1000 USD 2011 Best Guest Blogger Contest Article Approved
I have started Makewebworld some time back and it started with a PR0 (each blog starts with that). In the latest update my 3 months of effort has been rewarded with a page rank of 3.
Once I was over with the feeling of achievement, I started to analyze which things have worked in favor to make this happen.
Here are few things which I think has worked in the favor and I would like to repeat them for my other blogs. I will not be including things like good content, user interface etc. These are basics and should be there to start the blog.
A Helpful Act
An unselfish helpful act can take you long way in terms of establishing you in the market. My first post which has ranked and reached to Google’s first page was because of this only.
I had a malware attack on my blog which has brought the blog down for some time. I cleaned it and it took almost 7 hours to restore everything as there was not much information available on the internet about it.
I could have taken a rest after that but instead I decided to write a guide on how to clean the malware, so other people does not suffer like me. I did spend 1 more hour on writing that post and publish it. So it was an 8 hour effort on the whole thing.
And instantly this post was ranking no 3 in Google, and started to get people on the blog. On that day I got 500 new visitors on my blog.
Many people like the help provided by that guide and decided to link back to it, while they were writing about the malware removal process. I got many one side in content valuable links for that post.
After a week I decided to share this inspirational story through guest post on Problogger (What You can take from your blog’s worst day). They liked it and guess what – another chain of good traffic and backlink from a high PR site.
I have not done any promotion for that guide and still it is a PR2 page on my blog.
We always work for looking keywords, generating posts and backlinks to rank higher but sometime just going out of that mindset and a simple act can give a lot more than hours of work. You just need to keep your eyes open for the opportunities.
Guest Post
This is one of the known methods of generating traffic and links for new blogs. I have also used it to some extents. I am not doing a lot of guest posting for Makewebworld, but I do make sure that I send 2-3 posts in a month.
Key is to track and promote your guest posts. I do track all my guest posts and do promotion for them. Posting on a good PR blog is not enough because the backlink will not be from that blog, it will be from the guest post.
So you need to know the PR of your own guest post and should try to increase it. Yes, it is easy to rank with good traffic blog rather than a new blog. So posting on a good PR blog will help but you may want to get all you can from your efforts.
The only restriction is that we should always send a high quality post. I always know deep inside that a post will be accepted or not and I am sure everybody will know this if they are sending a post. If a post can’t be published on your blog, it can’t be on any other too.
Blogging Community
If you are new to blogging sphere than you will find it hard to meet new people and make a space for yourself. Blogging Communities are a good way to make new friends.
There are many communities around but I like Blogengage and blokube. I am mostly active on Blogengage. These communities are a good way to generate some backlinks and get some new readers for your blog.
If you become part of these communities, than you need to engage. I have seen many people joining these with the mindset of getting links. Yes, you will get links but there is much more on offer.
“Once you have made an effort, you should get all the benefits you can take from it” – I always like to get whatever I can from my efforts.
Commenting
Blog Commenting is another way to increase backlinks and generate traffic. I do visit lots of blog and comment on posts, if I like them.
There is lots of debate about a dofollow or nofollow links, I never worried about the type of link. If I like the post and have something to add, I will post a comment.
I also make sure to visit one or two new blogs and check the posts there, if we do not make it a habit than most of the time we end up with one set of blogs to comment on. Going to one or two new blogs daily gives an extra bit of visibility to your blog.
There can be many ways to find new blogs, Stumbleupon is one of the great way to do that or if you do guest posts than you can look at the comments you have on the posts.
I also installed commentluv plugin on my blog to rewards the commenter’s and as soon as commentluv premium came out in the market I upgraded to that. This plugin helps in gaining some extra traffic as many people come by searching for commentluv premium enabled blog. Also it gives extra visibility on other blogs along with the addition of links.
These are the few things which I think made my journey easy.
Is there any other ways we can make this process smoother, share with us through the comments?
