First Steps in SEO: Sitemaps

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Creating an HTML sitemap and a XML sitemap for your website could be the easiest thing you do to improve your exposure on the web. For those among you who pay close attention to the search engine optimization (SEO) of your site, this could be the one thing that gets you onto the first page of Google´s search results. For those who do not devote a lot of time on the SEO of their site - this is probably the best place to start. By submittíng a sitemap to various search engines, you are telling them that you exist and what pages your site has to offer the World Wide Web.

There are two types of sitemaps: HTML and XML. An HTML sitemap provides a useful directory of all the pages that are in your site. XML sitemaps on the other hand play an important role in helping the search engines “crawl” the various pages of your site. This introductory article discusses the benefit of creating both an HTML sitemap and XML sitemap, and how you can go about creating them using a sitemap generator.

HTML Sitemaps

An HTML sitemap is a single HTML page that contains links to all the pages of your website. Normally, this is accessible via a link in your site footer, where it will be displayed on every page. With large sites, it is easy to get lost and struggle to find the page you are looking for. With a well organized HTML sitemap, visitors to your site will be able to use it to easily find the page they are looking for.

From an SEO perspective, as the search engine's robot (or spider) crawls your site indexing pages, it may find some pages on your site with greater ease using this sitemap, rather than through the general navigation. Therefore, sitemaps can benefit your site visitors and even play a role in enhancing your exposure on the web.

Take a look at WebAssist's sitemap to get an idea of what an HTML sitemap looks like. Notice that each page on the WebAssist website contains a link to this page in the footer.

XML Sitemaps

While HTML sitemaps are designed to benefit your human site visitors, XML sitemaps are created specifically for the search engines. All of the most popular search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com utilize XML sitemaps as part of their process for indexing the pages of a website. A good XML sitemap will tell the search engine what pages are in your site, how often those pages are updated, and when they were last modified. This way, the search engines know which pages to revisit more regularly, and are likely to do a better job of indexing them. Here is an example of the XML you might include in your XML sitemap:

<url>

<loc>yoursitedomain/index.htm</loc>

<lastmod>2009-03-05</lastmod>

<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>

<priority>1.0</priority>

</url>

Notice that for the index.htm page of this website, I have provided details regarding the last modified date (<lastmod>), the frequency of updartes to this page (<changefreq>), and the priority of this page in relation to the other pages of the site (<priority>). By providing this information to the search engine as accurately as possible, they will be better equipped to index your site, and give the most important pages the appropriate attention.

TIP: Be honest about the information you provide in your sitemap(s). If a search engine finds that you are not updating your site as often as your sitemap suggests, they may come back less often.

Creating HTML and XML Sitemaps

Creating HTML sitemaps is as easy as creating a basic HTML page that contains links to all the pages in your site. However, you need to keep in mind that whenever you create new pages in your site, you will want to add those links to the sitemap as well.

Creating XML sitemaps manually can be quite a time consuming process. However, there are many great sitemap generators out there to help you automate this. If you google "sitemap generator" you will find that there are a quite a few free as well as paid sitemap tools that you can use.

How Often Should I Submit My Sitemap?

You should be in the habit of submittíng a sitemap to search engines a number of times a year. This allows you to update the search engine on any new pages in your site. If you create new pages on a regular basis, you may want to submit your sitemap more frequently.

Conclusion

Both HTML sitemaps and XML sitemaps are a good step in the right direction to improve the exposure of your website. You will most likely find a rise inyour search engine rankings after submitting a sitemap for the first time. However, keep in mind that this is only one part of search engine optimization, and there is a lot more you can do to improve how search engines rank the pages on your site and your website's discoverability.

Good luck!

 

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How to Control Search Engine Spiders for Improved Rankings

Criteria for Successful Web Design

 

 

Technorati-Tags: seo,sitemaps,html sitemap,xml sitemap,search engine optimization

Search Engine Optimization for Your Blog – 5 Tips to Get You Started

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Easy SEO Tips to Make Your Blog More Search Engine Friendly

Making your blog search engine friendly as well as easy to navigate for your visitors is at the core of SEO. Here are a few starter tips that will help you get more traffic and achieve what you want to online.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making a blog or website more easily accessible to search engines and telling everybody - machines as well as people - what your site is about. This is the basic task of SEO. It is about making your website easily understandable and following certain standards and practices.

It is also about getting your blog or website ranked higher in the search engine results pages (SERPS) so that your site gets more traffic and you can more easily achieve your objectives.

Five Basic Tips for Better On-Site SEO

1. Write a Clear and Catchy Title that Includes Your Keyword(s)

This is a smart thing to do for two reasons. One, it clearly tells potential readers what your post or article is about and lets them know what they will get out of it. Two, it makes it clear to search engines that the term you use in the title is a very important one on that particular page. This will help said page rank higher in the search engine result pages for your chosen keyword(s).

