“Your habits define your attitude!”    

If you’re not making a living from blogging, then something is wrong somewhere.

Either you’re neglecting to take the right steps, or you’re doing it wrongly.

But more importantly, habits can make your blogging career profitable.

I’ve observed and asked pro bloggers who make 6-figure income annually, what their secrets are.

To my utmost surprise, successful bloggers don’t necessarily have secrets.

Rather, they’ve habits and I want to share 10 vital ones with you.

This year, you can start making money online with your blog. If you’re ready to ride with me as I share my findings, you’ll never regret it. Shall we?

1.    Goal-seeking lifestyle

Successful bloggers lead a goal-seeking lifestyle. They don’t beat the wind, trying to achieve a feat that isn’t on the goal they wrote at the beginning of the year.

When your goal is realistic and flexible, you can easily pursue it knowing that one day, it can become fruitful.

Have you written a clear goal for your business? What exactly do you want to actualize in your blogging career? You need to write it down and let it guide your every step.

2.    Focusing like the Eagle

The Eagle is a focused Bird. Whether it’s the bald or golden Eagle, they both have the same instinct – especially when hunting. For your blog to grow and start making money, you must challenge yourself to stay on track.

There is a course for every blogger, which when neglected often leads to blog failure. Focus on writing quality content. Don’t deviate to the left or right – by trying to hone your skills every now and then.

Give top priority to your reader’s opinion and problem. This mindset can make you super-focused. Try it and let me know what you think.

3.    Consistent all the way

I don’t have to beat this to death – consistency is the secret spice to every success, both in the real world and online. Pro bloggers are consistent. They don’t so much rely on immediate profit, which is why they build email list and spend time nurturing the list.

You can’t make money as a blogger overnight. I’m yet to see anyone who turned into a cash machine within the first few months of starting her blog.

It takes time and while you’re still waiting, be consistent with vital aspects of your blog – writing, link building, guest posting, email marketing and so forth.

Spend quality time with family

Blogging shouldn’t take you away from your family. If you’re married, you owe your spouse love and it’s a shame if you don’t live up to expectations. Even if you’re not married yet, you must spend quality time with your parents or guardian?

Inasmuch as we like to write, tweet, share and comment, what makes you tick is your person. Successful bloggers, though hardworking don’t joke with grandma, grandpa, wife and kid (s). So, why should you?

5.    Hard work and smartness

Just a step above, I’ve talked about hard work. It’s important that you work hard. I started blogging in 2011 and till today, I still work every day to grow my blog.

I usually start working on my blog from 11.00pm and go to bed when the Cock crows at 4.00am.

It doesn’t make sense to a lazy blogger. But it’s my habit and the results are glaring so sharp in terms of how much I make and the connections I’ve built.

Be smart also. It’s never enough to work hard, add smartness to it. Look for ways to work less and earn more – that’s what being smart is all about.

6.    Always Sell a product

Did you know that selling a product is a good thing? Don’t feel guilty if you unknowingly annoy readers with your marketing offers.

Everyone is selling one thing or the other – don’t be scared to sell your own product, or find a valuable affiliate offer and join.

People, who make money online, either have their own products or they’re super affiliates. You must sell – and if you hate selling, your chances of succeeding online as a blogger are less than 0.001%.

7.    Be active on social media

If you’re not careful, twitter, facebook, linkedIn and so many other social media networks can wreck your blogging business. Nevertheless, social media marketing is still important. Savvy bloggers have huge fanbase on these networks.

When they publish a new blog post, the fans would know first. This can bring in hundreds of free readers to your blog, even without Google. Learn the pros and cons of marketing at social media, so that you don’t waste time.

8.    Email marketing is #1 task

If you’re not building an email list online, especially as a blogger, you’re missing out BIG time. It takes a lot of time to drive traffic to your blog, so why waste it?

Nobody is going to trust you, let alone buy your product on their first visit to your blog. When you capture their email address, you can follow up through the autoresponder email series. Build a relationship and recommend quality products gradually.

Building a mailing list is a good habit. Get started today and meet me at the top.

9.    Addicted to quality content

On the internet, quality content is king. I’ve studied the lives of 15 successful bloggers who make over $10,000 monthly, and I can boldly tell you that they write helpful content at all times.

In fact, the #1 reason people flock to them is because they’re problem solvers.

Most people are addicted to smoking, snoring and all manner of ugly lifestyles. Are you a blogger, an internet entrepreneur or someone who wants to make the world a better place? Get addicted to quality content. Yes baby!

10.    Personal development

The final piece of puzzle is personal development. Successful bloggers can spend thousands of dollars to learn a thing. I’ve seen webinars that cost $1000 – $20k and serious people still attended it.

