Am I missing something about Blogging?

Do people make big money blogging? I suppose some do, but can I say that those who do make big money is in a small minority?

From all the excitement surrounding blogging and bloggers, it feels like blogging is a big thing and writing websites is old fashion and dull. The truth is, I wouldn't know how to write blogs - the very thought of having to churn out content on a daily basis for a living strikes me as very 9-to-5, which is the reason I am writing websites (so that my earning is on autopilot, sort of).

With everyone choosing a blog these days and with all the dynamic functionality I've heard many say that static websites are old fashioned.

Blogs can make a lot of money just like static websites, but it's really all about traffic and how effective you pre-sell. That part is really no different than websites. With blogs, content is often arranged by category and date (instead of a logical order). I have a website group that meets once a month here in my city. Many people in the group complain that blogs are often confusing to read/find information. I think it depends on what the blog is about and how the content is arranged. Even though blogs are popular, the content layout is not best for every kind of site.

I love blogging and I love the dynamic features of a blog. It's a great asset to my static site because it allows me journal about current, news-oriented topics while my static/tutorial site is there for step-by-step teaching and guidance. It's easier to navigate my site because the topics are organized. You can do this with a blog as well (create more static pages), it's just that most people don't take the time to do it effectively, which can cause people to get lost if your site is tutorial based or if the content has to be followed in a certain order.

Also it's easy to get wowed by all the plugins and dynamic features a blog allows, but if you aren't making sales and getting traffic, how much are those bells and whistles contributing to your bottom line? Yes, blogs are cool but make sure they are functional and serve their purpose.

But don't just start a blog because you feel everyone is doing it. Make sure you decide how it can compliment your static site so you aren't just paraphrasing everything on your static site (like I did at first.) Some people who have sites and no blog decide to create a blog for a very specific thing. For example, you have a site on budget travel. Maybe your blog would be for hotel reviews.

If you're going to add a blog to your mix, give it a purpose so people know what it's for. If I could do it all over again I would give my blog a more specific purpose since I already have a static website. (i.e. reviews, case studies, etc.) The more targeted the better.

This is just my opinion based on my own experience. So don't take that as gospel. I'm sure others have had different experiences.

Wordpress.com is starting WordAds program

I just received notification from Wordpress.com that they are starting a program to allow their bloggers to start monetizing on their blogs with a new program they are calling WordAds. This will be run through Federated Media. It will allow a limited number of premium advertisers on each page. You would have to have a personal domain mapped to your Wordpress.com site. People can apply right now, but the program won't be started until sometime early 2012. Federated Media is much smaller than AdSense and includes fewer advertiser categories, but they supposedly pay more per thousand impressions. It will take time to find out how this will all really work out.

That's good to hear though but I wished they started years sooner.  I wonder why they are making the change now? When I was on the wordpress.com site, they were very adamant that you can't monetize your blog. Maybe since more people are leaving them and hosting their own blogs. 

Now wordpress is only allowing to have a few Amazon books affiliate links, and we can also sell some ebooks and other products or services.

Does Your Wordpress Blog Make Money?

Who here is making good money from their WordPress blog?  We're all aware by now that WordPress is the easiest way to build a website, but I was wondering how many of you actually make good money? And when I say "good money" I mean enough to enhance your existing lifestyle. I'm not talking about a dollar or two from AdSense per day.

I began to learn that very few of them made a lot of money. I don't think I met one person that was full-time online or even close. And they said it was their goal.

This is a good topic to discuss - I make money on my websites/blog, but it's only about $40 - $50 a month and is 90% Google Adsense. This is what I've built up to over 3 years. Do I spend every waking moment working on my websites? No. So hard work and determination are part of how much one can earn.

Getting there first in Google is another big advantage, especially for topics that become in demand. For instance, Naveen launched his Hindupad blog and it was a relatively uncharted territory for search engines. He got his content ranked and steamrolled followers in. He was at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

So here's the key points I think to earning money:

* In demand topic.

* Quality content/products for that topic.
* Ability to build a community and relate to others.
* Hard work/determination to build, create, and continuously improve.
* Getting there first in content and search rankings. Google gives big weight to older sights with original content.

If you have a full time job and a family like me, it's going to be difficult to earn a full-time income from a website/blog due to time constraints. It's possible, just very difficult. That doesn't stop me from trying though with different websites and ventures. One day, something is going to "stick".

