Blog For Profit

So you’re making money with your blog and everything is looking good, what’s the worst that could happen?

Actually quite a bit can still go wrong, firstly hackers and scammers who take advantage of outdated blog software to exploit it. Often they can leave your blog intact, but use some space on the site to hide an extra page for a phishing scam. Then they spam the link to this bogus page everywhere to get unwitting people to divulge bank details. But guess who will end up getting taken off the server?
That’s right, your blog comes down, and your domain takes the rap for the spam and gets blacklisted on the spammer sites.

So rule number one is keep your blog software (and any other scripts for that matter) up to date so that any known security holes are plugged. Some updates may also add extra useful functionality, so it’s worth updating your software regularly for those reasons.

Even if your blog is up to date, things can go wrong, and often do. It’s not unheard of for a hosting company to completely disappear, but more often is a hardware failure at the server. When this happens most decent hosting companies will have backups, the cheaper ones won’t. Even the best hosting companies may not have your most recent blog updates saved for you, so you’d better do it yourself.

It makes sense to keep backups of any templates, and modified files locally, and probably a complete backup of the whole site. The thing with blogs and any other non static sites is that they store the information, in the case of a blog all your posts, in a database separately from your main files which run the site. Luckily if you run a Wordpress blog on your own hosted site you can use a plug-in to automatically back up your site as often as you like.

Wordpress Database Backup ( http://www.ilfilosofo.com/blog/wp-db-backup ) can be setup to email your database to you whenever you like. A quick tip I’d like to pass on is Gmail.com, a free Gmail account can be used as the destination for your database backups, and as you get huge amounts of space you can store a lot of backups there. Keep a backup locally on your hard drive, and one online at Gmail and you are fairly sure to have one should you need a database backup.

The worse that can happen is your blog goes down, and there are no backups. Be prepared and this kind of disaster may not be a big hit to your blogs profit. Remember back it up often, and in more than one place.

Many webmasters are still running static sites, a lot of them making money from Adsense as their site gets visitors to its pages. Some of them must be wondering whether a blog may be a better option than the static site they run especially for their adsense revenue. Here is a quick list of five reasons that using blog software such as Wordpress is advantageous over a static site.

1. A blog automatically updates all the links on your site if you decide to add an extra section or page. A hard wired static site can use PHP or other includes to update the links across the whole site, but it then takes a re-organisation of the menu to fit it all in. A blog will update all the pages, and menus instantly with no further work on the part of the webmaster.
2. Posting to a blog is as quick and easy, as easy as filling in a form. You don’t need to look at html tags, and images can be added as you write. A static site will require an html editor or knowledge of HTMl tags to write your new post or update.
3. Plugins, wordpress has a great plugin system which means you can add functionality across your site with minimal effort. Almost anything you’d want to add to a site is available as a Wordpress plugin, from forms to social bookmarking, adverts to search engine optimisations, all are available to upload and activate.
4. Changing the look and feel of a website can be a hit and miss affair. Especially if the site has a few hundred pages to change. Search and replace software can be used on static sites to replace chunks of html across the whole site, but a blog just needs a new theme. When you theme your blog, the whole site changes with just a click of a button and you don’t need to upload the entire set of html pages each time. Don’t like it, change it back. Try doing that with a static site.
5. Search engines love blogs. Because the whole raison d’etre of a search engine is finding and cataloging content for people to find, a regularly updated blog will have the search engines coming around to check regularly for new posts. You can also choose whether your blog displays a static page at the front or one which changes as you add new posts. Which one do you think will bring the search engines back over and over again? The one which shows the latest post looks like a new page each time, fresh and ready to be re-indexed.

So there are some good reasons to blog rather than run a static site, what do you think isn’t it time you started blogging?

in easy pocket money blogging part one we discussed hosting the blog, and setting it up. We also looked at the first few plugins used to make it an article directory and avoid spam from comment spammers. In part 2 we will look at how we get traffic to the new blog, and how we monetise it.

Firstly I will run through the basic plug ins I add to all my blogs for traffic generation from search engines. I set these up first as they will be helping every time a new article is added to the directory. My first suggestion is All in One SEO Pack as this helps to make your blog posts get ranked in search engines with the appropriate tags, and titles etc. This helps no end in getting traffic for free from search engines, and making sure your listing is right in the searches. Using the defaults in most of the settings works well enough for the lazy people like me too.

In addition to All in One SEO I always ensure my blogs use permalinks, and use the structure
” /%category%/%postname%/ ” in the “Custom Structure” field in permalink settings. These together help give the search engine rankings a boost and bring the traffic in. Once you have traffic you can start monetising your articles, oh yeah we haven’t got to the articles yet have we? Don’t worry it’s coming but lets get it all ready for making your pocket money on the blog first.

