I started one, but I'm not getting any traffic to it. I must be doing something wrong. A friend tells me I have to advertise it. I thought putting a link on my website would be enough. So, all you experience bloggers, what are the "ins and outs" of blogging?

http://louisvilleweddingcake.blogspot.com/

Hi leahs,

congrats on your new blog. I liked it very much and saved into my favs..though i am not a blogger, i know little about web traffic.
First of all, it takes sometime for the search engines to "know" your website. To fasten the process, you may give ads to free bulletins to cake related sites giving your link..Or free press bulletins..

Second, the more you write about the most searched subjects, people will be more likely to find you( for example if you have a spongebob cake , write about it and the more you write about it, the more you will appear on search engines..or wedding cake etc.. you name it)
google has adwords system but i think it requires fee.you may google "adwords" ...In that system you add some words and indicate a monthly fee and they"show" your site on sponsored links.
hope that helps. Good luck..

Yeah, I agree on the traffic problem. I have a blog..

http://sweetjulias.wordpress.com/

I use mine to highligh things further than on my website. Like articles on flavors and combinations. Also events I am doing. I see people looking at it, and some of the consultation people have printouts, but nit much else.

I certainly don't see it adding to my business.

I want to highlight the weddings I do here in Raleigh...when they atart next week...but I am not sure what all to write about. I am trying to make the articles informational...like they read them and learn something more about cakes.

Oh, I also use it as a reciprocal link for some of the free places I have signed up.

I guess I don't have much help, but I get what you are going for...and I would liek to learn too.

Plus--side note--what is a louisville cookie?

Julia

A Louisville Cookie is a chocolate covered "chocolate sandwich cookie" with a Fleur de Lis. You know the spinning leaf molds. The Fleur de Lis is the symbol of Louisville.

(Marketing . . .)

Well, I for one am glad to know you have a blog.....it's now in my favorites. I'm no help on your original question, but you now have one more devoted reader !

I have a blog. I've had it for about a year. I get decent traffic to it but it's taken a long time.

I know there are some things you need to do to get the search engines to pick you up.

1. Post at least 1x a week. Updates are a big deal in the blogging world
2. Make sure you use tags.
3. Promote your blog

I am on facebook and often tell my friends and family when I've updated my blog. I also started offering a feed so they could be notified when it is updated instead of having to check back all the time. I started with the feed about a month or so ago and am up to about 20 people that follow me.

I also have a "card" that promotes my blog. My goal is to go from a hobby to a business at some point in the next 6 months. So... the more people that know about me before I "open shop", I figure the better I'll be.

You can check out my blog by clicking the link in my signature.

Oh... and you might have more people doing the "lookie lou" thing than you realize! I have found out through the grapevine on many occasions that someone saw my blog because someone else showed them... when I never knew they were there and I had no idea they knew I make cake.

You can also add counters if you want to know how many visits you've had to help you determine if you are getting traffic at all.

I'd love your feedback by the way!

Great site...I look forward to reading more.

Robin

Stacy, can you explain a little more about tags? I see the tags on my site, but I don't know how to use them....

Julia

I have a blog...but it is more just to post pictures, recipes, and be an outlet of sorts. I just started it this week and I am trying to figure it all out.

thekitchencakery.blogspot.com

So far I am enjoying it!

I have a blog. I have only had it for about a week now and it averages about 50 to 60 visitors a day.

I circulate traffic to my blog by updating my status on facebook every morning to include my link to my most recent post and also updating my status on myspace to do the same.

Another thing I do is visit other blogs and leave comments on their posts. People will often visit the link to a blog of the person who has commented on theirs.

The cakes and such on my blog are no where near as nice as some I have seen on here but then again... I am a novice. You are welcomed to check out my blog at www.1chickbaking.blogspot.com and if you like I can link you from my blog.

I'm not sure how they are set up in Word Press but in Blogger, when you make the post, there is a little window in the bottom right corner where you can put "key words", that someone might type in a search engine.

I have things in there like the town I live in, the name of my shop, "custom", the big city near me, always the word "cake", and of course key words to describe the post. I try to make sure certain key words are in there ALL THE TIME.

That way when someone searches for a cake shop in my town, I'll eventually pop up at the top of the list because I'm always typing in those key words. Does that make sense?

Some call them "labels" others "tags".

Also, name your post something that someone would type in a search engine. Cute titles are "cute" but don't always draw traffic.

Oops...that didn't post as a link. I'll try it again!

http://thekitchencakery.blogspot.com/

There!

So i wonder...do you all that have had your blogs for a while think that it is helping your business anyway? Or is it a tool for your customers?

Does it boost your linking on internet searches? Say if people look for cake in loiusville is the fact that leah has a blog going to get here up there more? provided she uses tags and such?

