In the process of developing this blog I have been doing a lot of research on just how to go about generating traffic and gaining readers.  I mean, what’s the point of building a great blog, with interesting posts if no one reads it?  As I have scoured the web for ways to help drive traffic, I came across several tools that are worth checking out.

This site is a huge directory of blogs from all over the world, on every subject imaginable.  When you list your blog your postings will appear on BlogCatalog.com.   Your blog will be listed in your selected topic, with a thumbnail, description and opportunity for users to review, rate, follow and link to your blog.   Join some blog groups with similar bloggers and swap links, advice and so on.  So far, this has been a decent source of referral traffic to this site, and the more active I am the more I expect to see that improve.

Technoratiis a search engine dedicated to blogs.  Although your blog may be listed without you taking any steps, actively listing your blog by “claiming” it on your account allows you to to link your profile to your blog.  This gives you an additional in-bound link and branding you and your blog. You are also able to add keywords (tags) and a description of your blog, making it easier to find in the Technorati directories.

A blog search engine and directory, Liquida compiles blog postings and returns search results based on any user enter search phrase.  You can submit your bloghere and will be review and listed if it meets their criteria.  Again, just another source of exposure and traffic.

Ok, this might have been a little higher on the list, but it just remembered it…cut me some slack, ok?  We can’t forget the all powerful Google and other search engines as sources of traffic.  The good news is, blogs are naturally well suited to getting listed, but there are some steps to take that will help you out.  First, if you are using WordPress, install the All in One SEO Pack plugin.  This will allow you to specify title, description and keyword tags for each of your postings and improve their listings.  Next, work on building links to your site.  The more in-bound links the better.  SEO is a huge subject unto itself, but it’s something to consider.  Remember to submit your site to Google, Bing and Yahoo as well.  They will likely find you eventually, but why not speed things up?

I have found participating in forums to be both a great learning resource and traffic source.  I am a member of Bloggeries.com but there are others out there.  You can submit your blog for review and suggestions, post questions, or participate in any number of discussions.  I found some of my best followers to have come from forums.

Typically when you post a comment to another blog you are able to provide your own web address.  This not only provides a road back to your site, if your comment is of value readers and that site owner are likely to take an interest.  And hey…you know that blog is always looking for reader participation and getting involved just helps the blogosphere in general.

What the heck is a blog carnival, right?  Basically, it is when one blog owner hosts a “carnival” on a given topic.  Bloggers who write an article on that topic submit their posting to the host, who posts a link to it on their carnival.  It is fairly simple and will build new links to your site and hopefully reach new readers interested in the topic of your posting.  Carnival provide the service of compiling related postings into one place for your readers, so with any luck those people will take an interest in your post and blog in general.  Check out Blog Carnival for available carnivals.

Submitting your best posts to social bookmarking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon,Reddit can be an easy way to quickly boost traffic to your blog. 

On the subject of social bookmarking, you can’t overlook the power of social networking and referred traffic.  I would also recommend adding a sharing plugin such as AddToAny: Share/Bookmark/Email Button that will allow your readers to share your postings on their Facebook, Twitter, and social bookmarking accounts as well as bookmark or email a link to the posting. 

Don’t forget to use your own Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote your posts.  You may already have hundreds of firends and/or followers that would take an interest of what you have to say.  You can make this a little easier on yourself by using Twitterfeed.com.  This will take your RSS feed and post your updates to Twitter, Facebook and other services without you haing to lift a finger.  Doesn’t get any easier than that!

Scribnia is part blog directory, part review site, and a great traffic source.  Designed to match readers with bloggers with particular interests, it uses reader reviews to create context ratings for writers.  You can add yourself as a blogger to the site, as well as any blogs that you write for, and invite your readers to review your writing.  You can drive highly targeted traffic looking for your specific type of content, as well as receive valuable feedback to improve your site in the future.

Well, I hope those few tips I have picked up in the process of trying to build my blog traffic are of use.  Let me know how they work for you, or if you have any ideas for free blog promotion below in the comments.