2. Link to Your Homepage and Other Related Pages from New Blog Posts or Articles

When you write a new blog post you should link to related pages on the same site. Make sure to use keyword-rich anchor text that explains in a couple of words what the linked-to post is all about. This will help further strengthen the SEO of the page and will give your readers a clear path to information may also be interested in. You can also link to your homepage with the keywords you are focusing on for the site as a whole. Again, this helps your readers navigate the site with greater ease, keeps them on your site longer(hopefully), and will strengthen the SEO qualities of your homepage.

3. Use Your Chosen Keyword or Keyword Phrase in the Body of Your Content

Just like you want to use the keyword phrase in the title of your article, you want to make sure to use it in the body of your blog posts or website content. This will reinforce to search engines and website visitors alike what your content is about. If your blog is about “designer shoes for men”, you want to target that exact phrase and include it in the body of the writing. Studies have shown that you get the best results by using your chosen keyword or keyword phrase once every 80 -100 words, if possible.

4. Write Posts or Articles of Decent Length

Each piece of content you publish should be at least 250 to 500 words long. The more you write, the more material search engine bots have to work with when trying to figure out what your site is about. Longer, informative posts should increase traffic to your site over time, and the better written your work is, the more people will link to it, which will help your content in search rankings. You may also find that terms you have not thought about are bringing people to your site as well because you will have more combinations of words on every single page of your website.

5. Write Great Content that is Useful, Informative and Original

The most essential and most difficult of all SEO methods. People sometimes forget that the best way to enhance the success of a site is to write extraordinary articles that people will naturally want to link to, bookmark, and show their friends and family. Making sure your content is really good will help you more than any other search engine optimization methods every will. Focus on creating value for your readers - and you will have a successful site.

If you choose to apply only one of the methods mentioned here, this should be it: Write amazing stuff that people fall in love with.

It is very hard – if not impossible - to create a hugely successful blog overnight. The bloggers who are making a lot of money work harder than most and put in the hours to create great content. That being said, if you write something so useful, so helpful, so entertaining, or –hopefully - all of the above, you could be among the few who become successful almost overnight.

It takes work, dedication, and some promotion, but you can create a successful blog and even make money from your efforts. You can start a blog for free at Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, but you should also consider starting a blog on a private hosting service and with a domain name of your choice right away. The latter kind of blog will be more valuable in the long run since you will own it outright. Of course, you can always transfer a free blog to private hosting later on.

If you are looking for professional hosting, Just Host and Host Gator (and no, I am in no way affiliated with either one of them) are currently two of the best blog/web hosts and their rates are low (starting at around $ 4.95/month). You even get a free domain name for life with some of the plans. Kill two birds with one stone.

But whatever you do, always remember that the more work you put in, the better your blog will be in the long run. It can be very lonely at times when you feel like no one is interested in your work, but one day the flood gates will open and you will have a popular site.

Essential Information:

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

Better SEO leads to more readers, more subscribers, and making more money online.

SEO is the process of making your website more accessible to search engines. Basically, the clearer you are about the content of your site or its function, the easier people will find it and the higher it will rank in search engine result pages (SERPs).

Toyour success!

 

Related articles:

Great Content is Still the Best SEO Strategy

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Technorati-Tags: seo,search engine optimization,more traffic

7 Tips for a Successful Website

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In this post I am going to give you 7 tips that will help you make your Blog or website better and more successful. Whether you have a personal blog, a niche site, or a blog attached to your online business, these tips will surly help you make it great.

1. Write Longer Posts

A lot of “gurus” recommend writing short posts/ articles because people nowadays have short attention spans (especially online). While this may be true, there still are people who like to read detailed, informative, well-written posts. Furthermore, longer posts tend to have more of your keyword phrases in them which will help with your search engine ranking. Google is especially fond of long articles, whereas other search engines, Bing for instance, prefer articles in teh 250 – 400 word range. 

2. Make Your Blog Accessible

Use a two or three column theme which is not too cluttered. And do not make it an obstacle course for people to find out who you are. If readers get to know you better, it is easier for them to get “involved” in your site. They may even become regular visitors or subscribers. 

3. Write Strong, Catchy Titles

Try to use strong keywords related to your post in the title. And always deliver what the title promises. Also, create tags (and a tag cloud/list, if possible) that can help your visitors find what they are looking for more easily.

4. Add Images to Your Posts

Pictures are a great means for drawing your readers into the articles you write.  If nothing else, they keep the visitor´s eyes fixed on the page for an extra second or two. Do not forget to write a caption and alternate text for the images you add (which may help them get indexed by search engines). Print advertisements tend to have images for the express reason that they attract attention.

