If you intend to have a successful blog that actually makes you money then you have to have a game plan. That game plan needs to follow some steps so that you can engage your target audience and find the right affiliate programs for your needs. You need to know where to promote your blog and how to get back links to your blog so you can make some sales. And it always boils down to money for those that are serious about blogging. They want to get their blog out there as quickly as possible and make it profitable right from the get-go.
There are more than a few blogs online that consistently attract thousands of visitors each day. Yes, most are celebrity blogs in which the writer really has no interest in gaining any monetary compensation. Most are just looking for more fans. But there are some, such as Grammar Girl, that manage to convey very relevant information and make money at the same time. Perhaps it is something that you should consider as well. Making money while blogging is possible, if you know how to set your blog up and what to do to start attracting revenue.
So how exactly does Grammar Girl make money on her blogs? Well first she advertises her books but it goes back even farther than that. She provides insightful blogs about grammar tips and rules that everyone should follow. Many of the topics she blogs about you already learned in school but there are many people who refer to her expertise in the matter to gain knowledge about the proper usages of their, they’re and there. It is actually quite surprising when you see how many fans she has on Facebook and how many followers read her blogs.
Besides selling her books, Grammar Girl also utilizes ads and back links. She posts other places, gains a high search engine rating and is able to turn up higher in search engine rankings. There is nothing to say that you cannot do the same. You just need to follow her model of business because what she is doing is the same thing that the most successful bloggers are doing. There really is no great secret to it. You write a terrific blog, get some fans and then sign up with a company that can get you placed higher on search engine pages and get your blog posted on the most frequently visited blogging sites. That is the real secret to becoming #1 and beginning to see a profit.
Just remember a tip or two if you do want to be #1. Keep your blogs on topic and keep them relevant to what you are portraying. If you want to sell vacuums then you need to be the best vacuum salesperson on the planet according to your blogs. You need to know your material inside and out. Researching different types of vacuums is a great way to do this. It actually does not matter where your specialty lies. It could be in anything as long as you know what you are writing about.
Grammar Girl is only one of many successful blogs that get read every day. There is nothing stopping your blog from becoming the #1 ranked blog on any search engine. It just takes a bit of time, patience and knowledge. Once you have those down pat then you are ready to move on and get that revenue moving in.
Taking it Step by Step
The first step you have to take when blogging for money is to find the right affiliate programs that work for your blog. You may be unfamiliar with affiliate programs and that is okay. Affiliate programs are links on your page that promote other people’s products. Yes, it sounds like you are making other people money but for each time a product is sold or the ad is clicked, you get money for nothing more than having the ad on your page. The same goes for you putting ads on other people’s webpages. It really does work out quite well for all parties involved provided you have chosen an affiliate program that works well for your needs. Clickbank, Amazon.com and Commission Junction are but three really good affiliate programs to join.
The next step to begin that cash flow is writing blog posts and getting followers. You need to write content that is engaging, interesting and relevant. You can make it a bit informal and personal. It will give it a touch that says you are more than just an anonymous face typing away boring blog posts each day. People will be able to relate to you and what you have to say. They will begin subscribing to your blogs and even signing up for your email lists. That means more potential visitors through word of mouth advertising on their part which is free for you.
The next step is back links. These are where you go to other blogs and in the comment section you post an information answer or related comment (there is also a place to leave your name and a link back to your blog). Avoid blogs that do not let you put in your own URL. They are nothing more than a waste of time. You want to get on blogs that are relevant to your own topics and products and allow you to create back links.
If posting to blogs, maintaining blogs and building back links are just too much for you there is another alternative. You can cut down on your work load significantly by using something like Blog Blueprint.
Blogging Plus Writing for the Search Engines
There is an unspoken power in the written word. It can convey so much and yet can also convey very little. It is a bit of an oxymoron in that sense. You have to be careful how you write your blogs because words written do not often convey the emotion or the sentiment that you may or may not intend. That is why choosing the correct wording is so important to making your blog a smashing success. It does not necessarily mean having a degree in Writing but it never hurts to know how to put your blog into the limelight through your words.
One of the key ways that many professional bloggers take advantage of search engine rankings is to use SEO writing. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a way of writing where you use keywords throughout the blog that highlights the main focus (or theme) of the blog post. Keywords are important because it keeps the readers focused on the whole point of the blog. But SEO blogging is not enough because there are some common mistakes made when using keywords.
One of the biggest mistakes is overusing your keywords. You do not have to put in a keyword every single sentence. The biggest tip is to use your primary keyword no more than four or five times. You can use supporting keywords three or four times to reinforce your blog. The next step can be quite easy for you though. That involves getting links to your blog so readers across the Internet are directed through back links from various other blogging websites. Those back links generate money for you. You have taken the time to use SEO blogging and you have set up your links and you have set up your products or services, so this is the time to start making money.
Understanding Back Links
The real secret to making money by blogging is all in traffic and back links. Back links are something most people starting out are not familiar with. Have you ever visited a website and in the comment section you noticed someone posted their name and a hyperlink to another webpage? That link in the comment section is called a back link. The reason is pretty obvious once you think about it. It is a link that takes you back to their homepage or blog. They get money from their blog through advertising, affiliate programs or by selling a service or product. Simply put, more traffic = more money.
So let’s go through how to set up proper back links that are going to start making you money and driving your ranking up in the search engines. The first thing you need is a blog. On that blog you are going to be blogging about products or services that you offer. If you do not have a particular product or service that you offer, then you probably need to join some affiliate programs. Those affiliate programs will let you place ads on your webpage so that people can click the ones that interest them. Once they click on an ad and purchase the recommended product, you will earn a commission on the sale.
After you have your blog set up it is time to put some blog posts on there. Find topics that are fresh and new. You can still write about things that have been done before but do it in a new way that will attract attention. And you definitely want to attract attention so make sure your spelling and grammar is spot on. No one likes a poorly written blog filled with misspelled words and poor grammar. You can keep your website to one general subject or you can write diverse blog posts with different ads generated for each post.
Now you need to visit other blogs and websites that are similar to yours. The key to this is doing a Google search. Type in the subject and then scroll through the website to see if you can leave comments that contain a URL because some will not allow you to do so. There are formulas for finding the right website on the Internet if you do a search. They will tell you exactly what string of characters to put in to find websites that allow comments. Blogging websites, of course, are your primary target. Make sure your comment is relevant to the topic being discussed and that it is respectful. You do not want to get banned from the website.
There are easier ways of building back links and even easier ways of maintaining your own blog site.