If you don’t know how to write good and valuable articles, it would be rewarding if you take a writing course. What about search engine optimization? Do you know how to optimize a page, like the back of your palm?

Buy books. Attend webinars, seminars and workshops and listen to experts. Get audio CDs and Videos. Lay your hands on quality information and build up your knowledgebase. Where you’re today is the result of what you know.

If you want to go farther and make a living blogging, go and acquire more cutting-edge knowledge.

Over to you…

What’s your own habit? Do you think habits are powerful enough to dictate a blogger’s life? Please leave a comment below. Your success is certain if you’ll develop these habits.

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Do you know why 85% of those who started their internet businesses gave up within 8 months?

If you’re not attracting a sizable amount of traffic on your blog, the end product is obvious – failure.

But why aren’t you getting people to visit your website, when so many of your fellow bloggers have over 10,000 monthly readers?

In this article, you’ll learn the 3 fail-proof ways to drive free targeted traffic to your blog.

The traffic we’re talking about must be interested in what you’re offering.

If you’re promoting an e-book that shows how to build a website from scratch, you need people who want to build websites. Isn’t it?

The problem isn’t traffic, but targeted traffic. A blogger would continue to struggle to make money online and gain traction, if her readers are generic.

Let’s eliminate the hard labour and give you the proven ways to generate proven traffic. I’ve three fail-proof ways for you. Enjoy and leave a comment below….

1.    Guest blogging traffic strategy

As I write this article, I discovered that the total number of guest posts I’ve written is way more than 500. They’re all published on A-list blogs, sucking in quality traffic to my web pages and getting me real-time subscribers.

I’m a strong advocate of guest blogging, because single-handedly, I’ve used it to grow a new blog and make it popular within a span of 3 months.

Yes, you might be a prolific writer who doesn’t want to reach out, but guest posting can send you a great deal of targeted traffic.

One good thing about guest posting is that, you get to attract the exact type of traffic you want. In order words, when you write a guest article that explains link building, people who read the blog post can click your anchor link and visit your website/blog.

The secret of guest posting is to write relevant articles. If your blog is about business franchise, then find a way to bridge the gap between franchising and internet marketing.

It’ll not only get you the right traffic, but it can improve your rankings in search engines.

2.    Organic traffic through SEO

When you optimize your web pages properly, the primary keywords and phrases that you’re targeting would start to show up in Google. This is vital because organic traffic is 95% targeted more than social media traffic.

I have shown you how guest posting can improve your rankings in Google search, but that’s not all. A guest post which is well-optimized for the reader and spider can hijack quality traffic from Google.

If your blog is new and you don’t know where to get good rankings on major search engines – use guest posting to position your web pages.

Pitch a unique idea to an A-list blogger. Make sure the keyword is on the headline. Write naturally and you’d avoid Panda and Penguin penalties.

The goal is to appear relevant to your readers, and make them stick around reading your article. That’s how Google can determine the value of your article, whether it’s of high quality or a total mess.

When you build quality links to your webpage, naturally, it can ultimately boost your ranking. This might not happen overnight (have never happened, though), but it definitely would if you keep your head up.

3.    Twitter traffic strategy

I love twitter. If you’re savvy, you can do wonders with those 140 characters that twitter allow. The first thing you’ve to do is to increase the number of people following you.

Although, quantity doesn’t always equate to quality, but there is nothing wrong if you build a huge followership base that’s responsive.

Sure, I know entrepreneurs who 10k, 15k and 20k and 77% of these followers are active, ardent and passionate about who they follow. These followers/fans can comment, share and retweet a campaign.

The tweet is your secret weapon if you want to drive traffic to your blog – but you must write a clickable headline (a tweet is like a headline).

You can study twitter timeline – look at the best performing tweets. Look at the headline – see how it’s formatted and write yours like that.

Targeted traffic recap

No matter the business model you’re into, website traffic is the fuel that powers the engine.

Blogging can be a lot more rewarding if you’ve a community of raving readers/fans. And it begins with quality visitors coming over to your blog regularly.

The quality of content you publish would either encourage readers to visit, refer others or totally discourage them; they’d leave and never turn back.

The ultimate choice is to continually write valuable blog posts and use the power of written words to impart the world. If you follow the advice in this article, your blog will start to attract traffic easily. See you ahead!

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The problem is, would the steps be simple and easy to apply?

Most of the articles online that teach how to start online business with a website are too generic.

There is no definite action step – and this can confuse people who want to market online.

I feel a strong urge to share this article with you. Because my website makes at least $2000 every single month.

I started marketing because I was tired of the 9-5 day job.

I just wanted a better way to work on my own terms and still have enough time for my lovely family.

Internet marketing was my saving grace and I encourage you to read this post from start to finish.

Let’s quickly look at the 5 steps to build a money making website. Are you ready to learn?

