Starting a blog is easy. Thousand do it every day. But, how do you get readers to notice your new blog with so much new competition popping up every day? Here are three quick tips for increasing traffic.

Using Directories

Blog directories are a great way to introduce your new blog to people who read blogs. Directories are often the first place blog readers look to find the newest, hottest blogs on the internet. Some directories, like blogged.com, are actually social networks where you can not only broadcast your blog's existence, but you can also build relationships with other bloggers and readers. Do a quick search for blog directories and you'll find a number of places to add your blog to.

Commenting in Industry Blogs

What industry are you in? Are you a landscaper? An accountant? A handyman? Or, are you blogging about a hobby? Painting? Knitting? Sports? Regardless, find other blog posts in your niche and make some comments on them. The easiest way to do this is go to blogsearch.google.com and enter some keyword in the search box. The results will be some of the most current blog postings in your industry.

Visit some of these and post some comments. Add your blog's address to the comment and your blog is just a click away from having a new reader. More importantly, that new reader is already interested in what you have to say because they're coming from a blog that's already in your niche. One last thought on blog commenting. The more comments you read, the more you'll realize that lots of blog commenters are self-serving. They're only commenting to get traffic to their site.

Do not be one of them!

When you comment, make sure your comment adds value to the post you're commenting on. If you add value to another blogger's post, you'll get great returns for your effort and the blog you're posting on will be even more valuable to its readers.

Getting Influential Bloggers to Blog About You

Find an important blogger and get them to write about you and your new blog and you'll give your blog a great initial boost. They already have a group of loyal readers and are already respected in their field. In short, if they suggest to their readers that they check out your blog, those readers will check out your blog.

So, how do you find these influential bloggers?

Well, if you've followed my first two suggestions, you've already found many of them. If a blog hits Google's blog search, it's owner is influential. Some are more influential than others, but each of them has an existing follower list.

If you want to set your sights on the largest and the best in the blogging industry, check out Technorati.com and find some blogs in your industry. Technorati is a fantastic site and anyone who gets a mention on Technorati will have a huge number of readers. Get one of these people to mention you and watch your visitor graphline shoot straight up.

Getting bloggers to write about you and your blog is easier said than done. Be prepared for a lot of rejection along the way. Keep asking bloggers. Keep telling them how stating your blog will be a benefit for their readers. Occasionally, you'll start getting mentioned in blog posts and your traffic will go up.