Do you advertise your blog?
I’ve noticed quite a few bloggers experimenting with advertising on AdWords, Adbrite (aff), BlogAds and Text Link Ads (aff) over the last few months.
Perhaps it’s a symptom of the massive increases in numbers of blogs out there competing for readers – or perhaps it’s a symptom of the increased focus on blogging with a commercial edge – or perhaps it’s a result of something else.
Whatever it is, it’s happens more and more and I’m interested to hear the experiences of those who are running ads in the hope of bring in traffic.
Here’s a few questions for you to answer (feel free to answer anonymously if you wish and to tackle one or all of them):
- Why do you advertise your blog?
- What ad programs do you use?
- What impact has it had?
- What tips would you give others wanting to do the same?
My own experience with advertising my blogs is reasonably limited.
I have experimented with using both AdWords and BlogAds – especially in the launch phase of new blogs – but have not had massive success with it to this point.
I’ll write a post in the coming days with a few tips that I’d advise bloggers wanting to advertise their blogs but would be interested to hear the experiences of those who’ve been doing it a little more seriously than I am.
I’m contemplating to use Google Adword. But I feel kinda silly if I go ahead with my plan as the only revenue I get from my site is from Adsense. I try to advertise my site using bookmark sites but I haven’t seen any improvement on my site traffic yet. Most visitors come from forum that I frequent to and from Google search.
I’m still doing research on means to advertise my site without blowing up my wallet.
I’m very much interested in knowing everything about this topic, because I recently started a blog. I know my content would attract many people! But getting the word out there isn’t very easy. Doesn’t really matter that I got number 1 in Google with my heading, because I guess no one is ever searching with that sentence.
But going to try those tips! Thanks
Lid: Went to your site. Very nice looking! I will pass your site on to a couple of Aussie friends I have and maybe they can use what you have there.
I’d be interested in seeing what your research turns up.
Frank
Hey Frank, thanks for the kind words and referrals =D
I’ll keep you guys posted with my findings.
Mike, you have an interesting blog going on there.
i just had an idea. why don’t we all add bloglinker (from bloglinker.com). that way we can add each other site up in our blog/site.
i honestly think that some of your blogs are interesting. bloglinker helps in linking up your site into mine.
bloglinker site looks like a nice idea. Will give it a go as soon as the caffeine wakes up my brain cells. Thanks for the tip!
And, you’re welcome, Lid, for any referals. I hope they use your service!
I did sign up at bloglinker.
A word of warning about bloglinker. If you surf the sites listed there, be very patient. A lot of the links go nowhere, or the blogs have not been updated for years!
Hi, I have blog for women on my fitness site – http://www.FireflyFitness.com/blog
The first time I advertised with Adwords I got a decent number of clicks and enough new clients to make it money well spent. The 2nd time I got even more clicks but didn’t make any money from it.
I have a new blog, as many other readers do. I have played with Adwords in the past and found it to be a waste of money.
I have recently signed up for blogrush.com, and will see if anything good comes of that. It is a free link sharing tool.
The big concern I have with advertising is that I currently have no income from the blog, and can’t justify shelling out money for something that could (very likely) yield no returns.
I have to ask, at what point do you find it reasonable to start investing money into your blog (vs. just time).
Hi,
I am also with google ad words, but its hard to tell if its making a difference or not. I get about 15 clicks a day with my budget, but Im not making money from it. Sometimes I think its people who click on my website by accident, and then click off… and I still have to pay for it.
The website Im trying to advertise is http://www.alphabetphotography.ca I have just spend $100 for one week of advertising on “hip parent sites” so hopefully that will yeild some returns.
Good luck!
Its hard to tell the best way to advertise…
I’m new to advertising my blog in the modern day world of blogging. Although I have performed website promotions in the past, but it has been a few years. Different world now. I’m learning a lot from the comments here so thank you.. :)
If you get the chance.. check it out: http://www.outrageousthoughts.com
I started a blog 2 yrs ago… however, never really did anything to it until now. However, I guess I am wondering how much traffic will yield results – I have google ads on my blog… when do you start seeing any return? Are there any free methods out there to promote (besides commenting and leaving your link on other posts)?
Check mine out!
http://seaglassthings.blogspot.com
I have not done any paid advertising yet, all I have been doing is free. Of course I read and read all of these articles written on how to get hits for your blog, and a lot are helpful. These comments have been great, thanks
Rachel
The Baked Blogger
http://bakedblog.com
I have two sites that can be considered as blogs – one is personlal and one was created with a more revenue-generating goal in mind. They are my personal blog http://tibs4eva.blogspot.com and the very interesting :) http://www.OverheardInTheTDot.com. On the second site, I used AdWords for about two months and while it did draw some traffic to the site including returning visitors, for the type of site which it is, which depends on people submitting posts, I found that I didn’t get enough people who were willing to post. I suspect that this is because I had a very very limited budget, only $1 per day. Therefore, the number of daily visitors weren’t enough where the percentage who submitted would be equivalent to a few submitted posts per day.
I also use AdSense on both sites but because traffic is nowhere near fantastic I’ve only earned a few dollars. I also would like to know what free methods there are out there because I do not have any money to spend right now.
Hey there, I agree that those sites are simply not very useful. I have used them in the past and found that they just tend to clutter and don’t add much. Much better to link to other people writing about similar issues.
http://www.bryndlewindle.blogspot.com
We’ve tried a few advertising services, but the results were always a bit underwhelming. Personally, good content leading to higher Google results have been the best draw to our site.
This is probably not what most people want to hear but I found that a little bit of patience and just giving it some time really helps.