1.    Study a lucrative market

Before you can build a website, you need to study it critically. The niche you decide on must be lucrative, hot and evergreen.

In order words, doing business online is about long term benefits, not really what you can get today. Instant gratification is good; it can motivate you to keep going forward, but the main concern is sustaining the profit.

A lucrative market gives you the opportunity to make money now, while building a strong business for the future. Don’t just dabble into a market because of the monetary gains. Take your time to conduct a market research first.

Ask people what they desperately want to buy and you’ll have a winner. Always build a website in a lucrative niche. It doesn’t have to be your hobby. Any niche that is flexible is good, providing you can outsource efficiently.

2.    Keyword research, domain name and web hosting

I like to discuss the three-cord elements which are keyword research, domain name registration and web hosting. After studying your market, use Google keyword tool to extract the terms your target audience is using to search for you.

The rule of thumb is to find keywords with less than 500K competing web pages in Google, and over 1000 searches globally.

If you’re just starting out online, high competition can drown your efforts and make it seem as if you’re wasting time. If I were you, I’d target long-tail keywords.

Register your domain name; get a web hosting plan from a reliable company. The company must be able to deliver an uptime of about 98%. A lower uptime rate can’t suffice.

3.    Start a website using wordpress

I’ve written so many articles on how to build a website using wordpress CMS (content marketing system). It’s damn easy and you can get a blog/site up and running within 30 minutes.

Gone are the days when you’ve to code, write scripts and be savvy at programming to be able to get a website. In fact, being a programmer can have its downside now, because you’d tend to trust in your abilities, neglecting an easy system that everyone is using – wordpress.

When you install the wordpress software, you can easily add new content, add plugins, customize your theme and make your website a one-stop avenue for target audience.

4.    Monetize your website

I strongly believe that before you can make money online from your website, you must monetize first. So many bloggers and website owners complain that they’re not making enough money, and when I check their blogs, phew, they aren’t offering anything for sale.

The quickest way to destroy your chances of making money online is to ignore monetization. It doesn’t matter how old your website/blog is, you need to monetize it. Affiliate marketing, selling your own product and networking are great ways to monetize and profit.

One more thing, don’t send traffic to a website that has no form of monetization. It’d be a waste of time. At least, the traffic that comes to your website should be exposed to some form of product, even if they don’t buy right away.

5.    Start driving traffic to the website

I talked about website traffic earlier, because it’s the lifeblood of your online marketing website. Once you monetize your website, the next stage is traffic generation. I started sending traffic to my site even without any form of monetization. You know why?

I was building an email list. Email marketing can transform your business, build a strong business relationship with the right people and suck in cool dollars when you send offers to your list members.

The best ways to drive traffic to a website are blogging, guest blogging, search engine optimization, social media (twitter, facebook, stumbleupon and so on), forum marketing and pay per click advertising.

Take action now

There you’ve it, the top 5 steps to build a money making website from scratch. Did you enjoy this post? Please share your opinion below. See you at the top!

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If so, then, you can make money online and build a profitable business.

I’ve been earning 5 figures annually as a freelance writer.

It’s one of the best business models, although not quite passive – but it’s lucrative if you work hard.

I want to show you how to write your way to internet wealth.

You should know by now that the internet is flowing with opportunities where you could earn a living.

If you’ve ever wanted to work from home, and still earn a decent income, let’s see how writing can be of help to you.

Prepare your mind

You need to be brave, if you must succeed online as a writer. I’ve been writing professionally since 2007 and I can boldly say it’s a tough world out there. You need confidence and a clear vision to scale the hurdles.

Yes, it’s not all rosy in the writing world. Even studies reveal that the freelance writing industry is growing by the minute, and consequently, the competition is hot right now.

But that notwithstanding, you can still earn a sizable income if you prepare your mind. Don’t be scared of competition or try to dodge it. Build up your human spirit and be ready to take action at all times.

Identify a profitable niche

Successful freelance writers have identified profitable niches. You can’t possibly write for every client who’s interested in your service. If the niche isn’t in your passion, or what you can research and produce quality content, don’t make the mistake of accepting it.

Personally, I write about internet marketing, relationship and dating, finances and entertainment because a have gained a deeper knowledge in these niches over time. I can’t write about law and government grants.

A profitable niche must be flexible; you must enjoy doing it (writing about it) and teaching others in that niche. What’s your area of specialty?

Are you a game enthusiast? You might do well writing about gaming and all those world of warcraft topics. Identify a profitable niche, make sure you’ve passion for it, and then stick to it. You’ll attract the ideal clients.

Build a blog

85% of my clients came and hired me through my blog. What does it mean?

It’s a sure sign that blogging is powerful enough to help you reach your target audience. To effectively make money writing simple articles, case studies and ultimate guides for clients, you need to start a blog.

