YouTube debut and YouTube Turbocharge Advice

YouTube is one way to help turbocharge your blog or Website.

You can simply embed other peoples videos that add value, create playlists, or perhaps best of all, simply and cheaply create your own videos and upload them, using them to raise awareness, drive traffic, blah blah blah.

I've created my first ( non-professional, as in I did it, no camera crew, studio etc.) video to promote a hobby site.

I used the killer advice from Gideon and Yaro - so simple to implement!

7 Killer Tips For Optimizing Your YouTube Videos

Turbocharge yourself online with video - 7 simple killer tips

No question, online video is here and is big - and very easy to do.

My friend Gideon, using video on one of his own YouTube channels, and got like 67,400 views in just 8 weeks!

Think a few of these people would click through to your blog or Web site? Oh yeah!

Check out his:

7 Killer Tips For Optimizing Your YouTube Videos

Gideon does a great job, I learned a lot, and 5 minutes after watching this video, I had already implemented some of his advice.

I started another YouTube channel to promote a specific site (took a couple of minutes and it's free). I've optimized my video, which is dead simple if you follow the instructions, and am well on my way.

More later on how I'm using video (and some videos for you too), but for now
Click here for killer tips on turbocharging your online presence with video

I'm going to go watch it again now and take notes this time - seriously. It's short and easy to watch.

I think I'll be doing a couple of videos a week - they are so simple to do, and free to host on YouTube and many other online video services. I may stick with YouTube or may also place them on others like Viddler and Google video etc.

I suppose I should shoot a video on my results? :)

How To Rapidly Grow Your Blog or Web site Traffic

How do you rapidly grow your blog (or Web site traffic)?

There are some simple techniques that work that I've mentioned several times, including:

• Writing great content
• Commenting on other blogs
• Blogging regularly (at least until you are established)
• Participating in blog carnivals
• Including your keyword or keyphrase in your blog article

These all work, and work well, but aren't going to skyrocket your traffic and make you an overnight sensation. They are slow and steady techniques that pay off over time.

There are some other techniques, a little more advanced and perhaps time consuming than simply "commenting on other blogs" for example, that can rapidly grow your traffic.

They are NOT rocket science :) I've used many of them myself - they simply work.

Check out this great short video on how to rapidly grow your blog or Web site traffic.

You'll probably find at least a couple of techniques you can start on quickly. There is some work involved - no magic here, but sometimes results may seem magical!

Click here to grow your traffic and then let me know what you think. Leave a comment or drop me an email.

How to Promote Yourself With Blog Comments and More, Part II

How to Promote Yourself With Blog Comments, Part I - click here

Here's part two of how to promote yourself, your blog, your Website, your charity, your sleazy underworld pursuits, or anything else  using blog comments.

I'm just giving you the tools -- please play nicely now!

How do you make search engines jump up and down in excitement about how cool you or whatever you're promoting is, whether it's a charity or even something sleazy?

As I said last week, "blog comments are awesome. They let you enter someone else's Internet real estate and leave public statements, which can make you look smart, drive traffic to your blog or Web site, and make Google and the other search engines jump up and down in excitement about how cool you are too."

Did you know that most traffic on the Internet is driven by the search engines, especially by Google, which is #1 by a long shot?

That's why search engine positioning, where you show up in the search engine results, really matters a lot.

For example, my new Web site flyrodstripedbass.com, is getting over 80 visitors a day JUST FROM GOOGLE. And the visitors are sticking around and reading several pages because they like the content (good content is very important, but you know that right?).

We can't go into all the reasons right now as to why Google digs my new site, but one primary reason is because it has a lot of links to it from other Web sites and blogs. Google and the other search engines take each link as a "vote of confidence" -- if it's worth linking to, it must be valuable they reason.

Well, there are lots of ways to get links, including leaving blog comments, buying links (called "text link advertising"), registering with directories, etc.

But let's step back - the search engines:

IGNORE MOST LINKS FROM BLOG COMMENTS!

You see, there are two types of links.

• Ordinary links, called "do follow links" and
• No follow links, which search engines ignore

Most blog comments utilize no follow links, in part to combat comment spam.

All intelligent blog comments are valuable, because readers may see them and follow them to your blog or Web site.

Unfortunately, all do follow blog comments, even comment spam, are valuable as the search engines take them as a vote of confidence. That's why we see comments like "wrerw effwefwe ewewffew" left by "Cheap Vaigra."

This causes a link to be made with the anchor text (the clickable part) of  "Cheap Viagra" and if the comment is left on a "do follow" blog, the search engines not only take the link as a vote of confidence for the cheap Viagra site, but they also use the anchor text to help figure out what's important about the linked to site.

Leave a couple million comments like this using automated spamming software and some of them will be do follow and your site promoting cheap (and probably fake) Viagra will get more search engine traffic, you'll sell more cheap vaigra, and perhaps live long and prosper, although I hope you die a early death in prison you miserable spammer!

