subject: Make Money With Your Blog [print this page] So you want to be a bloggerSo you want to be a blogger. There are probably two reasons the answer would be yes:
Number one: You are enthusiastic about a subject and really want to start a blog to get your ideas out there.
Number two: Same as #1, plus you want to make money with your blog.
Why blog? If you want to get your ideas out there, or have a money making site, blogging is the easiest way to go. Setting it up right so you can achieve these goals requires some basic tools to be set in place.
You will need to consider the technical aspects of starting a blog. There are several free blogging platforms available(like Blogspot) but there's no point spending any time going over them. In my opinion, you must have total control over your blog and the only way to do that is to host it on your own site. The best, easiest to use blogging platform to Wordpress.
Choose a Host
Youll need to register a domain name related to your niche and choose a hosting service. If you have never started a site before, youll find that it is simplest to get your domain name and hosting package from the same provider. You should be able to find a shared hosting program for under $10 per month. When you are choosing a host, be sure they have one click installation of Wordpress.
Choose a Niche
What do you want your niche to be? What is are you passionate about? What are you an expert at? Most any niche can attract enough readers to be profitable, but remember you will be writing about it for a long time, so choose wisely, and research the size of your potential audience. You need to target a niche that is not too huge, but has ample fans to sustain an audience.
Domain name
Take your time picking a domain name. You will not be able to change your domain name without disrupting your readers. It should be simple, easy to remember, and relate to your niche. Avoid using your own name or parts of your name for privacy reasons, as well as the future value of your blog.
Google Analytics
You will want to track as much information about your visitors as possible, the easiest and way of doing so is with Google Analytics. This is a no cost tool which will track statistics for your site. You should install them.
Write, Write, Write
Now that you are set up, start writing. You want to provide at least 5-7 posts a week for the first month. Regular, top quality posts on your niche will bring visitors back. The posts need to be top quality information that people are looking for.
Submit every post to article directories or sites like Digg
This is how to get backlinks to your blog which will help it rank in the search engines. You can also get backlinks by commenting on other blogs in your niche.
Advertise
You can incorporate links to affiliate programs in your blog. Start with Google Adsense once you have posted 15 times or so. You can become an Amazon or eBay affiliate as well. Your block will have a sidebar where ads can be placed. Contextual links can be placed in your posts. This can set you up to make money if you want to.
So you want to make money with your blog? Start with the basics, and will have a firm foundation as you grow your blog.
