Tips to make money as a blogger!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

How To Make Money With A Blog

What Is A Blog?

Wikipedia says a blog is:

A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.

So a blog is an internet site that gets updated on a regular basis with news, commentary and other useful information.

What Blogging Content Management System Should I Use?

There are a lot of blog software options when it comes time to start blogging. Some of the best options:

  • WordPress.org
  • Wordpress.com
  • Blogspot.com
  • Tumblr.com

For my money WordPress.org is the best blogging software available. But to use it you'll need to buy web hosting.

Buy Web Hosting For Your Site

When you decide to use WordPress.org for your blogging software, you'll need to find a web-host where you can install WordPress, and from where it will be served to the general public. If you're just starting out a cheap shared host will most likely be your best bet. Many of these hosting packages can cost anywhere from $5-10/month.

If you hope to be making money in the long run you may want to start out on a more expensive hosting package, even purchasing a dedicated virtual server at one host or another. Do your research to find out which hosts are the ones that people are currently most happy with.

Write New Posts 5-6 Days A Week

This point can't be stressed enough. Write a LOT of content. Get on a schedule of writing 5-6 days a week, and stick to it.

Write your content so that it is tailored towards the search engines. Write titles how people search for things in google so that your article comes up. Do keyword research using online tools, and figure out what keywords pay well, and which ones have high search volume. Target them.

Promote Your Content

Now that you're creating tons of original content you also need to promote it so the readers will come. Places to promote:

  • Social Media
  • Blog Carnivals
  • Guest Posting
  • Forums surrounding your topic
  • Commenting on other blogs
  • Networking with others in your niche.
  • Article directories like this one

Make Money On Your Site

Dont' forget the fun part of blogging - making money! Some ways you can make money:

  • Google Adsense
  • Chitika
  • Text Link Ads
  • CPM Ads
  • Private ad sales
  • Sell e-books that you've written
  • Affiliate sales through Amazon Associates, CJ.com and other networks.
Wash Rinse Repeat

There is no magic spell that can give you a money making blog with no work. It will come down to time, hard work of generating original content, doing SEO and keyword research, and coming up with advertising and sales relationships that will benefit you in the long run. If you stick to it though, you can have a nice side income entering your bank account within 6 months to a year. Good luck!

How To Make Money Blogging