Captive Mommies

Mar 25

Top 100 lists are a great way to get your business or blog “out there” for everyone to see. A while back when I was building up my jewelry boutique I spent about three days straight joining every top 100 list I could find that was keyed to boutiques or WAHMs. I even created three of my own top sites. I joined quite a few and I thought I would share the list with you. Please note that some are just for jewelry sites and others are Christian-based lists. I’m sure there are new ones out there so if anyone finds/has one that’s not on my list please leave a comment with the URL and I’ll gladly add it

Top 100 Lists for Blogs:
http://kidandparentblogs.gotop100.com
http://homeschoolblogs.gotop100.com
http://chalforweb.gotop100.com
http://bizwomenbloggers.gotop100.com
http://blogvillage.gotop100.com
http://greatblogs.gotop100.com

** New since list was updated

Mar 20

Adding Signature Graphic

How to automatically add a signature graphic to the bottom of every blog post:

(Blogger Only)

For blogs with only one author:

1. Have a signature graphic hosted somewhere on the web. If you need one try mylivesignature.com. Save the image on your computer then upload it to a photo hosing site like photobucket.com. Insert the direct URL (location on the web) for your signature graphic between in this code:

<img src='YOUR SIGNATURE URL HERE' style='border: 0px'/><br/>

2. From your Blogger Dashboard click “Layout” for the blog you want the signature to show up in.

3. Click “Edit HTML”

4. Check “Expand Widgets”

5. Copy/Paste a copy of the HTML into NotePad (or similar text editing program).

6. Stay in NotePad and scroll down more than half way until you find this line:

<div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'><span class='post-timestamp'>

7. Insert the HTML tag for your signature just before the tag like this:

<div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'><img src='http://saraspixelstudio.com/blogsig.gif' style='border: 0px'/><br/><span class='post-timestamp'>

8. Be sure you added the
just after your image tag (so the signature won’t be on the same line with the time stamp.

9. Copy/Paste the whole document back into blogger and click “Save”.

10. Your new signature should automatically appear after every post on your blog (even old posts).

For blogs with more than one author try this method:

1. Have a signature graphic hosted somewhere on the web. If you need one try

2. From your Blogger Dashboard click “Settings”

3. Click “Formatting”

4. Scroll all the way to the last option of “Post Template”

5. Paste the HTML code for your signature in the box.

6. Click “Save Settings”

Each blog author will have to do this in their own Dashboard. Now when ever you create a new post the signature HTML will automatically be there. Just be sure to type your post before the signature code

Mar 20

Bring Traffic/Readers to your Blog?

So the age old question (well as long as blogging has been around) has always been ‘How do I bring in new readers to my blog?’ Well the possible answers to that question are endless and they are different for each and every blog out there!

Blogrings
Many bloggers join blogrings (a.k.a. webrings) and install simple code on their site that links them to other sites of the same topic. For example if you own the blog “Garden Goddess” and you blog all about your garden of daisies then you could join a blogring/webring for gardeners or even more precise a ring just for daisy lovers or even both. But be careful about joining too many rings as the codes can clutter up your blog and be confusing for readers.

Blog Directories
Submitting your blog to several blog directories is another good way to bring in readers. Some directories have ranking options in which the more votes you have the higher your blog is on the list meaning that more people would see the listing and hopefully come check it out. Like blogrings/webrings there are directories based on topic and then there are directories that are open to all bloggers. themomblogs.com, blogamama.com, and momblognetwork.com are all for “mom” bloggers whereas bloghop.com, dir.blogflux.com, bloggernity.com, blogoriffic.com, blogskinny.com, mybloglog.com, and blogcatalog.com are open to all blogs. Blog directories also usually require a link back to their site as “payment” for being in their directory. These links are usually in the form of a tiny banner like this and you can easily join several without detracting from your blog.

Advertising
Advertising your blog isn’t usually very productive if you don’t make money from traffic, but if you really desire readers then cheap advertising is probably the best way to go. Research forums and other sites that are along the same topic lines as your blog. Find several different places to have your banner displayed and then go for it. Prior to purchasing advertising you could seek out free advertising such as top 100 sites or other blogs/websites who might offer ad spots for trade. Top 100 sites also require a link back and their banners are usually pretty large so pick just a few that get lots of hits and be sure to click your banner every 24 hours to move up the rankings on these sites. If the banner on your site is never clicked then your blog will remain at the end of the list = no one will see it and no one will visit. When trading ad spots remember to trade equal size banners with the other blogger and keep visibility equal also (i.e. don’t offer them space at the top of your blog for space at the bottom of theirs). This will ensure that both bloggers get the best face time from readers without any hard feelings.

So you’ve picked out a few ways to bring in traffic. Now what? Well you have to make sure all those plugs and banners aren’t cluttering your blog up for nothing. Tracking your blog hits is the only way to do this. I recommend StatCounter.com. Just install the simple code on your blog and you can immediately start tracking your readers. You will know where they came from, where they went inside your blog and where they left. So watch the hits often to make sure those link backs aren’t for naught and if you see you never get hits from some then say “see ya” and move on to another traffic source

Captive Mommies

Blogroll

Captive Mommies Sites

Topics

Sponsors

Affiliations