Even if you don’t have the basic programming knowledge, it doesn’t matter in today’s blogging world where WordPress makes content management blissful. Your blog can be used to showcase your writing proficiency, persona and passion.

Can you write articles and make money online, without a blog? Yes, you can but it’s going to take a lot of energy to convince potential client that you’re skilled at what you do. But with a blog, your samples/portfolio is there to answer for you.

Market yourself

Finally, you’re ready to start taking gigs and making money online. But before you can get anyone to hire your writing services, you must market yourself. Most people say you should promote your services, and I strongly believe that “you” are your business.

There are proven ways you can market yourself – guest posting, forum marketing, search engine optimization and social media can help you get high paying writing projects.

For it to work, you need to solve problems first, add value second and thirdly, entertain your readers. These people have needs in their lives, and to get their attention, you must provide answers to it.

When you produce content to promote yourself, make sure it’s valuable and evergreen. This way, you’d continually get writing projects and make good money writing.

Writing takeaway

What else can I say? Writing has changed my life. I’ve imparted my world so much with written words. I’ve also come to realize that words are powerful when used carefully.

Prepare your mind to write your way to internet wealth. It’s possible and you can get started today. See you ahead!

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Over the years, I’ve seen people who make the same mistake time and again.

It’s as though the mistake has become a way of life for some people.

You really must take action to end this plight and set the right foot for blogging success.

In this article, you’ll learn the 5 blogging mistakes, which has hindered thousands of bloggers from making money online.

Also, you’d learn how to overcome the mistakes. I’m ready to dazzle you. Let’s go:

#1.     Blog not properly monetized

When a blog is not properly monetized, it can be a great issue. It’s the first mistake that stops most bloggers from earning income with their blogs. You could advertise on your blog or promote affiliate offers. Depending on the theme you’re using, the header is a great place to begin.

But that’s not all – the right sidebar can also enhance the ads. However, bear in mind that it’s not how many Ad banners you put on your blog, but how relevant the Ads are that determines how much you make. If you’re a social media blogger, then by all means, only showcase ads in that market.

Apart from advertising, you could write, package an e-book and sell to your readers. Recently, savvy bloggers started cashing in on Amazon with Kindle Publishing. I’d be writing a post on Kindle Publishing later. So, register with an affiliate merchant or create your own product – promote and make money blogging.

#2.     No specialty

Do you make this mistake?

You’re a jack-of-all-trade and a master of none. You see, your readers aren’t looking for an expert who understands everything. If that’s the case, they would gladly visit a shopping mall and grab a magazine.

But they’re looking for an expert in a particular field. For instance, you could get trained in traffic generation and list building. Yes, it’s possible to merge two or more subjects, but don’t forget to improve on one.

People don’t buy or trust average experts. You’re either good, or no one is going to consider you. To be the best in your niche, channel your energy on one angle and you’d start to make more money. It’s that simple, really!

#3.     No monetary investment

Aha, how many people still hold the notion that internet marketing is free? Truth be told, you can start a business online for free, but you’re not going to make any significant income.

To make a living online, you need to register a domain name, get a web hosting package and subscribe to email marketing solutions (autoresponder).

These are investments. It’s a big mistake when you try to exploit the internet, without investing a dime. At least, put $100 aside when you want to start an online business.

That can afford the basic things you need to get started. But as time goes by, you could invest in advertising, outsourcing and tracking. But you must invest some money into your business, if you must earn. Period!

#4.     Blog not updated regularly

Blogging is a unique business tool. You can easily build a formidable business around your blog if you’re passionate. But if you don’t update your blog regularly, with quality content, it can be difficult to attract potential customers. No matter what you’re selling, fresh content is what you need to keep your blog alive.

There is no rule that you must write and publish new articles daily, but at least 1 – 2 times per week is ideal. That has been my routine since I started blogging in 2009. If you post 2 times in a week, when the year ends, you’d have published 110 articles or more.

Your blog is not about you, but about others. These people have needs. They expect you to help them with solutions. What else can you do to engage readers, if not by helping them in a lively way?

Make no mistake; blogging is hard work, in terms of writing and networking. But it can be fun if you’re passionate about your niche. Take a closer look at point #2.

#5.     Not building a list

Get this: email marketing is the best form of marketing online. Forget all the hype and noise about social media marketing, nothing beats sending emails to those who asked for it. On your blog, invest wisely in a good autoresponder service.

When a new reader visits your blog, get them unto your list. Not by trickery or through any form of deceit, but by offering the right content. When you consistently publish quality blog posts, readers would gladly subscribe to your list, because they want to learn more.

If you’re skilled in organizing webinars and blogging contests, use those to add fresh subscribers to your email list. It’s so vital that you continue in this stead, until you build a huge list of responsive email subscribers.

