Now that you have successfully published your artist blog and have tested your dedication to frequent blog posting, it's time to get your blog exposure on the web. Using blog-specific online marketing techniques, you can promote your blog to a target audience and build quality traffic to it - for free.

7 Steps to Build Traffic to your Artist Blog

1. Submit to Blog Directories

• A list of the top 35 blog directories with direct links to submission pages and inclusion requirements is available at The ARTrepreneur. Keep in mind that the process of submitting to directories is always long and tedious, but will absolutely prove its return on the time investment, especially considering that it's free online promotion for your blog.

• Create a record of submission document for your blog to keep track of submission dates, member registration information, etc. Many of the better blog directory sites require a reciprocal link or tracking script to get listed, so work with your technical support person to place a reciprocal link on the page.

• Make sure that the information you submit to the directories is consistent. Meaning, always submit the same title and description for your blog. The title you submit should be the title tag and meta description for your blog - both written using optimized copy rich with your blog's keywords.

  (See Part 1 of this series for tips on writing optimized copy for your blog)

• Bookmark Ping-O-Matic - a site that lets you ping many blog sites with one click: http://pingomatic.com/

• Identify your keyword phrase. Is it something people actually search for? If not - phrase it differently. For example instead of using "The Dorm Diet" for a title, you might consider "Lose the Freshman 15" since freshman 15 is a very popular searched phrase. (source: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)
• Blog Entries should be at least 300 words long.
• Your targeted keyword phrase should appear 3-5 times in the entry (once in the title, in the summary and throughout the blog)
• Use the keyword phrase in any hyperlinks you have in the blog as well as in any bulleted list.
• Use ALT tags for your images

• Link to your blog from the main page of your site.
• Use your blog as often as possible in the "related links" area of articles published on your site.
• Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics and include a link back to your blog with your signature.
• Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites.

• Set up a Bloglet subscription form on your blog and invite everyone to subscribe: http://www.bloglet.com

• Make sure you have an RSS feed URL that people can subscribe to. Test your feed here: http://feedvalidator.org/
• Use the same submission guidelines listed in step 1 above (Blog Directory Submissions) to have consistent results.

• Use your mail program to create an email signature file that will be included in every email you send. Keep it short with your name, email address, blog title and URL. This little trick will work wonders!
• Become an active member of a relevant online community forum and add your blog ti
  The 3 Success Switches & 7 Lost Secrets to Your Affiliate Wealth – Part 2
  The 7 Lost SecretsSecret 1: The Right MarketThis is one of the most important secrets to your work at home moms’ online business. The right market must be popular (meaning there is demand), penetrable (meaning it’s not too competitive) and profitable (people are willing to buy).To research the popularity, you can use keyword tools like The Dowser keyword research tool, Good Keywords tool or Wordtracker to research the demand and supply in your market.Check out the publications in your local bookstores as well. If there are recurring advertisements in a publication over months, chances are that the advertiser is making money and there is demand for whatever they are selling. dates, member registration information, etc. Many of the better blog directory sites require a reciprocal link or tracking script to get listed, so work with your technical support person to place a reciprocal link on the page.

• Make sure that the information you submit to the directories is consistent. Meaning, always submit the same title and description for your blog. The title you submit should be the title tag and meta description for your blog - both written using optimized copy rich with your blog's keywords.

  (See Part 1 of this series for tips on writing optimized copy for your blog)

• Bookmark Ping-O-Matic - a site that lets you ping many blog sites with one click: http://pingomatic.com/

• Identify your keyword phrase. Is it something people actually search for? If not - phrase it differently. For example instead of using "The Dorm Diet" for a title, you might consider "Lose the Freshman 15" since freshman 15 is a very popular searched phrase. (source: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)
• Blog Entries should be at least 300 words long.
• Your targeted keyword phrase should appear 3-5 times in the entry (once in the title, in the summary and throughout the blog)
• Use the keyword phrase in any hyperlinks you have in the blog as well as in any bulleted list.
• Use ALT tags for your images

• Link to your blog from the main page of your site.
• Use your blog as often as possible in the "related links" area of articles published on your site.
• Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics and include a link back to your blog with your signature.
• Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites.

• Set up a Bloglet subscription form on your blog and invite everyone to subscribe: http://www.bloglet.com

• Make sure you have an RSS feed URL that people can subscribe to. Test your feed here: http://feedvalidator.org/
• Use the same submission guidelines listed in step 1 above (Blog Directory Submissions) to have consistent results.

