Setting up a blog is not hard, but there are some individuals think that generating traffic to it could be a little difficult. However, this is not necessarily true. As long as you are aware of the basic concepts associated with traffic generation, you can easily attract more visitors to your blog to increase your earning potential. Here are a couple of tips to help you get started in generating traffic to your blog.

1. First off, optimize your blog for search engines.

This would mean that you would be making use of keywords and embedding them strategically in the content of your blog. Also make sure that the file names of your images and the titles of your pages have the keyword as well. These methods would ensure you of a higher page ranking in search engine results.

2. Make sure that the design, layout and content of your blog are appealing and unique.

This would generate the interest from visitors and also contribute to giving you a higher search engine ranking. If your blog is offering something that the other blogs do not have, it would give them a reason to choose yours over the others. It could also give them a reason to come back for more and to post their own comments and opinions.

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3. Try to update your blog regularly.

By adding new content and letting your readers and visitors know of any updates, you would surely get more traffic. Many search engines also ranks blogs higher if they are frequently updated.

4. You can also try commenting on other relevant blogs, along with a link going to your own blog.

That way, when the readers of the other blog reads your comment and finds it interesting, they could easily be directed to your own blog.

Useful tools:

1. Dofellow
2. CommentKahuna

5. You could post on forums and have the URL of your blog on the signature area.

You just need to make sure that the posts you would be making are meaningful and informative so that readers would see you as an expert on the topic, giving them reason to visit your blog for more information.

6. Avoid adding irrelevant and unnecessary content to your blog

..such as large images and flash videos as this could make your blog load slower, which could annoy readers and visitors. Keep in mind that providing readers with a positive browsing experience is key in making sure that they will be coming back for more.

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7. Try submitting your blog to search engine lists and make sure that it is properly indexed.

Come up with a list of the popular search engines where you could try submitting your blog or website to.

8. Submit your RSS feed to tons of RSS directories

This is a tedious process but it is worthwhile completing this step.

45 RSS Feed Directories that are STILL Active

Incoming search terms:

If you are looking for ways to promote your blog, you will definitely fall in love with Networked Blogs Facebook Application. This app will syndicate your blog feeds to your Facebook wall and page – thus promoting your blog to your friends and eventually to the rest of the Facebook community.

So let us show you how to register your blog with Networked Blogs.

1. Visit Networked Blogs Facebook App [click here]

Click “Go to App”

2. Allow Networked Blogs app to access your basic information

3. Prerequisite Action : Follow 5 blogs

After you have selected 5 blogs to follow, scroll down the page and click “Next” to continue

4. Register your blog with Networked Blogs

5. Claim your blog

Claim your blog by adding a widget into your blog or requesting 10 of your friends to verify your blog. The latter method is tedious and usually takes longer time to get it done.

6. Syndicate your blog to Facebook and Twitter

Click on the Syndication link to set up your syndication settings.

- Select the blog you want to manage.
- List of the target pages to which new blog posts will be published. Click each target to see more details.
- Add a Facebook target (profile, page, group or app) or a Twitter target.
- A preview of how the post will look like when published to Facebook.
- You can customize how your posts look such as hiding the Networked Blogs toolbar, hiding post images, ..etc.
- A high-level count of how many blogs you’re syndicating to how many targets.

7. That’s it! All new posts in your blog will be posted automatically on your Facebook wall and Twitter page.

Do note that you need at least 11 readers in order for your latest blog post to be posted automatically on your Facebook wall and Twitter page. Invite your friends and I am sure that they will nicely accept your invitation.

Incoming search terms:

Most (if not all) bloggers would like to see their blog’s traffic shoot up as high as possible in a shortest period of time.  One quick and effective way is to submit your RSS feed to tons of RSS directories available on the internet. Though it is a tedious process but it is worth doing so.

