The awesome thing that happened over the weekend – this blog is now under 100k according to Alexa. Yay! Which means I’m well on the way when it comes to monetizing this blog if I wanted to. As readers of this blog knows, the kick could have been more but because the topics are experimental in nature, promoting Blogging For dot INFO has been an organic journey.
Furthermore, knowing Alexa over the last few months has been quite a pleasure. If you have followed along with the monthly reports, showcasing the changes in numeric trends allow you to practice the art of predicting your blog’s future. This is a valuable feat when and only when you want to seriously consider the online business down the line. So folks if you haven’t already done so, it’s never too late to look at what you have now.
Here are some references to help you so:
What is Alexa
Everyone knows Alexa and strives to improve their ranking with her. For some reason, the statistics from this site in general tells an advertiser if he/she wants to work with you. The upper hand you can get from this is on the bids/pricing of the ads on your site. The keyword which you should focus on here is traffic.
Are you receiving valuable insights from your visitors or are they just bouncing off? The more you can detail the specifics of your audience, the better the catering to it. Other than that, I would say if making money online is your goal, increasing your ranking with Alexa should be one of your concentrated efforts online. Hitting home here is where the heart of online profits are seen.
Some of the things which you can do to boost the ranking of your blog is really simple. However, what’s simple isn’t always easy. So let me share with you some of those strategies which is fair to say has done this blog well in terms of Alexa ranking. Feel free to add your two cents if you feel I may have left anything out. Without further ado, let’s get into the gist of the process.
It’s All About Documentation
There may have been a few dates missed on this blog dating back to April 7th of this year. However, these bumps weren’t really major. I’ve even doubted myself on the mass information I’ve put out. Overall, committing yourself to a daily dose of blogging effectively is quite a journey.
Who says that ideas are in abundance? You do run dry at some point and it’s not that you’re incapable of writing, the spells of information overload just sits on you like a big fat lady. (Please excuse the pun 
)
While quality over quantity is preached in the blogosphere, just look at your own standards for what is quality. The first few months online should be more of an experimental filter. Question everything.
One of the mistakes I made was stopping myself from blogging because someone else said it was bad to do so in a certain way. So there is influence here but remember, it’s positive influence you’re looking for. Sometimes you need to make your own mistakes to notice. Not the other way around to which you’re sitting still on your tracks.
The best way to see where you’re heading is to document what you’re doing. This way you get to see the logical steps behind your actions so your emotions won’t get the best out of you. Believe me, we will put up a fight to not continue rather than shut the blib to make something of it. It’s just in our nature.
So when you feel that inspiration is something you need, look at your notes. Where are you now? The timeline I’ve created provides a skeleton of this blog’s progression. Thus, getting your own back is something which works well in this manner. You can’t blame the unseen when in fact, you’ve seen it all. It’s all about taking action and consistent effort towards pitching things out there. Soon enough you’ll see rewarding results.
Letting the Online World Hear You Out
I’ve learned about blog hopping in the latest project I participated in – the 100 Blog Comments Challenge. This will always hold an epic turning point for this blog because not only did it bring together folks from all walks of the blogosphere, but the camaraderie in making it happen was inspirational. This led to the importance of spreading your influence online.
Let yourself be heard outside of your blog. Make an effort to connect, like, share links and favorite one another. Find a community to which you can challenge one another. It doesn’t always have to be like as well. Your two cents can come from righting the wrongs. This works well as an update post for later on.
The outlook you should get from commenting is long-term relationship building. It starts with making an effort and continuing to build yourself through sharing insightful thoughts while you’re leaving traces of yourself out there. Basically, finding out who agrees with you and who won’t is a win-win series of effort.
The benefit is you’re building backlinks on sites which will allow you dofollow. This means they offer to link back to you and in turn give a little bit of their ranking to you. Furthermore, this is great on a personal branding level and is the basic of practicing search engine optimization (SEO). Besides, you won’t know how much value you provide until someone else tells you. Thus, branding is very important here. Just go out there and give your opinion.
Tasting a Bit of Fame
I’m having a ball now because surpassing the first few months of your blogging life should take you into the throngs of three things:
- guest posting
- connecting with other like-minded bloggers through small projects
- clearer vision of your efforts to finding future prospects to build partnerships with
This is the interactive part of your blogging life where your social status online will be found. You probably don’t see it now but the calling will propel you to. When that does happen, you’ll find yourself falling flat on your belly at moments because that’s how busy it’ll be. However, it’s all part of the hard work involved which ranks you high on Alexa.
