Boosting Your WordPress Blog Site’s SEO And Traffic Tips

It can take some time before you get a large amount of views on your blog, but there are ways to increase the chances of internet users finding your site. You can’t just rely on referrals and traffic links – your blog needs to be optimized.

This article looks at some of the easy and basic steps you can take to improve your site’s SEO and visibility.

WordPress is by far the best site to host your blog. Even if you have a blog on your own site, you can still boost your own site with another blog on WordPress. All you need to do is create links to your original site and all your work on your WordPress blog will be working for your main business website. In this way, you are creating crucial inbound links for your website – all on your own.

So the question arises, how do you make your WordPress blog rank higher? Luckily, there are a number of plug-ins and tools you can use to boost your blog.

Here’s a look at some simple techniques related to search engine optimization that will greatly improve your blog visitor numbers.

• Use Your Own Domain Name. Domain names actually can have a lot of influence on the way your blog will come up in a search. Purchasing your own domain name and setting it for your WP blog is very easy. You want to make sure you know how to choose the right name. Do some research before you commit.
• SEO Tools. There is a range of plug-ins to improve your blog’s onsite search engine optimization. Some plug-ins allow you to track the rank of the keywords you are focusing on, while other sites will improve the way your whole blog is viewed by Google.
• Video. Videos on Google’s YouTube are a great way to get rapid results and rank high in searches. By posting your videos on YouTube, and linking your blog as a part of your video description, your chances of ranking higher are greatly increased. Always embed your own YouTube videos on your own blog, and make sure you have plenty of content with crucial keywords for Google around your website.
• Social Media.WP makes it very easy for your blog posting to interact with your social media. Add each of these functions so that you are automatically sharing your posts on your main social media profiles. Adding buttons on each of your blog pages is very simple and will make it very easy for others to share.
• Commenting On Other Blogs. By commenting on other blogs and leaving your link, you are showing interest in other people’s work, and showing a way for them to see yours. You will find that there will be many comments and links on your own site before too long. Be careful you do not start following the practice of many on WordPress, which essentially equates to spam. Spending the time to create quality relationships is essential.
• Keep it Regular. Regular posting and interactivity is essential. A new visitor will view the validity of your site by how regular you post. If you have not posted in a while, users may assume you are not there any more. Current content gives validity to your older content. If you don’t have current content, it is easy for users to assume all of your content is no longer valid.
• Submit to Blog Directories. There is a huge array of blog directories, which allows internet users to see a list of blogs on a particular topic. Constantly keep listing your blog with all and any directories you can find. The more directories you are listed with will mean a higher chance of being found.

Above all, be yourself. Keep your topics fresh. If you are interested in something, your posts will reflect that. Write when something is of interest, and keep those posts for later. Forced writing to keep to a schedule may mean you are not writing good content. Online marketing and SEO is something you build over time. The need for patience and consistency cannot be stressed enough.

Guest article from Sachin.

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Blog Basics for Brisbanites: How to Set Up a Blog with Your Own Domain Name

Blogging can be used to support your image professionally, or just like a diary of your life for purely personal reasons. This article looks at setting up your own blog, choosing domain names, and then changing your blog over to your very own web address. Your blog can be up and running in no time, and you will be surprised at how professional it will look.