Thanks...and hope i am not hijacking...i was jsut thinking along the same lines as leah i guess.

Looks like I'm going to busy checking out all these blogs tonight!! I can't wait!

Leahs,

I just started on this blog craze too, not a cake one, just one for an outreach group I belong to. Try using Google's FeedBurner. It has ways to publicize your blog and also have some statistics.

The blog trend is on its way out as it is a bit static. The trend is now the micro-blogging. Think the instant contact of Twitter and Facebook status updates...etc. The focus is that interactive community and sharing small bits of information.

Blogs are more successful if you have a specific focus when using it for your biz. It's a social media which pushes the aspect of building a relationship or community with your clients.

For example....some photographers use their blogs to "sneak preview" images to their clients...so with cakes what do you want to talk about?

Promotion helps...but you also have to build that community w/ other bloggers by participating in the community. You can "follow" other blogs...and people with the same interests will start to find yours and link to you.

Add the link to your blog in the "signature" box, that way it will appear in all of your posts on here, there are thousands of people on this site everytime you make a post you will promote your blog!

Check out foodgawker.com and tastespotting.com. This is where I have found all of the food blogs I follow. People submit photos that are linked to their blogs. If you post something interesting you will get lots of traffic.

I love my blog! Mine is www.butterflysweets.blogspot.com

Summer your blog is so fun and I enjoyed reading how you made all your cakes! You are super talented...thanks for posting your site - I am bookmarking it!!! AWESOME!

Summernoelle, you are amazing! Please tell us about your background and how you've learned.

I'll be checking in on your site regularly...thanks for sharing! You really are very talented!

OH!....you need to email Heath and tell him you want to be considered for the upcoming cake challenge ("on a major TV network, as yet unannounced"....)!!!

Leahs,
Both these articles contain tips/directions to help increase traffic to your blog. I like them because they not only tell you what to do, but they provide some instruction as to "how-to."

http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/blog-directories-and-search/52-of-the-best-ways-to-promote-your-blog-and-your-business/

http://www.blog-maniac.com/build-blog-traffic.htm

I'll be following your blogging now!

Ann

OH NO...I spend too much time on here and now I've got to check out the blogs what's a baker to do....yeah I know...get off the computer and go bake. Anyhoo...I'm going to check out everyone's blog that's posted here and see what new things I can find.
LEAH....thanks for this post.
Summernoelle....checked yours out already and WOW on your cakes!!!

leahs,

I think you've asked an interesting question. I think the questions you and anyone with a blog should answer are: who is the audience for your blog, how would they get to your site, and what will they do when they arrive?

If the point is to drive traffic to your main website from other brides, what kind of content do you need to create that is different from your main site. What about this content is different from what might appear on your primary site? Are there keywords you could be using in the title of the post that could drive more traffic from Google?

The trick to blogging is to provide information that is useful, engaging and different. Right now, the audience for your blog is the couples you've already sold cakes to and anyone who already follows your business. If you want new visitors, you have to think about what THEY are looking for, not just want you want to write about....

Most of your posts should include some combination of the words, Louisville and cake, cookie, wedding cakes, etc.

PM me for additional help and good luck.

Paul

I'm glad I saw this thread! I have a blog that I've set up just in the past week, mainly so I have an easy way to notify my family and friends of my newest cakes. I'm still very much a beginner so its not so much for creating business at this point as it is for sharing what I'm doing as I'm learning. I just opened all the blogs listed in this thread though and I'm going to check them out and follow them (if I can figure that one out on blogger, LOL).

here's mine if you want to see it though http://slicethecake.blogspot.com

I run a unique website that is a go to source of cake information and links. It's not a blog but I am constantly updating and adding new content. I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's hard to get the name out there, but the more you connect online, flickr, blogs, youtube, twitter, facebook, etc., the more people will check you out.
Leahs I will add your blogspot to my website.

Here's my site: www.distinctivecakes.com

i agree with it taking a little time for search engines to start picking up your site and i also definitely agree with advertising your blog! do you have a flickr account? if you load any of photos onto your blog you can go through flickr and not only is does it make things faster in the long run, but you can join caking groups and that can up the traffic a lot if you post your blog address in the pictures description.

looks like i'm going to be up all night taking a peak at everyone's blog

and if anyone's interested here's mine
www.thefrostedcakencookie.blogspot.com

aha! figured out how to follow all of your blogs in my blogger dashboard yay!

I started a blog in June of 2008 and have not posted anything on it. I have been stuck as to what I want to post. I started with one idea in mind and then I changed it. I am hoping to sart posting before my 1st anniversary.

I also don't belong to facebook, my space or any of the other social networking sites. I don't twitter or know what twitter is exctly.

I have high hopes for me. I have all these privacy issues and being on CC is big for me.