contacted other bloggers about the possibility of guest posting for them. If you can offer a high quality article to another blogger they will be sure to remember you and you now have an instant connection.

9. Comment on other blogs – Commenting is probably the most common form of participation with other bloggers. Not only can you get the attention of the blogger, but many visitors also take time to read through the comments.

What are some of the methods that you use for networking, and what do you think are the most important reasons to network?

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1. Know What Your Readers Really Want.

Successful blogs satisfy their readers. In order to do so, you’ll first need to know specifically what it is that your readers want from you. You should have a good idea of what subjects and topics they would like to see you cover, as well as how frequently they would like new content to be added. Each audience will also prefer certain writing styles or types of posts.

Of course, not all of your readers will want the same things. Hopefully you’ll find that the majority of readers share opinions on several of these issues. But how do you find out what they want from you? The best way is to simply ask them. You can do this by using polls, asking for comments, or by emailing readers to ask for their opinions. Additionally, you can pay attention to which blog posts draw the most traffic, receive the most comments, or have the best success with social media.

Even if you have an established blog you will want to pay attention to what your readers want, as their needs and wants may change over time.

2. Create High-Quality, Original Content.

Once you know what your readers want, it’s up to you to give it to them. Content is what really makes a blog attractive and it is what keeps readers coming back. Unfortunately, consistently developing quality content is easier said than done. This is just one reason why it’s usually best to blog about a subject that you really enjoy, because the time-consuming activities will be much less fun if you aren’t passionate about your subject.

For most people, creating great blog posts requires brainstorming. In many cases, coming up with a unique idea is more difficult than writing the post once you have the idea. Don’t underestimate the importance of having original content that will set you apart from other blogs in your niche.

For more information, see The Blogger’s Guide to Creating Better Content.

3. Expand Your Network.

Networking with other bloggers is one of the most important activities, and a strong network can drastically improve your success (and you can help others as well). If you’ve been blogging for any length of time you have probably made some connections with other bloggers in your niche.

Networking is important for several reasons; including the advice and guidance you can receive, linking opportunities, partnership opportunities, guest blogging, etc.

If networking is not a part of your daily or weekly schedule, make sure you start designating some time. You can get started by commenting on other blogs, visiting forums, using social media, or just send an email and introduce yourself to another blogger.

4. Set Goals and Track Your Results.

Most people are aware of the value of setting goals, but many of us probably struggle to consistently set measurable and attainable goals and follow up on them. Tracking your success is just as important as setting the goal. Goals can help to challenge and motivate you and they can keep you focused when you are tempted to not put in the time and effort.

5. Continually Improve Your Knowledge and Experience.

The most successful bloggers are always striving to learn knew things that can help them to improve. There’s a lot of competition out there, and if you are not improving someone else probably is.

Be willing to try new ways to grow your blog, you may be surprised by the results. As you gain experience throughout the months and years you will learn what works best for you.

In order to continually produce quality content, you’ll also have to be continually learning. This can be one of the frustrations of blogging, or it can be something that you really enjoy. Again, this is more realistic if you have chosen a subject that you are passionate about.

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Other ranking systems have been developed by individuals for specific blogging niches. Mark at 45n5 has created a lot of buzz and plenty of inbound links with his list of the Top 100 Make Money Online Blogs, and Marco Richter has created a similar list of the top blogs about blogging. Many blogs being sold recently have used rankings as a selling point to potential buyers.

Personally, I don’t think any of these rankings have that much significance, but aside from PageRank and RealRank I do check them regularly. Although I don’t think high rankings indicate success or poor rankings indicate failure, I am motivated by rankings and it gives me a clear indication that I’m moving forward. This evidence of growth (along with subscriber counts) helps to keep me going.

I know some of you are a part of the 45n5 rankings and/or Marco Richter’s list, and all blogs can be tracked by Technorati rank and Alexa rank. What impact do these rankings have on you?

My Thoughts on Blog Rankings:

1. Don’t let others (including me) tell you what is important and what determines your success. Your success is measured against whatever it is that you set out to achieve. If you have poor rankings but are accomplishing what you want as a blogger, don’t be discouraged.

2. Find some type of measurement or ranking that is relevant to you and use it as motivation. Especially if you’re a naturally competitive person, rankings can be really helpful.

3. Don’t worry about rankings that don’t affect you. If you’re not selling ads, why does PageRank matter? Likewise, if you’re selling products or services from your blog, aren’t sales a more valid measurement than your Technorati rank?

4. Rankings can help to indicate if you are achieving your goals, but high rankings themselves should not be your primary goals. If you are trying to grow your blog’s audience (and who isn’t), increasing rankings can indicate that you’re on the right path, but ultimately there are other things that are more important than your rankings.

Why Rankings Matter:

1. They are based on statistics and are intended to be factual representations.

2. People who see them may be influenced. Example, the top blogs on 45n5’s list have gained a lot of targeted readers that know they are an authority on the subject.

3. Motivation.

4. Blog sales and advertising revenue can be influenced by rankings.

Why Rankings Don’t Matter:

1. They can be manipulated. Example, link trains that are created primarily to game Technorati’s ranking system.

2. High rankings don’t always equal achievement of goals.

3. Ranking systems may be flawed.

What are your thoughts on rankings and how do they impact you?

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