Make Money Online

All of the “building your audience” tips usually start by saying you should read a few blogs and comment on them. But I have to confess I always am a bit hesitant to start commenting on someone else’s blog in what could be considered some blatant spam.

So I spent some time today stumbling across a few blogs and really got caught up in a couple of them. It is interesting to see how other people are approaching their blog, and seeing the differences between authors that have been at it for a year or more, and those that have just started in the last few months. I decided that I would start taking some time to give some free link-love to sites that I run across that caught my eye for one reason or another.

First up? TheAlyCat’s Claws - Aly’s Thoughts and opinions on Music, TV, Products, Weight-loss, and life in general. Aly is a stay-at-home Mom in Fairfield, CA that apparently is moving to Guam in August as her husband is in the military. She is utilizing the PayPerPost network (along with others?) to monetize her blog, and her husband has his own blog as well. Her posts range from their son’s activities to issues with the latest episode of House or Sopranos (I like House, but Soprano’s not so much), all imbued with a glib sense of humor.

I’m lucky enough to be married to a Stay-at-home Mom as well (or should I say “working” mom?) who takes care of our three kids, and could certainly relate to some of Aly’s stories about her son, as we are going through similar

I can also relate to Aly’s experience with Protein Pancakes, although when done properly, Aly also has a recipe that apparently tastes good. I’ll need to try it out. In addition to her personal blog, she also maintains Stuff on Stuff, a blog of consumer tips and my reviews of products and services.

Like all of us, Aly’s looking to get a better Page Rank to be able to take better opportunities at PPP. Check out her sites, and be sure to Fav ‘em on Technorati, and/or write your own review to help her out!

Category BlogNuts | No Comments »

When I started blogging (only one month ago now?), I really had no idea what people earn who are blogging for money. It is still a bit fuzzy, and many numbers are being thrown about. To top it all off, many people think that just by blogging about about how to blog for money, they will punch their ticket to online fame and fortune.

Truth be told, there are only a few bloggers who will own that space, and if you had not started your blog about blogging in 2005, chances are you’ve already missed the boat. Darren over at ProBlogger and others have already nailed that market with informative and authoritative content about Professional Blogging. Ironically enough, these professionals also do not seem to make the bulk of their income from these blogs, instead earning their income from content/product sites that are much more targeted.

But back to the question at hand - How much money can you make online with blogging? By most reports, most bloggers earn less than $100/month. But don’t get discouraged! Your efforts are not a sprint, and you won’t start making money right off the bat. New services like PayPerPost and Blogsvertise have certainly helped new bloggers make money at their start, but you really need a 4 to 6 month period of blogging consistently (including content creation and networking) before starting to see results through increased Search Engine Traffic and organic travel overall.

And finally, someone has started to develop a list (lists are great!) of blogger earnings that consists of bloggers who disclose their income online. Paula’s list of blogger salaries runs the gamut of blogger earnings, from a low of $480/year to a high of $3.6 million/year. Don’t be discouraged by the low number of high “salaries” on the list - many bloggers do not disclose their earnings - but use it as a measuring stick to learn about other bloggers and what they are doing to make money online.

Category Online Business, Weblogs | No Comments »

In an earlier post, I wrote about Chitika eMiniMalls, and had mentioned that they were probably best suited for blogs or websites heavily focused on product reviews.  Well, apparently they think the same, as this website was not accepted into their network.  Another site in our network - DVGadgets is launching later this month, so we will be submitting them to the Chitika network to see whether we can’t get started.  From what I’ve heard from others, Chitika advertising can be a very lucrative PPC program if used correctly.  I’ll continue to update as we find out more.

Category Online Business, Weblogs | No Comments »

Depending on the online business that you start to make money online, you may at one point need to be able to process credit cards. But as a new online business you may have a hard time finding a company to process your transactions for a reasonable fee, especially if you are selling actual products online.

If you are looking for merchant solutions for your online business, you want to check out AdvantageProcessors.Com, a company that can handle your online credit card processing whether you are an established business (low-risk) or are a new online business and need high-risk credit card processing services.  Their team of sales agents will work with you to understand your business and find you the best processing rates for your business.

Category Online Business | No Comments »

Here’s another entry into the Sponsored Blogging universe - Blogsvertise. Similar to Pay Per Post, Blogsvertise typically pays in the $5 to $15 range per sponsored post that you include in your blog. Unlike many other services, however, you do not get to choose from a qeue of opportunities — instead, the “blogsvertise administrator” will assign you writing tasks. You don’t have to necessarily endorse the product or service, just mention it in your blog and link to the sponsor three times in your post.

If you have just setup your blog within the last 30 days, or have sparse content, you are unlikely to be approved for a standard account. However, Blogsvertise will accept you on a “probation” status that allows you to accept and complete writing tasks for the service. While these tasks only pay $2 per completed task, this will provide you with some level of income (and start filling out content on your blog!) during a time when most other services will not accept you.

I’ve just signed up for the service, so do not have any specific experiences to pass on about the service yet. If any readers have used the service, please pass on your experiences with Blogsvertise.

