Browsing through Google Analytics and AWStats are 2 ways of determining what online marketing efforts are working for you. I’ve really been working on driving more traffic to my blog lately which means a lot of trial and error. Regular posting and tagging will get you so far, but an aggressive and pro-active approach to web marketing is what I’ve been after.

Below are my top 7 effective marketing efforts that generated me the most traffic for January, 2008.

#1 StumbleUpon

If you’re not doing this you really need to start. StumbleUpon is responsible for the majority of my traffic. StumbleUpon has a network of users that find content and tag it accordingly. You can then stumble keywords, users, groups, etc. It’s a great way of finding random interesting tidbits and a wonderful way to promote your website.

Firefox Add-on, StumbleUpon 3.16
Sign Up For A StumbleUpon Account

#2 Google Image Search

Google Image Search is the 2nd highest traffic generator for the month of January.

How to opt into Google Image Search

1. Sign into Google webmaster tools with your Google Account.
2. Click the URL for the site you want.
3. Click Tools, and then click Enable enhanced image search.

#3 Digg Your Posts

I’ve had a Digg account for some time now, but haven’t been using it to it’s fullest potential until very recently. Digg is a very active social network . Making it to the front page of Digg can crash your server from an overload of traffic if you’re not ready for it. This is a problem I would love to have.

#4 Entrecard

Entrecard is a fairly new social networking program that’s been taking off quite a bit lately. I started using it a month ago when I read about it on Blog Catalog and it is already at #6 as far as my current traffic sources go. What sets Entrecard apart from other link trading programs is that ads from this program stay live on other advertisers sites for an entire day. The more credits you get the more cards you can drop. You can also purchase ad space with the credits you attain. More credits, more clicks, more traffic.

#5 Blog Catalog

Known as BC to us regulars Blog Catalog is my favorite source for blog advice. Posting on this community will not only get your blog more attention, but it is filled with industry moguls and very knowledgeable bloggers. I’ve been a member since December 2006 and have found it to be my second blogging home away from home. Great idea, great community, great all around experience.

#6 Bumpzee Submissions

Bumpzee is a lot like MyBlogLog except you can add more than 15 friends a day. While I don’t think it’s as visually appealing as MyBlogLog it has been a source of more traffic as of late. Spend some time bumping your posts. The front page real estate where they end up on Bumpzee will help you in the marketing department.

#7 Zimbio

I’ve been using Zimbio for about 4 or 5 months now and it’s really picking up steam. For starters you can syndicate your website here so that it pings the site every time you post, much like technorati. Articles can easily be submitted directly from your site and submitted to different news sources.

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