Tools for Blogging Success
Lessons learned from
eclecticdreams.com

Q: “Why isn’t my site number one
on Google?”

A: Because a web page is not a
web presence.

Why blogging works
• Web native platform
• Has an authentic voice
• Interactive
• Takes advantage of the network

Tool 1 : Find & Engage Your Tribe
• Decide what you’re passionate about
For me web design, web development, accessibility
• blogsearch.google.com
Look for your favourite subject, blog, area or even your name

The link economy
People find pages via other pages
• Links mean Traffic
• Links mean Pagerank
• Which means more traffic

Linkbait
• Something useful
Whitepapers, how to articles
• Something remarkable
The first article on, top ten lists
• Something people must share
definitive references, reviews

Tool 2 : Talk About Other People
• Write a review
I wrote about a web accessibility book
• Write about an event
I wrote about conferences I attended
• Write some commentary
I wrote about problems businesses have understanding accessibility’s benefits

Other Ways of GeLng Links
• Bookmark services and directories
delicious.com, top ten X posts, stumbleupon
• Talk to other blogs
post comments on other blogs, link to them
• Use networks
linkedin, facebook, forums, mailing lists, local networks and twitter

DO NOT SPAM

RSS/Feeds
• Allow you to follow blogs without visiting
Or other sites, or references to your site
• Included in modern web browsers
Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, Safari
• Use an aggregator
netvibes.com, google.com/reader

Comments
• Are often more useful than the article itself
• Help you build & improve your content
• Need moderation

Tool 3 : Feedback Loops
• On the internet somebody is always
interested
• Conversations
• Growth by contribution

Measuring Impact & Engagement
• Stats and Analytics
Where did visitors come from? What did they view?
What did they search for?
• Tools to track impact
Postrank.com , blogsearch.google.com

Example
• Pick two concepts popular in your niche
Jquery and Twitter
• Write a post that combines them
Project Twitter
• Seed the link
delicious.com > Ajaxline > Jquery on Twitter
• Watch as traffic spikes
200+ viewers in 24hrs

Blogs to Read
• Copyblogger.com
Writing for the web
• problogger.net
Blogging tips and tricks
• createdinbirmingham.com
A local hub

Q: How do I get to number one on
Google?

A: About 6 months worth of:
• Posting on‐topic articles
• Building links and connections
Not stopping…