As the internet continues to grow and become more entwined with our everyday lives, more opportunities will be available to use it as a source of income. Blogging has exploded in popularity over the past few years and is one of the simplest ways to make money online. With tons of free blogging platforms and innovative advertisement solutions, it's possible to start a profitable blog with no down payment besides the time you put into it.
Pick Your Niche
Grow Calendar 2011
For those of you not familiar with blogging, a niche is a specific theme or topic that a blog covers. A niche can be anything you want it to be, however it's important to understand that the more people that are interested in that particular topic the more traffic your blog will get. Once you have your niche you should do your best to become an expert or very knowledge in that subject area.
Design a Great Looking Blog
How you construct your blog does have a big effect on whether your blog will be successful or not. You should take time to really design it from the ground up as if you were working on the blueprints for a building. Be sure to tailor your blog towards to fit your niche and the demographics that will be interested in that subject. First impression is very important in the online environment, and the design of your blog will play a big role in that.
Write Well
When it comes down to it, 99% of your success will come down to the content that is on your site. You can probably pull off having an ugly site, or a random niche, but there's no way around bad writing. The content on your site is what is going to draw visitors to your site and keep them coming back. Its also important to keep in mind the kind of people who will be reading your blog. If mostly professional are visiting your site, then maybe you'd want to make your content a little more intelligent and detailed. If its teenagers that will be interested in your blog, then your writing should be lighter and fun.
Write Often
To be successful, your blog will always need to be current, also have fresh relent content, and always offering something new for your audience to read. It really is that simple. You'll be amazed how quickly your blog will lose relevance if you are not adding new content consistently. If you cannot handle all of the writing or don't have enough time, a simple solution will be to hire freelance writers. They are often very affordable and will give you time to work more on the bigger picture.
Be Social, Engage with Your Readers
Blogging has evolved from the days where all the readers knew about you was what you told them. Blogging has become much more social. Answering specific questions from your readers, thanking them for leaving comments, telling them a little about yourself: all of these things help enhance the whole experience of blogging. And with popular social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, readers are becoming more in tuned with their favorite bloggers.
Be Entertaining / Helpful
There really are only two categories of blogs: blogs that entertain people and blogs that help people. You need to fall somewhere between those too categories for your blog to be successful. If you are not doing either, then odds are you won't be getting many visitors to your site. You have to compel readers to visit your site through your wit, humor, information, etc.
Implement SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
There is a reason why I left SEO for last. Your blog shouldn't be built around SEO with some content thrown in. Writing quality content should be your primary concern; SEO is just something to enhance the post after it is written. Remember, ultimately its people you want to love your site, not some search engine. That being said, SEO is important to drive traffic to your blog, which is the foundation for making a profitable blog.
Seven Secrets to Making Money Blogging in 2011 Grow Calendar 2011