• Get Started With WordPress. WordPress is by far the easiest. Go to their main website and set up your account. WordPress has many additional features which you can explore as you get used to manipulating your site. You could host your site yourself with their software but the best way is just to let them handle everything. You will choose the easiest option in the beginning. This will mean the whole thing is for free. The reason why they can do this is because they will get the revenue from any adverts on your page.
• Getting Your Own URL. After you have set up your account, you will see that the web address of your blog starts with WordPress in the name followed by your account. It is always better to have the URL of your own choice. All you need to do is look for a domain hosting company on the internet. There you can see if the domain name is available that you want. Once you have purchased the domain name, which normally costs around $10-12 a year, you will need to proceed to domain mapping.
• Mapping to WordPress. WordPress has full instructions, which are not very difficult to follow. Essentially they give you a few lines of text to update your information stored on the servers of your domain name. Your company that supplied you with the domain name will give you a log-in location where you can update your information. Once this has been completed, you return to WordPress.
• Adding URL in WordPress. Inside your WordPress account, you will see a tab in the settings section of your account. Go to the domain names setting, and enter in your new domain name. This will update instantly and now if you type in your domain name, or your original WordPress domain name, you will see your blog.
• Take it Step by Step. This is not as complicated as it sounds. Many people get a little lost or confused when they are trying something new on their computer, and the internet, because they don’t stop to read what is on the screen in front of them.
• If You Are Having Trouble. Never panic, help is only a few minutes away. There are plenty of online IT services Brisbane, that can help you walk through any of these steps. If you think you don’t need that kind of help, you can always start with the help guide on WordPress.

This whole process should take about 15 minutes. Just remember to pay for your domain name and any support service with secure payment systems. Never give any supplier your full credit or debit card details.

Guest article from Sachin.

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Ditch Facebook – Go Private With Free Flink12

There are 600 Million plus, active Facebook users, but I must confess – I’m not one of the active users. It’s true, I do have a Facebook page but, I use it sparingly.

Since many software developers are now into the – “visit our Facebook page, click on the Like button, and we’ll give you ……….” school of marketing,  I use my Facebook account to meet this manipulative requirement.

My list of grievances with Facebook is a long one, but privacy, or more precisely, the lack of privacy, overrides all other concerns – I’ll leave the considerable security issues aside, for the moment.

I’ve always found it difficult to get a handle on Facebook’s constantly shifting definition of privacy and, it’s difficult to understand and hard to apply, personal privacy restrictions.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I just can’t get my head around the idea of putting private information out into the ether of the Internet. On the other hand, there are those who love the Facebook experience, and it seemingly plays an important role in their lives. I think it’s safe to say, that this is a market which will continue to grow exponentially.

Some people see this as inevitable progress – but I’m not one of them. Instead, my definition of progress in this market, is the development of private social networking platforms. Platforms that are designed specifically for friends, families, and  work teams, to privately share, discuss, organize photos, videos, etc., – all in a single easy to use private environment.

One such platform that caught my attention recently is Flink12. It was a “no-brainer” really. An application that can set out in a sentence, or three, an approach to privacy that meets my requirements, is sure to grab my attention.

Here’s what Flink12 has to say on social sharing privacy:

“Privacy first” is the highest priority at Flink12. This approach ensures that your personal information will remain completely secure. With no privacy settings to manage, your information is automatically safe. Personal information will not indexed on the web by search engines. You decide when, where and how much of your life you want to share and with whom.”

Since Flink12 passed my first test, I went on to the next set of questions – did it meet my requirements for functionality? Did it meet my requirements for usability? It did in both cases – and, the following list of features was very convincing.

Fast facts:

Safe & Private – Our “Privacy first” approach ensures that your personal information will remain private. Your information will not be indexed on the web by search engines. We designed Flink12 at its roots to be “udderly” private. Users have complete control.

Easy Photo Sharing – Easy to upload, free, fast, private photo sharing. Caption your photos. Comment on photos. There are several options for sharing each photo and privatizing comments. It’s truly the best way to share photos and comments.

Private Texting/Chat – Free instant communication one-on-one between you and any person in your Flink. Texting is free on Flink12.

Blogging – Write about your personal thoughts and activities as often as you wish. Blogging on Flink12 is quick, easy and fun. There are several options for sharing of blogs and comments amongst your flinks.

Friend Mapping – See where your friends are anytime, worldwide. You have a choice to show your location to your Flink friends or not. Very useful for travelers or friends and relatives across the globe or meeting up with friends for coffee.

Playful Icon Themes – Never forget to play. Our icons are all about expressing yourself in a playful way. Flink icons are uniquely humorous and allow you to quickly share your mood, health, activities and events using preset text or by entering your own text. Choices of several fun themes such as Moms & Babies, Sports Fans, Diva’s, Teens and Pets are coming soon.

