A reader asks:

Why is our blog no where to be found? You can type in specific titles, etc in google’s blog search and on the plain web and we don’t come up. The google blog search said that it should automatically list your site if you have the rss feed, which we do. Any idea why we are still off the radar and do you know how to fix that?

Many new bloggers automatically assume that if they start a blog and write good content, readers will flock to their site. Oh, how I wish this was true! Unfortunately, your blog is just one of the 70 million blogs out there so in order to let search engines, bloggers, and general readers know your blog exists, you have to do a lot of marketing. Where do you start?

Basic Site Submissions

1. Register the blog at www.technorati.com
2. Register your feed at www.feedburner.com
3. Sign up for Google Analytics
4. Submit your site to Google Webmaster Tools -
5. Submit your site to basic blog directories like Blog Catalog and Best of the Web. Here’s a good list of directories to start with - and be sure to look for directories around your niche.

Blog Marketing

1. Commit to leaving 5-7 comments/week on popular blogs in your niche.
2. Find relevant niche forums and leave comments.
3. Start a Squidoo page.
4. Submit your blog post to a relevant blog carnival.
5. Find blogs within your niche and offer to guest post.
6. Write an article and submit it to EzineArticles with a link to your blog in the author’s resource box.
7. And of course, include your blog url on your main website, business cards, letterhead, and in your marketing materials.

That should get you started, but always be on the lookout for ways to promote your blog!

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