I’ve decided to really try to work on increasing traffic to my blog at Starryskye. I was hitting around 200 visits a day due to my visiting and clicking around Entrecard every-single-day. Well, I do visit my favorites each day still, but it’s no where near what I was doing. I need to “meet” new people and get them to visit my blog. SO - I’ve been working on what I’d like to call my “Rockin’ Monthly Giveaway!” I’m excited about this and I’m starting off with a beautiful set of wine charms that *I* made. I’ve been crafting and getting ready to open up my very own Etsy shop in the new year! So, this set of charms is just a taste of what I will be offering.

Other giveaways I am planning include a “Relax with Wax” gift basket and maybe even a handmade scarf (from Etsy - but NOT from me, lol) in honor of the new Harry Potter movie coming out in late November. I’ve been writing down ideas as I get them! Hopefully; hosting giveaways will increase my traffic. July 28th I had 50 visitors.  The 30th and 31st I had a mere 25. Yesterday I had 35 so it seemed to creep back up a little again. My honest goal is 100 for now. An AVERAGE of 100 mind you and at least 70 so I can be an active participant in a new advertising program I joined.

What are some good ways of increasing traffic to your blog?

If you are looking for a CAREER and not just “another job” than why not consider becoming a certified Cisco technician? The computer industry is MASSIVE and there are jobs everywhere in any state. Cisco is a company that is well known and provides its clients with everything from business solutions to internet security to huge networks of communication. You can receive your certification in many different areas including IP communications, network security, routing and switching and voice. There are three levels of certification so you can work your way up. In addition to general certifications, network professionals can enhance their core networking knowledge by achieving specialist certification in technologies such as security, IP telephony, and wireless.

Take my husband and I for instance – I am mostly into website design and marketing; he on the other hand is into hardware, software, setting up networks and internet security. He would love to eventually start his own business where I handle what I handle (I’m the artist of course!) and he will handle building computers and installing (for lack of a better word) home and business networks. A Cisco certification would be perfect for him and would teach him all the ins and outs of the trade.

Like I mentioned, this industry is massive and still growing. So many people in the United States (and abroad) own personal computers; and not everyone knows how to properly secure a network – or even just make sure their personal firewall is working. This is THE field to get into – and Cisco just made it a little bit easier for you. So get out there and get your certification! You could be well on your way to becoming the CEO of your very own company!

It’s late right now and the thought just crossed my mind to write a few entries on professional blogging. Everyone has their own ideas about what is considered pro blogging and I’d love to share what I’ve found. So, keep your eyes peeled for more in this series!

Pro-Blogging: Making Money with Your Blog!

So, say you have a blog. What is a blog you ask? Well, according to Wikipedia:

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.

So, like I said you have a blog (or would like to start one for the sake of making money - I ain’t gonna shame ya!) and while you love to write it, you think “hey - there must be more I can do with this blog o’mine!” - well young Anakin, there is! You can make MONEY! Maybe not a lot of money, but there is money to be made.

Start off on a free site such as Blogger if you must - but understand that many places offer a domain (yourname.com) for less than $10 a year - hosting can be as little as $5.00 a month if not less! But, I will/

So - if you are considering going “Pro” with your blog(s) then there are a few tips you should glean from those already in the “business” and doing “well” at it. Now, “well” can be taken as me saying “I made $500 this month from blogging” to a BIG Success stating that they have made ” … over $10,000 this month” with their blog. Either way - you are either needing some extra cash. You could be anyone from a stay at home mom to a college student to the Next Big Internet Entrepreneur. Doesn’t matter. Point is, we all don’t know it ALL and we all learn from each other (well, I learn from everyone else!! lol).

My one quick bit of advice for you? Get a domain name. In my own honest opinion (and the honest opinion of several thousand advertisers) you WANT that “.com” (or whatever) behind your name. Sub domains are fine - but make sure it’s yours. I own a few domains - 2 of them are “monetized” and this domain is run by my husband.

Then once you have your blog (either your freebie or domain) get it going - try and post each day. Most advertisers want content - in fact, I’m beginning to see that a lot of advertisers want NICHE content. If you are going for the pay-per-posting route (there are a few out there) I know that Pay Per Post just changed their Terms of Service (TOS) to allow blogs that are 30 days old with a minimum of 10 existing posts written in the 30 days prior to being registered and/or accepted. The company PayU2Blog works on factors including quality and quantity of posts.

Links to Check Out: PayPerPost, PayU2Blog and also DreamHost.

Ps. If you choose DreamHost check out the RetailMeNot coupons here!

While surfing the web I came across a website called Buzzfuse which is a “viral” form of marketing that promises to bring maximum exposure to your blog (or photos, videos, songs, etc.) and help you stand out from the “crowd” of other ‘net users.

Sounds good to me, and it’s free to get an account so I went ahead and signed up to check it out a little closer. I mean, who doesn’t want to get more readers to their blog, right?

In order to have full access to all the features of Buzzfuse you need to pay $14.99 per month or $149.99 for a full year. But, I didn’t do the paid membership. I only have one person in my “Circle” right now also, so just my one friend will get the blog post that I made in regards to how hot Sportacus from LazyTown is.

Anyway, go check it out and add me to your friends list so you can hear about my next weird children’s show fetish.