The Lonely Blog
Posted by Beth Hrusch
There's almost nothing sadder. Of course, it doesn't have to be that way. Your 
blog just needs a little attention. Assuming you've created great content, you're halfway there. But, believe it or not, great content isn't enough. If nobody sees your awesome blogs then you've kind of wasted your time.
If you're trying to market something, that is-- such as your site. If you're just writing because you love to read your own stuff, by all mean, feel free. If you want to share your awesome blog with others, you need to promote it.
There are many ways. Depending on your experience with online marketing you may be familiar with many or all of them. I'll assume for now that you're either new to blog promotion or need a refresher. Here goes-
1. Optimize- This is a foundational thing. Any content you write, including blog content, needs to be indexed by the search engines somehow. Make sure yours is being indexed for the right keywords. Otherwise, it won't be found by people searching for your topic.
One of our clients (a big name in skin care) told us once that their site was ranking for topics related to the entertainment industry. It didn't even register for skin care. Through bad meta tagging and a lack of optimized content, this site was languishing in skin care product obscurity. Trust us, you do not want to rank for skin-related topics that have nothing to do with skin care products.
2. Badge it- If your blog is a page on your website, create a badge on your home page that links people to it. It's an easy way to draw attention to your blog and works better than a tab, which is more likely to be overlooked.
3. Tell your network- This could be your social media groups, or it could be done through your social bookmarking accounts such as Digg or StumbleUpon. It's a great way to spread your blog to lots of people quickly, and get free back links, too.
4. Link to it- There are many opportunities for you to create a link to your blog, even outside your site. When you comment on other people's blogs, send an email or refer to another blog within your own post, you can get people to visit simply by adding a link directly to it.
5. Offer a feed- Give people the chance to subscribe to an RSS feed, so they automatically get your latest posts. This keeps interest in your blogs alive and well (as long as you keep posting).
Of course, you need to update your content regularly. The more pages of content you put out there, the more chances you have to rank in the search engines. And, the more likely people are to stay interested. For more tips, check out Lee Odden's article about marketing your blog. You might want to try a few of his ideas.
Blogs are a fun and effective way to get online exposure, so get out there and spread the word!