If you are already tapping into the valuable business tool known as “blogging” you don’t need me to tell you what an effective traffic driving tool it is. But you may not know of all the “measuring” widgets out there that are designed to rate or “rank” your blog in the eyes of the almighty Blogosphere.

Why should you care?

If you are a speaker, trainer, or online marketer, sponsors and advertisers may want to know your “rank” or overall blog health when deciding if they want to work with you or not.

Technorati: Technorati is a site that indexes blogs and is an awesome place people can go to search for blogs (kind of like Yellow Pages). Blogs will appear ranked by topical authority within Technorati’s blog directory with #1 obviously be at the top of the pack.

Alexa: Alexa is a very powerful tool used to rank website traffic and it’s used to measure how your blog or website stacks up against all your competitors. The thing to remember about Alexa ranking is the lower the Alexa ranking number, the more heavily used a site is. Your Alexa ranking will be a deciding factor for about 85% of your potential advertisers.

Want to get your Alexa ranking up? Try these steps and watch for results:

1. Place an Alexa.com widget/plugin or chart on your website or blog.
2. Install the Alexa toolbar on your own computer. (Read my past tip on Alexa Toolbar HERE)
3. Write solid content on topics that are not only relevant, but also SEO optimized for traffic pull.