What can blogging do for me?

Carl · 2006-03-04, 01:09 AM

What do you all think that the up side to blogging is when you compare it to free sites, galleries, tgp's, and link lists?

Some people say blogs are good if they get traffic to your link lists etc.

I don't really have a link list, but I do list my own free sites, and some sponsor free sites on my blogs and I make sales with almost no traffic. So I guess the traffic the SE does send me is pretty good.

Any difference in spending your day working on about 7, or 8 niche blogs, than spending it on working at free sites, and galleries?

twn · 2006-03-04, 04:38 AM

I would advice not to combine freesite traffic (from linklists) with blog/se traffic (from google and blog directories). The negative thing about this is that blog/se traffic will find a way to freesites (via the links to linklists on your blog). Keep that blog/se traffic in your blog network.

ronnie · 2006-03-04, 09:34 AM

What it gives you back depends on what you put in to it. You could make crappy free sites and not make money or you can make crappy blogs and not make money. I personally think blogs can be a better route, as you can develop an audience, where free sites are hit'em and leave for the most part. Though you probably wont get as much traffic. When submitting free sites, you can submit new ones all the time, each getting a supply of traffic, a blog you can only submit to traffic sources once, except for aggregators.

ronnie

walrus · 2006-03-04, 01:01 PM

To me, blogging is simply a lot more personal. With galleries and free-sites, you build it, submit it and forget it and move to the next one, the next design. With a blog, it's a continuing thing that your constantly adding to and if you do more than write sales text it becomes an extension of you, your personality.

Plus, like Ronnie says, its stickie. You don't get only that one chance to sell a surfer because if it's interesting, they'll be back over and over and over. Plus, if your using multiple sponsors, your not only selling them once because they come back even after a join.

I've got one blog that only averages about 500 visitors a day but 25% of them are from bookmarks and out of those few "hits" I convert a sale a day.

I also disagree with Twn, the object is to get them into your network and let them wander around your network until they find something that convinces them to buy. I think a freesite, hub, blog strategy is a sound one. Very little of the SE traffic I get is specificly looking for blogs (that traffic comes from other sources) but are looking for specific niche's. Therefore with a niche specific domain, I wouldn't see any reason that a strategy of combining them wouldn't work. Remember, when linking to your own freesites, there is no reason to take them to your warning page so the only places your surfer has to go from your freesites is back to your blog or to your sponsor or to your hub.

webseix · 2006-03-04, 03:19 PM

Blogs are good because the traffic is high quality, mostly from SEs and other blogs. Also, like others said, you can build a network and then get traffic going from blog to blog and of course getting SE traffic for each blog in your network.

On the other hand, free sites are also excellent. I mean, blogs have high quality traffic but in my experiences the traffic flow doesn't even come close to what is capable for free sites. If you get partner accounts and good free listings you can get high traffic volume. Yes, the traffic is lower quality... but there is just so much of it that it basically overrides the question of traffic quality.

Overall though, I am moving towards blogs more because right now I convert a lot better with blog traffic; free site traffic can be really bad at times. It also isn't as boring.

At the moment for me personally though... Free Site>Blog - although I am going to try to change that. (I just started with blogs in June and had free sites long before that.)

Maybe if I had as many blogs as free sites... my mind hurts now.

RawAlex · 2006-03-04, 03:38 PM

Free sites and galleries tend to be "quick result" things. Provided you follow the rules and build reasonable sites, you can get traffic to these sites quickly and easily enough from link sites and TGPs.

Blogs are much slower, tend to have much lower traffic levels, but providing you are making a fairly focused blog with some good content and links, you can make some decent moves with them.

I am currently tending a couple of smaller blogs, but I have already seen sales off of both of them which I am enjoying. Provided you keep your blog up to date and happening (not an easy job) you can start to attract bookmarkers, external (unprompted) links, and blog trades that can drive your very niched traffic right up there.