I do believe it's less about the system you choose and more about how you execute and knowing how to reach your target audience. People who fail with either platform fail not because they chose the wrong platform, but because they struggle with building an effective website that engages their target visitor. And some people don't even set a target visitor. They just write to write while hoping people will just begin following. You really do need a strategy and can't just haphazardly put up a site with no clear focus.

The Different Types Of Online Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing programs has never been as popular before as it is today. Why? There can be a number of reasons. The most probable reason, however, could be the fact that the benefits of affiliate marketing have become clearer to a lot of people now than they were before.

Today, both the merchants and the affiliates can see clearly that affiliate marketing can work for both of them. The merchant sees affiliate marketing today as the chance to advertise their products at a lower cost. The affiliates, on the other hand, sees affiliate marketing as an easy way of earning profits online by doing what they like most, and that is by creating websites.

Just as the popularity of affiliate marketing has shifted into greater heights, so has the people's outlook about it changed. No longer is affiliate marketing considered today as an alternative method for the merchant to advertise his products, or as a source of additional income for the affiliates. For merchants and affiliates alike, affiliate marketing is now considered as a main source of profits and revenues.

So the question now is what type of affiliate marketing will work best for you? Are all affiliate marketing programs the same? Are the benefits the same? Or are there affiliate marketing programs that work better than the others?

There are actually different types or classes of affiliate marketing, and the number of types will depend on how one will classify them. The most basic affiliate marketing programs, however, falls under two categories: pay-per-click (PPC), and pay-per-performance (PPP).

Pay Per Click (PPC)

PPC is the most popular type of affiliate marketing for affiliates with small websites, and probably the easiest way for them to earn money. In this affiliate marketing type, the merchant pays his affiliate whenever a visitor is referred to his site, that is whenever someone clicks through the merchant's banner or text ads. The affiliate gets paid a certain amount even if the visitor he referred does not purchase anything from the merchant's site. However, typical fees for PPC affiliate programs are small, usually not exceeding a dollar for every click.

Pay Per Performance (PPP)

PPP affiliate marketing is the most popular among merchant and is also the most lucrative type for the affiliates. In this type of affiliate program, the merchant only pays the affiliate whenever his referral translates into an action-that is whenever the visitor he has referred actually buys something from the merchant's site or when the visitor becomes a lead. This means a lot of savings for the merchant. On the other hand, it becomes the most lucrative type for the dedicated affiliate, for commissions in PPP affiliate marketing usually comes in the range of 15% to 20% of the actual product sales.

Pay-per-performance affiliate marketing can be further classified into two popular types: pay-per-sales (PPS) and pay-per-lead (PPL).

Pay Per Sale (PPS)

In a pay-per-sale type of affiliate marketing, the merchants pay the affiliate a certain fee whenever the visitor he has referred to the merchant's site actually buys something from the merchant's site. Affiliates are often paid on commission basis, although other merchants would opt to pay a fixed fee. But no matter what the basis of the fee is, it is generally higher than the fee paid to affiliates in a pay-per-click affiliate program.

Pay Per Lead (PPL)

The pay-per-lead type of affiliate marketing is a slight variation of the PPS type and is often used by insurance and finance companies and other companies who rely on leads for their company to grow. In this type of affiliate marketing, the affiliate is paid whenever the visitor he referred to the merchant's site fills up an application form or any similar form related to the business of the company. Compensation for this type of affiliate marketing is based on a fixed fee whose rates approximate that of the fixed fee in the PPS type.

Aside from these three specific types of affiliate marketing, a lot of other affiliate marketing types exist. If the classification is based on the depth of the affiliate network, it can be classified as single-tier, two-tier, and multi-tier affiliate marketing. There is also another type of affiliate marketing that pays the affiliate each time the customer he has referred purchases something from the merchant's site.

Single-Tier, Two-Tier, and Multi-Tier Affiliate Marketing

. In two-tier affiliate marketing programs, the affiliate is not only paid for the direct traffic or sales that he refers to the merchant's site, but also on every traffic or sales referred by various other affiliates who joined the affiliate program through his recommendation. Multi-tier affiliate marketing works the same way, although the affiliate gets additional commission for a wider number of affiliates in different tiers in the affiliate network.