Start educating your list members. When you find a credible and helpful paid product, recommend it to your list and watch the sales roll in like a broken jalopy.

Your turn to talk

Do you make money from your blog presently? If your answer is a “NO,” what’s stopping you? Please share your opinion on the comment box below. See you ahead!

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I’m talking about hooking your readers, engaging them until they take action and bring you profits. Is that what you want?

If yes, then stick around and read this post – I’ll show you the four simple ways to supercharge your blog posts quickly.

These strategies are not automated. You’ve to work at it.

I’ve been using them since 2009, when I launched my first blog.

It’s all about writing quality content that connects with your readers. These people have their objectives. Blog readers are objective-driven.

In order words, if you don’t help them immediately, the can leave almost immediately.

So, if you want repeat readers who can appreciate you continually, here are 4 effective ways to go about writing your blog posts:

#1.     Write to one person

As a copywriter, I’ve had the privilege of chatting with experienced writers and email marketers.

One thing I’ve discovered is the personality they bring into their content. When they write, you can almost predict the outcome. The same principle applies to blogging. Your blog posts have to communicate to one person.

Sure, you may have 2,000 regular readers, but each person is going to read your post at a time.

If you generalize the post, the reader would assume you don’t care about them, let alone their needs. Always use “you” instead of “we.” Of course, using ‘we’ isn’t a bad idea, but to deeply connect with readers, being personal can do wonders. Use “we” sparingly.

#2.     Always use contractions

In academic and formal writings, contractions may not be allowed. But blogging is quite unique and different from other forms of platforms where writing takes place. Contractions are simple, but highly engaging. Readers love it a lot, even though it doesn’t fully explain the meaning of what you’ve in mind.

For instance, you can use “I’m” for I am and “you’d” for you would. All these are helpful ways to make reading fun.

The best way to know whether contractions work or not, is by reading your sentences aloud. Contractions when used properly would create an enabling environment for readers.

#3.     Give examples on your posts

Blog readers want to see the result of your product or service. If you’re a graphic designer for instance, you should back up your claims with a portfolio. Better yet, capture a screenshot of your completed project and use it to illustrate a point on your post.

It’s like writing a case study, where you highlight the problem you faced, what you did to solve the problem and the tools you need.

If you’re in the weight loss niche, provide ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos to show how much success people achieved from using your diet plan or weight loss program.

#4.     Interview an expert in your niche

Do you know a popular expert in your niche?

It’s time to interview them. Visit their blog; follow them on twitter and like their Facebook page. If they’re involved in any nomination, support them. Why should you do all that? Because you want to create a lasting impression in their minds. And it doesn’t take much to make a build friendship.

Once the rapport is established to a certain level, you can send your interview questionnaire, and expect a favorable response. Because expert would gladly answer a friend. That’s the beauty of networking with others.

Interviewing a famous blogger or internet marketer can enhance your blog posts, and hence the quality-score of your blog. But don’t throw a single interview and quit. Be consistent. That’s how to create posts that go viral.

What do you say?

There you’ve it, the four simple ways to make your blog posts digestible and rewarding. Please share your opinion in the comment box below. See you ahead!

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Do you want local visitors to visit your website and join your email list?

Search engine optimization has become one of the most popular terms online.

Reason being that traffic generation is a “MUST” for website owners.

Funny enough, most people see SEO as a complicated system.

When they hear about optimizing a web page, to help Google spider index accordingly, they would go Oops!

I can show you the easy route. Go local!

Local search listing is the easy and profitable way to dominate Google homepage, without using any blackhat SEO tricks. Every step will be based on proven tactics, which can never fail.

I’ve been optimizing local websites for local consumers for over 3 years. I want to quickly show you the 7 ways to get found. This is my first time to share this.

#1.     Register a keyword-rich domain name

The easiest way to begin your local search listing is by registering a keyword-rich domain name. Despite the current Panda and Penguin updates, domain names still play vital roles in SEO campaign.

If you live in California and wants your local audience to visit your website, then, you should register a domain name that has “California” as the qualifier.

So, if you’re a caterer, your domain name could be “sweetcaterercalifornia.com” or “californiacaterer.org.” Be creative in choosing a domain name because, it’s going to set the mark for your brand.

#2.     Go for local domain name extension

Surprisingly, I discovered that domain extension is growing by the day. The top level domain names are no longer ideal for certain events, or personality.

If you want a special extension for your personal domain, a .me extension is recommended.

However, we’re dealing with local SE optimization here. Yes, these extensions affect your placement on Google. The common extensions for countries are (.us, .co.uk, .ng, .au. .ca and so on).

So identify your city and use the country’s extension for it. Search engines would gradually serve your content pages to local search users.