• Use your mail program to create an email signature file that will be included in every email you send. Keep it short with your name, email address, blog title and URL. This little trick will work wonders!
• Become an active member of a relevant online community forum and add your blog ti
  If You Thought Like Your Customer - You Wouldn't Be Recalling The Pet Food
  Do you think now that pet owners would be prepared to pay more for pet foods made only with North American ingredients? Or under strict government control? Read that question one more time if you have pets. This is the question on the mind of every pet owner and those who retail pet foods these last few days. We have an epidemic of companies who had their pet food made by one firm. However in the time it took me to start writing this column -- only up to this point -- the situation has changed again. As of two minutes ago, Purina has recalled Alpo. The recall affects all sizes and varieties of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes, but not food made in Canada.U.S.-based Purin
  /pingomatic.com/

• Identify your keyword phrase. Is it something people actually search for? If not - phrase it differently. For example instead of using "The Dorm Diet" for a title, you might consider "Lose the Freshman 15" since freshman 15 is a very popular searched phrase. (source: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)
• Blog Entries should be at least 300 words long.
• Your targeted keyword phrase should appear 3-5 times in the entry (once in the title, in the summary and throughout the blog)
• Use the keyword phrase in any hyperlinks you have in the blog as well as in any bulleted list.
• Use ALT tags for your images

• Link to your blog from the main page of your site.
• Use your blog as often as possible in the "related links" area of articles published on your site.
• Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics and include a link back to your blog with your signature.
• Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites.

• Set up a Bloglet subscription form on your blog and invite everyone to subscribe: http://www.bloglet.com

• Make sure you have an RSS feed URL that people can subscribe to. Test your feed here: http://feedvalidator.org/
• Use the same submission guidelines listed in step 1 above (Blog Directory Submissions) to have consistent results.

• Use your mail program to create an email signature file that will be included in every email you send. Keep it short with your name, email address, blog title and URL. This little trick will work wonders!
• Become an active member of a relevant online community forum and add your blog ti
  Managing for Innovation - Values and Concepts of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria Part 7
  In this issue, I will share my experience acquired from the conglomerate and its operating companies. For the purpose of this article, I will articulate the Managing for Innovation which is one of the Eleven Values and Concepts in Malcolm Baldrige Criteria. As before, I will use case studies to show how some of the companies implement them.To recap, below are the Eleven Core Values and Concepts of Baldrige Criteria:- Visionary Leadership Customer-Driven Excellence Organizational and Personal Learning Valuing Employees and Partners Agility Focus on the Future Managing for Innovation Management
  se in any hyperlinks you have in the blog as well as in any bulleted list.
• Use ALT tags for your images

• Link to your blog from the main page of your site.
• Use your blog as often as possible in the "related links" area of articles published on your site.
• Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics and include a link back to your blog with your signature.
• Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites.

• Set up a Bloglet subscription form on your blog and invite everyone to subscribe: http://www.bloglet.com

• Make sure you have an RSS feed URL that people can subscribe to. Test your feed here: http://feedvalidator.org/
• Use the same submission guidelines listed in step 1 above (Blog Directory Submissions) to have consistent results.

• Use your mail program to create an email signature file that will be included in every email you send. Keep it short with your name, email address, blog title and URL. This little trick will work wonders!
• Become an active member of a relevant online community forum and add your blog ti
  Enterprise Content Management: Convergence of Structured & Unstructured Data Management
  Enterprises are handling increasing amounts of unstructured data (electronic data that are not stored in a predefined structure, like office documents, e-mail, web info), frequently kept in repositories which have structures of limited efficiency & accessibility. Moreover the internal structure of files is usually not standardised and may not be efficient, in terms of information retrieval and reusability. According to international studies, more than 85% of business data are of unstructured nature.The advent of web content and the necessity to use proactively the web channel in the market, has further increased the need to efficiently manage information content of unstructured nature. The volume of
  at never will (sorry mom!).

  • Set up a Bloglet subscription form on your blog and invite everyone to subscribe: http://www.bloglet.com
  6. RSS Feeds Set your blog to display RSS feeds and submit your blog's RSS feed to the major RSS feed directories online. Go here for a list of the top RSS directories: http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm

  • Make sure you have an RSS feed URL that people can subscribe to. Test your feed here: http://feedvalidator.org/
  • Use the same submission guidelines listed in step 1 above (Blog Directory Submissions) to have consistent results.
  7. Email Signature

  • Use your mail program to create an email signature file that will be included in every email you send. Keep it short with your name, email address, blog title and URL. This little trick will work wonders!
  • Become an active member of a relevant online community forum and add your blog title and URL to your signature line at the bottom of each message you post.
  Building traffic to your artist blog is not a scientific process. It takes time, hard work, and persistence to build a loyal audience and create your niche interactive community on the web. Tracking your success is a key motivational tool that will help get you through some guaranteed trying times that come with building a successful blog. Be sure to benchmark the current state of your traffic, your rankings on the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) and the visitor commenting activity on your blog before implementing these free online marketing techniques.