How to Make money from Blogging
I hope at least some of you find this information useful. There’s a lot to go through so I’m going to chop this one up and start an article series.
There was a time when I was updating seven blogs, and didn’t get anything back. Sure…I got the occasional comment, and e-mails, but not anything you can consider rewarding in a financial sort of way. This eventually made me loose interest, and most of the effort I had put into the blogs was flushed down the drain. Who would want to work on their blogs several hours each day and get nothing back???
This made me forget blogging for a while, and use my spare time on other things. I made good use of the time by concentrating on other hobbies, but after a while I started blogging again…determined to make it stick this time.
The thing is…you need to select a topic, and you need to stick with that. I know it’s easy to want a multi topic blog, I have been there, but you should really consider selecting a topic, or maybe two if they are close related. This makes it easier to attract visitors, and in the end, easier to make a few bucks. Take your time selecting though, because you are suppose to like what you are blogging about. It makes it more fun, and easier to stick with. If at all possible, you should also incorporate the topic in your blog name.
The next advice is probably the cheapest investment you’ll ever do.
Get yourself your own domain name!!!!
This is very important. Owning a domain name gives the people visiting a sense of professionalism, and makes it a lot easier to remember where your blog is located. You also get e-mail addresses to add to the professionalism bit, and it makes it way easier to brand a product if that is what you want. It’s also an added bonus when it comes to Search Engine Rankings.
Choosing a domain name is often difficult, but you should choose according to your choice of topic(s) and/or the name you have selected for your blog. If you have opted in for blogging about your life, your name would be a good choice etc. The domain registrars often have ways to generate domain names. Use it!!! The main thing to remember when choosing a domain name is that the domain is your link to the internet. Use it to your advantage. Keep it simple and short, and preferably with the .com ending. This makes it easy to remember.
Here’s a registrar that I have found reliable:
DirectNic has been my registrar of choice for a long time. They are a bit expensive ($15 per domain), but has proven themselves time after time. Unbeatable customer service and a very good domain search function make them unbeatable. All my domains are currently controlled through DirectNic
After you have bought your domain name, you need hosting. There are several things you need to know to select the right hosting service. First, and foremost, you need to find a hosting service that is capable to run the blog script you is going to use (more on blog scripts in a later post). Second…you should find one with an easy to understand control panel. And third…you should consider a host with automatic script install services like the Fantastico service that many hosts imbed into their CPanel control panels. The last, but maybe the most important advice is that the cheapest host is probably not the best host.
I have a soft spot for hosts with the CPanel control panel. They often have great services, like the Fantastico script installer, and CPanel is very easy to understand and use. Most of the hosts using these control panels are also up to date when it comes to Pearl and PHP versions.
These are some hosts I have used, or are currently using…
This is the host that this blog is running on. Lightning fast, and always up. Good customer support and excellent host packages. They run CPanel, and has Fantastico installed.
Lunarpages has been one of my top choices, and I have several website there. They also run CPanel and have Fantastico. Their uptimes are unmatched in the industry, and they have several services that are great. One of the best choices you can make.
These people offer a lot to a minimal price. Several domains of mine reside on Dreamhost servers. They don’t use CPanel, but has their own, highly innovative, control panel. Very easy to host multiple domains here, in case you want to run more than one blog. theBLOGstuff can give you a very good deal if you want to use Dreamhost. If you use the promo code THEBLOGSTUFF, you’ll get $50 off every yearly or two year plan. This means almost half off on the yearly level 1 plan.
Ok…that’s it for this post. You have now selected a topic, chosen and bought a domain name, and chose where to host your pages. In the next post I’ll talk about choosing what blog software to use. How to prepare your blog for ads, and show you some services that you NEED to use.
Thanks to http://theblogstuff.com/2006/06/21/how-blogging-can-make-you-money-1/ for this how-to.