5. Promote, Promote, Promote,Promote,…

There is nothing wrong with letting people know what you are doing. There is a key though:  You should try to get in touch with people who run similarly themed blogs and websites. In general, people who write about or deal in some other way with similar stuff are more likely to be interested in what you are publishing. Of course, this is not always the case because interesting content gets noticed no matter what, but it is a good way to get started. Engage other site owners by posting comments that add to the discussion brought up by their work.

6. DO NOT QUIT

Quitting has to be the biggest reason why a blog or website fails. It may take six months or even a year before your blog or website takes off. Keep writing good, long, informative pieces and do everything in your power to connect with others. Learn a little about keywords, learn a little about link building, learn a little about internet marketing, and make sure that you enjoy what you are doing. If you are not having fun, then - and only then! - quitting probably is a good option. You can always start a new blog or website.

7. There is no #7

Oops, I just broke the promise of my title. Perhaps you feel somewhat betrayed (see #3 on this list), but I hope you see the point I am making. Always, ALWAYS deliver what you promise so that people will find what they are looking for and will want to come back.

Good luck!

 

Technorati-Tags: improve blog,internet marketing,make your website better,online business,more traffic,successful blogging

12 Steps to Successful Blogging

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A blog can be a very marketable and profitable tool if used correctly. Successful blogging is a matter of grabbing the attention of a possibly worldwide audience and has almost nothing in common with the work of your average salesperson. In this article I shall point out to you the 12 most essential steps to a successful blogging career.

1. Getting Started

You should consider starting your blogging career at a free blog hosting service such as Blogger or Wordpress. This way you you can just jump in and try out blogging without having to worry about knowledge of scripts, hosting, domains and programming. It allows you to focus on creating interesting content and honing your writing skills while leaving the internal maintenance of your blog to professionals. The best thing about starting with a free service is that there is no risk of losing money if your blog does not become successful or you just happen to find out that blogging is not your cup of tea (just make sure to choose a service that lets you export your content whenever you want). A blog is the simplest form of a website and is organized in chronological order; your latest entry will always be displayed first. When your blog traffic grows considerably you should consider upgrading to your own domain. In this case your last blog entry should be the announcement of your "move". Do not forget to provide the URL address of your new site together with a link that will re-direct your visitors to the new site, thereby enabling you to keep your following without causing a major inconvenience to anyone. Upgrade...but only when you need to!

2. Finding Your Niche

A niche is a targeted product, service, or topic. You should first decide on a product, service, or topic which interests you. Choose an area which you can enthusiastically write about on a daily or at least weekly basis. You can use keyword research services like Google Zeitgeist or Yahoo! Buzz Index to find out what topics people are currently searching for. But keep in mind that it does NOT matter if your topic is popular; as long as there is a audience for your topic and the topic is precisely focused then your blog should be successful – it just may take a little longer. Anything anyone can think of can become a viable niche - as long as it has a target audience (no matter how large or how small that audience might be). A blog about your cat will obviously be a much smaller niche than a blog about domestic cats in general ...you can even choose to build an audience for a market which as yet does not exist, but first you must build your blog.

3. Update Regularly (2-3 times a week should suffice)

This step is a must, not just a suggestion. Updating your blog regularly not only keeps readers coming back for more, but it also gives your site fresh content on a day to day basis thereby making it more appealing to search engines. It is only understandable that you may not have the time or the inspiration to update your blog daily, but letting days or even weeks pass by without posting anything is unacceptable and will most likely result in your blog being unsuccessful. In order to keep your visitors interested as well as traffic to your blog high it is simply a must to add content to your blog regularly. If possible you should update your blog every day, maybe even try to post a couple of entries daily. The best way to accomplish this is to set aside 1-2 hours a day for tending to your blog and adding new entries. It may even be wise to schedule a set time which you dedicate to working on your blog each day. Treat your blog as a job (but as a job you really like!). What happens if you do not come to work for days or weeks...you lose income and/ or get fired! The same applies here...if you do not update your blog regularly you will lose visitors.

4. Generating Traffic

This one is a no-brainer. You have to have traffic to be able to profit from your blog or site. There are numerous ways to build traffic. Advertising (paid as well as free), search engine marketing, feeds (RSS or Atom), viral marketing, usage of social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Digg, etc.), and word-of-mouth. For starters, you should always use your blog URL address in the signature of your emails, forum discussions, message boards, or any other form of online communication. Submit your blog URL address to search engines and blog directories. Also be sure to submit your RSS/XML URL feed to blog ping services like Technorati, Ping-O-Matic and Blogdigger. You should confidently share your blog with family, friends, co-workers, associates, and business professionals when it relates. If your blog (like so many others) can be described as a collection of articles you should consider submitting your blog entries (only those that are valuable and lengthy) to content syndicators/article directories like GoArticles.com, ArticleCity.com or DropJack.com. Once submitted, your articles can be picked up and published by others. The important thing is to make sure you include your Blog URL address in the "About the Author" passage. This creates link popularity and backlinks for your blog. When someone picks up your article from the syndication site and then publishes it on his or her website the "About the Author" passage is included with each publication and the link you included will be followed, crawled, and indexed by search engines. Just imagine what will happen if your article is popular enough or controversial enough to produce 5.000 or even 10.000 publications across the web. All the search engines are bound to find your site in no time with that many publications and will regard you as an authority on the subject, which will in turn increase your rank on search engines. The relatively small effort of writing an interesting and helpful article can be very rewarding. You should try to write at least one full length article every week for syndication and submit your article to as many article directories as possible.

