One of the more pressing issues for bloggers like myself is how to increase traffic, your number of readers, and your visibility on the net. Starting a blog is one thing, but do you get people to notice it? One thing is for sure, people want to be noticed, but sometimes just posting is not enough for you to be discovered, listed in Google or what have you. Knowing this, here are the top five methods of driving traffic to your blog for FREE!

1. Build a Network
You should consider blogging just like interviewing for a job. I consider the number one priority (and first step) to increasing your blog’s traffic to be building a human network. What do I mean by this? Think about it this way: if you can get linked up with some of the best websites, and even from some of the not-so-popular, you will be benefiting from the trade NO MATTER WHAT. This reigns true in economics as well. It is irrelevant if a blog is better or worse than your own (as long as they DO have readers of course), because trade will boost both websites’ traffic. People read blogs to gain information and be entertained, by virtue of your name being around, you will get more and more feedback from people noticing you.

How do you start to network? There are many ways, but I think the most important two are to comment on other blogs and be active in a community. I have gotten probably about 60% of my traffic originally from other blog sites. If you comment on similar blogs, people will visit your website. This may seem far-fetched at first, but trust me. Making thoughtful comments on other blogs is one of the best ways to get noticed. Similarly, being active on a reputable community is a huge plus. Whether this is a forum board like Digital Point and Bloggeries, or a blogging network like MyBlogLog or Technorati, communicating with other people (checking out their site, them checking out yours) will drive traffic without a doubt.

2. Blog Competitively
Blogging isn’t for the weak. If you want your blog to become a destination, you need to get your game face on. Not to say that should be rude, but increasing traffic is partly a function of pursuing opportunity with an iron fist. When I link up with a site, I don’t care what they have to say as long as they have readers… you should see them as existing solely for your benefit. This sounds rude, but if you really want to expand, you should be taking advantage of as many trade opportunities as possible.

Competitive blogging isn’t only getting your link out, you need to be doing something different. You are essentially competing with other blogs for traffic at all times, so if your posts are not unique… people will be discouraged from reading. Holding a contest is a brilliant idea, but first and foremost, you must be sure that you aren’t simply increasing traffic temporarily. Bigger is better, so offer what people want and don’t be too frugal. In addition to contests, just make sure that you are advertising in similar blogs and writing meaningful posts that people will want to read.

3. Make a Nice Design/Layout
I really can’t stress this enough. If people don’t like the look of your website or blog, they simply will not like the content. It is very hard to find good content on a blog with clashing colors, simply because it is too distracting on the eyes. In order to make any site more aesthetically pleasing, you need to find a color scheme that works. This should simply be base one, and there are many online services that can help you get a scheme that works for you. I used a particular service from websitetips.com to help guide my decision. Make sure you have a fair amount of eye-catching graphics on your blog as well. If you do not have some kind of mascot or logo, I suggest you either make or outsource this job. Every website really needs some kind of identifying characteristic that draws readers back to it. If you do not have a nice design/layout, you are more than likely hemorrhaging your traffic.

4. Get the Word Out
Don’t expect visitors to find your website on their own accord, you need to assert yourself onto the internet. The best two ways to do this are by submitting your site to web directories and by writing articles for article databases. Firstly, web directories are essential because they provide free reciprocal links to your website that are universally recognized on the internet. Many of these are paid services, but there are plenty of free web directories that can get you your fix. Here is a good list to get you started. Articles are even more useful for spreading your link around, as you can typically add a promotional paragraph to the end of every entry. I use: EzineArticles, GoArticles and ArticleDashboard.

Another great way to “get the word out” is to “ping” various services every time you add new content. This essentially allows crawling engines to update their cache accordingly to get all of your content linked up. The best way to go here is Ping-O-Matic, which does the job fast and free.