Web & Apps – You can join and update on any platform- website, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android and you only have to post it once- Flink 12 updates seamlessly on all platforms.

Alerts – There are several options for notifications or alerts from your friends. On mobile, MOO’s and cowbells let you know when your friends have posted fresh news.

For more information and to sign up – visit the developer’s site: Flink12

Bottom line:

Flink12 is a technology rich application; full of powerful features – many more than I’ve been able to cover in this short review. At the same time, Flink12 has been designed for speed and simplicity.

If you’re into social networking and privacy is a concern, then take Flink12 for a test drive – I think you’ll be glad you did.

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Tech Thoughts – 2010 In Review

Year end reviews and wrap- ups, bringing us up to date on the comings and goings in virtually every area of human endeavor, seem to be the thing at the moment. Not much of a surprise then, to see WordPress get into the act by emailing a 2010 Blog summary to all WordPress Bloggers.

Here’s the WordPress version of what happened on Tech Thoughts this past year. Not entirely accurate, but within spitting distance.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

• The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 1,300,000 times in 2010. If it were an exhibit at The Louvre Museum, it would take 53 days for that many people to see it.
• In 2010, there were 823 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 2,003 posts.
• The busiest day of the year was September 14th with 4,557 views. The most popular post that day was Cyber Criminals Know Your “Net” Worth – To the Penny!.

Where did they come from?

• The top referring sites in 2010 were  Google Reader, mail.yahoo.com, google.com, and stumbleupon.com.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1 Cyber Criminals Know Your “Net” Worth – To the Penny! April 2010
2 Download RKill – Free Antimalware Specialty Removal Tool June 2010
3 Ten Beginner Tips for Using Google SketchUp June 2009
4 Your Account Information Has Changed Phishing Attack June 2010
5 EnhanceMySe7en – A Free Windows 7 Tweaking Utility August 2010

Some of your most popular posts were written before 2010. Your writing has staying power! Consider writing about those topics again.

Thanks for flying with WordPress.com in 2010. We look forward to serving you again in 2011! Happy New Year!

If you’re a regular reader here, you have my thanks for making this Blog a fun place to write up my thoughts and opinions.

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Crime And Punishment In The Internet Age

I’m a bit of an amateur historian, and I find accounts of daily life in bygone days fascinating – most particularly, aspects of crime and punishment. If you’re wondering why crime and punishment, it’s simply this – hidden in this type of accounting, one can generally find the unvarnished historical truth of social conditions of the time.

Naturally enough, I’m a big fan of  The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913, web site – “A fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London’s central criminal court.”

This is quite an amazing site, and each transcript lays out, by and large, not only the techniques employed to apprehend criminals (from the 1600’s through to the early 1900’s), but an accounting of the trial testimony, and the punishment handed down on conviction.

I must admit, I find it difficult to accept, that it was not at all unusual to hang a “criminal” for theft of a spoon for example, according to the early trial transcripts.

I mentioned earlier, that I’m interested in the techniques used in those days to identify and apprehend criminals, and unavoidably, I often make comparisons between then, and now.

The Internet has had significant impact on both crime, and in a sense, punishment. Here’s what I mean. It’s really only a minor example of the use of the Internet to apprehend criminals but nevertheless, it struck a chord with me.

In a community just outside of Toronto over this past weekend, a Husky (typically Canadian, huh?), was stolen from outside a shop while the owner was buying groceries. Shortly after reporting the theft to the Police, the owner had his faithful companion back.

It seems, that when the Police dispatcher heard of the theft, she followed up by subsequently checking out the free online classifieds website, Kijiji, where she spotted the dog which had been offered for sale by the thieves – two brothers, age 14 and 17 . Following a “sting” operation the thieves were arrested. Very cool, I thought – minor, but powerful.

The punishment aspect is a little more complex, but it illustrates the power of the Internet, in this case Twitter, to satisfy the needs of those who seek immediate information.