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Great post Sanjeez! I use stumbleUpon all the time to find blogs. I’m currently trying to promote my own blog site with some of the strategies that you’ve outlined. However, one of the most difficult things to do is to guest post on another blogger’s site. For some reason, it’s really difficult for me to get the change to do a guest post, do you have any strategies to do this?
Prepper recently posted..Reduce Reuse Recycle
Hi Preppar, Thanks for reading it. I do not write for guest post, I always write for my blog and if I like the entry after completion, I look for a blog to send it as a guest post.
It helps as if you write for your blog, quality will not suffer. Many time when we write with the intent of guest post, quality can go down as its not going to publish on our blog.
Sanjeev recently posted..What I Learned From My Ten Days Unwanted Holiday
Excellent tips. I really do not comment anywhere near enough on other peoples blogs and need to start.
Sandy recently posted..philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous All-Over Brightener and Dark Spot Corrector
And I kind of follow a rule that each day I will add a new blog in my commented list..It helps as more number of domain will point to your blog.
Sanjeev recently posted..Does size always matter? Let’s talk social media strategy
Twitter: richescorner
Definitely being helpful in the community goes a long ways towards getting traffic. If you write a really valuable post, people will read it and will be more likely to share it. Then follow up with getting out in the community and leaving comments and sharing your knowledge will not only help you get backlinks, but also help you build your reputation.
richard recently posted..Adventures in Ecommerce: Starting Out
Yes, But it has to be an honest effort of helping, other things will come. I have not asked for a single link for that post but it did came without doing any efforts.
Sanjeev recently posted..CommentLuv Premium – How you Should use it on your Blog
I am currently doing exacly like you said,it does take time and hard work to maintain the writing
Andy recently posted..Simple Resume Creative Design
Yes Andy, it does take time and hard work but it is rewarding enough to spend that time and effort. Hope your efforts will be rewarded with some good results.
Sanjeev recently posted..Makewebworld has got a Google Love – A PR3 Blog Now
Wow! That is fantastic, by just following different tips you shared for sure that bloggers will definitely do it to make their pr rank high!This is a big step to them!
TracyAnn0312 recently posted..ניוזלטר
Thanks Tracy for liking the post, I tried to share what I think worked for me and I would like to repeat in future for my other blogs. Hope it will help others.
Sanjeev recently posted..A Beginners Guide – How to Promote a Blog
There are no shortcuts to PR3, but a great blog with all articles made with the right SEO so you can get there in 3 months.
Yes, there is no shortcut but a formalized path which requires some hard work, (I would also add some luck too…)
PS: I have not said these are the shortcuts and if you check each step does require good effort.
Sanjeev recently posted..CommentLuv Premium – Why You Should Have it On Your Blog
Twitter: WebTrafficCafe
To be honest with you, Sanjeev, I am completely impressed that you used your worst experience to milk it for all its worth – especially, a guest post on Problogger.
Most blogger only think about doing it, but never actually act on it.
Great blogging career so far!
Ana recently posted..Internet Marketing Tools
Thanks Ana, I always like to see what best I can get from my efforts and especially when that effort is already done. (Though I liked to be on Problogger because of that..)
thanks for stopping by though.
Sanjeev recently posted..Mainstream Media Loosing out to Social Media
Twitter: opportplanet
Hi Sanjeev, this is really a great guide for a successful blog, I am trying to follow most of what you mentioned, the only one that I must start doing more frequently is guest posting, even though I know how effective it is for some reason I am not very active guest blogger, I will certainly try to be more active in 2012, thanks for sharing…
Kostas recently posted..Using Google Alerts to Enhance Your Business
Hi Kostas, Yes guest posting is really effective both for PR and traffic. I have added it to my editorial schedule and I always follow that along with my blog posting schedule. It does gives extra edge.
Sanjeev recently posted..4 Tips for Building Traffic for Your Blog
Twitter: plrnetmarketing
Hey Sanjeev, Ana is totally right! I had the same thing happen to me, and after spending 8 hours and $600 dollars getting my site cleaned up all I did was grumble about it!