I will say this: Unless you are truly dedicated and are able to track down sites / galleries / links / things and are able to write decently, blogs may be a losing battle for you. You can find tens of thousands of derelict blogs with less than 10 posts on them, gathering dust and doing nothing.

I will also say that unless you are willing to put a little effort into making your blog look at least passibly unique and interesting, people will blow over it and the magic won't happen either. Default themes and flat text just doesn't do it, from what I have seen.

Alex

ronnie · 2006-03-04, 11:43 PM

I second what RawAlex said, you have to be dedicated. As with a free site, once you submit it, your pretty much done with it. With a blog you need to update it at least twice a week if not more, other wise your probably wasting your time. I've seen so many people jump on the bandwagon, only to get tired or bored of posting to their blog.

ronnie

anasporn · 2006-03-05, 03:35 PM

Here ya go: Is a Blog Right for You? Very excellent read!

Carl · 2006-03-05, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawAlex

I will also say that unless you are willing to put a little effort into making your blog look at least passibly unique and interesting, people will blow over it and the magic won't happen either. Default themes and flat text just doesn't do it, from what I have seen.

Alex

Design is where I am the most limited. I am trying to figure it out as I go though… I also need to work on my ablility to write some good text.

Thanks for the link Ana... I have been reading problogger for a while now that is part of my sudden interest in blogging.

I would also like to thank every one else for the info, I got pretty much what I wanted…

I need to update the blog regularly to keep the bots, and users coming back.

I know I need to keep the traffic leaks down and so on, but is it not acceptable to lose some click traffic in the name of keeping fresh content, and articles posted for people to read?

anasporn · 2006-03-05, 04:44 PM

Quote:

I know I need to keep the traffic leaks down and so on, but is it not acceptable to lose some click traffic in the name of keeping fresh content, and articles posted for people to read?

The big question is: would those truly be traffic leaks, or a reason for a surfer to bookmark and return the next day?? Surfers DO have a back button...

walrus · 2006-03-05, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl

I know I need to keep the traffic leaks down and so on, but is it not acceptable to lose some click traffic in the name of keeping fresh content, and articles posted for people to read?

Perhaps I've got it all wrong here but I never look at my link partners as traffic leaks. I prefer to think that for whatever reason, the surfer was at my site and read what he wanted and bookmarked so he can return at a later date, in which he is leaving to go to one of my link partners which makes my trade even more valuable to my partner.

Or, I failed to interest him and he's clicking away to find what he really is looking for again making my trade even more valuable to my partner.

Either way, its a win - win situation and it makes it easier for me the next time I approach my link partners looking for other link trades.

2006-03-04, 01:09 AM	#1
Carl A woman is like beer. They look good, they smell good, and you'd step over your own mother just to get one! Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 58	What can blogging do for me? What do you all think that the up side to blogging is when you compare it to free sites, galleries, tgp's, and link lists? Some people say blogs are good if they get traffic to your link lists etc. I don't really have a link list, but I do list my own free sites, and some sponsor free sites on my blogs and I make sales with almost no traffic. So I guess the traffic the SE does send me is pretty good. Any difference in spending your day working on about 7, or 8 niche blogs, than spending it on working at free sites, and galleries?

2006-03-04, 04:38 AM	#2
twn Shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a Q-tip! Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 118	I would advice not to combine freesite traffic (from linklists) with blog/se traffic (from google and blog directories). The negative thing about this is that blog/se traffic will find a way to freesites (via the links to linklists on your blog). Keep that blog/se traffic in your blog network. __________________ * Blog Submitter * Free WordPress