5. Post Every Day
Last but not least, you should be trying to make a good post every day. Three times a week won’t cut it in this increasingly competitive environment. If you can aim to provide one new post every day for 30-days, I guarantee your traffic skyrocket. People want content, and a blog that doesn’t update is as unattractive as anything. Also, updating your blog often really sets off search engines like Google and Yahoo into placing your links higher and in more attractive positions. Search engines love new content, so optimizing your site can be as simple as posting daily. I want to make a cut off though of posting multiple times each day. You definitely don’t want to post too much, or too little… it is a delicate balance and I recommend 6-9 posts per week too keep interest levels up.

To prove this theory, here is a log of my traffic. I did not make a post on either Sunday or Monday, I made posts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check out the more-than DOUBLED readership on the days I made posts:

With these tips in hand, you should be well on your way to increasing your traffic. If you were to hold these rules constant for just 30 days, making competitive moves and posting every day, I guarantee your readership will increase over at least 33% from your original posting strategy. Keep to your niche, stay positive, be insightful and you will be well-read in no time!

-Jimvesting

We have updated our Deal Barbie Pays posting to knock them down a notch, as Free Apple iPhone takes their spot as the best shift-code based GPT website on the net! Their theme is fantastic, their contests are mouth-watering and support is very easy to reach at all times. They’ve got almost 5,000 members and over $2000 in offers for you to complete. Shiftcode is a drag, but Free Apple iPhone makes it work!

Jimvesting gives Free Apple iPhone a 5-out-of-5 rating

Not only do you earn money for completing offers, you are given “apples” (credits) for future redemption in real iPods, iPhones, gift certificates and more! This is by far the best credit-based system that I have ever seen implemented on a get paid to (GPT) website. The name “Free Apple iPhone” is, therefore, a bit misleading because the offers you complete get you cash in addition to that one step closer to an iPhone.

These guys have been pulling out all the stops as of late. I really can’t figure out why they don’t do Macbooks yet, I mean they did give away a new motorcycle and a Garmin GPS system. Regardless, in 2008 they have already proved to me that they can handle the competition. They boast a page of “payment proof” that actually lists every single payout they have made… you can rest assured that members are getting paid! In addition, they have integrated the popular “GPT Tracker” service to automatically record which GetAFreeAppleiPhone.com offers you have completed in order to cut down on fraud. And oh yeah, minimum payout is just $10.

I am struggling to find something wrong with Free Apple iPhone. So far, I think that Shiftcode is the only mark against them, but they really do overcome the limitations of the system quite well. The layout of choice is set on a black background, and looks very very sleek and downright “appleish” in design. It is one of the easiest websites to navigate… straight to the point, but many great features when you do some exploring! Better yet, the “complete offers” area of the website is well organized and fully searchable. They even have some video tutorials available in case you are wondering how to correctly complete offers.

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If you are looking for extraordinary growth coupled with market-risk levels, you want telecommunication stocks in 2008! The industry as a whole has been one of the strongest performers to date, and it is generally somewhat recession proof (people always want to talk!). Catalysts for the long-term include explosive growth in emerging mobile markets, increasing demand for bandwidth (speed), and a large-scale shift from copper wiring to fiber and broadband wireless. The bulls are out, lets grab some value.

Telecom Services – AT&T (NYSE: T)
Wireless momentum continues to power the market in 2008, and AT&T is right there leading the pack with over 65 million subscribers in the United States. They met expectations in their forth-quarter earnings call (that’s the 11th straight quarter of double-digit growth in earnings), but the really important news here is that wireless results were above expectations and guidance for 2008 was reaffirmed. I think AT&T has what it takes to lead the market into the mobile age of technology. Already, we have seen 57.5% year-over-year growth in wireless data revenues, driven by this increasing adoption of smart phones and 3G wireless devices. Essentially, computers are becoming smaller, and I think that these iPhones and Blackberrys are simply early models of the personal computers of the future.

