This blogging guide is written to help all those new bloggers out there who asks the following questions:
- How do I start blogging?
- Is blogging for profit a good idea?
- How do I make money blogging?
- What do I blog about?
- How do I promote my blog?
This post is not meant to be a blogging for dummies article of sorts but rather, it is written to guide existing and wannabe bloggers in their blogging endeavors.
Now, let’s answer the questions above.
How do I start blogging?
This is the easiest part of all. You can start blogging without having to spend a single dime. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. You can start blogging and have your own website / blog by signing up for a free account at any of the following websites:
There are a bunch of other free blogging services out there but any of the three mentioned above can get you started. Of course, if you want more control over your weblog, then you might want to go with a paid hosting service that supports some sort of blogging tool. One such web hosting company is Transinnova - they will even help you setup your blog. The advantages of making use of paid hosting for your blogging endeavor are enormous - you get to decide exactly how your blog looks, you get your own domain name, and you get to install whatever plugin you want.Is blogging for profit a good idea?
The answer to this simple question is YES. In fact, any endeavor whether it be blogging or not (or online or not for that matter) is always a good idea as long as it brings in profit. I know several bloggers who are making a good living out of their weblogs and a lot more making a reasonable amount of extra money on a monthly basis.
So unless you hate making money, the answer would be YES.
How do I make money blogging?
The answer to this question is as many as there are ways to make money in the world but let’s tackle only the most popular ones.
- Making money though PPC ads
- Making money by selling text links
- Writing Reviews
There a bunch more of ways to making money with your blogs but usually, it’s mixing them all together that works best for most newbies.
What do I blog about?
Now, this is the hard part. First, I strongly advise against blogging about yourself unless you’re a celebrity. Of course, saying something personal once in a while on your blog would be nice and give a human touch to it. However, don’t fill up your blog with all your ramblings and rantings.
You can write about anything of interest to you. Do you like computers - blog about them? Do you like housekeeping, write articles about them. The choices are endless. Thing is, if you’re interested in something, chances are there are also other people who are interested in that same thing.
Finally, just remember, whatever you blog about, make sure it’s interesting and written well.
Onto the last question…
How do I promote my blog?
This is actually easier than most of us think. Here are a few easy and effective ways to promote your blog.
Optimize for the Search Engines. How do you do this? Simple. Go to Overture’s Keyword Inventory Tool and type your blog’s main topic (i.e. computers). Overture will then return a list of keywords related to your topic that were searched for the previous month. Take note of these keywords and incorporate them in your blog. This is what I call niche blogging. A good read about this method is the Niche Market Domination Course. Read it and absorb it then act on it. Another nice reading is the Keyword Masters Course.
If you optimize for the search engines very well, then you won’t have to worry much but as my grandfather always say, “It’s better to cover all grounds than sit and relax hoping that all will go well.”
Other things you can do are…
- Search Technorati for blogs related to you. Make friends with the owners of this blog, write comments on their blog posts and blog about their blogs as well. Take note, do not promote anything. Be serious and honest in making friends.
- Participate in forums that are related to your topic. If you blog about web programming, then you might want to join a web development forum such as Kangkong.ORG. If you blog about magick or the occult, then you might want to join a magick forum such as ILoveMagick.COM. If you blog about SEO or online marketing, then it is good for you to join an SEO Forum such as SEO Philippines. Whatever you’re blogging about, the thing is, you have to find people of the same interest. Again, make friends - don’t SPAM.
- Exchange links with related websites.
There are lots of other ways to promote your weblog… just be creative and be sure that you won’t be stepping on other people’s toes.
Ok, that about sums up this simple blogging guide and I hope you enjoyed it.
