Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Thursday, August 23, 2012
How to Write on a Schedule
Something amazing happens when you commit to writing on a schedule; Not only do you work a muscle that was previously weak, but you begin to develop your own unique process to writing.
When you know you have to have SOMETHING written on such and such date, you soon find out that you are going to have to develop a system for creating content on a regular basis.
If you don't, you'll be sitting in front of the computer and staring at it for hours every week trying to think of something to write.
On a schedule, you get a feel for what works best for your writing style and how the
process works for you.
You may even decide to start writing content ahead of time. If you do this, I still suggest that you write on your schedule. Don't get lazy and say, “I'm not going to write this week because I already have 2 articles that I can use.”
That's fine once in awhile, but you're not really helping your muscle if you make it a habit. Write some content ahead of time for those “just in case” moments, but write them on top of your regular writing schedule.
Challenge: Set a weekly deadline for your blog writing or article writing and meet that deadline every week.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Take Advantage of Copy Paste Bloggers and Boost Traffic with Tynt
Cool Tool of the Day:
Do you worry about bloggers and other readers who copy/paste your content without linking back to your website? Or, maybe you have never even thought of it before. If you haven't, you should.
Luckily, there is a simple and effective method for taking advantage of people who copy and paste your content.
What if you could automatically insert a link to your content every time someone tried to use it? Well you can, and Tynt makes it fast and simple.
What is Tynt and What Does it Do?
Tynt is a simple script that you insert within the header tags of your website.
It's main task is simple: Insert a link into any content (text, images, etc) that is copied and pasted from any page on your website.
This makes it easy for people to attribute the source of any content that they copy and paste, and it also guards against plagiarism, making it one step harder for someone to steal your content without citing their source.
But, that's not all Tynt can do. An account with Tynt allows you to track a myriad of stats, including:
What Are the Benefits to Attaching a Link to Copy Pasted Content?
Attaching a link to your copied content is not only practical in terms of attribution, it's also great for boosting your blog stats in general.
When your work is attributed on other websites, you gain rank in search engines. You can also gain a larger following, as those interested in the content that was copied can follow the link and potentially find even more content on your website that they are interested in.
You are also preventing others from stealing your work, leaving you with less work in terms of tracking down your copied content and asking that the content either be attributed for removed from other websites.
Try Tynt At: http://tynt.com
Do you worry about bloggers and other readers who copy/paste your content without linking back to your website? Or, maybe you have never even thought of it before. If you haven't, you should.
Luckily, there is a simple and effective method for taking advantage of people who copy and paste your content.
What if you could automatically insert a link to your content every time someone tried to use it? Well you can, and Tynt makes it fast and simple.
What is Tynt and What Does it Do?
Tynt is a simple script that you insert within the header tags of your website.
It's main task is simple: Insert a link into any content (text, images, etc) that is copied and pasted from any page on your website.
This makes it easy for people to attribute the source of any content that they copy and paste, and it also guards against plagiarism, making it one step harder for someone to steal your content without citing their source.
But, that's not all Tynt can do. An account with Tynt allows you to track a myriad of stats, including:
- which social channels are most beneficial to your blog
- why visitors leave your site
- what part of your website your visitors find most engaging.
What Are the Benefits to Attaching a Link to Copy Pasted Content?
Attaching a link to your copied content is not only practical in terms of attribution, it's also great for boosting your blog stats in general.
When your work is attributed on other websites, you gain rank in search engines. You can also gain a larger following, as those interested in the content that was copied can follow the link and potentially find even more content on your website that they are interested in.
You are also preventing others from stealing your work, leaving you with less work in terms of tracking down your copied content and asking that the content either be attributed for removed from other websites.
Try Tynt At: http://tynt.com
Friday, August 3, 2012
How to Write an Article for the Web in 6 Easy Steps
Some days, writing an article can seem daunting. You don't know where to start, and when you figure that out, you're not sure what to do next. If your brain is really stuck, it may be best to step away from your desk, freshen your mind, and try again later. But having a step by step for your article writing can kick-start you out of that initial writer's block.
1.) Pick a topic
Pick a topic that's not too broad, but something you can easily write 250-400 words about. Anything larger is best broken down into several smaller articles. Need ideas? Keep a running list of topic ideas that come to mind throughout the day.
