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Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Making money through blogging is the dream of many of us. But what if you’ve set up a nice blog but it’s not making any (or enough) money?

Well, assuming that your blog has been going for some time and that you’re getting web traffic, there could be several reasons why it’s not actually earning:

• Is there a market for whatever you’re selling? This seems an obvious question but unless there are buyers out there it may be difficult for you to create a market via one blog. One way to find out whether there is a market is to look at your competition. If you don’t have many (or any) competitors that may be for a good reason: it may mean that there are not enough people interested in the product. If you do have competition then that is a good sign that there is a market. Your task then is to examine that competition, look at their websites/blogs and aim to do better.
• If you know there’s a market for your goods or services, are you getting in front of the right people? There’s a big distinction to be made between surfers and customers. If your visitors use your blog simply to get information and then go and buy from someone else then you’re probably not attracting the right sort of visitors.
• Attracting the visitors who are likely to be customers comes down to proper keyword research. Picture your ideal customer: what words or phrases would they type into the search engine when they are sitting down in front of their screen with their credit card at the ready? If you know that then you know what keywords you must optimize your blog for.

SEO (search engine optimization) is a huge topic but you ignore it at your peril. It’s not easy and it takes time and effort but it’s the only way to get your blog in front of your prospective customers.

Mostly when writing this blog I am the very essence of mild manners and sweetness. I don’t want to upset anyone and I don’t shout and I don’t use too many exclamation marks.

BUT TODAY I AM GOING TO HAVE A RANT!!!

The reason is this. Once again I have received a report from a well-known (and rich) guru (who shall remain anonymous) telling me in a very smart-assed tone of voice something that he assumed I didn’t know. OK, OK, he’s an expert and that’s the way they behave.

But what has really, really annoyed me is the quality of English in his report. It is riddled with typos, sloppy grammar, incorrect punctuation and spelling errors. And this isn’t the only time this has happened: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read webpages, reports, ads, printed books etc. that contain the sort of mistakes that would disgrace a mid-ability teenager.

Now sometimes really smart people boast that they don’t have time to dwell on detail like the correct place for a semi-colon; they are far too busy being clever to worry their pretty little heads about such inconsequential trivia.

But if they only knew the impression this laziness in communication leaves with the reader.

So, it may be that they suffered dyslexia as a child, or maybe their first language wasn’t English, or maybe they missed school because of small-pox – I don’t care!

What I care about is that someone who sets themselves up as an expert and charges big money for their material is smart enough to know that they don’t know how to do this. If they can’t write good enough English to communicate their message then they should employ someone who can.

Competent copy editors and proof-readers are readily available and don’t come all that expensive. Ignorant gurus please take note!

Help! Now that I’ve got a blog, what do I write about?

When you get the urge to go blogging you might find yourself unable to find something to blog about.

If you have a big need for self-expression but no immediate inspiration, here are eight great blogging topics to consider:

1. Save the world: global warming, energy crisis, world poverty.
2. Have a rant: vent your spleen, get angry, talk straight.
3. Elect a president: get political, inflate your candidate, deflate your opponent.
4. Uncover a scandal: spread gossip, make mischief, whistleblow.
5. Revenge: don’t get mad, get even. Expose your ex.
6. Keep a journal: growing your garden, bringing up your baby, training your puppy.
7. Publish your writing: funky poetry, racy novels, ravishing recipes.
8. Live vicariously: don’t get a life – invent a life, be who you’d rather be.

Most of the great blogs of the world are variations of at least one of these eight themes. There’s got to be at least one reason here why you should join the bloggerati!