This article discusses the benefits of submitting your Blogger Blogspot blog to blog directories and provides a comprehensive list of some of the best blog directories on the internet. This is an introductory article aimed at the new Blogspot blogger but is suitable for any blogger who wishes to build site traffic quickly.
Benefits of Submitting to Blog Directories
By adding your Blogger Blogspot blog to blog directories you are likely to increase your site traffic expotentially. If your site has been languishing in the doldrums and not getting the kind of traffic you were expecting it could be that you haven't generated enough inbound links to your site. Signing up to some top performing blog directories will create quality backlinks and expose your site to many potential visitors.
I have signed up for each blog directory in the recommended list below and in all cases have found that they have generated at least some site traffic. A few have boosted traffic considerably and have helped me establish new blogs quickly by generating an audience. One or two blog directories have more than exceeded my expectations. TopBlogList and Blog Catalog fall into this category attracting 10 or so unique visitors within a day of sign up.
How do Blog Directories Work?
Most blog directories require that you place their button somewhere on your blog. In some cases the button's function is to track visitors from your site to the directory. Some buttons may reflect the ranking of your blog in relationship to other blogs in your chosen category within the directory. If you see a number appear on the button it denotes your blog's position.
Get Organized Before You Begin Submitting to Blog Directories
To add your blog to a blog directory you first need to register. The sign up process will run more smoothly if you get a little organized before you begin. I suggest that you take the following steps first:
Craft a description for your blog of around 400 words
Check your feed details as you may be asked to provide the URL of your feed. This is especially important if you have burned your feed at a feedburning service like Feedburner
Make sure you know the exact URL address of your site. If in doubt navigate to your home page and check the the URL in the address bar
Decide which email address to use. Blog directories tend to create a lot of mail so unless you want to have your mailbox clogged up consider carefully which email address would be best. You may decide to start a new email address specifically to handle this kind of mail.
Decide on a username and password and stick to it throughout as it will make life a lot easier than trying to remember twenty different usernames and passwords
Determine your top six keywords and keyword phrases as most blog directories ask you to provide these tags
With such a big choice of blog directories to submit to I have found it pays to be systematic. Keeping a list of where you've signed up in Notepad or similar will help guard against double ups.
How to Add a Blog Directory Button to Your Blogger Blog
Most blog directories send out an email on sign up. Once you click on the link you membership will be confirmed. In most cases you will then be directed to a menu where you can begin adding your blog or blogs to the directory. Once you have entered the details of your blog the directory will generate the button code which can be copied and pasted into a HTML/Javascript widget. It is a good idea to place all buttons together in one widget for convenience and to reduce loading time. If you are uncertain how to add this widget to your Blogger blog please refer to my earlier post about Adding third party HTML/Javascript code to a sidebar widget.
List of Recommended Blog Directories to Get Started
All of the blog directories listed below I have personally signed up for as mentioned above. The blog directories are in no particular order except that I have put Blog Catalog and Top Blog List first because I have found them good.
Blog Catalog
BlogCatalog is a social community for bloggers and one of the largest blog directories on the internet. It is a good option to begin promoting your own blog and to connect with other bloggers. BlogCatalog offers lots of linking options. You can add a button, a link to your blogroll or verify your site using a meta tag and dispense with a visible site link altogether. In addition you can add a Blog Catalog Readers widget to your blog like the one you see here.Top Blogging
Easy sign up. Only one keyword phrase permitted so make it a goodie. Ranking is based on unique visitors
TopBlogArea
This blog directory tracks unique visitors. No option for visitors to vote. Every month statistics are reset to zero to give everyone a chance of being highly rated
TopBlogLists
Ranking of pages is done according to the number of unique visits each blog brings in to Top Blog Lists
Blog Top Sites
A nice control panel for site management. Ranking of pages is done according to the number of unique visits each blog receives in a month.
Top of Blogs
Ranks blogs according to the number of visits a blog receives in a certain amount of time (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
BlogTopList
Requires two buttons to be placed on your blog. One is the tracking button which tracks number of visitors and displays the rank of your site. The other button is the voting button. If a visitor votes for you it is equal to 100 unique visits .
BlogPulse
Tracks thousands of blogs. Submit yours. Try doing a check first though as you may be surprised to find your blog has already been located automatically.
BlogFlux
Over 140,000 blogs in the Blog Flux directory. Nice Control Panel interface.
Sign up is immediate although all blogs added are manually checked so there is a time delay before your blog will be included.
Blogorama
Top 100 most popular section. Score increases depending on variables like users ratings, incoming traffic and outgoing traffic.
My Blog Directory
Blog of the day feature chosen on the basis of the number of unique visitors directed by the blog to the directory per day. The blog of the day gets the whole of the site traffic fof that day. Blogs are listed randomly so that every blog gets equal exposure.
Other Blog Directories You May Be Interested In
I have not necessarily submitted a blog to these blog directories but I am providing a link if you want to follow it up. Not sure about overall chances of an increase in traffic with these ones though.
Bloggernity
Free Blog Directory
Blog Rankings
Lists of Blog Directories
For a longer list of blog directories try:
Great Blog Directories for a list of free directories
In this article I have discussed some benefits of submitting your Blogger Blogspot blog to blog directories. I have suggested ways to get organized to make the process less daunting and I have recommended some blog directories which I have personally signed up for to get you started. Adding your Blogger blog to these blog directories should result in an increase in site traffic. Good luck!
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