Props to you my friend! Good job!
Warren recently posted..My Year End Twitter Blitz
Thanks Warren, Most of the time when we are very close to success we leave the things. Its always a matter of an extra mile.
Sanjeev recently posted..5 Easy Way to Create a Custom Logo for Your Blog
Really good post Sanjeev. I really appreciate your suggestions. I will surely try to follow in near future, infact from now itself. Thanks alot.
Shailendra Singh Bais recently posted..Peoples Life Without Facebook – Graphical.
Thanks Shailendra, I really like the way guest posts and commenting can do for a blog. Also the community networks like Blogengage are great for exposure.
Twitter: coach_viviana
Hi Sanjeev, thanks for sharing your expertise and it’s a wow story to climb from PR0 to PR3 in 3 months. Does article distribution help? I guess blog commenting makes my Alexa rank goes up more quickly than article distribution.
Viviana recently posted..Attracting Success with Power of Visualization
Article submission or guest posting does help. Blog commenting can bring traffic but guest posting brings quality backlinks to the blog. so it has to be mix of both as we need both traffic and PR.
Sanjeev recently posted..Using Coupon Marketing to Increase SEO and Traffic
Hi Sanjeev,
I love this post! You know, it is not difficult to recognize a quality post and this is definitely one of them.
I like that you talk about being unselfish. It is true what you said about people wanting to look for keywords and ‘dupe’ google. Like you illustrate, genuinely helping people comes with huge rewards.
One other point I’d like to talk about is the issue of guest posts. I see people submit guest posts to my blog, and I know that they would not post such on their blogs. You said that you know when a guest post would be accepted, same for me. I guess the golden rule still holds true ‘Do to others what you’d have them do to you.
Thanks man.
Tosin
yes Tosin, I also face the same as I allow people to submit guest post on my blog. Most of the entries are the kind of post which nobody will put on their blog. We need to treat others with respect and do send quality content.
Sanjeev recently posted..Google Currents – Convert your Blog to a Magazine for Smartphones
Twitter: lilachbullock
Sanjeev great post:) Guest blogging is such a great way to not only get backlinks and improve the SEO of your website but also network with like-minded people.
I need to write more guest posts – so thanks for the reminder:)
Lilach Bullock recently posted..How to get more blog comments on your blog
yes, guest blogging brings many benefit and it also depends on which blog we are getting them published. It can does increase PR and traffic quickly.
Sanjeev recently posted..4 Tips for Building Traffic for Your Blog
Twitter: eat4joy
Simple, but effective strategies, Sanjeev. “Be helpful,” “engage with the community” etc would not be on any get-rich-quick scheme because to do these one needs to have a good heart and want to enrich the blogosphere instead of merely serving oneself. I’m always grateful when someone goes out of their way to offer me help, online or offline, and do everything I can to send good vibes their way. Thanks for sharing these tips!
Srinivas Reddy recently posted..Child Or Baby Not Eating
Yes Srinivas, and most people does the same. We do try to earn money with lot of other ways, leaving it and helping other people once in a while can bring lot of good.
Twitter: blogsdbcom
Very nice tips Sanjeev. Page rank of web sites was recently updated “again” by google last November. A lot of sites’ PR went up by 2 and others went down. Looks like Google is changing their ranking algo at that time. But whatever algo that is, I believe and I agree to many that engagement to your followers and community is one key for a successful internet business.
Francis recently posted..Rapid Changes on BlogsDB.com
and at the end they want to judge how people are engaging to the content. Yes they change algo all the time but it all in one direction to reward quality content and what reader can like for them.
This a great post. I’ve been implementing these strategies with my blog for the past 3 months and have seen traffic to my blog raise to about 50%. My subscription rate has increased too. These are definitely the keep to giving your blog to new eyeball.
If we want to grow our blog we need to get into the habit if sharing relevant post on blogs that are targeting our audience. we should not forget to also have really good content on our blog too. I know it’s hard but if this is where we spend 20% of our time it’s well worth it.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes, these can help in increasing exposure and traffic but once people reach to the blog they should find relevant and high quality contents. which can make them stick to the blog.