2.) Write what you know
Before you research, you should write everything you know about the subject. This is important because it let's you get some direction and let's your own words be the voice of the article. It helps to first write everything down in note form, then organize and expand on your notes from there.
3.) Research
By now you should have a good article skeleton to work with. Now is the time to fill in the blanks and check your facts. Most of the time, we need a few more things to add to our article to make it accurate and credible. If you use any major references or information that was not already of your general knowledge, don't forget to cite your source.
By now you should have a good article skeleton to work with. Now is the time to fill in the blanks and check your facts. Most of the time, we need a few more things to add to our article to make it accurate and credible. If you use any major references or information that was not already of your general knowledge, don't forget to cite your source.
4.) Take a break
If your article does not need to be published immediately, take a break. You'll have a fresh perspective when you read it later.
5.) Proofread and spell check
Never publish an article without first using spell check and carefully proofreading your article. Articles on the web with major spelling and grammar mistakes will instantly discredit you and the information you are presenting.
6.) Publish it!
Congratulations, you've written a well-rounded article for the web. Now it's time to publish it to your blog or another website.
Want to publish your articles for thousands of people to see? Want to make money writing about what you love? Try writing for examiner.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Can I Really Make Money Blogging?
Easy for Beginners
Blogging is probably the easiest tool for earning some extra money online. It requires little to no investment or start-up cash. Blogs are loved by search engines because they are updated frequently, unlike websites, which are usually updated less often.
Blogs are Popular
Every day, millions of people visit blogs for entertainment and informational purposes. Most blog visitors log on and come back often to check for new blog entries.
Readership
The common blog reader is also a blogger themselves, and will often link to your blog if they like your posts, increasing your reader base, as well as your earning potential. Using Google AdSense to insert paid ads into your blog is the most popular way to generate an income from your blog.
Earning from Ads
By learning the most effective placement of ads on your blog, you can persuade visitors to click on them. Each click that you get, you will earn a share of the profits from Google AdSense. Your earnings will be small at first, but with time, and with more quality content on your blog, you can begin earning a substantial amount of money.
Traffic
The more traffic you drive to your blog, the more money you can earn with AdSense. The most important thing to remember when displaying AdSense ads is to make them highly visible and accessible on your blog. The more people who click on the ads, the more money you will make.
Selling Ad Space
Another way to make money with your blog is to sell advertisement space. Advertisers are always looking for popular blogs for which to place their ads. Most are willing to pay you for ad placement based on the traffic your blog generates as well as the location of the ad space.
Monetizing Ads
You can monetize your ad space in several ways. You could charge a flat fee, charge based on the number of click-throughs that the ad receives, or take a percentage of the sale of a product that you advertise, which is called affiliate marketing.
The more popular your blog becomes, the more willing advertisers are to compete for ad space.
Share What You Love!
As you can see, blogging is a good way to earn money by sharing thoughts, feelings, and information with your readers. You should choose a topic that has high search traffic. You can launch a free blog today with Blogger.com, implement ads and offers, and start seeing your income build steadily over time.
Just make sure you add content regularly, and that your content is quality information that visitors will want to read.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
6 Coolest Plugins for Multi-Author Blogs
Do you have a multi-author blog? Are you looking to make your life easier and the lives of your writers? Here are 6 cool plugins that will streamline multi-author publishing.
1.) Future Calendar - Adds a calendar to the post edit page that allows you to see what days you already have posts scheduled. Great for those bloggers who like to schedule ahead of time, and for multi-author blogs. Have your authors schedule articles for days that are not already filled, and you'll be on your way to having a post scheduled every day.
2.) Pre-Publish Reminders - Remind yourself and your writers what they need to double check before they hit "publish". You customize what reminders you want, and a checklist of reminders is displayed on the edit page.
3.) Role Manager - Go beyond the default wordpress roles. Control the abilities of each role, from contributor to editor, and even add new and customized roles.
4.) Theme My Login - Style your login page to match the rest of your site.
5.) Wordpress Admin Notepad - Leave important messages and reminders to other writers, right on the dashboard. Other writers, editors,and admins will see the note when they login.
6.) WP Status Notifier - Want to edit or approve contributor articles before they are published? WP Status Notifier will email you when there are posts pending and waiting for your review.
