- March 19, 2013
- Posted by: Vishal Shah
- Category: Blogging
You’ve heard that you can make some serious money from blogging and want to get in on the action. While that’s true for a select few, the reality is that (if you know what you’re doing) you can make a few hundred dollars per month per blog. That isn’t exactly pocket change, but the key phrase here is, “if you know what you’re doing.” Too often, simple faux pas are made that might turn you away from blogging forever.
Keep in mind the niche part of niche blogging, and don’t let your passions get in your way. Maybe you know everything there is to know about translated French texts from the 1940s. That’s great, but are there enough people out there searching for that kind of information? The first step in choosing a blog topic is to go based on popularity.
Trial and Error
Just because you’ve picked a very popular or trendy topic, such as catfishing on dating sites, doesn’t mean that your blog will take off. You need to keep track of how many people are visiting the site and bounceback rates. If it doesn’t take off within two months, or you don’t see significant improvements, it might be time to choose another niche. Explore other options like architectural building components or financial advice.
Choosing the wrong topic is often the leading cause of an unprofitable blog. Try seeing what’s popular by browsing the news section of Google. Here’s where a little of your interests can creep in. Maybe you’re more into technology than entertainment, so see what’s recurring on the tech news section. Clearly, a majority of people are interested in reading about these topics.
Ad Placement Woes
Generally speaking, a banner ad and maybe one or two along the side are the best places to put an ad. However, certain niches have different success rates depending on ad placement and there’s no cheat sheet to figure it out. Start with the top banner method, and then play around to see if you can find more success. It should only take you about a week to figure out if a different location is better for your site.
It’s also important to wait a while to place ads, although Google takes care of this for you. You need to have a site established for six months before you’re allowed to attach Google advertising tools to it. This is good news for you, since it lets you establish your site without bombarding visitors with ads. It can also improve your SEO rankings, making you easier to find, since Google Panda reads ad-heavy sites as spam sometimes.
Spinning and Linkbuilding
If you’re getting into blogging solely for the money, you’ll probably need to spin your content. Of course, the best way to get good SEO rankings is to have 100% original, unique content that’s well-written. You also need very similar content on other quality pages that can be linked to your site. Spinning ad-ons are fairly affordable, around $50, and they can save you a lot of time and effort.
When it comes to linkbuilding, remember that it’s quality over quantity. Ideally, you want a high quantity of high-quality links, but don’t get caught up solely in the numbers. You need backlinks that complement your site and are from reliable sources that aren’t considered spam by Panda.
The Good News in the Oops Moment
What happens if you accidentally make a mistake, and your site is chastised to the dregs of Google searches? Well, the good news is that you can start all over again. You probably haven’t put in that much effort if you chose a niche that doesn’t work or made a spam or linking mistake. Oftentimes, it’s easier to start a new site than try to correct an infantile one that just didn’t work.
Realize that if making money from blogging was truly easy, everyone would do it. It does get easier with practice, just like anything else. However, there’s a learning curve and you have to be willing to take some falls before you hit your stride. Don’t quit your day job for this, but you may be able to once you learn the ropes.
Post By
Aaron Walker is a thirty-something tech enthusiast and blogger. He has been interested in blogging since its early days and has his fair share of experience experimenting with AdSense blogs about everything from architectural building components to financial advice.