Definitve guide to make money from blogging for newbies
Profitable Blogging For Newbies
Notes From Author
Just because you are new to the whole blogging for profit scene doesn’t mean you
don’t have what it takes …
… but simply means that you lack right information!
But what perhaps is even more important I’m a blogger just like you and what I
share within this eBook are strategies and techniques I use each and every day to
generate enough income to cover my monthly mortgage and then some …
What? You were expecting the hyped promise of riches? Well, you are
reading the wrong eBook. I absolutely detest hype and promises that don’t leave
up to expectation. I blog with integrity and earn in process and what you are
about to learn is information taken directly from my blog WordPress Web 2.0
HowTo Spot-Er simply edited for ease of following and condensed for
comprehension.
Table Of Contents
Introduction to Blogging …………………………………………………………………………….. 2
The New Media ………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
What a Blog is (and is Not) ………………………………………………………………………. 3
The Blog as a Business …………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Guarantee Your Profits Before You Even Start ………………………………………………..5
Finding a Profitable Market Niche ……………………………………………………………..5
Get a Relevant Domain Name And Reliable Host…………………………………………7
Build a Web 2.0 Blog With Multiple Profit Streams Build In…………………………… 9
10 Steps Guide For Turning WordPress Blog Into Ultimate Web 2.0 Portal ….. 9
Get Your Blog Ready For Monetization…………………………………………………….. 17
Sure-Fire Way To Monetize Your Web 2.0 Wordpress Blog………………………… 17
AdSense And Yahoo Ads………………………………………………………………………… 20
Using Amazon Context Ads to Monetize Your Blog …………………………………… 20
Monetize Your WordPress RSS Feed……………………………………………………….. 23
Create Content To Pull Profits……………………………………………………………………. 25
Write Blog Headlines To Explode Article Views And Create Stampede Of
Targeted Traffic…………………………………………………………………………………….. 25
Insightful and Unique Content …………………………………………………………………27
Key To Getting Consistent Targeted Traffic To Your Blog……………………………31
Making Your Blog Work Harder to Achieve Your “Most Desired Action”…….. 32
Content is The King but Free Targeted Traffic Is The High Queen!………………… 36
Web 2.0 – Social Networks As Targeted Traffic Source……………………………… 36
Additional Traffic Generation Strategies………………………………………………….. 38
Using Traffic Source Analysis As Design Guideline For Your WordPress Blog 42
Additional Recommended Resources …………………………………………………………. 43
Copyright ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 45
Introduction to Blogging
The New Media
In September of 2004, the CBS News program “60 Minutes II” ran a special on
President George Bush’s service in the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam
War. One of the pieces of data they displayed was a memo allegedly written by
the late Lieutenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian. As soon as the memo flashed across
the screen, the New Media began an investigation that would lead to in the firing
of three CBS News executives and the retirement of long-time anchor Dan
Rather.
At issue was a simple question: was the memo authentic? CBS News assured the
public it was, citing handwriting and document experts. Within 24 hours, the
New Media had shown that such was not the case, that the memos could not have
been produced on any machine in the hands of the Texas Air National Guard
during the Vietnam era. The New Media quickly demonstrated that the
proportional spacing of the memo and the superscripting of dates were nearly
impossible to create on 1970s technology and that the layout of the memo was
unlike anything produced at the time. In short, they showed that the memo was
not created on a Texas National Guard typewriter as CBS News had alleged, but
was instead produced on a modern computer using Microsoft Word on its default
settings and faxed or copied repeatedly to make it look old. They showed, beyond
a reasonable doubt, that the memo was a fake.
As word of the fraud spread across the Internet, additional data came to the fore,
questioning the use of CBS news’ acquisition and handling of the documents.
Within a week, other major news organizations began reporting on the
controversy, within two weeks, CBS itself reported that they had been misled by
their source concerning the origin of the memo. Soon after, CBS brought in a
former attorney general and a former president of the Associated Press to get to
the bottom of the issue. The result was a shake-up of the entire CBS news
structure.