You cannot expect that overnight your blog becomes a hit just through some adwords etc. I would say it really takes a couple of months for a blog to really become established in Google rankings and draw a good number of readers.
As for me word to mouth is the best solution.
If it doesn’t work just try harder.
Peintros
http://web-ebiz.blogspot.com/
Hi guys,
Yea I have only just started this AdSense thing last month, I don’t have a lot of traffic my way, infact most days nill, I own a webhosting company and doing well with that for the last year or so, – trying to make a connection with both does nothing,
last month I made $9.88 from 22clicks on my blog, now this only started to take off when I decided to collect articles about AdSense, ant put them all in the one place, it seemed to attract some visits – funny enough my blog is only used for a place of infomation, tips,guides, nothing more then that.
I have a long wat to go as I ad one article a night, and then leave it – I spend more time submitting my blog to free advertisers.
This game is a new thing for me, I didnt want it to compliment my hosting business, my blog is something different to my company and I guess, thats how I like it.
the only tools I’m using “FREE” is directory submitter , HyperVER, article submitter, Google Keyword , Google cloud, I dont tent to spend any money on this at all.
what ever I make from AdSense I put back into my hosting business. by the way, I’m only have untill December this year, if all else fails, I dont see the point in keeping my blog.
all the best people!!
chow
Grate advice and comments. I am using this on my web page http://www.polishstudent.co.uk.
I do not use Adsence as it givers goggle free advertising and people never click on them. Other web designer are trying to trick user to click on them.
I don’t advertise my blog. I have been considering it but it is unlikely I will as I write a personal blog, rather than one that is selling things etc etc.
I have actually decided not to tell people I know about it, however, so the result is no visitors at all.
My blog is very new, im establishing a solid foundation with the site before i go out advertising.
Plus search engines and commenting on other blogs do well in themselves.
I am experimenting with different types of cheap traffic. I am trying to increase my reader-base. I have found advertising increases it quicker.
So far I like cheap Adwords ads (content network). You can get decent traffic for .02-.05 per click. I also advertise with StumbleUpon for .05 cents a click.
It seems to be working pretty good so far …
http://www.livingorsurviving.com
OK.. cool…But here’s (what i think is) a better way to increase your blog’s traffic:http://wwww.blogs21.com
I use it on my blog and it’s the best i found so far…
Anyone have any similar sites?
This stuff is great! please submit if you have any simmilar sites!
I have a personal blog, and I don’t see a need for advertising outside of my normal affiliates and my MySpace, and such.
Good tips. I’ve been thinking about advertising my blog lately and this helps.
Real good tips. i had recently started a blog at http://blog.technointellects.com The main idea to write up the blog is to share my technical experiece with others and give tips and solutions to day today issues of the opensource softwares available
I have started a blog http://blogdhaba.blogspot.com/ .I have been searching the internet for tips about advertising…
found your Blog very useful. Thank you..
I came to this site to find out the value in advertising as I have only recently started a new blog.
I don’t think there is any sense in advertising your blog unless your blog has value to offer to its visitors. It’s one thing to get people to look, but it’s another thing to get people to stay and buy into it.
I believe that if enough value is present in your blog, and enough social networks are created, then people will eventually start reading and following your blog.
Maybe this is just wishful thinking.
Cheers everyone.
I haven’t spent any money for advertising and for now am only exploring free options. But I started out using a free wordpress blog and my traffic was getting good but I couldn’t write paid reviews there (and I can’t afford a domain right now) so I moved all my articles to blogger and have no traffic at all there now even though I write my butt off. So That’s why i have been advertising it. I am hoping that from all my efforts…joining this and that, here and there…it will pay off one day. But from all these comments I did learn a few things. Well I am really enjoying writing so it’s alright.
I don’t really have any money to spend on advertising. :(
LOL and no one reads my blog xxDD
http://talkingatyou.blogspot.com
be the first to read?
Hi I have just joined BlogExplosion (as indicated in the comments) to try something different from our blog http://www.clickalifecoachblog.com
Will keep you posted how successful this is.
I have only just started my blog a few days ago, so don’t get many regular visitors yet so am looking into doing a little advertisment to give it a bit of a kick start.
I can’t sign up for adwords yet because I am only 15, but I have been looking into using stumble upon’s advertising system.
Having only started a few days ago, I am very amazed at the amount of traffic I get from search engines already.
So far I just started a blog for my own pleasure, and going to use it to learn things (while being unemployed – have to be use the time efficiently, and potentially create something new that could even go on CV. With time..)
http://pingomatic.com/ – add blog to search engines.
We’ll see with time… so far I still need to fill it up :)
http://www.techmanic.net
Personally, I am unsure about advertising one’s blog. On one hand, I would feel as though I were trying too hard to get people to read what I had to say; as though I were pushing it down people’s throats so to speak, on the other hand, if no-one is aware of the existence of your blog, then there is hardly a point to that existence.
Hi, I started my http://www.bluesguitarworld.com blog back in November 08. It didn’t really get much traffic until about Jan 09 when I started using Google Webmaster Tools. I was considering, and subsequently did post my blog on places like technorati, but as far as I can tell, I still haven’t got a single referral from them yet. When I look at my Google Analytics it shows a large proportion of my traffic is from organic searches. I have got myself on page one of Google for about a dozen different keyword phrases I picked and now average about 600 visits per month. I would of course like to improve this but strongly believe it is only likely to happen if I get better with my SEO. There seem to be a lot of Blog directories out there but the chances of getting much traffic seem slim.
yes i do but my traffic has incresaed to only considerable level 80 visits
Ya I do advertise my blog!!
I use Guest post to advertise my blog and some times use adwords too..