To keep up with the momentum of your online efforts, scheduling blog posts ahead of time might be a good idea. Next, recognizing opportunities to share your thoughts by acting on them in a timely fashion whether it’s through reviews, writing a counter-post to respond to a conversation/post or featuring the blogger which gave you the thought in the first place.
Don’t let your chances slide. Filtering out what is worthwhile is a matter of taking action and learning from them, not standing by and reading what someone else said. The difference between you commenting on someone’s blog and expanding upon a post of your own is taking the conversation further by making it personal. That’s the magic of blogging online. You have to reach out and be heard. Filter out the hype from the truth by writing about what is relevant to you.
Reminding Yourself That Blogging Means Business
Each day you neglect to focus on blogging, that’s where your business online will dwindle. Make it a point to devote at least 10 minutes a day to writing on your blog. That’s not a lot but that’s enough to kick start 20 or more minutes into writing an insightful post.
Basically, you can brainstorm a million thoughts but if you aren’t putting those plans into action. Forget about complaining. I’m going to be harsh and say ‘it’s your fault’. I’m guilty of it as well but I’ll admit it because sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone to see results.
So if you feel like your blog needs a boost in ranking, take a look back at the process above. They have continuously help this blog rank well in the search engines. Moreover, they are the basics to which the foundation of your blog will be build upon. The advancement of it will further continue when you’ve got the hang of ‘thinking that your blog means business’. This can take awhile. Whichever way you wish to go, continue and you will prevail.
What’s your take on ranking your blog in the search engines? Share your thoughts.
Related posts:
Twitter: franalm
says:
Hi Thu:
It is getting late but I saw your tweet, came here and now I had to write a comment because I want to congratulate you.
I am happy to know that your blog has the top rating at Alexa CONGRATULATIONS! Keep it here and move further up.
The post that you have written is specials full of images and a good story.
I do not have Alexa in my lap top and I can not even use it. As my lap top is Vista.
Thanks for a comment at one of posts today.
Talk again
Fran Aslam
Fran Aslam´s last [type] ..Google Instant – Became The Best Search Engine On The World Wide Web on Sept 08-2010
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Fran,
Thanks so much for dropping by. I’m really happy and grateful for the congrats you’ve given me. You can get the alexa toolbar no matter what operating system you’re using. Unless you mean Internet Explorer. Thus, I recommend Firefox as there are a lot more goodies to play with. Much like WordPress ya know. Thanks so much for the support!
Twitter: AdamPaudyal
says:
Congratulation Thu for achieving the great milestone…and I have to say this is truly inspirational to me…
You couldn’t have said it better: documenting what you do is the best way to see where you are heading. That is exactly what I try to implement in my blog as well. But I know I have a long ways to go and I need to push myself out of my comfort zone even more…
You just gave me a good ‘kick in the rear’ to take my blogging endeavor more seriously. My blog is my business….That is the kind of mindset I need to carry on in order to be a successful blogger….
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Adam,
I have no doubt in my mind that you’re going to be one of the rising star in the blogosphere. Your writing resonates on so many levels. Furthermore with a little marketing magic through guest posting, participating in blog carnivals your blog will soon get up there too. Thanks so much for the support as well. Appreciate it!
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
says:
Well done, Thu! This is a really remarkable achievement in such a short amount of time. You are proof that discipline, smart choices and slogging through the hard stuff will generate positive returns. I’m very happy to be on your radar and to have just finished the 100 Comments challenge with you. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!
Cheryl from thatgirlisfunny´s last [type] ..Managing Facebook Issues – just suck it up and get used to it!
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Cheryl!
So great to see you and so happy to hear from you as well. Yes, it’s been quite a long journey but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know I could have done more but the expectations are so much that sometimes settling for what you got is good for the moment. I can’t forget who gave the first comment on this blog. Thanks so much for supporting me when I was just beginning. Furthermore, I should be the one grateful for what you’ve done. It’s the least I can do to send back the love.
See you on your blog soon!
Thu
Congrats on cracking the top 100k Thu!
Okay on to the meat of the comment:
It shows that really, consistency isn’t as important as, like you said, quality content and networking. When you create a stellar piece of content and can be promoted by your network of friends – you’re gold!
Likewise, build those backlinks but make powerful ones.
Overall, you just have to keep going for it – you’ll increasingly chip down your Alexa rank until you’re hitting them low numbers the more you work toward your goals – go out and do it!