The former commander of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in eastern Ontario, Col. Russell Williams, who was arrested late last year, following a series of horrendous crimes which included a number of murders, sexual assaults, and 80+ additional crimes, appeared this morning before a court to plead guilty to all charges.

In Canada, where criminal trials are not viewed as entertainment (rightfully so), and cameras are not allowed in courtrooms, a certain sense of urgency by the media to capture the immediacy of the proceedings, was met by employing Twitter to broadcast the details, as the following screen capture of Twitter conversations makes clear.

(Courtesy of The Toronto Star)

Crime and punishment – the Internet has given new and expansive meaning to both.

For a bit of perspective on the past, checkout the Old Bailey site using your own family name. You never know – you might just find a forgotten relative. 

For those of you who embrace the phrase “once it’s on the Internet, it’s out there forever”, you might be surprised to see, that in fact – once “it’s” been noted virtually anywhere, (even as far back as 17th century England), it’s out there forever.

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If You’re A Habitually Negative Blogger Then You’re On The Wrong Bus

Undoubtedly, fact based diversity of opinion is a good thing – particularly in the field of technological progress. But, intellectual negativism based on habitual skepticism, which is then propagated (often by a Blogger), as expert opinion, serves no one. Except perhaps, the practiced skeptic who’s driven by a need to criticize technological advancements he doesn’t quite understand.

Clearly, I’m no fan of those technologists, or Bloggers, who are addicted to negative thinking; those who take issue with technological achievements which have been overwhelmingly affirmed by the marketplace.

Recently, WordPress added a “Share” feature to its blogging platform, and in discussing this with fellow technologists (some are Bloggers), I was taken aback by the shortsightedness brought out in discussing the benefits of this new feature – for both Blog readers, and Bloggers.

Common negative points of view expressed, included:

I would never get involved with Facebook (one of the “Share” buttons). Only losers use Facebook.

As it turns out, I’m not a Facebook user – but it’s hardly because I think only losers use Facebook. I very much doubt that the Half Billion users on this social network, consider themselves “losers”. Instead, it’s evident that Facebook users see the individual personal benefits a Facebook account provides.

From a personal perspective, Facebook presents too much of a risk to my online security; but I certainly recognize that there has been overwhelming acceptance of Facebook. Consequently, I find it difficult to listen to arguments that Facebook has no social relevancy. Or, that it’s populated by “losers.”

Only Twits use Twitter (another of the “Share” buttons).

I subscribe to Twitter, and I don’t recall ever being called a “Twit”. Some other unflattering names, I confess, – but not a “Twit”.  Mind you, I don’t tweet about what I had for breakfast, what time I went to bed, what I’m wearing today, or the inane “look at me” tweets, posted by celebrities like Demi Moore, or Ashton Kutcher.

But, I have no problem accepting that the social relevancy of Twitter is substantial. How the hell could a service with 165 Million registered users since it’s inception just two years ago, be anything but socially relevant, is beyond me.

I’ll cut to the chase here: Significantly, the addition of  the “Share” feature by WordPress has been very favorably received by most Bloggers, and most importantly – by readers. From a reader’s perspective the advantages are obvious – a “Share” feature allows users to easily share content which is important to them, through social networking sites, social content sites, email, and so on.

From a Blogger’s perspective – and I’m only relating my own personal experience – I’m delighted. In the time since WordPress added the “Share” feature, average daily reads here have increased by more than 20%. It’s rather obvious, that by making it easier for visitors to share my content, they do just that. It seems clear to me that WordPress has added value for both readers, and for me as a Blogger.

To those Blogging associates who see little, or no value, in marketplace affirmation of change, most particularly the WordPress “Share” button, I’ll remind you of this quotation from futurist Alvin Toffler (Future Shock) – “The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Writing this post, brought to mind an article in Newsweek Magazine I read many years ago, in which the author Clifford Stoll, took great exception to the idea that the Internet, and related technologies, had a viable future.