5. Tracking Your Blog

How do you know if your blog has traffic? Just because no one is leaving comments does not mean your blog is not becoming popular. Many visitors just like to read or watch and do not care about comments – but they still may be returning visitors. Most people following blogs simply are more interested in what "you" have to say! Many readers do not comment till they are quite familiar with a blog, and some will never comment at all although they are devoted fllowers of your blog.

Tracking your blog does not require knowledge in statistics or any other fancy sciences. A simple free page counter like StatCounter, FeeStats, SiteMeter or Active Meter will do the trick. Just install (copy/paste) the code you will be given after registering into the HTML of your blog template and start tracking your visitors. If you really want to use tracking to your advantage you should choose a service that gives you advanced traffic analysis, such as keyword tracking information, referral information, and search engine information. Hit counter, unique and returning visitors, visitor path and visit lenght, and keyword analysis should be standard features no matter what page counter service you choose.

6. Listen to Your Audience

When using the proper page counter you should soon be able to see which pages your visitors are coming from and where they are going. If they find your site through search engines then keyword analysis will show you which keywords are being used to find your blog. If your blog should happen to be constantly found by just one or a few select keywords then you should focus your blog around those keywords to generate even more traffic. When writing entry titles and entries use the keywords as often as possible while keeping your blog readable and interesting.

7. Branching Out - Multiple Blogs

Use multiple blogs and bloggging accounts to attract more people. You should consider having blogs at a variety of popular blog hosting services like Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal, JournalHome, Blog-City, etc. The more blog accounts you are able to manage, the better. You can copy/paste from one blog to all others. Having different blog accounts is like having a publication in different newspapers. This will enable you to attract more visitors and increase the chances that one of your blogs will show in the search engine results for the keywords you are focusing on.

8. Short & Concise Posts

Aside from the one lengthy article a week for syndication and publication your blog entries should be short and concise (if possible). Sometimes your topic may warrant or even require a wordy blog entry, but try to avoid this as much as possible. You do not want your blog entries to become hours of reading. Most visitors tend to skim through your entries and like to find what they are looking for on first glance. If you make them read through hundreds or even thousands of words they will not come back for another visit. It is good to provide detailed and useful information, but do not stray from your topic and do not include filler or useless chunks of information to make your entries look more interesting.

9. Pictures & Graphics

Try to include non-advertising graphics, pictures, photos, and art in your blog entries (if it fits in with the overall content). But do not overdo it. Once in awhile is fine. Graphics can be a suitable tool for bringing your blog to life. Of course, the content has to remain the most important aspect of your blog, and you do not want to overshadow this content with graphics, but displaying graphics and photos can add a bit of spice to the blog. Be choosy about the graphics you choose and make sure they fit the topic of your entry. You should always add content along with the graphic, at least a caption. Original graphics, photos, pictures, and art are recommended. But keep in mind that graphics take up more server space than words which in turn means that the loading time for your page or blog will be longer. Therefore you should not use more than 50kb of graphics per page. And always ask the copyright owner for permission before using pictures other than your own.

For copyright-free and copyright-friendly graphics and photos you might want to check out WebQuest.org or Free-Stuff-Me.uk, among others.

10. Keep It Personal

A blog is most successful when it is kept personal. Try to include personal experiences and anecdotes relating to your blog´s topic. Stay away from business style writing. Be courageous and find your personal style - and include first-person narratives whenever they fit in. Do not post anything in the style of sales letters, share product reviews and personal opinions instead.

11. Interact With Your Visitors

You should now have the amount of traffic you deserve. In order to keep traffic up while at the same time trying to attract even more you should now start interacting with your visitors. Create a regular theme such as: "Tip of the Week" or "Picture of the Day" which entices your readers to visit your blog regularly.

Give your readers an advance notice about a product, service, or topic which you are going to review and/or talk about later. If an important football/baseball/baketball game is scheduled to take place then you should state in your blog that you "will discuss the game and give your opinion as soon as the game is over. Comments will be appreciated".

