(NOTE: this is part of the “Blogging tips” series)
(WARNING: you really should read, at least, #3 - valid HTML and #4 - making your blog search engine-friendly before you do this one)
Now, the fun begins. Your blog is already interesting, you love doing it, its HTML is valid, and its ready for search engines. So, let them come!
To begin with, go to your favorite search engines, look for the “Submit URL” or “Add URL” or “Add Link” or… link, and submit your blog. Sometimes, the links are slightly hidden; for instance, Google’s is here.
This way will eventually work. But it works much better and more quickly if your site is linked from other (already indexed) pages, especially popular ones. (That will also help your PageRank value, but that’s for a future article.). Maybe you already have/control some. Maybe some of your friends have blogs or other web sites of their own. There are other lists where you can add your URL, if its subject is appropriate. Commenting in other related blogs, and including a link to your blog when appropriate (otherwise, it’s spam) can also help.
To put it short: if at all possible, make sure your site is linked from many others. But don’t spam! Not only is that unethical, it can end up being harmful to your site, its popularity and its reputation. Search engines can even unlist your blog because of it. So, don’t just go adding your link to every site or blog you see even though it’s totally unrelated to your blog.
Now, other than search engines, there are also directories. From my experience, you can’t expect a huge amount of traffic from them, but some is better than nothing, right? I’ve included a bunch of them, to which I’ve added my blog, on the right sidebar (visible only on the main page). They are the banners below the Blogshares one. Just go to each one, find the appropriate section, and add your blog. They’re directories, so that’s exactly what they want you to do - a directory is nothing without entries, right? Just make sure, again, that you’re adding your blog to the correct section, and note also that some directories are restricted to a theme (such as technology), so, if your blog doesn’t fit that theme, don’t add it there.
One final note: all of these things can take time. Don’t expect to submit your blog to Google today and start getting visitors from there tomorrow. Even after search engines have indexed your site, they still take time to follow your updates - don’t be surprised if only your older articles seem to receive people coming from search engines. Be patient, they’ll soon catch up.
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