Q: Should I Post To Article Directories?

Yes, of course you should. When an article directory accepts your submission you will get a link back to your site from the author bio details. If you are lucky the article will be picked up and used by many other sites as well.

However, before you rush out and start using these directories, there are some additional things to consider:

• Don't submit content you already have on your site our blog. Write something unique instead.
• Sure, go ahead and submit the new article to several article directories - you want it to be picked up and published in multiple places anyway.
• Some article directories may provide a submission or distribution service. Scout the web to find out whether any particular distribution service is worthwhile.
• Yes, it is possible that you will get PR from the links acquired from article directories or any subsequent republishing that occurs.
• Be aware that unscrupulous people could decide to publish your article without giving you the required link. It is not likely to be worth your time trying to deal with this situation if it happens.

I've used various article directories from time to time myself. Ones I'd recommend include:

• http://www.amazines.com
• http://www.articlealley.com
• http://www.ezinearticles.com
• http://www.gather.com
• http://www.goarticles.com

If you know of other good article directories please write a comment to let everyone know.

Q: How Can I Build Blog Readership?

It can be very difficult and demoralizing to start a new blog, pour your heart into some great posts, and then have absolutely nobody read it or leave comments. You will quickly wonder why you are continuing to devote time to your blog and if things don't change, you'll quit.

Here are some ideas to help you develop some initial readership:

• If you get into a creative streak, be sure to set some items aside as "drafts" so that you can keep the blog updating on a regular schedule. Search engines like this and readers like to see regular updates too.
• Hit up pingoat and when you submit your site bookmark the resulting page. Every time you post a new item visit your bookmark to issue another set of pings.
• Make sure you are submitting your items to places like Digg, del.icio.us and so on, when appropriate. Be sure that you don't spam them, but when you have something decent, put it out there and see if anyone is interested.
• In the beginning, consider joining some blogging forums or even some blog traffic exchanges. Blog explosion was good once, but it seems the new owners have been driving it into the ground. If you find one with happy and active users, instead of just zombie viewers, they can help you get comments.

Also, it's hard to be the first person to make a comment... especially if none of your posts have comments. It makes the reader feel they have driven down a dead-end street. If you have to, create a couple of different accounts, and then a day or two after you publish a post, add a comment. By the time a day or two goes by you might think of something to "suggest" that could have been included. Basically, leave a helpful comment which improves your resource for the reader, perhaps linking to some good external site.

When you aren't working on something else, find other bloggers in your topic area, and then go and leave constructive and helpful comments on their posts. Don't be rude and blast your link, but have good comments and come back from time to time. Instead of getting a link in their comments, you are trying to get the author to visit your blog, see that you provide value to your readers, and get a link in their blogroll. Of course, don't go for the hugely successful sites, they don't have any reason to mess with small fish like us.

Q: How Do I Advertise A Forum With Adwords?

Let's say you have a forum for entrepreneurs.

You could advertise for keywords such as business forum, startup forum, entrepreneur forum, and so forth.

However, what I'd suggest, is wait for some good topics to develop. These are obviously issues of interest to entrepreneurs. For example, perhaps you'll find threads on topics such as hiring good employees, specific sales and marketing strategies, accounting software reviews and so on.

Whatever the threads are about, pick your best ones and advertise them. If you do this well, you will get very specific and hopefully noncompetitive keywords, for which your page will be very relevant. So, over time, you get a ton of low priced keywords, each of which can bring people to your site who are likely to be interested in many of the threads in your forum.

Q: Why Does The Adwords Minimum Bid Change?

If you are new to Google's Adwords program then don't be surprised if you notice that their minimum bids change quite often.

It seems that Google does an initial analysis of your site when you create the ads. This quick scan is used to determine your starting minimum bid. Later, once you have been given some impressions, Google will take a look at your click through ratio and determine whether or not your ads are truly relevant based upon viewer interest.

If you do not get good click through rates, in general, or as compared to other advertisers, then your minimum bid will be raised.

However, from time to time, Google may then drop the minimum bid again and give you a chance to get impressions once again. I'm not sure why this happens, but perhaps it has to do with the click through rates of other advertisers. If their rates fall, or if a successful advertiser runs into a spending limit, Google will do what it can to maximize their revenues.