What’s wrong with Verizon (NYSE: VZ)? I really can’t say, as it is a bit of a crap shoot at this point. I’d have to give the edge to AT&T because of their proven ability to grow earnings despite being so large, and their willingness to open networks toward new computing technology. What really pushes T over the edge for me is its steady 4.5% dividend yield, earnings visibility, growing wireless business, favorable balance sheet, long-term strategy and strategic acquisitions (successful acquisition of BellSouth in 2007). You can look toward their IP-services and whatnot… but you want AT&T for their superior wireless dominance in 2008.

Telecom Services – Millicom (NYSE: MICC)
Once again, Millicom blew away expectations by producing an amazing 3.4 million net subscribers and 41% revenue growth in the forth quarter alone. This company is on cloud nine right now, and while margins were slightly below expectations… guess what… they were 40.0%. Essentially, what Millicom is doing is bringing wireless technology to places that are underdeveloped. They charge by the second, rather than minute, to increase their value to thrifty subscribers and are very active in emerging markets. I am confident in their growth, and Millicom is my Telecom stock for 2008.

MICC is going to kick off 1Q08 with a bang due to their 4Q recorded net-add increase. Broken down by region: Central America growth should drive from new 3G technology and higher-quality customers, African markets have seen dramatic margin increases with new subscribers, Columbia has been negatively impacted by connection fees but should rebound nicely and Asian market investments should continue to propel strength in this key market. MICC is impressive across the board, and their huge international exposure should prove beneficial in 2008.

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The following is a sponsored posting:

As an investor in the stock market, fluctuations within that market affect the amount your investments are worth. This is a well understood function of the stock market itself. As the market changes, stock prices rise and fall and your investment worth changes. How can payday lending affect your investments, though?

Payday lending is being regulated in many states. For instance, Georgia has already passed a law prohibiting payday loans from being offered. Other states are considering different regulatory laws. How does this affect the stock market? Large payday lending corporations (chain stores, in effect) are traded on the market. As these regulations take effect, the number of stores may well drop, reducing the worth of stocks in these companies.

This in itself will not affect your investment, unless you have stock in these companies. However, a large number of states enacting legislation of this nature can have a dramatic effect on the stock market as a whole, reducing the market significantly and reducing the worth of your investment even if it is not in the payday loan industry.

While many find the payday loan industry to be an eyesore, the fact remains that it is an economic bolster and when used appropriately, can even aid consumers as intended.

-Jimvesting

Pink is the new green at the Deal Barbie Pays network. This site is really a breath of fresh air in an otherwise gloomy shiftcode market. I want to hate on the website’s design, as it is definitely not as user-friendly as the other big names like TreasureTrooper and CashCrate, but overall it is fairly easy to get around. Payout-ratios are top-notch, service is excellent (owner is very friendly) and there are great contests and incentive rewards.

Jimvesting gives Deal Barbie Pays a 4.5-out-of-5 rating

As far as I am concerned, DealBarbiePays.com is the one of the best shiftcode website on the internet. They have proven to me that they are not a scam with great support service and frequent payments. With over $2,000 in offers available as well as a unique credit-based prize system, this site wants to pay you. There are many incentives like a $5.00 sign-up bonus, frequent promotional codes, contests and cash-back for completing offers. Deal Barbie is not afraid to offer lots of ways to earn money.

I want to have a look at the payout scheme, as shiftcode driven websites typically offer less than stellar opportunities. My eBay payout benchmark ($10 payment) proves that they are in the highest percentile of competitive offer-based GPT websites. They have an average amount of deals to complete, but also have a unique option I haven’t seen anywhere else… the ability to “request an offer” that you may have seen on another website! This is really smart, and bodes well for their business. The minimum cash out level is set to $20, which is somewhat low when you factor in the $5 head start. One of the networked websites, DealBarbiePaysFast.com, offers a withdrawal level of just $1! In all, the payment process is definitely above their benchmark… they accept PayPal, check and Amazon.com gift certificates.

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