Basic Blogging for Money

Wouldn’t it be great to blog a few times a week for a month or two and then begin to make enough money to retire?

You’re not alone in having that kind of dream. Millions of blogs currently exist, but the number of active blogs is much lower. Few people have the commitment to actually see their blog through to the moneymaking stage.

Blogging for money is a great way to start making a part-time income on the side, but don’t expect to turn it into a full-time income for a while. In other words, don’t quit your day job!

A blog, like a plant, needs constant care and maintenance before it will begin to reward you, and you might have to wait months or even years before you see a single reward (a flower or fruit for a plant, a dollar for a blog). If that doesn’t discourage, go ahead and start blogging. Here are some tips to help you make a blog that will be successful and eventually profitable.

Pick a layout carefully
Few things will turn off a reader as quickly as a bad layout. If you have a confusing or distracting layout, they can always go find another blog to read. Make sure it’s simple for readers to figure out what your blog is about, where the latest blog posts are, where the blog archive is, and where the search box is.

If they can’t find something they’re expecting, readers are very likely to simply hit the back button and never visit your blog again.

People usually prefer reading dark text on a light background. The background and sidebars shouldn’t detract attention from the contents of your blog. You want to convey an image of professionalism, so make sure your site layout reflects it.

Proofread your posts, preferably multiple times
Before making a post, proofread it once and then again. Maybe even a third time if you have average language skills. It’s very easy to miss typos and grammatical errors that make your blog look unprofessional.

If possible, publish posts on a schedule that allows you to set aside posts for a day or two and read them over again before publishing them. You’d be amazed at the errors you can find after just a day or two without reading the piece!

Keep up the blog on a regular basis
Try to post daily or every other day, or at the very least, set up some kind of schedule for your posts. Readers like knowing when to expect new posts, and if the blog looks inactive, they’ll probably ignore it and leave your blog for good.

If you need new ideas, keep a notebook with you and list new topics whenever you come up with them. Top-ten lists and similar themes (best three, worst five, seven things you need to know) are popular with readers. Even posting a short list of tips is better than leaving the blog inactive for a week or two.

Don’t focus on money yet
If you’re just starting a blog, be aware that you have to compete with thousands of other brand-new blogs that people start. You have to build up an audience of readers and increase your traffic numbers before you can make money, so the best thing to focus on at this point is high-quality content.

If you write great content and genuinely make an effort to provide useful, timely information and connect with your readers, they will notice and begin sticking around. Once you have more blogging experience and a base of readers, you can begin trying to make money with your blog.

Follow these tips and keep your blog alive for at least a few months and your aged blog will begin to gain credibility and maybe even make you money!