#3.     Be personal

You’ve to be more personal in your local optimization. Your target audience is humans, with blood flowing through their emotional beings. You’ve to make up your mind to relate, as if you care.

Yes, maybe you don’t care, but for the sake of helping local consumers, you’ve to rethink your plan.

Everything we know about blogging, SEO, social media and internet marketing are resting on your persona. Don’t leave home without challenging yourself that anyone who visitors your website will benefit.

Write your content after researching your niche and topic. Don’t try to hoard your ideas. The more personal you’re the better for your business. You can’t write quality content, without bringing your personal story into limelight. Yes, it’s that serious!

#4.     Optimize for the city name

This is pretty straight forward. Local search optimization looks into the headline as the first element that matters. If you miss it, every other element can fail woefully.

When a search engine spider visits your blog, the headline is where it crawls and indexes immediately.

It can be beneficial if you add the city name to the headline. I’m talking about the city where you live, or want to attract target consumers from. If you stay in New York, make sure you include it in your headline, the title, the description and on the content.

#5.     Be specific

If your website is about plumbing in Boston, make sure you stick to that. Don’t be tempted to write for consumers who live in LA. By being specific, the product you’re selling would convert better.

When someone visitors your website through the local search they did, you can rest assured that they’re ready to buy.

85% of the time, they might have been presold on the product or service. They’re just scared of losing money. So, conducting a proper research can help them eliminate the doubts.

That’s why they came to Google. Don’t be overly promotional – be specific. Your ranking would skyrocket within a short while. That, I can guarantee!

#6.     Optimize your photos for search engines

Do you use photos on your website? If you’re a blogger and want to attract local readers to your portal, the competition can be severe, but there is a better way to go about it. No, it’s not tricky at all. In fact, Google loves it. What can it be?

Optimize your images for search engines. Even a 2-year old can effortlessly do it. When you upload your image, add a title (the keyword you’re targeting). Add a description and make sure the keyword is present.

Also, the ALT text is equally important. If you can’t get organic listing with your content, the image you optimize would generate hoards of traffic, from those who search for related images.

#7.     Call to action, locally

Allow me to paint a scenario: A visitor comes to your website, read your content, and decides to try your product. But at the end of the day, they closed your site, went to another site, and off they went, never to be seen again. Has that ever happened to you?

Of course! But there is a way around it. You’ve to look at your call-to-action links and buttons as an integral element in search engine optimization.

And not only that, a good call to action can increase conversion rate. When you write an article, or blog post, always tell what to do next. No, they can’t refuse if you’ve helped them. So, for your call-to-action to work, help and earn trust first.

Take action on these tips, and share your success story. See you ahead!

Photo Credit: Midphase.com

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The answer you give would determine what the future holds for you.

Most people started out blogging just because they want to share their opinion, help others and also make extra money to pay debts.

All these are good plans and I congratulate you for setting a clear goal.

But a proper understanding of what it takes to become a successful blogger is the only key to winning.

How old is your blog?

While dinning out with a few friends over the weekend, we were talking about the importance of having a business plan.

Interestingly, I didn’t start my blog with a plan; I just knew I was passionate enough to make it work.

Although, a plan can help you scale the initial hurdle – so don’t neglect to write a feasible plan. However, the main focus of the discussion was to audit our blogs, and make it convert better.

And it dawned on me that it doesn’t matter how old your blog is, what matters is how much value you bring to your audience.

While raising a few points to buttress my email marketing ideas, I discovered that 3 out of my 5 friends don’t even capture email leads. In order words, they’ve not even talked about it. Yes, they know that “the money is in the list,” but doing something about that phrase has been a lifelong plight for most people.

They were blind to the reality of blogging. And so is everyone who isn’t building an email list. The truth is, no matter how successful you think you’re, or the aspirations you’ve for yourself, without incorporating email marketing to your blogging career, failure is looming.

You’ve to understand marketing

Oftentimes, we misunderstand what “marketing” stands for. You see, marketing is a simple term, and because of the simplicity, it tends to confuse us.

To make my point clearer – In the concept of blogging, marketing is all about identifying a select group of people who can read your content, and doing all you can to solve their problems.

The keywords there are ‘group’ and ‘problem.’

The target ‘group’ you’re serving surely has a problem. They’re looking up to you to help them solve it. Now, without bringing the people in this group into your inner circle, email list, or premium club, there is no way you can influence them.

Sure, updating your blog continually has its merits. But odds are, you can’t build your credibility by blogging alone. You need to understand that most of your article ideas have already been covered by someone, somewhere.

So, the only place to make a difference, command attention and build trust is in your reader’s inbox. And you can only get there when they join your email list.

Stop selling to strangers

I can recall when I started affiliate marketing. I thought that having four affiliate banners on my blog sidebar would generate 3 – 5 sales daily. But I was wrong. I realized that you can’t make enough money by cluttering your blog with affiliate offers.

