How to notify search engines about your latest post?

Almost all search engines and web directories allow web publishers to notify them about the latest content. The process to notify them is called ping. By pinging you tell these websites that you have updated content on your website for them to index.
Should I have to manually ping hundreds of websites every time I publish a blog post? I am glad you asked this question. The answer to this terrifying question is a reassuring NO. No, you don’t have to do it manually. Fortunately, for WordPress bloggers it is an easy, one-time setup that will then ping search engines automatically every time you publish a post.

Just follow these simple steps:

How to set up Pining in WordPress

• Login to your WordPress admin panel.
• Click on Settings, then click on Writing
• Scroll down until you see Update Services
  
• In the text box paste following lines.

http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2

http://1470.net/api/ping

http://api.feedster.com/ping

http://api.moreover.com/RPC2

http://api.moreover.com/ping

http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2

http://api.my.yahoo.com/rss/ping

http://bblog.com/ping.php

http://bitacoras.net/ping

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/XMLRPC

http://blogdb.jp/xmlrpc

http://blogmatcher.com/u.php

http://bulkfeeds.net/rpc

http://coreblog.org/ping/

http://mod-pubsub.org/kn_apps/blogchatt

http://www.lasermemory.com/lsrpc/

http://ping.amagle.com/

http://ping.bitacoras.com

http://ping.blo.gs/

http://ping.bloggers.jp/rpc/

http://ping.cocolog-nifty.com/xmlrpc

http://ping.blogmura.jp/rpc/

http://ping.exblog.jp/xmlrpc

http://ping.feedburner.com

http://ping.myblog.jp

http://ping.rootblog.com/rpc.php

http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php

http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php

http://ping.weblogs.se/

http://pingoat.com/goat/RPC2

http://rcs.datashed.net/RPC2/

http://rpc.blogbuzzmachine.com/RPC2

http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/

http://rpc.icerocket.com:10080/

http://rpc.newsgator.com/

http://rpc.pingomatic.com

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2

http://topicexchange.com/RPC2

http://trackback.bakeinu.jp/bakeping.php

http://www.a2b.cc/setloc/bp.a2b

http://www.bitacoles.net/ping.php

http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2

http://www.blogoole.com/ping/

http://www.blogoon.net/ping/

http://www.blogpeople.net/servlet/weblogUpdates

http://www.blogroots.com/tb_populi.blog?id=1

http://www.blogshares.com/rpc.php

http://www.blogsnow.com/ping

http://www.blogstreet.com/xrbin/xmlrpc.cgi

http://www.mod-pubsub.org/kn_apps/blogchatter/ping.php

http://www.newsisfree.com/RPCCloud

http://www.newsisfree.com/xmlrpctest.php

http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php

http://www.snipsnap.org/RPC2

http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php

http://www.weblogues.com/RPC/

http://xmlrpc.blogg.de

http://xping.pubsub.com/ping/

• Click on “Save Changes” button.
• Pat yourself on the back. You have just setup automatic pining service for you blog.

For instance, when you install WordPress, it creates a default “About Page” with following text .

“This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress.”

This is a good starting point but many bloggers in their haste forget to modify this page. As a result the readers, when they this visit a blogger’s ‘About Page’ to learn about the blogger, will not only be disappointed that they did not find any useful information about the person they are trying to connect with, they will also think of the blogger as careless individual and may leave the blog never to return.

Remember as a blogger you have only few seconds to impress your visitors and connect with them. The first impression they get from your blog will determine if they become your loyal readers.

Many first time readers usually want to know more about you and the best place to share information about yourself is your “About Page”. After installing WordPress you should immediately edit the default ‘About Page’.

How to Edit About Page in WordPress

Editing pages in WordPress is easy and the process is similar to editing posts.
To edit your default ‘About Page’ follow these steps.

1. Log on to your WordPress Admin dashboard.
2. Click on ‘Pages’ link.
3. Hover your mouse over About link, and then click on ‘Edit’ link.
4. In the edit window you can change the content of the page.
5. Click Save to save your changes.

Editing a page in WordPress is easy. But what should you put in your About page. Obviously you need to share some information about you with your readers.
Some items to consider include

• Who you are? You professional experience/background.
• How is your experience and background relevant to your blog topic?
• You blogging goals, why are you blogging?
• What value does your blog offer to the readers?
• You contact information.
• A link to your RSS feed.

A brief yet informative About page will help you to connect with your readers. They will have a better idea about you. The knowledge that they are not visiting a blog by an anonymous writer instills a certain level of trust in the readers which in turn makes them your loyal audience.

Image Credit: ????

• One point of view is that a blog should only put ads after it has gain reasonable following and established itself as a reputable blog.
• The other group believes that there is no harm in putting the ads on a blog from day one. A blogger should put the ads from the get go if he or she so desires.

Both approaches have their pros and cons and it is up to every individual to decide which approach is best for them. My advice is that you should put ads on your blog from day one. If you are thinking of eventually putting ads on your blog why not do it from the very beginning? The argument against putting the ads on a freshly minted blog is that ads on a new blog may turn away many visitors. I don’t agree with this reasoning..

The arguments supporting the second point of view carry more weight. I’ll list just list a few here.

1. Most visitors expect to see some ads when they visit any website. Your readers too expect to see some ads on your blog. Ads from the start will set your visitors expectations.
2. If you add ads later, say after 6 months, there is a possibility that your readers who are used to ad-free website may not like this change and may no longer visit your blog.
3. It is easy to design your website if you know that you are putting ads from day one. If you decide later to display ads you may have to spend time and/or money to change your blog layout to accommodate ad units.
4. By running your blog without ads is like leaving free money on the table. It may not be a huge sum but you sure will miss the opportunity to earn money from your blog.
5. If done right, well placed ads do add to overall appeal of the website.

But don’t get too greedy. Too many ads without any worthwhile content will surly turn away your visitors. 20% of the real state of your website can be used to display ads without cluttering the page.
Another friendly advice: Try to avoid pop-up or pop-down and flashing ads on your blog. They are annoying and any visitors you may get may quickly jump off to your competitor.

So what do you think is the ideal time to start monetizing a blog?

Img credit:Gunnar Ries

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For just $19.95 this is an incredible gift from a master blogger. But you have to act quickly to take advantage of this generous offer before this deal is gone.

Content

I am sure you have heard the axiom “Content is the king” many times before. It sounds like a cliché but it is definitely true. A blog needs great content to be successful. With so much competition among bloggers in all fields unique and quality content is the key for your success.

Consistency

You need a consistent schedule for your blog posts. Don’t keep your readers guessing when your next post will be published. You can set your own schedule but then try to stick to it. It doesn’t matter if your write daily, weekly or biweekly, just make sure that you have a consistent pattern and publish your posts regularly. A regular writing schedule will tell your readers when to expect your next post.

Connect with readers

The whole point of a blog is to establish a two-way conversation between the blogger and the audience. It is not enough to just publish an article on your blog, for a vibrant and successful blog you must try to connect with your readers and engage them in the conversation. Encourage them to comment on your posts and when they do comment, reply to their comments. Create a sense of community on your blog in which the readers also contribute and add value.

Credibility

You must try your best to build your credibility with your readers on the topics that you write about. Once you have established your authority about the your topic of interest it will be easier to gain loyal readers. They will know that they will find unbiased and useful information on your blog and will be more inclined to subscribe to your blog.

Feel free to share your tips with fellow bloggers on how to become a successful blogger.

Image Credit:aloshbennett