Murlu´s last [type] ..Unbelievable Stories Of Niche Market Success
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Honestly Murray,
Having bloggers who can support me in this endeavor like yourself has been a ball. I enjoy blogging more and more just so that I can learn more from Cheryl, yourself, Adam and even the gems I’ve presented earlier. I look at the positive of things and as long as there is one twinkle, you know I’m blogging it. Thanks so much for doing what you are doing. Through providing great content, you open doors for bloggers like myself to walk through and further hold the canvas to continue on with.
Thank you!
Twitter: stevescott1
says:
Thu,
Big congrats!! Getting under 100k is great. A good milestone and I really like milestones.
I actually ran into a really good tidbit on Alexa Ranking about 6 days ago.
A lot of Alexas ranking is based on data similar to the way the nielsons do rating for television. That is to say a random sampling In this case sampling isn’t quite as random though. It is all based off of data for people that have the Alexa toolbar installed.
Soooo…
Having the toolbar installed yourself (and friends and family maybe) can have a significant improvement on your Alexa ranking.
I installed it six days ago and have seen my Alexa rank drop 500-1500 points ever day since. Now I have been doing a lot of other things and I have also seen an increase in traffic, so it is not JUST do to that, but I believe has helped.
for the 1 minute it takes to install the bar it is worth the shot.
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Great insight! You know, it’s good you’ve pointed that out. I do have the toolbar installed. I have the script on the blog as well if I’m looking at the blog somewhere outside, heh, the ego but this helps me analyze the progression. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Twitter: gastrategist
says:
Congrats on this milestone, Thu! My own numbers have been going up, probably due to the relationship building you talk about. I am working on another web project right now which is sucking up a lot of time, but my next big push will be doing more guest posts. I actually was asked to write one a couple of weeks ago, and I did, but the website is suspended by WordPress! (This is why you need your own domain like you have).
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Jennifer,
Do try to attempt as much guest posting as you can as it’s can be a great surprise to comment on other blogs besides our own at times. It’s just great fun to hear another side to your story, thoughts you know. Thanks so much for your support. Steve pointed out that having the toolbar helps so I hope you got that installed too. Good luck and best on your new project!
Twitter: tammikibler
says:
Congratulations on getting below 100K. I took Steve’s advice and installed the Alexa toolbar, hopefully that will help me improve my score.
I am happy to be networking with you in a mastermind group and I will be digging deep into your blog to figure out how to duplicate your success.
Cheers!
Tammi Kibler´s last [type] ..Writing Jobs Online
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Tammi,
Make use of the Site Map as well as Archive above on the navigation menu. You’ll find both great for guiding you through this blog. I appreciate your feedback and wish you success on your endeavor.
Twitter: WebTrafficCafe
says:
First of all, congratulations are in order, Thu. Quite an achievement!
I also can’t help but agree about the importance of blogger engagement. The more of your touch you spread around the net, the more of it will come back to you.
Time consuming? Sure. But an absolute necessity nonetheless.
Ana Hoffman
http://www.TrafficGenerationCafe.com
Ana @ Traffic Generation Cafe´s last [type] ..Improve Your Google Ranking- From Lame To Fame in 4 Easy Steps
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hello Ana,
Relationships are everything online and you already know that. However, there’s a difference between talking the talk and blogging the blog. You have definitely blogged the blog and I’m so happy to have you drop by! Thanks so much for sharing your valuable thoughts on this matter.
Twitter: daclements
says:
While I agree with your tactics, if the goal of any blogger is to attain a certain number or rank, they’re wasting their time.
It may be that as a result of getting a higher Alexa ranking, you’re subject to more traffic and thus higher earning potential, but surely then the “goal” is to earn more advertising revenue and not to achieve a certain Alexa ranking.
Dave@Do It With WordPress´s last [type] ..Scheduled Posts
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Dave,
Most blogs don’t go online to achieve ranking for no reason. There has to be a motive but as you said without a purpose, it’s a waste of their time. Thus, most bloggers want to achieve better rankings to monetize themselves. So you’re absolutely right to say so but not true on when making money online becomes a goal. Eventually most bloggers will attempt that. Thanks so much for your input on this.
Twitter: kruby
says:
Well done, Thu!
Your hard work has really paid off handsomely and thank you for sharing what’s working for you. Now to get it under 50K
Karen´s last [type] ..Create Your Future Using a Vision Board
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hey Karen!
Well 6 months seemed like 6 years. I want more structure now and it is time. Now cracking the 50k, that’s going to be a celebration! Great to see you here and you’re welcome with the steps.