Who was this “New Media” that was knowledgeable enough about such arcane
topics as superscripting and National Guard memo layouts to shake up one of the
biggest news outfits in the world in a matter of weeks? It was a network of
independent bloggers who posted their findings in real time, shared information,
and tested ideas. And their posts were followed closely by millions of readers,
many of whom posted the findings on their own blogs for their own readers. As
those readers shared the information with friends and colleagues, interest in the
New Media, and the habit of readers looking for their news from independent
sources, accelerated a climb that began when Matt Drudge reported rumours of
what became the Monica Lewinski scandal several months before the Old Media
whispered a word publicly about it.
What a Blog is (and is Not)
A good working definition of a blog is simply a journal or newsletter that is
frequently updated and intended for the timely reading. It often provides
opportunities for unfiltered and immediate feedback, sports an informal or even
partisan attitude, and is written in a more personal style than traditional press
outlets.
Blogs come in all shapes and subjects, from the maundering of troubled teen
souls to displays of classical photography to breaking news and commentary.
They can be online journals, locked with a password shared by a few trusted
friends, or they can be page after page of source code, sharing useful and free
computer programs with the world. A blog may be an online journal tangential
to a company’s main business, where users of a company’s products give
feedback and ask for help. Blogs can be hosted by single individuals, shared by
teams, or produced by entire companies. They may be hosted on a dedicated blog
server using fancy templates or lovingly handcrafted in HTML on a page that
resembles a bulletin board.
But a blog is not simply a syndicated column or a newspaper that is online. Many
news outlets feature their content online and even allow readers to respond to
stories. However, the newspaper’s business does not change just because it has a
new medium. Editors and writers still do the same jobs they did before the
advent of online distribution; the newspaper does not view itself as any different
from what it always was.
And perhaps therein lies the difference: attitude. The newspaper sees itself as
presenting all the news that’s fit to print, written by objective professionals, while
the blogger sees himself as presenting a piece of his own world and his own
expertise from his own perspective. As blogs become more popular, more
columnists are becoming bloggers and more bloggers are becoming professional
in what they write. Perhaps in a few years, the distinction between the Old Media
and the New will be irrelevant in the mind of writers; for many readers today, it
already is.
The number of individual blogs has topped 20 million and readership is
exploding. In fact, the trade magazine Ad Age reports that during 2005 alone,
American workers will spend the equivalent of 551,000 years reading blogs,
rumour sheets, and online diaries. Hundreds of millions of readers worldwide
get their news and entertainment from these independent sources, supporting
their favourite bloggers through donations, link usage, and purchase of blogrelated
memorabilia.
The Blog as a Business
Most blogs are small potatoes. The vast majority are online journals where
teenagers talk about their lives to a readership made up of their closest friends. A
growing minority, however, are businesses in and of themselves. They balance
costs and income; they purposely seek out content providers, advertisers, and
paying customers. They make a profit. They are, in fact, Blog Empires, ruling
over a reader-defined section of the blogosphere as the go-to site for millions who
come to get the news, buy promotional merchandise, and donate money to keep
their favourite bloggers fed and happy.
That’s where you come in. You can draw millions of readers, because what you
have to say is important. You can accumulate advertisers, because they will pay
to reach your readers. In short, you can build your own profitable blog, and it’s
easier than you think.
This ebook will walk you through the steps necessary to see your name in lights
and your blog climb to the top of blog listings everywhere, and to fatten your
bank account with the profits from your own blog business.
It will take a lot of work (what worthwhile thing doesn’t?) but you may find that
being a blogger, building a virtual blog empire of your own, is the most fulfilling
job you’ve ever had.
Guarantee Your Profits Before You Even Start
Finding a Profitable Market Niche
Before beginning to blog you need to assess couple things – what exactly CAN
you blog about and which of the topics you can cover will guarantee that you will
profit.
The first step in that process is looking at who you are, what and who you know,
and what you love. What do you have to offer the millions of potential readers
who will join your Blog Empire while they sip their morning coffee?
To find out we’re going to answer the most important question for your future
success: where you’re going to build your capitol, the headquarters of your own
Blog Empire. Basically, we’re going to brainstorm and free associate. There are
no right answers, no wrong answers, and nothing is too crazy to write down at
this point. Remember, if you love it, someone else probably loves it, too.