Try everything you can to find and present exclusive information. Do not – ever!! - disclose any confidential or secret information which is deemed illegal or has the potential to get you into trouble, but try to get the inside scoop before everyone else does. For instance: If your blog was about a famous actress and you had a blog entry about "She (name) Is Getting Married" then it would be of utmost interest to your readers if you could provide an actual picture of the engagement ring on her finger. Give your best effort to dig and search more than just the internet for exclusive information, because if it is on the net a lot of other people will have found the information as well. Your readers will appreciate your zeal and show their appreciation through word-of-mouth referrals and/or links to your site. Imagine how many readers will tell their friends, family, and others about information they find at your blog first.

12. Make a Profit

Once your blog has gained some real momentum and your blog traffic is increasing then it is time to start thinking about turning that traffic into profit. The easiest way to do so is by using contextual advertising like Google Adsense or Chitika. Contextual advertising means that these services analyze the content of your blog and then publish ads aimed specifically at your audience. The payout is usually based on some kind of pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning for ever click an ad receives you will be paid a small percentage of the profits. In addition to contextual advertising you also might want to consider using graphical advertising such as: BlogAds, Amazon.com, MammaMedia, etc.. But make sure that the ads do not overshadow your blog´s content. Pop-ups, especially, should be used sparingly. Nobody likes them. They will only increase the loading time of your page and annoy your visitors.

CONGRATULATIONS, You Are a Professional Blogger!

You have done it! You are now a true internet professional! Now may be the time to upgrade from your free blog hosting service to a domain hosted solution. You need to choose a domain name for your blog, check its availability and the find a suitable web host. Select the blogging software you wish to use: WordPress, MovableType (open source), Squarespace, ... When you have your new blog domain set up and ready for traffic then it is time for you to announce your move on all your previous blog accounts by posting a "move" announcement as your last entry. The title should be "Moved" and the blog entry should read something like "My Blog has been moved to a new site, please follow and bookmark this link for future reference: http://www.YourNewBlogDomainName.com". This way all returning visitors and new readers should not have any problem finding your new blog domain.

As a professional blogger you might want to team up with one or more other bloggers. This will enable you to create a more interesting and more powerful blog. More authors mean more advertising and exposure because each author will have a vested interest in the blog and his or her writing will probably appeal to a different type of reader, thereby creating a larger following for the blog as a whole. The idea of a team blog is to make it profitable and rewarding for all authors, while continuing to target the blog topic and keeping the blog interesting for visitors. To spare yourself trouble and headaches later on you should settle important issues like who contributes how much and how to split revenues beforehand.

Applying these simple blogging techniques should make your blogging experience much more rewarding. There is no guarantee that your blog will become popular or even a household name, but your effort should at least increase your chances. Making money online is not an overnight experience like many people think, but making money online is definitely a foreseeable possibility. Likewise, increasing your popularity on the internet is not an overnight experience, but through time, dedication, and persistence you will be rewarded with enough royalties to make your blog a considerable source of income.

Good luck!

 

Related article:

Things to Consider Before Blogging for Money

 

Technorati-Tags: adsense,blogging,make money blogging,monetize blog,start blog,success,more traffic

Things to Consider Before Blogging for Money

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Whenever I mention my blog, people roll their eyes and seem to think: “Big deal. You have a blog, and so do millions of others“. But as soon as I mention the fact that I make money blogging they prick their ears.

The concept of blogging for money seems simple enough. I write about topics that I am interested in, that I enjoy, a lot of people read it (hopefully!), and I make money off advertisement. To those among us who have experience doing this, it is simple. To the novice bloggger, however, it is of the utmost importance to realize what he or she getting into.

If you are new to blogging and interested in doing it for money, here are a few important things to keep in mind before committing yourself.

1. Blogging is easy - Blogging for profit is more difficult - I won’t go as far as to say it is impossible to draw a secondary income from blogging, but it is whole lot harder than most people care to think. Unfortunately, it is not just about producing content and slapping up some ads. It takes good writing, proper templating, intelligent ad placement, developing an audience… there are a lot of skills required to make a blog profitable, and you will have to aquire them.

2. Get into blogging for the long run or not at all - The vast majority of blogs fail within the first few months, being discontinued and eventually forgotten. More to the point, just a tiny minority of blogs see any profit during the first few months. Unless you are prepared to keep writing for at least a year, you will probably never see any return for your effort.

3. Choose a topic you love and stick with it – General purpose blogs and blogs that trying to cover a lot of different topics tend to have difficulty developing a readership. Make a list of the topics you care about, then choose the one that appeals to you the most and blog about it exclusively.

4. Start with just one blog - If you have a long list of possible topics, do not give in to the temptation to start a different blog for each one right away. By dividing your time between several blogs you will only increase the likelihood that all of them will fail. In the beginning, put all of your effort into one blog. Once you get comfortable writing and find out how things work you might consider branching out and creating additional blogs.