Did I miss something? What cool plugins have you found for your multi-author blog?
1.) Future Calendar - Adds a calendar to the post edit page that allows you to see what days you already have posts scheduled. Great for those bloggers who like to schedule ahead of time, and for multi-author blogs. Have your authors schedule articles for days that are not already filled, and you'll be on your way to having a post scheduled every day.
2.) Pre-Publish Reminders - Remind yourself and your writers what they need to double check before they hit "publish". You customize what reminders you want, and a checklist of reminders is displayed on the edit page.
3.) Role Manager - Go beyond the default wordpress roles. Control the abilities of each role, from contributor to editor, and even add new and customized roles.
4.) Theme My Login - Style your login page to match the rest of your site.
5.) Wordpress Admin Notepad - Leave important messages and reminders to other writers, right on the dashboard. Other writers, editors,and admins will see the note when they login.
6.) WP Status Notifier - Want to edit or approve contributor articles before they are published? WP Status Notifier will email you when there are posts pending and waiting for your review.
Did I miss something? What cool plugins have you found for your multi-author blog?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
How to Find Profitable Niches
I really enjoy doing research to find profitable niches and new niches. A favorite category of mine is health niches and people looking for natural remedies to their problems. One of my secret weapon websites for finding these niches is http://earthclinic.com/
Not only is it great for finding niches of people looking for remedies, it's also great for research if you are writing an article or creating a product in the natural health niche.
Another way that I like to look for new niches and research existing ones is to look through books and use information from public domain works.
I use http://books.google.com/ to take a peek inside profitable books that are sold on Amazon as well as get information that I can use freely from public domain books. You can often read entire best selling books just by looking through the scanned images of Amazon books that are on google books.
I also like to use http://www.justfreebooks.info to find free information about topics.
You can brainstorm ideas for niches by thinking of any personal suffering or pain that you, a friend, or a loved one may have gone through in their life and also think about hobbies that you or others around you have, especially if it's a hobby that they spend money on.
Brainstorm all of your ideas in a mindmap or on paper, and you'll have plenty of ideas for niches. Your next step will be keyword research.
Not only is it great for finding niches of people looking for remedies, it's also great for research if you are writing an article or creating a product in the natural health niche.
Another way that I like to look for new niches and research existing ones is to look through books and use information from public domain works.
I use http://books.google.com/ to take a peek inside profitable books that are sold on Amazon as well as get information that I can use freely from public domain books. You can often read entire best selling books just by looking through the scanned images of Amazon books that are on google books.
I also like to use http://www.justfreebooks.info to find free information about topics.
You can brainstorm ideas for niches by thinking of any personal suffering or pain that you, a friend, or a loved one may have gone through in their life and also think about hobbies that you or others around you have, especially if it's a hobby that they spend money on.
Brainstorm all of your ideas in a mindmap or on paper, and you'll have plenty of ideas for niches. Your next step will be keyword research.
Friday, January 20, 2012
What is Autoblogging?
Autoblogging describes a form of blogging where some or all of the content is added to the blog automatically. In most cases, programs or services are set up to pull content from other websites at certain intervals, and publish it to the blog.
Most autoblogs are set up only once, and require very little maintenance. Of course, the more time you put into your blog, the better results you will get, but it is possible to have a “set it and forget it” blog.
Autoblog Content
Autoblogs don't just pull articles. They can automatically post images, product links, product information, or even reviews. Anything that can be sourced from the web can potentially be used by an autoblog.
These type of blogs have to be extremely careful that they do not violate copyright laws and the terms of service of other websites when they are obtaining content. Most content that is used will require, at the very minimum, a link back to the original source.
There are a good number of sites that use only automated, unoriginal content. The best autoblogs use a mixture of automatically generated content and original content. Original content will give your blog a boost in the search engines and provide your readers with more value.
Is Autoblogging Dead?
Google and other search engines, in an attempt to keep useless and spam filled websites out of the rankings, have made big changes to their search algorithms. But, autoblogs are still making good money if they can tailor themselves to these changes.
As mentioned before, the best autoblogs use a mixture of automatically generated content and original content. It also makes a big difference the type of software that you use, and how it generates your auto content.
