Since day one I have been tracking this blogs Technorati ranking. While I do not feel that this is the best indicator of a blog’s performance, it does have a bit to offer. On August 11, 2007, I made a post discussing whether or not a high Technorati ranking is something to get excited about. Most people who commented felt that Technorati can be beneficial, but traffic is what matters the most. And I totally agree with this.
The first time that I checked my ranking it was 700,100. Of course, this was a few months back after my first post. As of writing this, my ranking has dropped to 94,996. As you can see, this is not the best ranking, but it does show that I am moving in the right direction. Even more so it shows that other bloggers are willing to link to ChrisBlogging.
Here are three things that have helped me to steadily increase my Technorati ranking.
1. I always take the time to comment on blogs with similar content as mine. This lets others know that I am out there, and in turn, helps to increase incoming links.
2. Do not be afraid to email other bloggers and ask to exchange links. While this may not always work, it has been successful for me a high percentage of the time. You may even get your blog mentioned without having to exchange!
3. There is no replacement for great content. If you provide posts that people want to read, you will increase your incoming link count. In turn, your Technorati ranking will continue to fall.
I don’t really have a goal as far as my Technorati ranking is concerned. But with that being said, I am interested in seeing just how low it can go!Â
The majority of people who are self-employed work at home. While this may seem like a great benefit of working for yourself, it also means that you need to set up a designated workspace. Sure, you could get away with sharing a room, but a place used solely for your business is always beneficial.
My workspace is nothing to be envious of. In fact, I am always looking to upgrade. Generally speaking, I have an L-shaped desk, a smaller table next to this desk, two printers, a USB hard drive, a desktop computer, and a laptop. This works out well for me because I have a spare bedroom that I use as an office.
But what if you don’t have any extra space? If this is a problem you are running into, there are some solutions. One, you may be able to clear out a little nook in your bedroom. Or maybe you can get creative and build an office in the attic or basement. Any place where there is extra space could serve you just fine. This is especially true if you have a career, such as a freelance writer, where you do not need much more than a laptop and a printer.
In my opinion, having a proper workspace is very important. If you feel comfortable and are proud of your surroundings, you will surely work better. In turn, this will pay off in the way of happiness, and of course, profits.
As a freelance writer, I am always searching for long term clients that offer steady work. This is the best way to grow my income, while also making it easy to plan my money from month to month. But of course, there are times when a client will only offer one job and then move on. While there is nothing wrong with this, I have found that keeping in touch with these clients is a great way to garner future business.
Last year I completed a large project for a client that I met on GetAFreelancer. At first, this was a one time job, and I was fine with that. For 10 articles of 500 words I got paid just about $1,000. Once the project was over the client told me that he had no more work, but would keep me in mind for future jobs. So what do you think I did? About once per month I emailed him just to check in. And up until a few days ago he would always say the same thing: “nothing yet, but I will get back to you when I have something.â€
Finally, he did get in touch a few days back, and I am quite happy about this. His new company just signed me up for a one year contract worth $8,000. This consists of nothing more than writing 20-25, 500 word articles per month; this is less than one per day.
The point is this: you need to keep in touch with past clients. Even when I feel that they have nothing for me, I always send a quick email just to make sure. You never know when something will come up. As long as you are fresh on their mind, you will more than likely get first dibs on the work!