5. If you are unsure, test the waters - It is a fact that a lot of people simply do not have the drive or stamina to keep writing until their blog becomes successful. If you are not sure, try a starter blog on one of the many free services such as Blogger or Wordpress.com. (But be sure to choose a service where the content you create is not locked in so you will be able to export it whenever you want.)  Feel it out for a few weeks. If, by the end of this time, you have stuck with it and feel like blogging is right for you, go ahead and commit to the effort. The same applies to test driving new topics if you are unsure what to write about.

6. Place ads wisely - Some people recommend not placing ads on a blog until it has matured somewhat. Others recommend putting them up right away. Both approaches have their pros and cons. Just make sure to place your ads tastefully so as not to overwhelm your readers. User experience should be your prior concern.

7. Enjoy your work - This is the real key to successful blogging. If you pick a topic that you love and blog about it with passion for months and years on end, your blog will build a readership, generate income, and be a success on the net. If, however, your blog becomes a chore to maintain, it will fail for sure.

The main point I am trying to get across is that a lot of people get into blogging with high hopes of making a profit – only to fail miserably. If you keep your expectations low in the beginning and invest some time in proper planning you will succeed.

Good luck!

 

Technorati-Tags: blogging for money,make money blogging,monetizing blog,getting started

How to Find Suitable Affiliate Programs for Your Blog

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Blogs provide a lot of different opportunities for bloggers to earn money. Advertising revenue, direct sales as well as contextual links are some of the most popular money-makers. One of the best ways for you to earn money with a blog, however, is to find a suitable affiliate program. An affiliate program that fits the content of your blog has a far greater potential for earning you money than most of the other options.

How to find Suitable Affiliate Programs

1. Step 1

Identify categories of products relevant to the topic or niche of your blog. For instance, if you blog about photography look for anything a photographer could need. Seek out products like digital cameras, special lenses, lens cleaners, filters, tripods and books about photography.

2. Step 2

Check with your preferred product vendor to see if they have an affiliate program you can use on your blog or website. Many companies participate in affiliate programs, either directly to you or through affiliate websites like Commission Junction or Link Share.

3. Step 3

Choose products that are relevant to your blog's target demographic. Even if your blog is about parachuting and you can't find a good parachuting affiliate program, chances are you can find products that are relevant to your average reader based on their age, gender, hobbys.

4. Step 4

Re-evaluate the affiliate programs you employ on a regular basis. Some affiliate programs may end without notifying you, and you will end up with a dead link on your blog. Some affiliate programs will make you more money than others, too. Be prepared to make changes and find new affiliate programs for your blog if need should be.

Good luck!

 

Technorati-Tags: affiliate program,monetize blog,make money blogging,blogging for money

62 Ways To Get More Traffic To Your Blog - Part 2

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21. Get a Twitter account and let the community know about every new posting to your blog/additin to your website. Place a “Follow me on Twitter” widget on your blog/website.

22. This one is for the diligent among you. Give away a freebie ebook, report or e-course to encourage people to come and download (To make it easier, you can set up an opt-in form to build your list).

23. Create a free ebook (a “how to”-guide for example) and get it listed on “free ebook” sites.

24. Offer photos, graphics or banners to download for free. Use your web address as watermark (small and somewhere in a corner please). People love free stuff and tend to come back for more.

25. Use a real traffic exchange like EasyHits4U.

26. Have business cards printed with the address of your blog or website on them and distibute them freely.

27. Create a lens on Squidoo.com.

28. Create your own newsletter or ezine to send to subscribers.

29. Use an autoresponder or email marketing software to email your blog readers on new contents.

30. Use 3 way links ( a > b, b > c, c > a) to automate your link exchange with other related blogs / websites. If you have multiple websites or blogs yourself, send visitors from one to the other by posting related articles on different blogs. (Google may or may not search for and detect 3 way links. If you´re not sure about this, google “3 way links” and read current opinions on the subject.)

31. Look for blogs / websites that offer link exchanges.

32. Network with other people at seminars and other live events, promote your blog and tell them about its merits.

33. Review other people´s blog posts and link back to the original post.

34. Create an Amazon profile, submit reviews of books, movies and other products you have read, watched or used.

35. Get referrals from similar but non-competing blogs or websites.

36. Answer people’s questions on Yahoo Answers.

37. Submit your blog open blog directories like DMOZ.

38. Conduct and publish surveys regarding themes you write about in your blog.

39. Create an eyecatching sticker and stick it on your car's windscreen or bumper. Give stickers to your friend and relatives and ask them to do the same.

40. Review your own sites/blogs on review sites like Shvoong. Be sure to use a different penname from the one you chose for your blog(s) or website(s).

 

You have reached the end of part 2. You´ll find even more tips in part 1 and part 3.