How to Choose The Right Software
Currently, there are dozens of autoblogging programs and plugins to choose from. The choices are only growing, coming out with new and better ways of aggregating content and making money. So how do you know what to choose?
1. Make sure that the program complies with all copyright laws and terms of service. Of course, these laws and terms are ultimately your responsibility, but your chosen software should do everything that it can to make sure you do not break the rules.
2. Make sure it fits your needs. Are you just looking for something that pulls articles? If so, software that uses RSS feeds might be suitable for you. Other programs pull several types of content from several websites.
3. Make sure it works with your blog platform. Some programs work with blogger and other free blog platforms, while some will only work with Wordpress.
Most autoblogs are set up only once, and require very little maintenance. Of course, the more time you put into your blog, the better results you will get, but it is possible to have a “set it and forget it” blog.
Autoblog Content
Autoblogs don't just pull articles. They can automatically post images, product links, product information, or even reviews. Anything that can be sourced from the web can potentially be used by an autoblog.
These type of blogs have to be extremely careful that they do not violate copyright laws and the terms of service of other websites when they are obtaining content. Most content that is used will require, at the very minimum, a link back to the original source.
There are a good number of sites that use only automated, unoriginal content. The best autoblogs use a mixture of automatically generated content and original content. Original content will give your blog a boost in the search engines and provide your readers with more value.
Is Autoblogging Dead?
Google and other search engines, in an attempt to keep useless and spam filled websites out of the rankings, have made big changes to their search algorithms. But, autoblogs are still making good money if they can tailor themselves to these changes.
As mentioned before, the best autoblogs use a mixture of automatically generated content and original content. It also makes a big difference the type of software that you use, and how it generates your auto content.
How to Choose The Right Software
Currently, there are dozens of autoblogging programs and plugins to choose from. The choices are only growing, coming out with new and better ways of aggregating content and making money. So how do you know what to choose?
1. Make sure that the program complies with all copyright laws and terms of service. Of course, these laws and terms are ultimately your responsibility, but your chosen software should do everything that it can to make sure you do not break the rules.
2. Make sure it fits your needs. Are you just looking for something that pulls articles? If so, software that uses RSS feeds might be suitable for you. Other programs pull several types of content from several websites.
3. Make sure it works with your blog platform. Some programs work with blogger and other free blog platforms, while some will only work with Wordpress.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Choosing an Affiliate Program
There are many affiliate programs across the web, but some of them are better than others. You can earn commission from physical products, web services and online programs, program downloads, ebooks, and more.
Choosing a Quality Program
There are good and bad qualities of any affiliate program. Some things you might want to consider are commission percentages, target markets, and popularity of the product. If you are interested in a particular program, look at what other sellers are doing and how they are making sales. Depending on the program you may need to dig a little deeper to find out.
Within programs there are usually a selection of different products that you can choose to promote. If there is a particular product that you are interested in promoting first, just make sure that the affiliate program it works with is right for you.
Also, if you are interested in a certain affiliate program you will want to look at see what their selection of products is like. Are there products to promote that you are interested in? Do they offer a wide selection of products to promote? Are they quality products that people will feel good about buying?
Affiliate Tools
If you are a beginner, it's also nice to choose an affiliate program and/or product that provides you with several tools. For instance, many digital products that sell through affiliate programs offer free banners, articles, emails, and other tools to it's affiliates.
Some Popular Affiliate Programs
Probably the most popular program for selling physical products is Amazon. You can sign up for their affiliate program through Amazon Associates.
Two very popular programs for selling ebooks, guides, and other digital products are PayLoadz and Clickbank.
I personally prefer promoting digital products from Clickbank. In my opinion, the products are higher quality and the commissions are much better.
Please let me know in the comments what program you are thinking about and/or have chosen and why.
Choosing a Quality Program
There are good and bad qualities of any affiliate program. Some things you might want to consider are commission percentages, target markets, and popularity of the product. If you are interested in a particular program, look at what other sellers are doing and how they are making sales. Depending on the program you may need to dig a little deeper to find out.
Within programs there are usually a selection of different products that you can choose to promote. If there is a particular product that you are interested in promoting first, just make sure that the affiliate program it works with is right for you.
Also, if you are interested in a certain affiliate program you will want to look at see what their selection of products is like. Are there products to promote that you are interested in? Do they offer a wide selection of products to promote? Are they quality products that people will feel good about buying?