Since his predictive opinion was so dramatically off-target, I’ve partially reproduced that article here:

The Internet? Bah! (Hype alert: Why cyberspace isn’t, and will never be, nirvana.) February 27, 1995.

Visionaries see a future of telecommuting workers, interactive libraries and multimedia classrooms. They speak of electronic town meetings and virtual communities. Commerce and business will shift from offices and malls to networks and modems.  Baloney. Do our computer pundits lack all common sense? The truth is no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher ……..

How about electronic publishing? Try reading a book on disc. At best, it’s an unpleasant chore: the myopic glow of a clunky computer replaces the friendly pages of a book. And you can’t tote that laptop to the beach. Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we’ll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Internet. Uh, sure.

Then there’s cyberbusiness. We’re promised instant catalog shopping—just point and click for great deals. We’ll order airline tickets over the network, make restaurant reservations and negotiate sales contracts. Stores will become obsolete. So how come my local mall does more business in an afternoon than the entire Internet handles in a month?

The full article can be read here.

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Free StatCounter – A Serious Blogger’s Best Friend?

Are Blog statistics important? Maybe – maybe not; it really depends on why you blog, the type of content you produce, and on your expectations for readership.

If you are a serious Blogger, you may have already concluded that the Internet playing field is not level; that your site cannot compete with corporate sites that specialize in the same content that you offer. But, there are exceptions – and your site can be one of the exceptions.

Great content is the critical ingredient in the success recipe. But, it’s not the only ingredient. I have a great many friends who are serious bloggers, who regularly produce great content, but whose readership growth does not reflect the efforts they put into creating this great content.

Anyone who has been in a management position is, or should be, familiar with this old truism from the late management guru Peter Drucker – “What gets measured, gets managed”. Having spent most of my working life in management, I can assure you of the general truth of this statement.

Measuring the performance of a business operation, (a serious blogger is in business, in a sense), and then acting on the results of those measurements, is critical to both the short and long term success of any business. Measuring customer expectations (and then listening to the customer), is arguably the most important.

We are all familiar with General Motors, a notable example of what can happen to a company which chooses not to listen to customers. Elementary analysis of customer expectations, appears to not have been one of General Motors strong points.

In order to be a successful blogger, and compete with “the big guys”, you need the ability to measure, and manage, your Blog’s important metrics. Since you can’t talk directly to your customer (the reader), to any great extent – I grant you “comments” are important – you need an unbiased tool, one you can rely on, which will will help you interpret your readers needs, wants, likes, dislikes, and more.

StatCounter is a free measurement and reporting tool (a more comprehensive upgrade version is available), which, if used appropriately, can help you measurably increase your Blog’s web presence, and help drive more visitors to your site.

Fast facts:

Free, Fast, Responsive, Quick loading and Reliable Service.

Invisible Tracking – no ads on your website.

Accurate real-time website statistics with detailed visitor tracking and analysis.

It couldn’t be simpler – pasting a piece of code into your Home Page starts the process which will provide you with the following information.

Summary

Popular Pages

Entry Pages

Exit Pages

Came From

Keyword Analysis

Recent Keyword Activity

Recent Came From

Search Engine Wars

Exit Links

Exit Link Activity

Downloads

Download Activity

Visitor Paths

Visit Length

Returning Visits

Recent Pageload Activity

Recent Visitor Activity

Recent Visitor Map

Country/State/City/ISP

Browsers

System Stats

As an illustration, here are several examples of “Recent Pageload Activity” from my site. Clicking on the graphic will increase the size, or use your Browser magnifier.

As you can see, just this one screen can tell you who your readers are, where they came from, what they found interesting, and more. To put it another way –in this case, StatCounter is reporting my readers needs, wants, likes, dislikes, and so on.

I use StatCounter every day to help me listen to my readers, and to determine what it is they need – what they want to read, and what’s important to them. Taking this small extra step, has paid off in helping me establish an Internet presence that might otherwise have been much more difficult.

If you are a serious blogger, StatCounter, used appropriately, can increase the pleasure that blogging gives you. After all, which one of us doesn’t like to see our efforts produce results.