Residual Income Affiliate Marketing

In residual income affiliate marketing, the affiliate gets paid not only once for every customer he has referred to the merchant's site. Rather, the affiliate is also paid whenever the customer he has referred returns to the site and purchase another product. Compensation for such type of affiliate marketing is based on either sales percentage commission or fixed fee basis.

The different affiliate marketing types would virtually work differently for merchants and affiliates alike, and each would generally have their own list of benefits. Which type of affiliate marketing will work best for you? It is not really for me to tell. Rather, it is for you to choose which type of affiliate marketing program will suit your needs and characteristics best.

Making Money with an Online Business: 5 Things to Watch For

Depending on whom you talk to, today's economy is either on a roller coaster, on the verge of a recession, or in a full-fledged recession. Whichever is the case, there's little doubt that people are anxious about their economic well-being. Some are in danger of losing their homes, some are in danger of losing their jobs, and some are just plain scared about the future. That's why an increasing number of people are looking for new ways to make money; even if they don't get rich, they won't get deeper in debt. Instead of going out and getting another job, more people are opting to start a money making business online.

A home business has many advantages over looking for a second job. For one thing, there's no commute, which means you don't have to get gouged at the gas pump. For another, you can set your own hours and work when it's convenient. 

Finally a home working opportunity can give you peace of mind, since there's no chance that you're going to be laid off.

When it comes to an online business opportunity, however, it's often hard to choose among the many offerings out there. Here are five things to watch for when reviewing a potential money making business.

1. How Internet savvy do you need to be? One of the big mistakes people make is signing up for an online home working opportunity, and then finding out that they need to design web pages or continually update product offerings. That's simply beyond the ability level of most people. Instead, seek out a business offering that doesn't require you to buy a domain name, find a web host, upload HTML code, and so forth. In other words, you want a system that is as fully automated as possible.

2. How much of a back office is required? Many online business opportunities require you to maintain a complicated back office where you track sales, contact customers, provide support, and so on. In most cases, you even have to set up your own merchant account in order to accept payments and credit cards. That's a major headache, to say the least. Instead, look for an opportunity that doesn't require a back office set up, and that only requires that you have a PayPal account. Remember the more fully automated it is, the less time you have to spend in order to make money.

3. Avoid affiliates and MLMs. Multi-level marketing (MLM) and many affiliate programs are great get rich quick schemes - if you get in on the ground floor. If you don't, your hard work benefits those above you, but doesn't add much to your bottom line. Select a business where you receive 100 percent of the payments made to you.

4. Find products that sell. In today's environment, the best bet for products are those that are downloadable. For example, there is a huge market for software, e-books, graphics, and website content. If you become a reseller of these kinds of electronic informational products, you will be well on your way to having a successful business.

5. Keep it simple. Many home business opportunities require you to jump through hoops in order to launch your own enterprise. Before you know it, you're signed up for trainings, paying out membership fees, participating in conference calls or web-based seminars, and so on. Instead, find an opportunity that offers a valuable product and that makes it simple to create your own income stream.

Helpful Tips For Small Business Success

Do you want to succeed with your small business? Most people do, however, they are unable to do very well because of making small and costly mistakes that you should avoid. Finding that happy medium between succeeding in business, and making your customers happy, is the ultimate goal. To get sustainable positive result with any small business, you need to implement the following suggestions and strategies.

Networking is one of the most commonly heard words in business literature, but it's something that everyone should keep in mind.

Without being too overaggressive, when you interact with people, show them what you do and what your business or service has to offer. You simply need to talk to people, and not push them, as you try for the sale of your product or service. Although this is rare, it is possible to show someone your business, and have them overwhelmingly pleased; it simply depends upon whether or not they were looking for what you are selling. Once you understand that the people are interested in what you are talking about, you can tell them more about your services or products. The art of selling or networking is the skill that you learn that reveals how interested people are in what you have to offer.

Success in any business begins with following the strategies of those that have gone before us and already succeeded. Webinars are usually made available on a weekly basis from people that are already succeeding in several business models online or off-line. Even better, find out where these people are and meet them at a conference. Having a brief discussion about their area of expertise will help you improve your business model. Businesses on the World Wide Web, and the entrepreneurs that make millions, are accessible, at times, online. To get free advice from an online guru, the easiest way to drain their brain is to buy a product from them at a seminar that you attend. When interacting with the gurus in your industry, do your homework first; you can find out the answers to very basic questions on your own and save the bigger ones for them.