I'm assuming my readers are good people and we're just looking at mechanics here.
Of course they can be used for good as well as evil.

So, "do follow" comments, actually any "do follow" links are very valuable, especially if you can use keywords as your name, the anchor text.

So, how do you find "do follow" blogs?  Several ways:
(most spammers don't get this -- don't tell them!)

• There are do follow blog search engines, for example
  http://dofollow.thegermz.com/
• You can use the Firefox browser with the following plugin which highlights links
  depending on their follow status
  https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5687
  Red is no follow, blue is do follow
• You could just look at the underlying HTML code!

There is one other method I suggest, but it costs $5 a month
(pretty cheap, huh?).

Easy Backlink Builder sends you 30 easy to get do follow links back to your site each month. They're not all blogs, but they all let you build do follow links back to whatever you're promoting, as long as you're nice, leave good comments, don't spam, follow sites terms of service, etc.

Let's look at two real (and ethical) Examples

#1) I have a Website on fly fishing, www.flyrodstripedbass.com

Now I do make some money from this site, but it primarily exists because I LOVE to fly fish, especially for Striped Bass.

I left comments on do follow fishing blogs to help build the sites importance to the search engines and get more traffic from them.

Actually I used Easy Backlink Builder as part of my strategy to help find places to (politely and respectfully) drop back links.

Hey, it's a fishing site, and I'm a fanatical fisherman. Leaving comments on fishing and related blogs makes perfect sense.

#2) "Bob Smith" (not his real name) has a common name. He has no Web site or blog of his own, but does use LinkedIn and considers his LinkedIn profile to be his home on the Internet.

If you Googled Bob, his LinkedIn profile showed up on page 7 of the search engine results. Everything else was some other Bob Smith.

Bob created a couple of backlinks to his profile, primarily using do follow blog comments (as well as leaving plenty of no follow blog comments), each week. Now, a few months out, if you Google Bob Smith he's THE NUMBER ONE RESULT!

So, Bob left a very few thoughtful comments each week, and he went from essentially unfindable to extremely findable!

Now as an aside, not all links are created equal. Links from important and related sites are worth more than links from obscure and unrelated sites, but pretty much all links matter.

Disclaimer: If you try Easy Backlink Builder I get enough money to buy a cup of coffee -- but not one of the expensive froufrou coffee drinks at Starbucks :)

SO:

• Build backlinks, but be nice!
• Bloggers don't need to be too concerned as bloggers naturally link to each other -- but "manually" creating a few links can and does make a big difference
• Many big companies including Fortune 500s spend a lot of effort building backlinks

OK, so why would someone have a "do follow" blog and how do you do it?
Stand by for part III!

How to Promote Yourself With Blog Comments, Part I

How to promote yourself, your blog, your Website, your charity, your sleazy underworld pursuits, or anything else using blog comments -  a quick two part series.

I'm just giving you the tools -- please play nicely now!

Blog comments are awesome. They let you enter someone else's Internet real estate and leave public statements, which can make you look smart, drive traffic to your blog or Web site, and make Google and the other search engines jump up and down in excitement about how cool you are too. Oh, and the  bloggers wll be happy to if you leave good comments.

First, some basics. Most blogs allow you to leave comments.

You type in your comment, your name, an email (never displayed), along with a URL (something like www.teddemop.com ).

The URL can be to your blog or Web site if you have one, or very simply point to your LinkedIn Profile (every professional should be in LinkedIn - it's complimentary).

The comment may be immediately displayed or it may be "moderated," meaning the blog owner wants to make sure your comment is OK before it gets published.

If you leave an intelligent and thoughtful comment, even if it disagrees with the blogger, some readers may click on your link and come find out more about you. Also, assuming you're using your full name, for example "Ted Demopoulos" instead of "Ted", the search engines will index your comments and associate them with your name. When people look you up online using the search engines, some of these comments will show up and hopefully make you look smart - at least if you leave intelligent comments!

There are plenty of ways to find appropriate blogs in your professional or other area of interest. High on the list is using the blog search engines like Technorati or Google Blog Search. Once you've found appropriate blogs, look at their blog rolls, lists of similar blogs in their sidebars, and you may find some more appropriate blogs.

Part II, "how to make Google and the other search engines jump up and down in excitement about how cool you or whatever you're promoting is, whether it's a charity, random commercial Web site like www.womanshairlossadvice.com, or even something sleazy (use your imagination here).

Part II, How to promote Yourself with Blog Comments and more - click here

Blog Directories - Should I submit My Blog?

A common question new bloggers ask is, "Should I submit my blog to blog directories?" Some bloggers will submit to hundreds of directories, while others believe this to be useless. When starting a new blog, I think it is worthwhile to submit your blog to a few blog directories.