 

Technorati-Tags: pagerank,seo,free traffic,more traffic,backlinks,advertisement,3 way links,ads

62 Ways to Get More Traffic To Your Blog - Part 1

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The following is part one of "61 Ways To Get More Traffic To Your Blog". In this series of posts I shall introduce you, dear reader to a number of easy ways to attract more traffic to your blog(s). most of them won´t cost you a penny. Without further ado, here is the first batch of tips:

1. Submit your blog to the major search engines.

2. Submit your blog to the 100’s of free blog directories, preferably those that do not require you to place a backlink on your blog.

3. Leave useful comments on other people’s blogs with a link back to your blog or website.

4. Submit some of the articles you write to article directories. Again, include a backlink to your blog or website.

5. Add RSS and Atom feeds to your blog and encourage your readers to subscribe to them. Don´t forget to submit the address of your feeds to blog directories.

6. Add an “Add This” or “Share This” button to your blog.

7. Optimize each page of your website/each blog post for a particular keyword or search phrase.

8. Participate in banner or link exchange programs (better suited for websites, where you can add a whole banner page).

9. Advertise your blog on free advertising sites such as CraigsList.org, FreeAds and so on.

10. Submit a press release to PRWeb.com. Unfortunately, rather expensive.

11. Buy a few backlinks for a fixed price (no pay per click).

12. Submit testimonials to product/service websites in exchange for a backlink to your blog.

13. Submit videos to platforms such as YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, Dailymotion and a host of others.

14. Include a backlink to your blog/website in your email signature, attach it to all the emails that you send. It’s a free and easy way to get a little more traffic.

15. Make a custom 404 error page for your blog redirecting people to your blog´s main page.

16. Join forums related to your niche. Participate in discussions and always include a link back to your blog in your contributions. Do not spam, write useful comments.

17. Submit articles to ezine publishers sites.

18. Write a controversial review on other people´s products and create a debate for it.

19. Submit your blog to every related niche directory you can find.

20. Create a profile on social bookmarking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5.

 

This is the end of part one of "61 Ways To Get More Traffic To Your Blog".

Don´t miss part 2!

 

Technorati-Tags: pagerank,seo,backlinks,feeds,addthis,share this,free traffic,more traffic

10 Reasons for Becoming an Amazon Associate

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First, the single best reason for not becoming an Amazon Associate: Amazon and its products do not ‘fit’ with your blog or website. If you feel that way, no problem. There are hosts of affiliate programs available, so you will certainly be able to find one that fits better with the content of your blog or website than Amazon.

However, the Amazon Associates Program is well worth considering for most bloggers. I use it on some of my blogs, and it has provided me with a reliable income stream so far - not my biggest, but definitely more than the ‘pennies and dimes’ that some say it has the potential to earn.

Following are some of the best reasons for becoming an Amazon Associate:

1. Amazon is a widely recognized and trusted brand – Amazon is frequently on top of the list of online stores that people make purchases from ans one of the most popular shopping destinations worldwide. Readers know Amazon, are familiar with it ans many are already customers - they trust it and do spend significant money there.

2. Commissions – Some may not be satisfied with a 4% commission. They are right in some ways, for 4% is not that much when you are selling a $10 book or DVD - however when you’re selling a $2000 Camera or a $3,500 Lawn Tractor (I know a guy who does quite well out of ride on mowers and tractors) it certainly adds up. But not just that, the 4% rate is their base rate for general products. Unfortunately it is as high as it goes on consumer electronics - however on most other products there is a sliding scale where depending on the number of items you sell your referral fee will go up to 8.50%. Sell more than 6 items in a month and your commission rises to 6% - sell over 630 and you’re up to 8% .. See for yourself:

3. People tend to buy more than one item - The great thing about Amazon is that you do not just earn a commission on the product that you direct people to, but on anything that they buy once they are at Amazon. The sales of other products that people make once they get to Amazon are most of the time much greater than the sales of the actual product you link to – and you will earn a commission on each one of them. You´ll be pleasantly surprised by this passive income. You earn a commission on anything that a person buys within a couple of hours of you sending them to Amazon (if they do not leave the shop´s site).

4. It is easy to integrate - There are more and more plugins and tools that offer Amazon Affiliate integration built to help you place links in your blog posts with the greatest of ease. Ecto for Mac has a tool that searches for products and lets you link them in with just a couple of clicks. Wordpress has some nice plugins also. Affiliate links usually take just seconds to integrate.

5. Mulktiple payment options - Amazon offers a number of payment options to its affiliates. One of the things that I especially like is that they give you the option to be paid in products instead of cash. They also send out checks or deposit transferal fees directly into your bank account.

6. Small payments do add up – In the early days of making money from blogs most bloggers do not have the luxury of picking and choosing their income streams as much as they (hopefully) do later on. They need to earn money somewhere and even the small amounts that the Amazon Associates Program brings in at the beginning are better than nothing. Over time these payments will begin to add up for sure. In the early days you probably won´t earn enough to make the minimum payment amount every month and will have to wait a few months before getting paid - but those first pay outs will be milestones to be duly celebrated.