You could earn more by helping people. Solving problems and adding value to life. It’s about turning a stranger into an avid reader, until they feel obliged to join your email list.  And no matter the amount of time a reader spends on your blog, he or she is still a stranger.

The best way to encourage and inspire them is through the email list. Once they subscribe to your list, you’d follow up with exclusive content, which you can’t publish on your blog ordinarily.

And that’s what makes the email list a valuable asset. You can so much tame your subscribers, and make them expectant. They can’t just wait for your email newsletter to arrive.

Start building a list today

It’s not too late to start collecting leads. It’s the first step towards building a relationship with target audience and building a money making system.

There are credible autoresponder services that you can go for. The bottom line is to solve a bugging problem. Help startup entrepreneurs and blogging beginners to identify rabid niches.

Let your email list become your go-to resource for ideas, income and fame. See you ahead!

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No matter the niche you’ve chosen, guest posting on niche-specific and high trafficked blog can grow your blog.

When I started blogging, I had no clue how to drive traffic.

A friend who didn’t have a clue what to write about dropped an idea in my mind.

He said, “Michael, why don’t you write a helpful article and submit to another blogger?”

“I’m so sure they’d accept it. He said.

He was trying to encourage me into guest blogging. And since I started writing for other blogs, it’s been blissful.

My blog’s readership has grown tremendously. My organic traffic has also skyrocketed. I want to share the 10 ultimate guides for guest blogging that work.

1.      Believe in yourself

Do you believe in yourself? This is the first assignment you must settle in your heart. Guest blogging is a personal decision.

Those who can’t believe in themselves will find it difficult to write quality articles. It doesn’t matter what blog you’re targeting (A-list or upcoming blogs), the same mindset of “believe” applies.

Confidence comes when your work is valued. And nobody is going to place a value on you, except you start believing in your writing.

2.      Start with upcoming blog

Ideally, you should start with upcoming blogs. The reason is because top blogs have some strict guidelines, which might not be suitable for beginners. But when you start off with upcoming blogs, those with PR2 – PR3 attributes, you’d learn vital lessons on a daily basis.

Second, it’s also easier to get approved on these types of blogs. Because the blog owner wants fresh contents – and may not have the time or skill to write continually.

3.      Reply to comments

When your guest post is approved, the journey doesn’t end yet. You’ve to create time out of your busy schedule to reply to comments. There is a tendency that readers would leave a comment, or ask questions.

It’s your duty as the author to answer these questions and throw more lights unto blurred sentences. And besides, replying to comments can build your relationship with a blog owner faster. Don’t just submit a guest post and abscond.

4.      Read niche blogs and e-books

If you want to be extremely productive, then you must read niche blogs and e-books. There are authority blogs out there, which are manned by industry experts. For your strategies and tips to be authentic, you’ve to measure it with the advice of an expert.

Well, that’s not a rule. But it wouldn’t hurt to be sure of a topic, before writing about it. So, find blogs in your niche. Subscribe to their RSS or Email newsletter. Then read and jot down ideas. You would need the ideas for your next guest post.

5.      Write a catchy headline

In a guest post, the headline is the most important element that stands out. A catchy headline can bring in more clicks, readership and engagement. The truth is, my best performing guest posts had powerful headlines.

And because blog owners want you to impress them, a great and sticky headline is guaranteed to get your guest post approved and published. Do you know how to write a great headline? Learn headline tips here.

6.      Use subheads and bullet points

Most writers and bloggers make the mistake of padding their contents with irrelevant words and phrases. You don’t actually need those elements to be successful at guest blogging. The best thing is to use subheads and bullet points to convey your message.

Guest posts that are formatted using short paragraphs, bullet points and subheads will definitely get more reads and engagement. Try it!

7.      Mention the blog owner’s name in your article

I personally use this strategy to get my guest posts approved at A-list blogs. Everyone has ego. A little pat on the shoulder can go a long way to motivate someone.

How would you feel if someone mentions your blog URL and even calls you by name? It’s a simple element but when you mention the blog owner’s name in your article, you’d get accepted almost immediately.

8.      Reference quotes and images

To avoid plagiarism and copyright infringements, reference every quote you use on your guest post. Also, the images should be properly credited. Depending on the site you got the photo from; make sure you don’t attribute ownership to yourself.

Respect other author’s creativity and hard work. It pays to stay on the defense side than been the one attacking.

9.      Call to action

Before concluding your guest post, make sure your blog’s URL is added. Majority of the A-list blogs out there can allow 2 or more self-serving links to your website. Since the links are do-follow, use anchor texts to make it SEO friendly. Please don’t add affiliate link.

And if it’s possible, when you submit a guest post, try using an anchor link within the article itself. Preferably, above the fold area can strengthen your SEO ranking in search engines.