2006-03-04, 01:01 PM	#4
walrus Oh no, I'm sweating like Roger Ebert Join Date: May 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,773	To me, blogging is simply a lot more personal. With galleries and free-sites, you build it, submit it and forget it and move to the next one, the next design. With a blog, it's a continuing thing that your constantly adding to and if you do more than write sales text it becomes an extension of you, your personality. Plus, like Ronnie says, its stickie. You don't get only that one chance to sell a surfer because if it's interesting, they'll be back over and over and over. Plus, if your using multiple sponsors, your not only selling them once because they come back even after a join. I've got one blog that only averages about 500 visitors a day but 25% of them are from bookmarks and out of those few "hits" I convert a sale a day. I also disagree with Twn, the object is to get them into your network and let them wander around your network until they find something that convinces them to buy. I think a freesite, hub, blog strategy is a sound one. Very little of the SE traffic I get is specificly looking for blogs (that traffic comes from other sources) but are looking for specific niche's. Therefore with a niche specific domain, I wouldn't see any reason that a strategy of combining them wouldn't work. Remember, when linking to your own freesites, there is no reason to take them to your warning page so the only places your surfer has to go from your freesites is back to your blog or to your sponsor or to your hub. __________________ Naked Girlfriend Porn TGP free partner account

2006-03-05, 03:35 PM	#8
anasporn If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 249	Here ya go: Is a Blog Right for You? Very excellent read! __________________ "TGP2 Queen" and yes, still crazy! My TGP2 articles on right hand side

2006-03-04, 09:34 AM	#3
ronnie Wheither you think you can or you think you can't, Your right. Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: midwest Posts: 2,274	What it gives you back depends on what you put in to it. You could make crappy free sites and not make money or you can make crappy blogs and not make money. I personally think blogs can be a better route, as you can develop an audience, where free sites are hit'em and leave for the most part. Though you probably wont get as much traffic. When submitting free sites, you can submit new ones all the time, each getting a supply of traffic, a blog you can only submit to traffic sources once, except for aggregators. ronnie

2006-03-04, 03:19 PM	#5
webseix Rock stars ... is there anything they don't know? Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Posts: 11	Blogs are good because the traffic is high quality, mostly from SEs and other blogs. Also, like others said, you can build a network and then get traffic going from blog to blog and of course getting SE traffic for each blog in your network. On the other hand, free sites are also excellent. I mean, blogs have high quality traffic but in my experiences the traffic flow doesn't even come close to what is capable for free sites. If you get partner accounts and good free listings you can get high traffic volume. Yes, the traffic is lower quality... but there is just so much of it that it basically overrides the question of traffic quality. Overall though, I am moving towards blogs more because right now I convert a lot better with blog traffic; free site traffic can be really bad at times. It also isn't as boring. At the moment for me personally though... Free Site>Blog - although I am going to try to change that. (I just started with blogs in June and had free sites long before that.) Maybe if I had as many blogs as free sites... my mind hurts now.

2006-03-04, 03:38 PM	#6
RawAlex Took the hint. Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,597	Free sites and galleries tend to be "quick result" things. Provided you follow the rules and build reasonable sites, you can get traffic to these sites quickly and easily enough from link sites and TGPs. Blogs are much slower, tend to have much lower traffic levels, but providing you are making a fairly focused blog with some good content and links, you can make some decent moves with them. I am currently tending a couple of smaller blogs, but I have already seen sales off of both of them which I am enjoying. Provided you keep your blog up to date and happening (not an easy job) you can start to attract bookmarkers, external (unprompted) links, and blog trades that can drive your very niched traffic right up there. I will say this: Unless you are truly dedicated and are able to track down sites / galleries / links / things and are able to write decently, blogs may be a losing battle for you. You can find tens of thousands of derelict blogs with less than 10 posts on them, gathering dust and doing nothing. I will also say that unless you are willing to put a little effort into making your blog look at least passibly unique and interesting, people will blow over it and the magic won't happen either. Default themes and flat text just doesn't do it, from what I have seen. Alex

2006-03-04, 11:43 PM	#7
ronnie Wheither you think you can or you think you can't, Your right. Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: midwest Posts: 2,274	I second what RawAlex said, you have to be dedicated. As with a free site, once you submit it, your pretty much done with it. With a blog you need to update it at least twice a week if not more, other wise your probably wasting your time. I've seen so many people jump on the bandwagon, only to get tired or bored of posting to their blog. ronnie