To monetise a blog, I use a widget with Adsense in on the right of the page, and also a plugin called Adsense Injection available at http://www.biggnuts.com which will place Adsense blocks in the article text automatically wrapping it in the text. You can also add Link-A-Dink plug in to turn some key words and phrases within articles to text links to affiliate products or your other sites. Of course how you monetise your blog is up to you, and you may do it even better than I do, this works for me and I’m too lazy to experiment.

On this blog I also addeed Role Manager, WP-PageNavi and  MaxBlogPress Favicon plugins. The last of these helps to get your blog noticed by adding one of those little icons to the title bar of the browser and also to the title when bookmarked, which helps it stand out a little and makes people come back again. You can add your choice of plugins too, if you have other things you like to see on your sites.

We now have a Wordpress blog, which looks like an article directory and works like one. It also attracts traffic from search engines to the articles which we don’t have yet. This is where the best bit comes in, free content added automatically. The plug in for this is on the Unique Article Wizard Plugins  page UAW Plugins for Various Article Directories where you can download the unique articles plugins for various scripts including Wordpress. Activate the plugin, and fill in the details in the settings, and you will start receiving articles to your new site almost immediately.
In my case I have had over 3000 articles in a few weeks, and the search engines have started sending enough traffic to earn me some extra Google Adsense cash this month.

You can setup an article directory or any niche themed website with Wordpress, and start getting article submissions in minutes. As it grows, hopefully so will your pocket money. And if you’re one of those people who likes to test and tune, fiddle around with the settings, and you could probably be making a bit more than pocket money from a blog like the one outlined here. The choice is yours. But whatever you do, get started on your pocket money blog soon.

If I was prone to exageration I could claim that I am making thousands from one quick and simple blog. I could write a short e-book on it and then sell that book for silly money to people with a disclaimer that their earnings may not be the same as mine. I’m not prone to exageration, and am too lazy to write the e-book to cash in, so instead I’m going to outline a way to make a quick bit of extra pocket money from a simple blog.

The blog in question at http://www.articlesand.info could probably make a bit more profit with tweaking, probably will make a little more as it grows, but in reality was just a way to use up a domain I already had paid for.  It took next to no time to set up, takes a few minutes a week to keep it going and brings in a little pocket money. Now that’s a way to get started blogging for profit.

So how did this come about?

Firstly I had the domain http://www.articlesand.info sitting around awaiting a script for me to publish an articles directory (I have used a couple before but they were insecure). I also have a reseller hosting account for all my domains at Hostgator which is paid for by my other sites profits. If you are hosting more than a couple of sites, Hostgator is a great place to put them. So I had everything I needed to put together a site except the script for the article directory.

That’s when I saw something about using Wordpress as an article directory. I experimented on my own but it was a bit hit and miss. I googled for a Wordpress article directory plug in and found there was one available at http://articlesss.com/article-directory-wordpress-plugin/ which also offers a nice article directory style theme to go with it. To get it up and running quickly, I used cpanel to install Wordpress from Fantastico (all included in your hostgator hosted account) filled in a few fields on a form and Wordpress was installed. I then installed the article directory plug in and theme. Now it was ready to take some articles from other authors.

Actually it wasn’t ready yet, if you have ever installed Wordpress on your own domain, you will probably have encountered comment spam. So one of the first plugins I activate in Wordpress blogs is the Akismet one which is usually installed with WP anyway. There are other comment spam filters, but Akismet does the job well enough. So this helps to keep my time spent on the blog to minimum as most comment spam is removed for me automatically.

part 2 to follow soon.

   Because there are so many blogs and web sites about blogs on the internet, it can be tough to distinguish your blogging web site from all of the others. Whether you are starting up a new web site aimed at bloggers or whether you are looking to make your existing blogging site more distinctive, the key to building and maintaining a site that will capture the interest and attention of the blogging community is finding your niche. If you can fill a unique need in a way that no other web site does, you’ll be able to build a lasting readership among web surfers.

Once you have discovered a niche, you will still have a lot to do, but finding your place in the blogosphere is the place to begin.   Every great blogging web site starts with a great idea, and you can’t build a successful site that will last without one.

There are many great sites aimed at today’s bloggers, and competition for the attention of this growing demographic is fierce. To make your blogging web site stand out from the pack, you will need to offer something that no other site is currently offering, or you will need to do the same thing that an already popular site does but in a more impressive or valuable way.  

