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How to Make Money Blogging,How To Start a Blog and Make Money Online,How to earn money from blogspot
I was recently trying to explain to a friend new to the concept of affiliate marketing how I made money from blogging.For this post, I’ll use Sugarrae specifically as an example of how I make money by blogging since most people blogging primarily to earn extra cash (or a full time income) are doing it via one personally branded blog (which is what Sugarrae is for me).
Understand Readership comes First, the revenue later
Making money through blogging is not an instant process. You need to focus on readership first and revenue after you start to develop a readership. Am I saying you should launch a blog with no idea how to monetize it? ABSOLUTELY NOT.Unless “back pats” and comments pay your bills, you need to have an idea of how you plan to monetize your blog before you start building it. But it can’t be THE focus from day one. Start with a plan regarding what niche your blog will target, what demographics your blog will serve and what topics and programs you’ll be able to turn to in order to monetize it.
That said, understand that in MOST cases you’re going to work on your blog for months before you start to see even an insignificant amount of revenue coming from it. Results will vary based on any “personal brand” you’re starting out with and how hard you work at PROMOTING your new blog.
When I originally started Sugarrae, there were NO ads on it. My primary concern was building my personal brand and not creating a revenue stream. I’m not saying you should IGNORE monetization. I’m just saying you need to understand it is on the back burner compared to building an audience in the beginning.
Understand that Blogging for Money has Overhead Costs
Expect to pay for hosting (I use Netwisp) – I’ve been over why you shouldn’t use free subdomains like WordPress.com, etc if you’re really planning to make blogging an income.You should also plan to spend a few bucks on a design (assuming you’re not CSS and PHP savvy). I use the Thesis theme framework (you can find out why here), but also have my Thesis framework skinned. I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’ve obviously invested into my design (Proof Branding did the current one)… but you can find great low cost templates to alter (if you’re using Thesis, you can find some nice custom skins at Themedy) if you’re just starting out. It doesn’t need to be a custom design, but it shouldn’t look like a plain generic template either.
Choose a Niche
There used to be a time where I said choose what will make money versus choosing what you love. For instance, I started off in the telecom industry. I didn’t “love” telecom, but I always joked that I could learn to love any topic that made me money. But 2012 is a different playing field than 2002.With Google’s love of “brands” – large and small, you’ll need to be sure that whatever niche you pick is one you can write passionately about – and regularly. It needs to be a topic you can become an authority on – and therefore build a brand on. And for most bloggers starting out with their first blog, the only way you can achieve that kind of authority and STICK WITH IT is to be blogging about something you are 1. knowledgeable about and 2. something you’ll enjoy blogging about.
On Sugarrae, I blog about affiliate marketing, entrepreneurship and Internet marketing – topics I am obviously passionate about and – I think anyway – it comes across in my writing. I don’t blog as often as I’d like, but I try to make sure that when I do? It isn’t “fluff” so to speak.
Figure out what your hobbies are, what the things you enjoy are – then check the larger affiliate networks and ensure there are products that relate to your niche with affiliate programs.
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