You will get some initial and valuable links back to your blog, which hopefully the search engines will quickly find causing them to index your blog, so that it's including in search results. Also, search engines consider links to be a "vote of confidence." Anything worth linking to must have value, they assume, so the more links to your blog the better it must be. Don't necessarily expect anyone to follow the links, to get any visitors from the directory listings.

So how many blog directories should you submit to? Hundreds of blog directories? Some people do, but I believe that's a waste of time. Maybe 5-10 blog directories maximum is enough. Although search engines love links, they are smart enough to realize that a link from a blog directory is not as important as a link from an on-topic blog post or article.

I always submit to Technorati.com and a few others, maybe 5 or perhaps a few more. Some blog directories may want you to post a backlink or make you jump though other hoops -- I generally skip those. Life is complicated enough!

Not everyone agrees with me on this. Some experienced bloggers feel submitting to blog directories is entirely worthless and conversely some believe submitting to hundreds of them is worthwhile. If you are going to submit to hundreds of directories, you might consider outsourcing that work as it's time intensive.

So how do you find blog directories? Simple, Google "blog directory." The most important blog directories, at least in the eyes of Google, will be listed first.

Submitting is usually fast, although some may make it difficult - skip those! When you first start your blog, spend a few minutes submitting to 5 or 10 blog directories, and then concentrate on producing valuable content so hopefully others will link to you.

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com

Blog Traffic: Why most Blogs NEVER get much

If you're famous, like Mick Jagger or Robert Scoble or Madonna, write it and they will come. You can write about anything you want, and lots of people will read it.

Unfortunately, you my friend are probably not famous, just like I'm not. If we write on whatever we find interesting and exciting, it's unlikely many other people will have matching interests.

Oh some may find your posts on the advances of bowling ball technology fascinating, but they probably won't care for your extensive coverage of laptop battery time extension techniques or any details of your belly button lint collection. And the belly button lint aficionados probably find bowling balls and batteries boring.

In other words, it's NOT about you - what you're interested in. No one cares about what you're interested in (unless you're famous), and very few people will have interests that parallel yours.

But wait, if it doesn't matter what you're interested in, what about all this stuff about "passion" and "passionate bloggers are successful bloggers" you keep hearing? How can you write passionately about something you're not interested in?

Well, you probably can't, but the solution is simple -- a one word answer:

FOCUS! I repeat, FOCUS!!

Write about ONE thing you are passionately interested in, maybe Nubian dwarf goat husbandry or American Civil War history or the evolution of belly button lint collections in museums. There are plenty of people, potential readers, for any ONE of those topics. Even belly button lint has 274,000 hits on Google, and yes there appear to be blogs on the topic too.

I'm writing about Web 2.0 stuff and how it affects business, things like blogging and podcasting etc. I'm NOT writing about fishing or Chinese cooking or biking or wine or many other things I'm passionate about, because it's not about me. And yeah, I should work about being more focused too . . .

But what about Robert Scoble? He's a blogger and his claim to fame is from blogging. Despite Robert being a great guy I read regularly he isn't very focused.

Well, you need to be and so do I if we care about traffic -- Robert is famous and> he started blogging in a simpler time when there was less competition.

And now I must leave you as I'm stranded in an airport and my laptop battery is almost dead. Fortunately I have the latest "Popular Nubian Dwarf Goat Husbandry" with me. Maybe I'll check my belly button too . . .

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com

(this is an update of a previous popular post)

Blog Traffic - The Care and Feeding of Blog Commenters - 3 Tips

As you become a more popular blogger, people will start leaving comments on your blog. You may or not get a lot of comments, but by treating commenters well, you can turn many of them into regular readers if not fervent fans. Here are three tips to help.

1) Answer comments on your blog

Not all comments need responses, but many do. You can answer comments in additional comments, or sometimes with an entirely new blog post.

I find I answer the majority of comments in another comment, and often end up starting conversations this way.

Don't worry about getting so many comments that you can't answer them all! If you become that popular, just be happy and answer the comments you can.

2) Email commenters and thank them!

Commenters are special. Most people don't leave comments, perhaps only one percent or less. Consider emailing commenters and thanking them. They will remember and be more likely to visit your blog again and leave additional comments. Realize that many commenters may not be regular readers of your blog. Often they've just stumbled across your blog for the first time.

3) Interview particularly insightful commenters and post the interviews

This can be as simple as a short email interview, perhaps 3-5 questions. Most commenters will be flattered. And do you think the commenter/interviewee might send you some traffic, perhaps link to you or tell others? They usually will.

Interacting with others is a great way to build blog traffic, and a primary way to interact on a blog is through comments. By considering the tips above, you'll interact more effectively with people that leave comments and turn many of them into regular readers if not fervent fans.