Twitter: johnmcnally54
says:
Well done Thu; sub 100k!
I like round numbers so 100,000 is something I would normally want to aim for. However I understand that the top 1% of blogs are sub 80,000, and as I am writing this comment in October, I can see you have achieved this as well.
Your Alexa rating today is 78,341.
You deserve another ‘well done’ for that, keep up the good work Thu.
John
John McNally´s last [type] ..Google Analytics and Web Traffic
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi John!
Why thank you. I try and part of that trying is content creation. From writing on this blog at least 6 times a week, I know that’s a lot of information for you to consume, but even just putting that much out there, I know I’m handling the queries of the search engines when they’re crawling the site.
Furthermore, I add pinging to help which does an awesome job. Which reminds me, I have to start finishing up that review on the Ping Optimizer plugin which lets you handle your pinging.
Well, you’ll have a taste of that soon as I believe that’s also something you should do. Great conversation! Hehe, perhaps I’m in a brainstorming moment. So thank you for that nice cup of tea!
Talk soon,
Thu
Twitter: J_T_Ray
says:
The cartoon where the wife is telling the guy to go to bed was hilarious. My wife is constantly telling me to stop blogging. 192 articles in a couple months is incredible. I’m trying to do 1 a day and finding that can be pretty difficult some days.
Josh Ray@Make Money Blogging´s last [type] ..My Blogging Goals
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Josh!
Welcome to Blogging For! Apologize for the late response. One heck of a month with this new mailing list launch. Putting a bit too much time into it. We’ll see how it goes. Heh. Now, if that is reminiscent of you, imagine how my husband is eyeing me typing away in the middle of the night. LOL.
Hey, 192 is only minor, well OK, it was killer but you can do it. My frequency may be a bit too high but depending on your planning, that’s easy peasy. Check out some of the articles I have in the archive.
Hmmmm, let’s see.
Here’s one: Cat Got Your Tongue, Some Openers
http://www.bloggingfor.info/cat-got-your-tongue-here-are-some-openersprompts-for-you-to-start-with/
Here’s two: 750 Words, Practice Makes Perfect
http://www.bloggingfor.info/can-your-write-750-words-daily/
Here’s three: A Research Template To Get You Going
http://www.bloggingfor.info/research-writing-template/
Much luck to you on that my friend!
KIT,
Thu
Twitter: nittyGriddyBlog
says:
Thu,
I don’t know how I didn’t see the post earlier – but better late than never I suppose. Okay, so you’ve got me completely hooked today on reading one post after another – of yours
!
First and foremost – Congratulations on achieving such an incredible milestone in such a short period of time. I have loads to learn from you and you’ve been so kind and thorough to share your steps to fame along the way – thanks – for both the generosity/thoroughness of your posts and the encouragement that they bestow on the rest of us.
I could actually comment on each paragraph you have here but I will spare you the eBook that this comment would turn into lol.
I just wanted to make sure I had a chance to tell you WOW, keep going, keep sharing, keep growing! You’ve done a hell of a job here.
Wishing you continued success at every level and every endeavor you undertake.
PS – I love the timeline you’ve done – it’s great to have it included here. I have something similar but never thought of adding it as an actual stand alone post on my blog.
Cheers
Ingrid Abboud´s last [type] ..17 Things About Me- If You’re Curious to Know – My Special Bday Post!
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hey there Ingrid!
You are on your way my friend. As I’ve already seen what it is you’ve got, you won’t be far. It’s a matter of continuity and consistently cranking it out. I have a tendency to overdo something until I’m numb but that’s how I work. Hehe.
Glad you liked the timeline. You know. I was just looking through that earlier and I thought, I haven’t update it but it absolutely shows a lot of what can happen to you during the first six months online.
I would love to see your variation. Hey, as long as there’s documentation, it will be seen with different insights.
Once again, appreciate your awesome comments!
Cheers
The images you use in the posts are great where do you get those? Stock image sites? They definitely add a nice bit of humor to the blog post! Congrats on getting below 100k, right now it says you’re at 75,707 awesome!
The Link Medic´s last [type] ..10 Most Useful Blogging Communities To Help Promote Your Blog
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Hi Link Medic,
Love the awesome name and welcome to this blog! Hehe, yes, the pictures are found through Google. They are linked to the relevant posts I found them from. Some have the websites as well on them.
Thanks so much for the wishes. I’m hoping to dip below or at least near 70k by the end of the month.