One caveat: The free version of StatCounter is restricted to the last 500 web site hits. For most people though, this restriction should not be an issue.

You can signup for this free service on the StatCounter site.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Does a Blogger’s Opinion Really Matter?

As social beings, it seems to me that we have an insatiable need to offer our opinions (often unsolicited opinions), on virtually any topic – whether the topic is open to discussion, or not.

In an ideal world, one would form opinions based on experience, knowledge, and thoughtful consideration of the question at hand; without interference from any built-in prejudices.

But, the very definition of “opinion”, indicates that opinions are not always based on experience, knowledge, or thoughtful consideration.   The question of “who is right, or who is wrong?” is often not addressed – and prejudices, unfortunately, do get in the way.

We deal here frequently, with the state of Internet security, and I rarely hesitate to offer my opinion on this issue – it’s a mess, and it’s getting worse. And yes, I’m prejudiced. But that prejudice  is the result of years of experience, knowledge, and a developed analytical process dealing with the state of cyber space.

But, does my opinion really count? Is any one really listening? And, if so – who?

Recently, I wrote a piece – Canada’s Super Spies “Discover” Cybercrime is a Threat, a satirical article, which pointed fingers at the Canadian Government. A government, which continues to be lackadaisical in implementing a robust plan to address cyber crime; an industry of crime which is continuously being taken to new levels.

Not surprisingly, a combination of regular readers, and casual readers passing by, offered an amazing assortment of thoughtful and supportive comments. I can clearly state, that my opinion had impact with these readers. The question of “who is right, or who is wrong”, was adjudicated in my favor. And, that’s enough for me.

But, can a Blogger’s opinion have broader impact? In this particular case it seems it may well have.

In the weeks following the posting of “Canada’s Super Spies Discover Cybercrime ……”, the article was accessed by a surprising number of Members of Parliament, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (and a number of other International Police agencies), but most surprising of all – the Privy Council Office, which, “provides essential advice and support to the Canadian Prime Minister and Cabinet.”

As to what whether the article had the hoped for impact, there is no sure way to know. But, as I stated earlier, my readers were very supportive and shared my opinion – and that’s enough for me.

If you’re already a Blogger (no matter the audience you write for), keep on blogging – you’re making a difference. Your views and opinions do matter; they do count. If you’re not yet a Blogger, consider becoming one – make your views and your opinions, count. Get them out there for others to consider.

WordPress, which offers perhaps the easiest, and most robust free Blogging platform available, makes it easy to blog. Check it out here.

Just a quick note: I noticed that the Mounties continue to use IE 6 – often referred to as the most hacked application of all time. Sad!

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Give Me Your PayPal ID – Then We’ll Make a Deal!

Like many Bloggers I expect, I get a huge volume of emails requesting link exchanges. In almost every case I reject the proposed exchange – I’m only interested in free sites that serve the public good. As well, I’m only interested in sites that publish articles that are well researched, well written and that have endured the ups and downs of blogging.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to be an elitist. I am however, entitled to set my own standards. So when I get an site link request like the following, my spam/scam radar automatically switches on.

“Hello Webmaster,

I’m a webmaster for http://www.xxxxxxxxx.com website,  I’ve found your website information and advice to be a very good fit for our visitors so could you please give us the best price for a site wide link on your esteemed website for a period of half and 1 Year? We will make payments Via PayPal so if interested, please mention your PayPal id.

If we are happy with your price, then we will send you the Link details that you can place on your website and we will make the payments to the PayPal id provided by you”.

So is this a scam? You decide based on the following:

They don’t know my name.

They know nothing about my site – no specifics mentioned.

For a period of half and 1 Year? – Awkward phrasing is a hallmark of spammers.

Esteemed website? Sure, flattery works – right?

Incomplete contact information – no phone number or address.

Most importantly; why would they need my PayPal ID? I think you can figure that part out.

