Building Content & Getting Hits

// February 19th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Project Blogger

I have taken a step back lately from the making money aspect of this blog. If you have been visiting here for a while you’ll probably notice that I haven’t done my monthly earnings report for the past two months or so - and not only becuase I am not making much money!

I thought it would be a good idea to try and continue to build content and traffic before I looking for private advertising, find more affiliate partners and run contests.

The way it stands at the moment, this blog covers a range of topics covering the likes of WordPress, BuddyPress, making money, my projects, blogging tips, and so on. It doesn’t serve an information source in one particular area, but numerous areas, which I am not sure I like.

I am trying to concentrate on building up this blog as an information source on one particular area – and the way things are going at the moment it looks like it is heading into the direction of becoming a blog about WordPress and BuddyPress.

But I also want the blog to cover the projects I am working on and then I also want to share my MMO tips. So what do I keep and what do I stop blogging about?

I don’t want to ask people to advertise on the blog until I figure out what direction I want to go in. I think it will easier to find private advertising/sponsor once I do define a niche.

So instead of forcing myself into a niche that I think I should go, I am going to keep doing what I am doing for a while and see how the blog evolves over the next few months. I want to make sure that whatever I choose as the “niche” for this blog is something that I enjoy blogging about rather than being pushed into it.

Maybe this is just a blog about blogging?

Renew or Drop?

// January 4th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Domaining

It has been a while since I blogged about domaining. Ever since NameSeek was acquired by Pacific Octane I have not been doing as much reading and research as I once did, and I have not brought a domain name since June 2008.

I have a bunch of domain names that are due to expire in March and as always I have to make a decision whether I want to spend the money to renew them for another year, or let them expire. The domains that are expiring are parked and aren’t making me much money. I have earnt a few dollars here and there from them, but I don’t think it justifies keeping them.

I could develop the domains but that would mean spending money on hosting, and dedicating some time to them. Even then I don’t know how much I would make from them.

However on the other hand I think the domain names will be worth something to someone one day – just not yet. They are fairly specific domains so they will only appeal to a certain niche. I could even approach a few companies to see if they might be interested in buying them.

What to do?

Choosing Affiliate Ads for Your Blog

// December 19th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Making Money

So you have a blog and want to make some money from it. Before throwing up a bunch of ads there are a few things that you should consider. You should take some time in choosing products that you advertise on your blog, remembering that if you wouldn’t buy it yourself then your readers probably won’t either.

I have always said that I would never advertise anything on any of websites that I have not tried out myself, and even more so, I wouldn’t recommend a brand, product or service if I wouldn’t use it myself.

Depending on the nature of the blog will depend on what your choose to advertise on it. If for example you have a website about beauty, then you should be advertising beauty products as that relates to your content and it is why your audience visits your blog and therefore you both share that common interest.

If you have a blog that is about everything and nothing, then it can be a little more difficult choosing ads to show on your site. This is when you have to do a little bit of research about your target audience and find out why they are visiting your blog and what content keeps them coming back.

To find out more about your audience ask yourself a few questions:

• Which search terms generate traffic? Look at your statistics and find out how your audience are finding your site through search engines.
• Which posts have received the most hits? Not only will this tell you what your audience is reading, it will also help you determine what they are interested in.
• What do you like to about? What are your own interests and what do you like to blog about? Even though your blog might not have a clear “definition”, do you tend to blog about the same topics?

With all these answers in mind you should be able to find out why your audience are visiting your blog, and what they are reading.

So for example, if your most popular posts is about sport, and your audience is finding you through search engines using search terms related to sport, then you should be concentrating on finding sport related advertising. This could include sportswear, tickets to events, merchandise, memorabilia, etc.

When selecting your ads consider how your audience will relate to the product/s being advertised and try to do a little bit of research before promoting the product. If you don’t believe in the product, or wouldn’t buy it yourself then how do you expect your audience to purchase it?

Ads for Niche Blogs

// October 15th, 2008 // No Comments » // Making Money

I have struggled to find some good advertising campaigns for this blog over the past 6 months that actually convert. Out of all of the ads on this site, only a few of them get clicks and even less convert into actual sales.

I mentioned this in another post that the reason why I think it is hard for MMO blogs to make money off affiliate ads and links is because other MMO bloggers are the ones who are visiting the site in order to learn how to make money on their own blog therefore aren’t going to click your links.

Since I have started “Project: Explore with Me” I have found so many ads that suit the niche of the site and also ones that will appeal to other users – not bloggers. The site is rarely going to be visited by bloggers so hopefully users who come to the site looking for information will click the ads which will convert to sales.

The ads I am going to put up on the site will all relate to travel and they are services/websites that I have used before or will use in the future.