Please come again soon!
Cheers
Twitter: newbizblogger
says:
Fantastic Thu!! Woohoo!! I love hearing stuff like this. Shows what a bit of hard work and determination can get you.
Keep up the great work and once again CONGRATS!!
Michele @NewBizBlogger´s last [type] ..That’s A Wrap- November 19- 2010
Twitter: thublogger
says:
Michele! Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, with hard work and even smart ones too
anything will move.
So glad you have came by to show some love.
Will see you on your site soon!
Thu
Thu, Do one really need to care about Alexa or Compete rank? I know there are many alexa ranking manipulation tools and services available online but i don’t think even consumers/buyers of any web may consider it as an authority symbol or the alexa rankings can add any “trust” on website. I’d rather try adding BBB etc.
Twitter: thublogger
says:
No, it’s absolutely optional Pavan.
With regard to the manipulations, that’s only from the first impression for one standpoint. You have to take into matters the quality content on site, interactions happening in the comments and also social proof that the business is genuinely helping folks.
Hence, we don’t want to be scammed. Not all sites which are high in rank are valuable and that may be in relation to the viewer whose purpose must be met. Otherwise, it’s just another website and a number. No value really then.
I look at Alexa as a measurement of my content competing with my fellow friends. Thus, we’re all in the community together. It’s voluntarily too. Nonetheless, seeing the stats from other sites can actually change the way we go about doing our blogging.
As we get into product development, it becomes a matter of marketing one another. Moreover, I wouldn’t say rank is something important here, it’s also bounces, pageviews, clickstreams and keywords found. So you’re practically piercing into analysis without all the charge.
As for the BBB, I would agree. Just that most of us don’t have that much business to register yet.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this article.
Thu
it seems so! but i think the qualities of your posts are also important for ranking!
Twitter: thublogger
says:
well, despite quality always being preached, in fact it’s marketing that’s the driving factor here. Even though you have great content, it’s not going to head anyway with follow-up marketing. Hence, I like to do a little bit of commenting around to get some momentum back. It’s always a nice way to see what’s happening to my friends as well as to network with new bloggers online.
Twitter: rdgubaten
says:
Hi! Thank you for providing this article that gives knowledge in ranking one’s blog to alexa. You know, a new blogger like me strive hard in order to learn more about blogging in a proper and decent way. Thanks.
There is an another way of getting good alexa rank by installing alexa toolbar at home or in the office.
jobs in jamshedpur´s last [type] ..Jobs In Jamshedpur For MBA
Twitter: samsungtabletpc
says:
Congratulations on achieving another milestone and I am really impressed the way you have put your words.
It is one of my goal to reach 100, 000 Alexa ranks by the end of the year 2012 and I hope that I will attain it.
Twitter: cleverlychangin
says:
Until today, I had never checked my Alexa ratings. After I checked it, a burst of energy led me to want to make my numbers better, which also led me to your post. So, the challenge is on. If you are ever hosting a blog hop, I would love to partner with you. You have a wealth of information empowering other bloggers. Also I have stumbled this post as well. All the best!
Twitter: Webtricksblog
says:
Hi,
Indeed these are all great things to do to your blog. I have recently started my blog and have learnt a lot over the last couple of months. There is so much more to learn still. Thanks for the info.
Anuj@SEOTIPS´s last [type] ..5 Easy Ways To Check Backlinks Of Website-Blog
Congratulation Thu! I am guilty of not connecting with like minded bloggers myself. Thank you for reminding me!
wow, I thought you are just a blogging preacher that your preaching doesnt reflect within your blog. I just search for bloggingfor dot info from alexa and I found your site has a 175k ranking. Congrats! I’ll follow your tips
Bogart´s last [type] ..Zuccotti Park, New York raided by NYPD force
Thanks for thie good post. I try to increase my blog’s Alexa for the last 2 monthes but I can do nothing with it
Anny´s last [type] ..MotoCMS Achievements of 2011
Twitter: greencountrylaw
says:
LOL I love your cartoons in the article, very entertaining. As I have monitored Alexa rank it seems you can move down just as quick (or quicker) than you move up. You have provided some great advice for me to consider, thank you !
Anthony Gorospe´s last [type] ..Tulsa Car Accident -$155,000.00
Twitter: Teckillablog
says:
First of all congrats you for this milestone. Even I had worked very hard & agree with your tricks noe my alexa is below 60k just in 2 month. But it stooped decreasing may be due to some PR Issue.
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