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com

Blog Traffic Through Blog Commenting - 7 Tips

People often recommend building awareness and traffic to your blog through leaving comments on other blogs. This can work well, but will work far better if you consider the tips below, which greatly build on the "write great comments on lots of blogs idea."

1)    Write great comments

The typical advice is to leave intelligent and insightful comments that add value to the reader. This is solid advice, but just a beginning on blog commenting strategies.

2)    Leave controversial comments

Controversy gets noticed, and you can build interest and traffic by politely offering different points of view in comments. Don't be controversial just to stand out, but only where it's reasonable and adds value.

Opinions are valued in the blogosphere, and as long as you have a legitimate differing view and can back it up, don't shy away from controversy.

3)    Use a consistent commenter name

Always use a consistent name when you leave comments. For example if your name is Robert James Smith, don't sometimes use "Bob Smith," sometimes "Robert Smith," and sometimes "Robert James Smith." Pick one consistent representation of your name so that people will get to recognize you.

4)    Append your blogname or other tagline to your comment name

You can append your blogname or other tagline to your name when commenting. For example, if you're Bob Smith and your blog is called "Feline Health," using the name "Bob Smith, Feline Health" will get you lots of notice on cat blogs. Make sure, as mentioned above, you use a consistent name, whether you include a tagline or not.

5)    Comment early

Early comments attract more attention than late comments. It's better to have the first or second comment on a popular blog than the 5th or 25th. The later comments tend to get buried and not read as often.

6) Comment often on the same blogs

Regular readers will be more likely to notice you if you regularly leave comments and will be more likely to visit your blog.

7) Leave comments on related blogs

It doesn't matter how great your comments might be, if you are a cat blogger your comments will work better on other cat blogs than on political, ,marketing, or other unrelated blogs!

Leaving comments is a great way to build blog traffic. By considering the tips above, you'll build more traffic than by simply using the common "leave great comments"strategy.

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com

Building Traffic: 6 Tips to Publicize Your Blog

You need to publicize your blog. Write it and they will come won't work. Even if you are famous, even if you are Madonna or Osama Bin-Laden or Bill Gates, if you start blogging no one is going to read it if they don't know about it.

1) One technique is simply to tell people about your blog.

For example, email them and tell them about it. Guy Kawasaki e-mailed ten thousand people when he started blogging. Now Guy is a best selling author, one of the original Apple employees who evangelized the Macintosh, and is a columnist for Forbes.com -- you probably don't know as many people as Guy and neither do I. However do let your friends, colleagues and other contacts know.

2) Use your email signature. 

An email signature is a little block of text that is appended to every email that you send and all modern email programs allow email signatures. You can include your blog information in your email signature. I suggest you experiment with different text. Some people may be more likely to visit something that says that it's a blog, while others may be more likely to click on something like "Ted's thoughts and opinions on whatever" you are blogging on. 

3) Link prominently from your website.

If you have a Web site, link prominently to your blog. Don't make it hard to find. It always amazes me when companies or individuals start a blog and it is very difficult to find.

There was a local gourmet food shop whose blog was written up in a local paper and it was almost impossible to find. They should have had a link from their home page on their website and from any other pages that were appropriate, but they didn't. With some difficulty, I found it via Googling around and I shouldn't have had to gone to that difficulty. They certainly didn't do themselves any favors.

4) List your blog anywhere you list your website.

This includes online as well as offline materials such as letterheads and business cards, in any advertisements, on your fax header page and so forth.

I don't currently list my blog on my business card although I probably should. I notice a lot of people do, but some don't. Most people which don't are pretty much in the same boat as me. I printed a couple of thousand business cards about ten years ago, and I simply don't go through them that fast. But the next time I print business cards I am going to guarantee you my blog will be prominently featured there.

5) Another way to build traffic is to enter carnivals. Carnivals can really help to publicize your blog.

A carnival is a "best of list" of posts on certain topic, and carnivals move continuously to new host blogs - that's the carnival aspect.  Examples include Carnival of the Capitalists, Carnival of Entrepreneurship, Carnival of Marketing, Carnival of Business, and so forth. The best way to find them is via the Search Engines or blogcarnival.com, which currently lists 787 blog carnivals. There is probably one your blog could be included in. And every time I get listed in a blog carnival, I do get some additional traffic.

6) List yourself as the author of your blog and include it your bio and other places. For example, let's say you are a petunia consultant and have a blog called Petunia Power. You could list yourself as Ted Demopoulos, author of Petunia Power (assuming your name is Ted Demopoulos, which is probably isn't).

Now that sounds impressive! What is Petunia power? Is it a book? Is it a website? Is it a blog? Well, it really doesn't matter. It sounds impressive and it is because you're writing regularly on a topic.

Write it and they will come won't work. You need to let the world know about your blog. These tips will help you get the word out.

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com