I am a big advocate of recommending products or services that I have used myself or someone I know has used in the past. I don’t understand how some bloggers review and promote products that they have never tried themselves and expect people to buy them.

If you are thinking of starting an MMO blog my advice is DON’T! It is too very frustrating and difficult to make revenue; Most of the biggest money making blogs actually have nothing to do with making money online.

A proper web development as well as clean web design is mandatory for successful search engine optimization, all that in the presence of dedicated web hosting.

Why Most MMO Blogs Don’t Succeed

// October 2nd, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Making Money

There are so many make money online blogs on the Internet that never succeed – in fact I would say 99% of them don’t. It makes you wonder why people bother starting one when there is already so many on the Internet. I think people see it as an easy way to make money – however it is probably the hardest niche to break into.

Most of the MMO blogs that are created only last a few months. After the blogger realises the challenge in attracting traffic and more importantly, revenue, they just give up and stop posting – their blog goes to the place where websites go to die.

I started this blog as a project to see if I was able to create something from nothing and make money online – it is essentially a make money online blog. I am making money, however all the work I put into it, blogging everyday, researching make money methods, barely makes worth while the $35 I have made in the past 4 months.

I think most MMO bloggers will tell you not to start one when there are so many other niches you can blog about and make more money. Most of the biggest blogs on the Internet have nothing to do with telling others how to make money online yet they are easily able to live off the income they make.

I read an interesting comment on another MMO blog the other day that discussed this same topic. One of the comments said that the reason why most MMO blogs don’t succeed is because other bloggers are the ones who are reading the content.

I have to agree. Other bloggers are the ones visiting MMO blogs so they can monetise their own blog. Why would I click someones affiliate link when I can just click my own affiliate link to buy the same product?

This blog is a challenge to maintain, and it does take up a lot of my time. I said initially that I would give “Project Blogger” 12 months and then evaluate the blog and decide if I would continue. I am going to keep my word and finish the project.

I am starting to look at other niches now and I think I have some other opportunities to make money online without having to depend on this blog. I have plenty of other interests and hobbies that I am sure I can write about!

How to Start a Blog: Part 1

// September 23rd, 2008 // No Comments » // How To

In part 1 of my “How to Start a Blog” guide, we will start with the non technical aspect of choosing your topic. There is no point in registering a domain name or choosing your WordPress theme if you have no idea what you are going topic you are going to choose to blog about.

What to Blog About

So you have taken the plunge and decided to create your very own blog. Before we even begin to touch on the technical side of things you are going to have to choose a topic to blog about. If you have already decided to create a blog, then you must have a few ideas in mind.

Although this seems like a fairly easy question to answer, it can often be the hardest decision you will make and will have a big effect on whether your blog will succeed or not.

Types of Blogs

There are a number different ways to blog, and depending on your own vision you will need to figure out what type of blog you want to create. Blog types vary from personal insights to informative posts, educational to reviews, news to rants and the list goes on. Essentially the types of blogging can be categorised into two main categories.

Personal

A personal blog is written in a diary style type of writing, written in first person. Normally it revolves around the bloggers life experiences such personal issues, work, friends, family, relationships, money and travel.

A personal blog can be a way for the blogger to keep in touch with friends and family – sharing their thoughts on what is going on around them, or can be an outlet for the blogger to write what they are feeling in order to give them some perspective.

Informational

An informational type blog is a blog that is dedicated to a particular subject matter. Informational type of blogs are normally chosen based on the bloggers knowledge and interest of the subject matter. For example, a friend of mine is interested in fashion so she created a fashion blog based around the latest fashion trends and what is currently popular in the world of fashion.

An informational blog is aimed at educating your readers on the particular topic. Whether it be news, reviews, opinions, informative – you are blogging in order to share your knowledge with the end user.

Finding a Niche

A niche is the subject matter or theme or your blog. This is possibly the most difficult choice you will have to make regarding your blog. Chances are that whatever topic you choose to blog about, there is going to be 100 other bloggers doing the same thing.

The best thing to do in order to find your niche is to write a list of your interests based on how much knowledge you have on each.

Consider these points:

• Do you have enough knowledge on the subject to post about it consistently?
• Does your subject interest other people?
• What can you tell your audience others can’t?
• Are you passionate about your subject?

If you choose to create a blog about a hobby or interest, then make sure that you have enough knowledge and experience on the subject matter to ensure you can create an unlimited amount of posts. There is no point if you create a blog based on a subject if you only know enough information to last you ten posts.

The most important thing you have to remember is to choose a niche you are going to enjoy blogging about. You don’t want to start strong and realise a few months down the track that you are struggling to motivate yourself. You have to make sure you enjoy blogging otherwise you are going to loose interest very fast.