Twitter: alan_cheng
Hi Sanjeev,
I do some guest blogging as well and it does indeed help with driving traffic to a new blog as well attracting a new audience. Great tip about promoting the guest post. Many guest bloggers don’t do that.
Thanks for mentioning Blogengage and Blokube. I need to check them out.
Alan Cheng recently posted..How To Build An Email List From Scratch
I also did not find many guest bloggers promoting their posts, but its a great advantage as it can increase the value of efforts already done.
Twitter: Catarina
Good post and suggestions Sanjeev! We all do those things but we have to adapt our strategies to fit the purpose of our site.
Personally use my blog as an online business card. Hence don’t accept any guest posts, which has really upset some people who offered.
Catarina Alexon recently posted..How can Iraq be rebuilt when the money is stolen?
ohh yes, it does has to align with the blog strategy. We need to judge what is working for our blog and stick to that.
Twitter: Ben
Thanks a lot for your worth-reading tips about PR.From all of the above points, Guest Posting is the one I lack to start with hope I could make it soon…:)
Thanks Bennix, you should try guest post, it does bring a lot of extra exposure to the blog along with quality traffic.
I clicked through to this article from Ileane’s site.
Kudos for having the nerve to ask problogger if you could guest post for them. I’d be too nervous of rejection to even make the attempt!
Rose recently posted..Wizzley Writing Challenge Diary
Thanks Rose, I think many would not do that and to tell you the truth I was also nervous while doing that. Though for me the result was good.
Twitter: weblogbetter
Hi Sanjeev,
I like when you said: “An unselfish helpful act can take you long way in terms of establishing you in the market.” In my opinion – helping others is the number 1 way to gain readership and traffic to your blog. People are often eager to return the favor in ways greater than you could ever expect.
Guest posting would be next – guest posting has allowed me to accomplish great things with my blog and meet other bloggers I wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to meet. You’ve definitely got a successful mix of techniques here.
Kiesha recently posted..Blogging Tips 101 Contest: 6 Reasons Why You Should Participate
Twitter: Makewebworld
Hi Kiesha, helping others should be number 1 and the result is loyal readership. Other methods takes its time to gain results but it is fast way. Thanks for liking the post.
Ha ha !
All that from getting Malware on your site! Great way to turn things around there!
mitz recently posted..The 5 Best SEO Tools For WordPress Website Builders
I still remember that when it happened I was really frustrated, my first experience with Malware. Now I remember as a good thing happened to my blog..:)
Sanjeev recently posted..Giveaway: Get Free Blogengage Account Worth $89
Twitter: jeet_dholakia
Well very rightly mentioned all the steps and its quite essential to have good link to your site if you want to get good google page rank. worth reading your article thanks for sharing it.
and good luck.
Jeet Dholakia recently posted..How To: Find CommentLuv Premium Enabled Blogs?
Yes, Good links are really important and their are many ways to get them. We just need to try and help other people and we will grow with them.
Sanjeev recently posted..Google Officially Announced Social Search Results
i m also a comment lover. I always visits different sites and search for interesting topic and place on comment on that post. So in this way my blog will get maximum exposure and also get little traffic.
shenoyjoseph recently posted..Download Facebook Chat Instant Messenger for Desktop
Thanks for sharing. I got a pr 3 on my website in just a month, don’t even know how, i’m surprised myself
That is interesting, I never thought that malware could wreak havoc on your search engine placement but I guess I learned something new today. It must have been a major hassle to get that cleaned up and get trust restored back in your site. You made a good point about nofollow vs dofollow, Some people fixate on dofollow only but in my opinion, it looks much more ‘natural’ to have a mix of both pointing back to your site…. Great post.
Bill G recently posted..Watch Movies
Hello Sanjeev you have a very amazing post. Thanks for sharing you knowledge to us. I really appreciate it I have learned a lot to your post.