Blogs for traffic

Blogs, or web logs, are a fantastic tool for getting your word out. People love to read them. Search engine spiders love to index them. What are the reasons for the popularity of blogs?

The search engine part is fairly easy to figure out: The frequent updates bring the spiders back time and again. Those spiders are curious creatures. They gotta see what's new and exciting out on the Internet.

I think people love blogs for the same reason: their innate morbid curiosity. My first blog was very personal to me, and it was popular when I kept it updated. I was shocked by the response to that blog because I didn't think anybody wanted to read about my trials and tribulations. But apparently they did. Admit it, we all love gossip. I think that, secretly, they wanted to know "the dirt." I truly believe that blogs do better when they are personal. They attract a wider audience by hitting on an emotional part of us. It's the emotional response that hooks you into coming back for more.

So my advice for a content-rich website is to update it frequently for the search engines, and to make it personal for the readers. Can't think of a better formula to drive traffic to a website.

What's in a name?

What's in a name? Plenty, if not everything.

When I was a kid, my dad always told me that anything I did would reflect on the family name. At the time, I thought that was ancient Chinese cultural crap. But now I believe that there is a kernel of truth in it. I mean, whenever you hear about a kid gone bad, isn't the first question asked, "Where are the parents?"

What is very true, to me, is that your name is something to be protected. Your name is your ticket to the lifestyle that you lead, especially on the Internet. Most people want to stay anonymous on the 'Net, but you can't do that as an Internet Marketer. The only way to distinguish yourself from all the others hawking the latest and greatest inventions since sliced bread is to make a name for yourself. That is what branding is all about.

I have been active in traffic exchanges for three years now. If you know what they are, then you understand immediately what branding is. With everybody surfing the web sites as fast as they can to earn credits to show their own pages, all you have to catch people's attention quickly is your name and picture. Why your name and picture? Because only your name and your picture are unique to you alone. You aren't really selling your business opportunity or your product, you are selling yourself. You are your brand. People buy Nike shoes again and again because they are Nike. You want people to come back to you when they need something that you can supply. They have to choose you as opposed to any of the thousands of others out there hawking the same stuff.

With that said, all I really wanted to say with this post (three paragraphs later) is to be wary of what you do with your name. What I mean is, do your homework about the things that you want to attach to your name. You want to avoid being associated with scams or misinformation. That includes PLR articles that you might sign your name to. I strongly encourage you to edit and personalize any PLR article that you wish to publish. If you opt not to do that, at least read it first. I know that sounds obvious, but think about it. People pay good money to have articles written. Some writers are good at it, some will be sloppy about it. It never hurts to double-check whatever you are going to attach to your name. You start out in life with a good name. Keep it that way.