Category Online Business, Weblogs | 1 Comment »

My newest blog will be launching May 20 at DVGadgets.com. DVGadgets will be a website devoted to news, analysis and review of
digital video and audio products and services, and the technologies
that make them possible.  Topics will be wide-ranging from Online Movie
Downloads to Set-top DVRs to Home Theater Systems to the latest in
Digital Camcorders, Digital Cameras and Mobile Devices.

Category BlogNuts | No Comments »

There are many ways to add video to your site, but Bubble Guru is truly a unique way to insert unobtrusive video that is specific to your page — whether it be a tutorial, review, or personal message.

Anyone can use Bubble Guru  by setting up a free account (get in while it’s still free!).  After setting up your account, you connect up your WebCam or Digital Camcorder and hit "Record".  When you’re done recording your message, you’ll get some html code that you just have to cut & paste into your website.  It’s a very easy way to get video content into your site or blog without having to go the traditional route with YouTube, PhotoBucket or any one of the other 200+ video sharing sites out there.

If you’re still not sure how it works, check out the Bubble Guru Tour to find out more.

Category Web/Tech | No Comments »

Here’s a quick rundown from my first month Blogging for Money.  I don’t know if this is a lot or a little for the first month, but hopefully will prove to be the baseline in moving forward.  Please let me know how it has compared to your first month as well.

$20.32 - Google AdSense
$80.00 - Affiliate Revenue
$53.01 - Pay Per Post

$153.33 - Total April Revenue

Now, of course there are some costs associated with all the activites as well:

$99.00 - Blue Host Hosting Package (Yearly)
$14.95 - TypePad Premium Blog Account (Monthly)
$50.00 - Design Fees (One-time)
$90.00 - Domain Registration Fees (Yearly)

$253.95 - Total April Costs

So, of course for the month I’m in the hole, but only about $100.  How does the old saying go, "You have to spend money to make money?"  We should definitely see a turn-around in May.

Category Weblogs | 4 Comments »

There are a number of online resources that will give you ideas and approaches about how you can increase your blog’s exposure and visibility.  But before you start pro-actively attracting readers, make sure that your blog has a properly-laid foundation so that your readers don’t visit once, never to be heard or seen again.

I consider these six approaches vital to my future blog(s) success:

1. Post frequently with original content about topics related to your blog’s focus.
   This one seems like a no-brainer, but it can be very difficult to actually do.  I’m not saying that you need to make daily posts, but try to publish at least 3 to 4 posts each week as you are starting out.  This will help make your blogging efforts a habit, will improve your writing, and will increase the total amount of related content on your blog.  Frequency of site updates and the total amount of related content are two key measures to Search Engine Visibility and Page Rank.
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2. Keep each of your posts focused on one major topic.
   Don’t go off on a tangent on your individual posts unless it is truly warranted.  Your readers will appreciate you staying on-topic to your post’s headline, and the Search Engines will be better able to categorize and rank your entry.
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3. Find other related blogs and start interacting with their creators.
   Spend some time on Technorati searching about your blog’s content.  Chances are you’ll find a number of blogs that already exist in your niche.  Don’t worry though!  Each blog is the expression of it’s author, and there is always room for new, good resources.  Take the time to read other blogs to get ideas, see how other author’s interact with their readers, and what types of stories generate the most interaction (comments) with their audience. 

   When you find a post on a topic that interests you or is related to your blog, take the time to post a comment.  You may also take it a step further, and write a post on your blog about the same subject, but with your own unique take.  Be sure to give original blog some link love by including a direct link to their post in yours, and also be sure to post a trackback to their original post. 
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4. Get the word out about your blog among your friends & family.
   Send an email out to your entire group of friends and family with the link to your blog, and be sure to include a description of what your blog is about.  Ask them to check it out from time to time, to give you constructive feedback and to forward it to any of their friends who they think might be interested.  Depending on the web-savvy of your family, it also wouldn’t hurt to request a reciprocal link in the blogroll for any family members who might have their own blog.
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5. Include your blog address in the signature of your personal email.
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6. Submit your site to Yahoo, Google and dmoz.org to get the Search Engine love going.
   There are also a large number of Internet Directories you can submit to for free. Yahoo and DMoz.org are notoriously slow about posting sites to their directory, so by the time your site is accepted, your foundation should be ready for the visitors.

There are certainly many more activities that you can (and should!) undertake for your blog(s), but by taking care of these six core activities, you’ll lay a solid foundation for the future of your blog.

Category SEO, Weblogs | 1 Comment »

Inspired by a recent microsite I uncovered this morning,  I just went and registered http://www.waterheaterinformation.com/ based on the inspiration from this site, and will be setting the site up over the next week or two.  The PPC profile on Google and Yahoo is similar, with a rate of approximately $1.50 to $2.25, and a similar number of estimated clicks/day - in the low to mid hundreds.  I will report back and let you know how building this site has gone, both in terms of costs/time/effort and revenue results.

Category Online Business | No Comments »