If you are able to be consistent and focused when running your business, you should do very well. You need to learn how to prioritize the things you need to get done everyday and stop waiting. It is typical for the average worker to waste a lot of time surfing around on the Internet and looking busy for their boss. Once you begin running your own business, you will see how your priorities begin to change, and how you will take responsibility for every one of your decisions and actions. New customers and sales will definitely not come your way if you do not work your own business to produce results. Always do the most important things first, and use the rest of the time to complete everything else.

In conclusion, you have to think creatively and take every opportunity to promote yourself when you have a small business. It was our goal to show you several marketing tactics that could help your business. Your goal should always be to please the customer and market your business in every way possible.

10 ways to make money online

1. Online advertising - On the Internet, a smartly organized small business may get excellent results, often competing side by side with larger corporations. Internet advertising is on an ascending trend, which shows plenty of potential for the near and distant future. As traditional media outlets struggle to keep costs down and become more attractive for potential advertisers, the virtual space offers any business the opportunity to achieve amazing results with a budget that is only a fraction of what an advertiser would pay to get the same ROI through traditional media. Using programs such as Google Adsense, placing affiliate banners on your site and making the most out of pixel advertising are all amazing ways to make some money.

2. Affiliate programs - You can choose affiliate hubs where different advertisers offer their banners and affiliate offers and you can manage them using a centralized system, or you can get a single affiliate website that will display their banners on your site. The potential profits that come from affiliate programs are strictly connected to how high your visitor counts are and how targeted those visitors are. This takes us a bit away from affiliate systems and highlights the importance of SEO in any online business. The web masters who invest money and energy into ethical SEO techniques often notice a very steady increase in traffic, which, in turn, enables them to make more profit from their online business.

3. Freelance jobs - Working as a freelancer on the Internet is one of the most popular ways of making money from home. You can try your luck at graphic design, copywriting, programming and several other dozens of ramifications and project types.

4. Electronic commerce - selling items on eBay is one of the hottest ways of making a lot of cash online. Not everyone is successful at it, of course, but those that are continue to increase their profits constantly. Auctions on eBay have a lot of potential - combine them with dropshipping and you can get a business that's easy to run and very profitable at the same time.

5. Paid surfing and survey filling - There are a number of companies that pay you to surf the web. They display a small add on your desktop when you are connected to the Internet and give you a percentage of the advertising revenue they receive. The amount per hour is not very big, but there are ways to multiply it by referring other people. This is really the focus of all this programs. Tell everybody you know that they too, can get paid to surf, and get paid yourself for referring them. Paid surveys are also great, since they are easy to fill in and anyone can do that from the comfort of their own home.

6. Networking - while this is not actually a direct way of generating profit, you can use social networking and MLMs to generate leads and drive traffic to your online business.

7. Selling websites and domain names is becoming an extremely popular area, which still has a lot of room for development. If you bought a nice, short and relevant domain name a while ago, you can make a small fortune selling it today. If you don't believe me, check out these figures, for the top five most expensive domain sales in the last few years:
Business.com - $7.5 million
AsSeenOnTv.com - $5.1 million
Altavista.com - $3.3 million
Wine.com - $2.9 million
Autos.com - $2.2 million

8. Work at home jobs - Depending on how much time you are willing to put into a work at home opportunity, you could either do it in your spare time, or make it your main income source. Work at home jobs are suitable for everyone: from students, to retired people. You do not sign any documents or commit in writing to anything, thus you are not obliged to work if you do not feel like it. In a modern society, with parents spending more time at home raising their children and college students looking for a comfortable part time job, a work at home opportunity is the perfect answer.

9. Outsourcing - this is not a moneymaking opportunity, but a money saving one. Outsourcing is the best way to create a competitive business in countries like the United States, Canada and most of Europe.

10. Free stuff online - you will not get rich while taking advantage of all the free stuff you can get online, but it is fun and rewarding. If you are a webmaster and you wish to create a very popular website, do your best to offer lots of things for free - downloads, software, ebooks, wallpapers and so on.