Affiliate Tools
If you are a beginner, it's also nice to choose an affiliate program and/or product that provides you with several tools. For instance, many digital products that sell through affiliate programs offer free banners, articles, emails, and other tools to it's affiliates.
Some Popular Affiliate Programs
Probably the most popular program for selling physical products is Amazon. You can sign up for their affiliate program through Amazon Associates.
Two very popular programs for selling ebooks, guides, and other digital products are PayLoadz and Clickbank.
I personally prefer promoting digital products from Clickbank. In my opinion, the products are higher quality and the commissions are much better.
Please let me know in the comments what program you are thinking about and/or have chosen and why.
Choosing a Blog Platform
Why is choosing the right platform so important?
Choosing a blog platform is the first step in making money with your blog. Choose the right platform, and you'll have a solid foundation for making money in the online world. Choose a bad platform, and you'll be fumbling with it from day one. A bad platform will only hold you back.
As someone who wants to make money with your blog, your choice in blog platform may be different than of someone who is not looking to make money.
We're going to be talking primarily about two blog platforms. One is free and the other requires that you pay for a domain and hosting account.
Blogger
Blogger.com is a free blog platform that allows you to easily create new blogs in a matter of minutes. They have a selection of basic templates that allow you to customize the look and feel of your blog. Blogger also allows for easy integration of Google adsense and other basic widgets and code.
Blogger is a great platform to use if you want to get your blog up and running quickly, while still having some control over your site's template. The downsides to choosing a free blog platform are that you won't have as much control over the template as you would with a hosted site, you won't have as many options for plugins, and it's usually not as easy to manage your archives.
Wordpress
Wordpress offers a free blog platform (at Wordpress.com) or can be installed on your own domain and host. I do not recommend Wordpress.com if you wish to make money with your blog, as Wordpress.com does not allow for adsense scripts to be placed on your site.
Wordpress hosted, on the other hand, is a great blog platform that allows for plenty of customization and endless themes and plugins that you can install. You may also wish to fully edit the CSS and HTML of your site, or have a custom theme built. You can do all of this with Wordpress hosted.
The downside to having a hosted site is that you will need to purchase a domain name, as well as a hosting account, which is usually billed monthly. The average shared hosting costs anywhere from $9-$15 a month.
What To Do
If you are just starting out, I recommend using blogger.com until you get your feet wet. It may take some time and patience to switch to a hosted site if and when you are ready, but at least you will get to decide if blogging for money is really for you.
Choosing a blog platform is the first step in making money with your blog. Choose the right platform, and you'll have a solid foundation for making money in the online world. Choose a bad platform, and you'll be fumbling with it from day one. A bad platform will only hold you back.
As someone who wants to make money with your blog, your choice in blog platform may be different than of someone who is not looking to make money.
We're going to be talking primarily about two blog platforms. One is free and the other requires that you pay for a domain and hosting account.
Blogger
Blogger.com is a free blog platform that allows you to easily create new blogs in a matter of minutes. They have a selection of basic templates that allow you to customize the look and feel of your blog. Blogger also allows for easy integration of Google adsense and other basic widgets and code.
Blogger is a great platform to use if you want to get your blog up and running quickly, while still having some control over your site's template. The downsides to choosing a free blog platform are that you won't have as much control over the template as you would with a hosted site, you won't have as many options for plugins, and it's usually not as easy to manage your archives.
Wordpress
Wordpress offers a free blog platform (at Wordpress.com) or can be installed on your own domain and host. I do not recommend Wordpress.com if you wish to make money with your blog, as Wordpress.com does not allow for adsense scripts to be placed on your site.
Wordpress hosted, on the other hand, is a great blog platform that allows for plenty of customization and endless themes and plugins that you can install. You may also wish to fully edit the CSS and HTML of your site, or have a custom theme built. You can do all of this with Wordpress hosted.
The downside to having a hosted site is that you will need to purchase a domain name, as well as a hosting account, which is usually billed monthly. The average shared hosting costs anywhere from $9-$15 a month.
What To Do
If you are just starting out, I recommend using blogger.com until you get your feet wet. It may take some time and patience to switch to a hosted site if and when you are ready, but at least you will get to decide if blogging for money is really for you.
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