One way to discover an ideal model for your blogging web site is to look at the sites that have successfully captured a blogging audience already to determine if you can appropriate some of their strategies to help realize your vision. Of course, you will also need to add a unique flair to your project in order to stand apart from your competition. Many people agree that the web sites that do the best in today’s market are the sites that have the most personality. The fiercely individual surfers who are bloggers are a demographic that responds especially strongly to personality, so consider how you can give your site a unique and attractive feeling by lending your own voice and sensibility to your site’s design and content.  

Once you have a great idea for your site, have pinpointed a special niche that you are well equipped to fill, and have infused the site with personality, the next step is figuring out how to get the word out to bloggers. In the long run, a great idea just isn’t enough to propel your blogging web site to success. You will need to draft a smart and realistic marketing plan in order to draw readers to your site. Once you hook a blogger, your great content will keep them coming back, but it is vital to get that first glance or your site won’t have a chance to shine.

We have just added the “7 Days To Profitable Blogging “ e-book to our discount E-book store

This book is a useful guide to starting, and running a blog for profit, because there’s no reason internet marketers shouldn’t have the most successful, high trafficked blogs on the Internet. No reason except no one has ever bothered to explain HOW to set it all up. So we’ve done that and put it all in the book.

Discover how to quickly and easily set up your first blog, and turn it into a money maker. Follow the instructions and you’ll have a foundation that can’t be beaten, and is strong enough to support anything you choose to do! More than that though, you’ll find that anything you add will be effortlessly easy to promote.
“Ditch The Wannabe Experts and Grab Our Seven Day Master Plan!”
With our seven day master plan, we answer everything from:

• What the four best bookmarking sites are for driving incredible traffic in your direction
• How best to build your blog
• THE single best platform to blog from
• How to choose a the keywords you’re building your blog around
• How to implement those keywords in a way that HELPS your readers and YOUR income
• AND MORE

7 Days To Blogging Profit is a great book, but it is made even better because of the low price which we offer it for, see for yourself just how low at “7 Days To Profitable Blogging “ .

Some basic guidelines on blogging, if you use a service such as blogger.com they have their own terms and conditions for posting content. You can’t just post anything, so always read the t&c’s. If you don’t follow their rules, your blog will probably get deleted.

If you host a blog on your own hosting account, using software like WordPress. You have full control over the content you post, so your blog won’t get deleted.

What are the DOs and DON’Ts of blogging?
 
First the DOs:

• Do put pictures and multimedia sources to enhance the content. Could either be a vlog, photoblog, etc.

• Do base your posts with a good category structure to make it easy to find content for a particular topic.
 
• Do put paragraphs and sub-ideas. It’s not entertaining to read one block of manuscript. Digest it into pieces.

• Do create mutual communication between you and your readers. Answer queries without leaving your readers hanging for an answer.

• Do make your article as simple and as understandable as possible. Avoid beating around the bush. Not unless you wanted to captivate your readers with your literary prowess. Write like your talking to a friend.

• Do respect your reader’s opinions. That’s the essence of being a blogger. Accept truths. Do away with the insults.

• Do update. If you make blogging a part of your life, post as often as possible with fresh content.

 
Second the DON’Ts:

• Don’t go against your host’s legal boundaries. Respect their terms and conditions.

• Don’t ignore the quality of your content. Be specific with posting information.

• Don’t provoke fights. Sometimes comments can be a pain. And sometimes, none of it is true. Let it go and don’t waste your energy.

• Don’t waste a post with inappropriate details that would just confuse your audience.

• Don’t copy the works of others. They might sue you for plagiarism for this. Produce something original. Imitations trigger criticisms.

• Don’t be afraid to advertise. It’s one way to make your blog famous among the masses. Go to other sites and leave your blog address. It’s a matter of give and take.

• Don’t attack individuals, companies or fellow bloggers. Show respect. If you disagree with an opinion, tell it with caution.
 
• Don’t disregard your responsibilities. Journalism still has its price. Being able to write in a liberated way doesn’t erase you of your obligations.

Most internet sites like Yahoo! and IBM publish their guidelines on blogging. It is intended to be read, understood, and accepted by the blogger. Obey certain rules and policies. It won’t do you wrong. Libelous materials could cause you problems, so better follow the rules.

Useful Tips for Blogging Beginners

Can’t get the hang of the numerous blogs you have found? Having a hard time doing your own? This is natural for numerous people. Here you will find some helpful tips on effective blogging.

Tip # 1: Put a headline

See to it readers have an idea of what they are reading. Don’t put a write-up or a video blog with no sense at all. Make it a point that they participate by giving out opinions and comments. Think of what’s interesting to read. Let the readers be captivated, to do so, begin with your title. Make it a head turner. Motivate by grabbing their attention.

