I have fun blogging and building websites. I don't particularly know what I am doing, though. I lam learning as I go. It takes patience, for sure, to wait while your content piles up and you gain traffic, but I have found a few things that have worked for me to help that traffic find me.

CONTENT - Of course you need content. But not just any content will do. Quality content that is kept up to date with new posts and comments will keep your site fresh, appealing, and productive.

SEO - Research those keywords relevant to the post you are writing. It only takes a few minutes and will work wonders in getting that post noticed.

LINKS - Trade links with other websites and blogs.

PARTICIPATE - take part in bulletin board conversations and comment on other blogs so that folks you run into there will follow you back to your website. Engage people in social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter so that they will follow you back to your site and the particular post or feature you are highlighting.  

DIRECTORY SUBMISSION - register your site with all the blog and website directories you can find so that the search engines can better find you.

This is just my simple list of basics to help anyone get a plan for getting started. What's your favorite tip for generating traffic to your website? 

Oh. My. Word. You mean to tell me that TEN percent of the weight of my pillow is made up of dust mites and dust mite FECES!?  The same pillow that I sleep on every night and occasionally curl up on with my children for afternoon naps and cozy movie nights. Nu-uh. I ain't having it. 

You do not even want to know the mattress stats. Okay I'll tell you. After ten years, the weight of your mattress DOUBLES thanks to the bugs and their guts. This is not the first time I have heard these germ and inspect reports, but the idea of my sleeping accessories actually doubling in weight significantly due to all the grossness - I am speechless.

Well, you know I don't really get speechless, but I am worked up. Here's the worst part. Those stats probably pertain to the average person. You'll see in the video below that the samples they used were that of individual adults. I gasp to think what a sampling of my sleeping accessories would be like. I of the greasy, disgusting children and the husband that eats in bed!

You know, when I adopted my kids at their advanced ages of 3 and 7 I was prepared for certain things.  Certain behavior issues, educational gaps, and the like. They never taught us in class how gross the little buggers would be! They are all the damn time sniffing and snorting and putting their hands in their mouths. <gag> My son handles his food like a baseball. There's no finger tipping it. Lord, if we weren't looking there'd probably be no forking it either! Those same greasy hands have their way all over my house. Including the bedding. 

Sometimes I go into the second week before I change the bedding! I know. It's bad housemom 101. But I'm trying to sell real estate. I've got freelance writing deadlines. Bedbugs seem like a fairy tale and fall down the list of priorities when the mortgage is due and you find yourself a teensie bit short. So I'm working more and am home less to monitor everyone's already lacking hygeine and spreading of the filth. And they are eating and contaminating the whole house! Little Buggers!

Dr. Phillip Tiero on this GMA clip talks about coverings for your pillows that keep out the nasty. You still have to keep those clean though. I need something more like an allergy pillow. I found one called the Healthy Dreams pillow that is made of a Micrenza bio filter that makes it free of germs, mold, and allergens. 

I gotta go. Is anybody else itchy?