7. It is an investment that matures over time – It is a good approach to treat the Amazon Associates Program a little like a savings account or a long-term investment that you put a little into each week and which matures in its earnings over time. What does this mean? I add links to Amazon over time and find that in doing so I am steadily creating more and more doorways into the Amazon online store. With every link I add I increase the chances of sending someone to Amazon and seeing returns on those visits.

8. The holidays are pay time - While you will be making money as an Amazon Associate year in, year out it is worth noting that things generally fire up in the lead up to Christmas and the holiday season. Over the years I have noticed significant jumps in Amazon earnings in December (as much as 150%). The key to achieving this is to plan ahead (make sure your links are all up to date a couple of months beforehand) and run a couple of Christmas specific posts in the lead up to the Holiday rush (start to prepare as early as September/October).

9. Wide array of products - What attracted me to using Amazon’s Associate program in the first place was the huge variety of products that they have on offer. This is a great thing if you’re niche is narrow or quite obscure, as a lot of bloggers have trouble finding affiliate programs to match their blog’s focus. Some widely read blogs do have an array of options for affiliate programs (that´s why you generally won´t find a lot of Amazon links on them), but many bloggers simply do not have the luxury of being able to choose high paying affiliate programs because they simply don’t relate to the topics of their blog. In these cases Amazon becomes one of the most attractive options.

10. Amazon is an easy way into the world of affiliate programs – If you are not sure about affiliate programs and just want to try one out, then Amazon´s Associate program is a good starting point. They provide you with everything you need to get started, they offer instructions and help and, most importantly, are a reliable partner. I started out with Amazon – and I am glad I did, because this first positive experience encouraged me to search for other affiliate programs and helped me a lot on my way to becoming a professional blogger.

So is the Amazon Associate Program for you?

You will have to answer that question for yourself - I won’t pretend that it works brilliantly on every blog, but I know quite a few bloggers who make significant earnings from the program. Blogs with a strong focus on products tend to do quite well through the program if links to Amazon are well integrated into posts (see some of my other posts for tips). Moderation in using the program is advisable - don’t place them in every post you write unless they are relevant. Links placed in genuinely helpful reviews obviously do better than links and banners in sidebars.

Good luck!

Related Article:

How to Become an Amazon Associate

 

Technorati-Tags: amazon,affiliate program,amazon associates,links,montezing blog,make money,commission,referral fee

How to Become an Amazon Associate

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Becoming an Amazon associate is a very fast and easy as well as convenient way for you make money off your blog or website by allowing your visitors to order specific products from Amazon.com in exchange for a referral fee.

Here is how:

1. If you want to become an Amazon Associate, you must have a functional blog or website.

2. Go to the Amazon.com site and click on the "Join Associates" link at the bottom of the home page.

3. Fill out the online application to become an Amazon associate. Provide your blog or site address and its purpose, contact name, etc.

4. When you are done, submit the application and wait for Amazon´s response. They will send you an e-mail (usually within 24 hours), either confirming or denying your request.

5. If your request is approved, Amazon will then provide you with the necessary links to place on your blog or website so that your visitors can start ordering products from Amazon´s huge inventory.

6. Now it is time to choose the products you would like to offer to the visitors to your blog or website from Amazon's inventory .

7. Submit the information about your choices to Amazon, place the links you get from Amazon on your homepage and you are ready to reap affiliate rewards! (you can also choose from a number of widgets if you think that would work or look better on your site).

8. Amazon will send you regular reports of activity from your blog or website. Retain these e-mails to track your affiliate earnings.

Good Luck!

Tips & Warnings

• You can also make money by referring visitors to buy books of their own choosing at Amazon.
• If you have any difficulties, ask the support staff at Amazon to help you.
• You do not receive a referral fee for every product your customers purchase from Amazon - only for those products which you have chosen as recommended. (If you use widgets, then you receive a referral fee for products or product categories appearing in them).
• If you want to maximize your earnings choose products or categories of products that sell in reasonable quantities and are in a higher price range, like Ipods, digital cameras, etc. (The 15% referral fee is for products from Endless.com only).
• If visitors referred through your blog or website do not make a purchase within a couple of hours, you will not get a referral fee.
• If people visiting the Amazon store via your site have chosen to disable cookies in their browser you WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFERRAL FEE.

 

P.S.: If you have a website you can embed an aStore, a  self-contained online store, within the site.  There you can feature any Amazon products you like. This is probably the best choice if you plan on making serious money as an Amazon associate.

 

Related Article:

10 Reasons for Becoming an Amazon Associate

 

Technorati-Tags: amazon,amazon associates,links,widget,monetize blog,montezing website,make money with blog