10.  Take action now

It’s not enough to know the potentials of guest blogging, you’ve to take action. Most people keep procrastinating, and wonder why their blog/website isn’t growing. The only difference between a successful guest blogger and the person who is still at the teething phase is ‘action.’

Challenge yourself to write your first guest post today. Start with upcoming blogs. Then scale it through from there. See you ahead.

Photo Credit: Charlottepurdy

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A blog has the potential to generate income for you and I’ll show you how.

If you hold a day’s job and want to make extra money to pay your bills, there are over one thousand and one ways to get started.

In this article, I’ll show you the 8 effective ways to make money from your blog.

But first, we need to address the issue of scam on the internet. The fact that you can make money online doesn’t mean it’s instant.

The internet is not a get-rich-quick platform. You’ve to work real hard, and provide value to your readers. If you’re willing to invest time and a few dollars into marketing, use these effective ways to monetize your blog today.

1.      WordPress Installation Services

When I started my first blog, I couldn’t think of a better way to monetize it than offering a wordpress installation service. It wasn’t as though I’m a tech geek, but the simple process of downloading a theme, creating a folder for the blog and transferring the wordpress CMS software unto the server was easy for me.

Thousands of people can pay you $100 – $1000 to help them install WordPress blog. And not just that, you could also get paid to manage the blog. And that brings us to another way to make money with your blog. See next line…

2.      Freelance Writing Services

You could offer freelance writing services to those who need them. The web is powered by contents. Google and other search engines are looking for fresh, quality and evergreen contents. A website may not survive without being updated regularly. That’s where you come in.

Several entrepreneurs are looking for writers. You could earn $30 – $500 to write website content. It’s not as difficult as you think. Just learn how to write an attractive headline. Then use bullet points and subheads to format the article. Make it easy to read. That’s all!

3.      Affiliate marketing

If you don’t have time or experience to sell your own product online, you could get started promoting other people’s product.

You’d earn a commission when a sale is completed. Affiliate marketing is easy, because the cost of delivery, product management and customer service is eliminated.

Although, you get to share the profit with the product owner, but that’s fine. As time goes by, you can diversify your earning portfolio. Read on…

4.      Google AdSense Advertising

Google AdSense is popular and a great way to monetize your blog. If your blog generates 100+ targeted visitors who search for free information online, placing relevant ads would be helpful.

Pay per sale affiliate offers would work if visitors to your blog are buyers. But if they’re not, don’t try to persuade them. Just place high paying keyword Ads on your blog and earn per click. If you don’t have a Google AdSense Account, register here.

5.      Pay Per Lead Programs

Pay per lead program is an arm of affiliate marketing. In this type of monetization, you’re the lead marketer. Your role is to refer potential customers or buyers to a website. For instance, a Car Hire Service site can pay you to refer Travelers who wants to hire a car.

Since you’re not selling a product, it’s easier to convince people to join, than to buy. But you still have to market your website through a viable content marketing system; blogging, video marketing, podcasting, webinar, e-book sales, email marketing and so on.

In a nut shell, refer a potential buyer to a website and if the person signs up or answers a poll, you’d earn commission instantly. The pay can be $2 – $200, depending on the program.

6.      Write and Sell e-book

Placing Google Adsense Ads on your website is cute. Promoting affiliate offers is lucrative, too. But to fully be in charge, and control your finances, you should create and sell e-books online. Find out what your readers are searching for. Write a valuable digital product and sell to them.

And for you to make money selling your e-book, you need to build trust first. Establish a platform with your blog. Solve problems over time without asking for monetary rewards. This is the best way to convince more people to buy from you.

7.      Package multiple short reports

A short report can be 7 – 15 pages. You’ve to identify a specific need/problem in your niche and create a helpful product to address it.

For instance, rather than write an e-book about internet marketing, you could break it down –  Write a short report for link building, list building, blog installation, traffic generation and so on. Then package multiple short reports and sell at the market price.

8.      Graphic Design Services

Are you good with logo designs, header designs, Photo manipulations, Photoshop image treatments and so on?

Then turn that special skill into cash. Create a hire me page on your blog. Promote your graphic design services to potential clients.

I paid a professional logo designer $100 for my logo a month ago. Now, calculate how much you could make from 10 clients in a month – that’s a total of $1000 for doing what you love. Sounds cool, huh?

Make money takeaway

You could generate extra side income from consulting, too. Corporate firms, small and mid-sized business entrepreneurs can leverage your network & experience to grow their customer-base. In all, keep your head up.

Stay away from marketing hype and get-rich-quick schemes. Build an online business through your blog, which can sustain you in the future. Leave a comment below if you like this post. See you ahead!

Photo Credit: massivelifestyle

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