Tip # 2: Build paragraphs

Every blog consists of one thought. That doesn’t necessarily mean you must imitate that thought by maintaining one whole paragraph per se. Split your ideas. Cut them down into bits. Compose sub ideas that’ll support the whole picture. Don’t give your viewers a hard time reading a big rock. Break them into marbles.

Tip # 3: Characterize

Put some attitude in your writing. Don’t be so serious about your blog. Ensure the quality must go hand in hand with lightness. Act as if you’re speaking up to the whole world. Spice your blog up a bit. Argue. Make them react. Make them feel. Add emotions and not just plain writing.

Tip # 4: Time-bound

Old news could be pretty boring. Blend it with the new. Update it. Or better yet, revise it. It’s in the nature of humanity to search for something relevant, acceptable, contributing and most of all. Current issues are always an eye-catcher. So brush up those research skills.

Tip # 5: Install

Yes you are a blogger. But that doesn’t mean you are good at it. So even before your readers would boast how incapable your writing talents are, block it. Install an anti-spam software and tools to filter those comments and keep them moderate. Comments may either be positive or negative. So make sure you accept the good ones and trash away the bad.

Tip # 6: Stay Real

Don’t go astray with your posts. A fundamental aspect of blogging is the contribution it would make for the media. Personal relations must be established. Maintain a constant conversation. A way to do this is by staying true to your every word. Pinky-swear on it. Nobody would believe a fraud. Create significant value that would result for your readers to keep coming back for more.

Tip # 7: Respond

Respond to your comments. Don’t let it go unnoticed. If your reader asks you a question, be ready to answer. Silence is not a benefit with this kind of industry. Be aware of what people think and note their reactions. If they do react, provide a satisfying answer. If criticisms arise, take it smoothly.

Tip # 8: Advertise

If your blog goes unnoticed, it doesn’t mean that it’s useless. At least you get to satisfy your writing abilities. But if you still lack a reader’s attention, why not advertise your blog? All you need to do is go to other sites and post out a comment on their blogs and at the same time, invite them to visit yours. It’s a give and take process.

Blogs are newfound journalistic mediums of an author’s freewill to publish. It’s not just another brick in the wall. Definitely, it means something.

There are many things you can do to produce content for your blog which really have no direct relationship to the quality of your blog, and you should consider pursuing them. However, nothing will turn a blog into a success like high quality content.
Good content creates a readership who will keep returning for more. Those repeat visitors can be the lifeblood of a successful blog. Additionally, other people who operate blogs notice good content and web sites and they will often link back to your quality posts. This creates a direct traffic stream from those links, as well as adding to your total cache of backlinks, which can help in search engine results.

People will come back to a site they know provides grade-A information or that touches them in some way. Humor sites that are not funny do not get repeat visitors. Sites about technological advances that contain inaccuracies do not develop a readership. Blogs that are littered with grammatical and spelling errors seldom generate massive traffic.

Effective writing is the key to a successful blog. It is beyond the remit of this article to outline what makes a writer entertaining or informative. Most of us, fortunately, have an idea of what separates the good from the bad. Writing effectively may take more time and effort than simply spewing forth a few posts to your blog, but the end result is worth the extra energy.

In addition to writing well, you should strive to produce unique content that will distinguish your blog from others. This includes choosing subjects which are interesting, opinions that are compelling, and doing whatever else is necessary to capture and hold a reader’s interest. You need to give people a reason to choose your blog over others in the same field. You must provide them with something they cannot get elsewhere.

This raises the subject of re-blogging. Re-blogging occurs when a blogger provides a synopsis of what someone else has written (perhaps even with an excerpt) and then adds a small amount of personal commentary. Re-blogging can be effective in two circumstances.
1. If your blog is operating primarily as a news aggregator and a means of providing readers with an edited compendium of potential items of interest, it is a natural fit. 2. if your commentary somehow illuminates or provides an interesting twist to the original content it can also be effective.
Too often, however, reblogging is nothing more than repetition of what could be found elsewhere and fails to impress readers.

Instead of relying upon re-blogging, a successful blogger will generally try to stay on top of his or her chosen field and will become the initial source of exciting information and opinion. It is fine to share the remarkable work of others–making sure that information gets out to everyone is one of the great things you can do with a blog–but it is even better if you can make yourself into a primary source of quality, unique content.

Download This Report “Making A Living From Your Blog” FREE Today

In this report which we are handing to you free, NO STRINGS you will discover…

Why making money from your blog is easier than you thought

How to set up a blog purely for profit

How to sell links on your blog to increase your cashflow

Where to look to find places to pay you for every post yo make to your blog

Don’t wait, download it here now

When you download this report, I’ll even give you the right to give it to others or sell it if you want to, so download it now and read and use it, then pass it on to others who can benefit from this information.