How To Blog For Profit
Individuals that dream of blogging for profit can do so with a minimal understanding of blogging software and the willingness to put in the time and hard work necessary. Yet, only a small percentage of individuals actually get the profits they expected from their blog. So why is that?
There are fundamentally two reasons people don’t succeed who try to make wealth through their weblogs. Often, bloggers are unrealistic of how quickly their blog readership will grow and how much income they will generate. When these heightened expectations are not met, the disappointment can crush the desire to continue blogging. The other trap that many bloggers fall into has to do with lack of preparation. Generating income by writing a blog online requires one to develop a realistic plan and to adhere to it.
In order to make money with blogging, it is important that you have a lot of readers, ie. traffic. Advertisers will pay you more if you have lots of traffic to your blog. However, getting the consistent traffic needed in order to make a profit isn’t easy. A good idea or engaging writing style is no longer enough to grab readers’ attention. You have to market your blog to generate traffic to it.
There are many ways to market your blog. One is by writing articles such as this one and putting the link to your blog in the resource or author box. Others are by adding comments to other peoples’ blogs or in related forums, always adding a link back to your own blog. Then there’s social media sites like Twitter, Squidoo, Hub pages, etc. Building quality content on these websites and linking to your blog can all generate traffic.
All too often, bloggers spend all their time writing content, which is important, but they completely ignore the marketing aspect. You have to market your blog for traffic to know where to find it. Readers of blogs will regularly return to your blog if you regularly update it with new content that has value. Regular updates allow blog search engines and directories to keep your internet rating high. All the same, it does not matter how often you update your blog posts if no one is reading your page. That’s why it is so important to take the time to draw visitors to your blog website. Even if it means not posting quite as often so you can spend some of your time marketing, as long as you’re providing value in the posts you make, the readers will return.
Remember to be realistic. Having a great blog idea and smart marketing strategy will not guarantee quick success. If you are blogging for profit it takes time to establish a following, so don’t expect much of a profit for several months.
The first thing to do is to Plan. Plan out your goals of what you want to have accomplished, and be specific. Put those goals to a timeline and stick to it. During the early stages, don’t falter on your dedication to your blogging project. When you obtain one of your planned goals, compensate yourself and then move forward, sticking to your plan.
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Reader Comments
Debbie,
Excellent article on blogging for profit.
Your point about planning is well taken and I’ve devised a plan for my work week that will help me create more of a balance between posting/writing and marketing.
Instead of dividing my day into blocks of time devoted to different activities, I’ve switched to certain activities on given days. This will help me stay more focused and I’ll be posting at the end of the week to let my readers know how it worked for me.
I really like your strategies for creating a realistic goal for blogging and making money.
Warmly,
Theresa
Debbie,
Great post. Spot on.
I agree with the fact that you really have to number 1 have a plan and number 2 follow your plan. Internet Marketing is just what it says Internet Marketing. Good helpful content is a must for readers to come back, but if they do not know you are out there what is the point.
This is my struggle at the moment. There is never enough time in the day to get everything accomplished. I work 8 to 10 hours a day then I teach for another 4, doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to work on the web. I have also been spending lots of time on the video I would like to submit for the competition.
Thanks for the great information. I will definitely stop by to read more.
Thanks again,
Thom
Theresa,
I like the idea of dedicating each day to a particular activity … I think I’ll give that a try.
Thom,
Wow, you are busy! Considering your long work hours, you’ve done an absolutely phenomenal job! No one would know you weren’t doing this full-time … sshhhhh.
Hi Debbie,
Great article I have been trying to do lots each day but I have now decided to do certain things on given days. We can only see how it goes. There are so many things to do in a day like twitter, blog post and dare I say searching for new ideas to generate traffic.
Good Luck
Christine
Debbie, very good article, Rome was not built in a day and neither will your blog.
Good content, fresh ideas and marketing will super charge you blog for success.
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Debbie
Hi Debbie,
You are so right, it does take time to establish followers to your blog.The key like you said is
to add great content,and they will come back.
We just need to do a little each day.Keep up the
good work.
Michael burton
Hi Debbie
Great post! I have found that consistency is a great help. As you say make a plan and stick with it, not just for a couple of days, a few weeks or months, but a long term plan that is sustainable and consistent.
Also have belief in yourself that you can reach your goals and faith that you will achieve what you desire from it.
Debbie,
Great post. There is a great surge in interest in blogging for profit, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. You nicely emphasize the importance of marketing your blog in order to make it profitable.
Thanks again for the post…found you at the “Working at Home Blog Carnival!”
Hi Mariano,
Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog and leave a comment. Good to know I’m getting some exposure from the blog carnivals.
Debbie
You can not believe how long ive been googling for something like this. Went through 10 pages of Google results without finding anything. Quick search on bing. There you are!…. Really have to start using it more often!
Good day Debbie,
You have a very informative post! I agree that blogging for profit takes time to establish followers. We should not expect that we will gain much money in the first month. Planning is the first thing that we must do. Another thing also is that we should think to have an informative blog. Thanks for this post.
Good work and Good luck.
Millie