Take out a blank sheet of paper and get a nice, tall drink. Then answer the
following questions as best as you can. Some, like your age, may seem silly or
irrelevant. Some you may simply not have an answer to. That’s perfectly all
right. Just be as thorough as you can.
Question 1: Who are you? What is your age? What is your gender? What is
your race? Are you religious? Are you a dazzling urbanite, a laid-back rural, or
something in between? Do you think about these issues every day? Do they
matter to you or to your friends? HOW do they matter? What languages do you
speak? If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Try that
last one again, honestly this time.
Question 2: What do you know? What and who do you know? Where have
you gone to school? Where do you work and what do you do? In what areas are
you an expert?
Who else shares your love, your passion, your expertise? What work, education,
or hobby-related areas could you be said to have a reputation? What do you have
a reputation for?
Question 3: What do you want to know? When you log onto the internet,
where is the first place you go? What are you looking for? What do you expect to
find? How long does it take you to find it? Is everything in one place? How many
sites do you visit before you’re satisfied? What do you WANT a reputation for?
Question 4: What are you passionate about? What makes your blood boil?
What makes you jump up and click your heels? Have you ever written a letter to
the editor?
What was the subject? Did you check the paper every day for responses? What
politicians or issues do you love enough to walk door-to-door for? Why? If you
were king, what would be the first thing you’d do? If you won the lottery, what
would be the first thing you’d buy?
Assess your skills and knowledge:
Next, we’re going to examine some skills that are necessary in order to create
certain types of blogs. Be as honest (even as harsh) as you can in your selfappraisal.
Remember, if you really can’t write well, your readers are going to
know. If you can create first-rate artwork, now is not the time to sell yourself
short.
I can write: very well / pretty well / are you kidding?
My writing has been published by others: Y / N
My sense of humour can be described as: dry / sarcastic / ironic / witty / are you
kidding?
I can write well in the following languages: _________________________
I can program computers using the following languages: _______________
I have written computer programs that are in use by others Y / N
I can create professional quality artwork: Y / N
I have used the following graphics packages: ________________________
I have taken the following arts or graphics classes: ____________________
My artwork is currently being used by others Y / N
Extra Credit:
I’m consistently surprised that people ask my opinion about: _____________
I have a million stories about: __________________________________
I know more than anyone else about: _____________________________
People would pay for my knowledge about: _________________________
Now, look over all your answers and pick the category where most of
them fit best:
__Artistic __Business __Hobby __News __Political __Rant __Reference
__Society/Culture __Spiritual __Other:______________
If your skills overlap multiple categories, that’s ok as well. You may be able to
create a category that no one else has tried! But pick your category carefully: the
success of your blog empire is going to depend on whether you can consistently
offer your readers the content that they will return again and again for. Your
mental health will depend upon whether you love it enough to stay the course.
Find A Niche Within Your Knowledge
Once you have identified a category your can use to create a content in – you
need to know what exact niche or sub-niche within this category will guarantee
your profitability. What exact keywords your future readers use to find content
within a category you are planning to cover and which of these keywords YOU
SHOULD be using from days one!
Start blogging without proper research and you are GUARANTEED to fail. There
is no “if” or “but” about it. Only one out of thousand manages to start a blog on
something they like and strike a gold mine – the rest simply fail like many others
before them. If you are willing to join that crowd – stop reading this eBook now
and begin plotting your failure now …
Anything I have to share within heavily relies on this step!
Failure to plan is plan to fail and I don’t want you to become another sad statistic
of people who tried and just didn’t make it. I want you to succeed and that is why
I want to share with you an absolutely free guide on Finding a Red Hot Market
Niche guaranteed to profit! (Signup for free newsletter for instant download)
Best part is – you can find it within your existing knowledge, experience or
interests for which you have a true passion. 90% of your success depends on your
ability to write great content of a topic you love or have interest in.
So go ahead, download the free guide and locate a great profitable niche that will
become the base of your profitable virtual empire!
Click to download Red Hot Niches Report.
Get a Relevant Domain Name And Reliable Host
Step 2 of building your profitable blog is locating a domain name that will ensure
you will rank well in search results and purchasing a hosting account that comes
not only with a wealth of features but also support you can rely on when you need
it the most!
While you can use one of the free-hosted blog platforms, such as blogger.com or
Read Related Post
