[By: Fabian Tan]

Today, there are a number of blog indexes available to help you gain a better ranking for your site. These include sites that will search the web looking for blog updates, as well as ones that will catalog specific articles. In some cases, you can register with these article sites and submit your posts for inclusion.

Typically, blog indexes are more sociable than a regular search engine index. Among other things, platforms such as Dig It and Red It allow browsers to rate your posts. While you can control the feedback left in your blog, you cannot control how someone rates your blog on these platforms.

That said, registering your site with these indexes may be well worth the risks. If you have material that you believe are new, or useful, this is a good opportunity to see what others think. This is especially important if you want to market a product, and have a theme for your sales pitch. If there is a negative response to your sales pitch, it will give you some ideas of where you need to improve.

When you first start blogging, visibility and finding a winning formula are both important. In most cases, even if you read descriptions of how other people succeed in blogging, you may not be able to see the mistakes or shortcomings of your own methods. As a result, blogging indexes that offer a site rating can help you gain site popularity, as well as provide valuable feedback to you.