I recently reconnected with a former colleague who has a relatively new blog, and after visiting my site and looking at some of my stats, he asked how I had grown the blog to where it is now.  I thought I’d share my response to him as I am heading towards my 2 year “blogaversary” on January 30, 2009. (by the way, I’m looking for prizes for a 2 Year Blogstravaganza Contest- anyone want to donate?)

First, let me say that one of my main goals for this blog is that it would build my authority and therefore drive my design business, and it has achieved that goal beyond all my expectations.  I certainly could be posting more often if my main focus were traffic, ad revenue, subscribers, etc., but I choose not to put too much pressure on myself about posting frequency because I think it’s importance is rather overrated.

As I looked back over the last two years I found three categories of things that had a big impact on the growth of this site:

1. Find a void, then fill it

One way I’ve done this is by creating some free graphics that I thought people would enjoy using. Creating the little “I Follow Movement” badge brought me from a Technorati ranking of over 100,000 to into the top 500 blogs because of all the links on other blogs into my site. Another recent example is these free Twitter graphics.  Finding these kinds of “voids” was just a matter of keeping my eyes open and then jumping on them as soon as possible before someone else did. Of course, creating graphics isn’t going to be everyone’s thing. More often, it will be subject matter that’s not being covered. Where are the voids in your niche?

2. Remember, there are always people just behind you on the learning curve

I can’t remember where I read this piece of advice, but it really helped me, particularly at the beginning when I felt I didn’t have much to offer. Whenever I would learn things along the way, I would write a post about it.  One good example is this post about manipulating the wp_list_pages template tag. It wasn’t earth shattering news, but it turned out to be information that many people were looking for and the post generated a lot of traffic. There are tons of bloggers out there using WordPress all looking to learn how to use it better and do things for themselves rather than having to pay someone. What did you learn today?

3. Network, Network, Network

The other very important piece is networking with others in my niche, starting by leaving comments regularly on their sites, linking out to their posts, eventually guest posting here and there, and participating in a couple of forums. The importance of networking cannot be overstated. Where are the people in your niche hanging out?

These are a few thing that have worked for me. To what do you attribute your blog’s growth?

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Do you get tired of searching through page after page of stock images, looking for that one perfect image to go with a blog post or design project?  There are so many sites that sell stock images, and it can be tedious and time-consuming to look through them, not to mention the hassle of having to maintain accounts at each one.  This is why I was so excited when I received a press release about a new site called BrightQube that has an innovative way to look through stock images from many sites at once, and purchase them without having an account or purchasing credits in advance.

After entering your search terms, and the choice of whether you want to search for “Everyday” images (the cheap kind) or “Professional” images (not so cheap), you’re presented with a mosaic of matches to your query, with the most relevant in the center:

You can zoom in and out on your mosaic, and drag the screen around to see more images.  There are advanced search features that allow you to filter your results by orientation, price and resolution and sort by price and size.  You can also build and save lightboxes.

My first love in stock images is iStockPhoto, but the interface on BrightQube is so awesome, and makes scanning for just the right image so quick and easy, that I will definitely be a regular customer.

(this is not a paid review or an affiliate thing, in case anyone was wondering…)

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Wondering what to buy that person in your life who is addicted to the computer and blogging?  Christmas is just around the corner and I have some ideas for you:

Journal

Every blogger needs someplace to jot down their thoughts and plan out blog posts. There’s something about getting away from the computer and sitting down with a journal that helps get the flow of ideas started.  This leather journal from Kiki James is one I recently received and it is simply beautiful.  The cover is a soft, buttery leather and the pages have almost a handmade paper feel to them.  They have a variety of colors and styles- I got the pink one.  The paper is unlined, so it’s nice for doodling design ideas as well as scribbling notes.

ProBlogger Book

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income is required reading for anyone who is new to blogging, as well as those who have been doing it for years. Just take a look at this story of what one experienced blogger learned from the book and the difference it made in her career and life. I’ve read the book and highly recommend it.

T-Shirt

How about a blogging t-shirt?  The WiFi Detector t-shirt is genius!

Membership to a Forum or Training Program

The gift that keeps on giving- a membership to Performancing Hive or Authority Blogger would make any blogger happy.

Anti-Glare Filter for the Computer Screen

Staring at the computer for hours and hours can be very hard on the eyes.  An anti-glare filter screen is a perfect gift for computer addicts.

Desk Lamp

Good lighting at one’s desk is essential. I have this one from Target and it’s beautiful.

Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse

I have this awesome Microsoft wireless keyboard and optical mouse and I LOVE it. The keyboard is not SO ergonomic that it’s difficult to use, but it just has a little curve to it that makes it much more comfortable.

Caffeine

Coffee is always a great gift for those who drink it.  If the person you’re buying for is not a coffee drinker, then how about some candy?  I hear that Shock-A-Lots are awesome, and this caffeine candy sampler is pretty cool too.

A Massage

Sitting in front of the computer for a long time can lead to a stiff neck and shoulders, and bloggers are notoriously bad about getting away from the desk to loosen up a bit.  A massage would definitely be a welcome gift.

What about you? What do you want for Christmas?

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