That is the problem that I am having.  I have focused on affiliate marketing, internet marketing or marketing in general for about one month now.  I wanted to keep this blog going in one direction so I tried not to hop around on topics too much.  I haven’t noticed any increase in avg. time on site though.

I have made a small mistake, which I think others don’t really think about on their blog, and that is I have 3-4 posts that ranked high in search engine results, but not for any keywords related here.  This can be very frustrating when you take a look at your stats and you aren’t seeing what you want.  Trying to keep the blog focused for specific keywords can be a challenge, especially with the temptation of social media traffic lurking right around the corner for any type of interesting post you can throw at them.

Now that I have concrete proof in my stats that social media and unrelated keyword traffic isn’t helping, I am going to have to shift into another gear each time I post.  I must remember that keywords in my title are important, post content should be focused and my posts should be submitted to social media by others that think it’s interesting.  The reason you allow others to submit first, is because then you know that you have something worth talking about.  Let’s face it, everyone with a blog thinks their content is the best in the business, but when someone else thinks it, you will reap much better results.

All in all, this blog is a sobering experience every single day.  It’s more about getting down what I have tried and hopefully be able to help others in the same boat that I am in.  I like to promote blogs, websites and affiliate products, this blog is on the side to jot down my findings.  I hope you find it useful in some way.

If so, take a minute to leave a comment on my post.

Submit to directories

Find directories in your niche, if you have one, and submit your URL.  If available, do NOT forget to write up a nice description of what other users will find there.  Use some keywords that work for your blog and make sure you don’t ramble on and on…

Use Forum Signatures

Don’t forget about using the signature file for the forums that you participate in.  That is one of the easiest ways to get a link back (no-follow or not) to your blog and when you post relevant information on the forums, people will start to notice the links in the signature.  Don’t get all cute and obtrusive though, just a simple text link will do.

Optimize

There are a couple of plugins available for WordPress blogs, to help you with optimization for search traffic.  This will take some work and a little bit of research, but in the long run will help you out the most.  You want as much traffic from search as you can get, otherwise you might be paying for traffic to get any.

These are just a couple of things that you can do while you wait for a search engines to pick your blog up.  Don’t forget to create a robots.txt file, too.  That way the spiders know where they are going when they get to your blog.

Did I miss anything?

So the easy, short version of getting noticed is reading other blogs and keeping an eye open for “Top Commenters” area.  Then you just find articles or posts that you have 2 cents for and leave it.  Eventually you will slide up the list and people should be clicking the link to your blog/website in no time.

Give it a try, it’s free and you will see successful results in short order, or your money back.  Oops.  Habit.

Most websites search for these types of listings to submit their web sites.  It’s usually an easy link back to your site, which helps with search engine rankings, and we all know that everybody likes that.  Plus, if you are up to it, right now they are offering 60 free days on a Premium Sponsorship.  Your website will be posted at the top position of the category you chose.  After the 60 free trial, you will be charged about $49.95 per month.  If you get some nice traffic, which you can almost count on, it might be worth it for you to be at the top of your category.

So, to get your web site listed on a PR7 web directory, you can just go to the Best of the Web web site at www.botw.org.  With search engine rankings being so important, you really can’t pass up a deal.  Here is some information directly from the web site.

Reach New Customers

• Gain market exposure
• Generate targeted traffic and leads

 Easy Submission Process

• Expedited review
• Listing live within 3 business days
• Online account management

Enhance Your Internet Marketing Efforts

• Search engines frequently index directories as a source for new web sites
• Direct link listings boost your visibility in the major search engines

Flexible Pricing Options

• $79.95 annually recurring review fee
• $239.95 one-time review fee

I have used programs like clickthru.com to get traffic. It may not be the best targeted traffic, but I have seen sales on my consumer electronics website come from that site. The website gives you “clickthru cash” for visiting other websites. The system is old school and has been around for a bit, but I think enough of it to tell you about it here.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is another thing. Page titles, descriptions and keywords will help Google.com and other search engines find your website or blog. If you Google and SEO term you will find a ton of information, even paid systems, to help you with this part of getting traffic.

You can join multiple directories, online communities or webrings. Just hit Google.com up with a search and there will be plenty for you to choose from. Online communities, also known as forums, are a great and easy way to get traffic to your site. You just put the address of your website or blog in your signature file (if allowed) and each time you post, your website address is right there for everyone to see. It can be targeted traffic as well, if you join a forum that is related to your topic. I joined the Technology Forum so that I could get traffic directed at my new technology blog, HiTechblogger.com.