I have compiled a list of RSS Feed Directories that are STILL ACTIVE and here they are:-

1. Blogbal (reciprocal link is required)
2. Blogcatalog
3. Blogdigger
4. Blogbunch
5. Blogoriffic
6. Blogpulse
7. Boing Boing
8. Dr. 5z5
9. Feedbase
10. Feedbomb
11. Feedcat (registration is required)
12. Feedest
13. Feedgy
14. Feedfury (completion of  a survey is required)
15. Feedmap
16. Feedmil
17. Feednut (registration is required)
18. Feedplex
19. Feeds4all (submit feed through email)
20. Feedsee (Need to answer an IQ question.. weird)
21. Fybersearch
22. Feedzie
23. GoldenFeed
24. IceRocket
25. Jordomedia
26. Keegy
27. LeighRSS
28. Metafeeder
29. Million RSS
30. News Knowledge
31. Plazoo (Use IE to submit your feed, the form does not work on Firefox)
32. Read a Blog
33. RSS Feeds Submission (reciprocal link is required)
34. RSS001 (registration is required)
35. RSSRoot.com
36. RSSxpress
37. RSSHugger (registration is required)
38. RSS Micro
39. RSSMotron
40. RSS Mountain (registration is required)
41. RSS Network
42. RSS Top 10 (reciprocal link  is required)
43. Syndic8 (registration is required)
44. Xmeta.net
45. Zimbio.com (registration is required)

That’s it! All the best fellow bloggers.

 … because most of them are rubbish. The visitors referred by Entrecard were of “drop and go” pattern. They visit your site, drop their card and leave your site.. all done in within an average of 18 seconds. Check out the stats below:-

Despite the “low” quality traffic, I will continue to use them because it gives me an opportunity to advertise in other popular blogs (JohnChow, JohnCow, Problogger) for free. That’s the only beauty of this program.

Of course, I will not adopt the “drop and go” pattern when visiting other blogs.. I DID read the post in blogs that I have visited in past weeks. Trust me!

.. and Entrecard claims that it can make you money. Interested? Read on.

What is Entrecard?
Entrecard is your Internet Business Card which you can use to advertise on any blog in the network for FREE!

Don’t be mislead by the word “FREE” .. it just means that you do not have to fork out money to advertise on other blogs but instead you will pay using Entrecard credits. So it is not entirely FREE as it claimed but it is a fair deal since a lot of people are reluctant to pay to advertise.

You cannot buy Entrecard credits, you have to earn it by visiting blogs and dropping your card for other bloggers.

How are credits earned?

1. You earn 1 credit every time you drop your card for someone else.
2. You earn 1 credit every time someone else drops their card for you.
3. You earn credits every time someone advertises on your widget.

Once you have accumulated enough Entrecard credits, you can apply to advertise on someone’s blog. Blog owners will have to approve your application before your Entrecard will display on their blogs. However, they also has the right to reject your application which they may find inappropriate.

How can I earn money from this program?
From your Entrecard dashboard, you will see a “Send Credit” link which allows you to transfer your credits to another user. Therefore, you can sell your credits to another Entrecard users for real money. The cost of each Entrecard credit?? .. it is up to you.

Find out more about Entrecard here.

rssHugger is a new website developed to help bloggers promote their blogs, and to help visitors discover new blogs that write about subjects that the readers are interested in.

It aims to provide blog owners with a unique easy-to-use way to promote their blogs by sending them traffic, building backlinks for search engine optimization, as well as attracting new rss subscribers if the content is interesting to the reader.

Unlike other RSS feed directories, you will need to pay a one time review fee of $20 to get your own page on rssHugger for 10 years. That’s $2 a year.

However, if you give an honest review of rssHugger on your blog, the review fee will be waived.

My say

When I first came upon this service, my initial question was : Why would someone wants to pay to get his/her RSS feed included in a NEW website when most RSS feed directories are not charging at all?

But when rssHugger claims that

rssHugger will be the first ever quality, spam free, and viral rss directory strictly for bloggers

I signed up with them. I believe rssHugger has great potential if it lives up to its claim. Anything that is SPAM free, I will support!