Spammers, scammers and cyber-crooks, come in all flavors and sizes, and use every conceivable social engineering trick to swindle the gullible. I suspect that at least some  inexperienced Bloggers – flattered by the attention (wow, someone thinks my site is good enough to pay me for a link!!), will, or have fallen, for this fairly transparent scam.

One last note: This scam appears to be linked to a legitimate business site, which is why I have blanked the site address.

I’m not unreasonable in considering link exchanges – just careful. In fact, in the last few days I have added 2 new sites to my Blogroll, PC Magazine – Windows 7 Tips, (at their request), and Scoroncocolo Tech Pages. Both sites are well worth checking out.

If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Free StatCounter Can Help You Manage Your Blog for Growth

Are Blog statistics important? Maybe – maybe not; it really depends on why you blog, the type of content you produce, and on your expectations for readership – most particularly on your readership expectations.

If you are a serious Blogger, you may have already concluded that the Internet playing field is not level; that your site cannot compete with corporate sites that specialize in the same content that you offer. But, there are exceptions – and your site can be one of the exceptions.

Let me state up front, this is not an article on SEO, which frankly, I consider voodoo, and in a broader sense – cheating. In order to attain good search engine placement, great content is the critical ingredient in the success recipe. But, it’s not the only ingredient.

I have a great many friends who are serious bloggers, who regularly produce great content, but whose readership growth does not reflect the efforts they put into creating this great content.

Anyone who has been in a management position is, or should be, familiar with this old truism from management guru Peter Drucker – “What gets measured, gets managed”. Having spent most of my working life in management, I can assure you of the general truth of this statement.

Measuring the performance of a business operation, (a serious blogger is in business, in a sense), and then acting on the results of those measurements, is critical to both the short and long term success of any business. Measuring customer expectations (and then listening to the customer), is arguably the most important.

We are all familiar with General Motors, a notable example of what can happen to a company which chooses not to listen to customers. Elementary analysis of customer expectations, appears to not have been one of General Motors strong points.

In order to be a successful blogger, and compete with “the big guys”, you need the ability to measure and manage your Blog’s important metrics. Since you can’t talk directly to your customer (the reader), to any great extent – I grant you “comments” are important – you need an unbiased tool, one you can rely on, which will accurately measure and report your readers needs, wants, likes, dislikes, and more.

StatCounter is a free measurement and reporting tool (a more comprehensive upgrade version is available), which, if used appropriately, can help you measurably increase your Blog’s web presence and help drive more visitors to your site.

Fast facts:

Free, Fast, Responsive, Quick loading and Reliable Service.

Invisible Tracking – no ads on your website.

Accurate real-time website statistics with detailed visitor tracking and analysis.

It couldn’t be simpler – pasting a piece of code into your home page starts the process which will provide you with the following information.

Summary

Popular Pages

Entry Pages

Exit Pages

Came From

Keyword Analysis

Recent Keyword Activity

Recent Came From

Search Engine Wars

Exit Links

Exit Link Activity

Downloads

Download Activity

Visitor Paths

Visit Length

Returning Visits

Recent Pageload Activity

Recent Visitor Activity

Recent Visitor Map

Country/State/City/ISP

Browsers

System Stats

As an illustration, here are several examples of “Recent Pageload Activity” from my site. Clicking on the graphic will increase the size, or use your Browser magnifier.

As you can see, even this one screen can tell you who your readers are, where they came from, what they found interesting, and more. To put it another way –in this case, StatCounter is reporting my readers needs, wants, likes, dislikes, and so on.

I use StatCounter every day to help me listen to me readers, and to determine what it is they need – what they want to read, and what’s important to them. Taking this small extra step, has paid off in helping me establish an Internet presence that might otherwise have been much more difficult.

If you are a serious blogger, StatCounter, used appropriately, can increase the pleasure that blogging gives you. After all, which one of us doesn’t like to see our efforts produce results.

One caveat: The free version of StatCounter is restricted to the last 500 web site hits. For most people though, this restriction should not be an issue.

You can signup for this free service on the StatCounter site.

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