Blogging for a second income - does anyone else here do this?

ButterPie_2

Brill- some excellent tips! I will get off and start looking into the things you said. When I say "income now", I don't mean, like, today - we have bits and bobs to keep us afloat. I just mean that I'd rather we focused on doing work that will lead to income, rather than him just writing on the off chance of getting a writing job - the world of journalism and writng is so saturated with people working for free, that it is too much of a gamble. We're hoping that a popular blog could start to bring in income, with the side effect of getting his writing out, meaning that he could be able to get work off the back of it, much further down the line.

I've run small websites myself in the past, and got to the top of Google pretty quickly and easily, but these were in very niche and local subjects - ie there wasn't very much competition, and I never had adverts on the sites - they were either hobbies or basically big online adverts for offline businesses, so I think this a quite a bit different. However, my health issues mean that I have hours to kill in front of my computer, so I am happy to learn!

I was under the impression that the freelance sites were only looking for people to spam, writing articles for a couple of pence a time? Is that not the case? Ooh, something else to look into... Thanks

daz501

I'd just like to add that it's also worth watching these video tutorials.

There's some really useful tips on here channel, such as Static websites Vs Blogs, which is quite recent

http://www.youtube.com/user/lisa3876

zippot

I started a blog whilst i was working abroad it was ok and I enjoyed writing it but i never got any visitors.? There is loads of advice on the internet but there are a lot of scams to. You are not going to make real money untill you have your blog backlinked and you need to provide lots of content and it needs to be directed at a Keyword.If you write about something big like ipods there is loads of competition so you will struggle to make money but if you have a speciality say beach camping you will get fewer but better views to your site?? Its a long process and you will take sometime to make money but when you do it should keep on coming my aim is to get a regular top up income I have joined a service which takes you through from every step and has a forum so you can ask for help and you will. but they also provide a service where other members post there articles on your site I have over 500 on mine and i have been going since november 2010 i am just starting to get some website traffic over 1000 per month and growing so hopefuly i should start earning some money soon do not be fooled it takes some time but it is doable if i can do it anyone can and you can pick your topic,I have been writing about various things hair straighteners to holidays but this site goes through the basics and thats what you need there aim is to get every member on 1000 dollars per month in a year ? remember blogging has to be a long term thing to earn any money.

mismax

Good advice Zippot, it has to be long term and if you can find a supportive community all the better!

Some upfront investment in any business is inevitable but it should be minimal and very clear what you are getting for your money. For some reason, the web more than anything seems to be full of GRQ merchants selling snake oil type products!

To answer your original question Butterpie, now it is clearer what you are planning - yes niche selection is key but it is much more than that.

Firstly, you need to choose a topic that you can write about with passion and knowledge.

Secondly, there needs to be a clear way to monetise that topic. The main two ways would either be via google adsense, in which case you need something with a decent cost per click (think insurance, stock exchange etc for the biggies). You can run any ideas you have through the google adwords tool to see what they charge advertisers for a click.

The other way of monetising your blog or site is via affiliate links, in this case you need to have a product focussed site where people will buy online.

Finally, you need to assess supply and demand closely. Too high a supply and you are in too competitive a field, too low and it is probably not something people are looking for!

I started with a clear idea of what I wanted to write about. It was an area i was passionate about but when I ran the numbers through the niche selection tool they did not add up, I would have been wasting my time so after a good few days of brainstorming I came up with an idea related to my original plan but more commercial.

That selection stage is crucial and making the right choice at this stage will be your make or break. Don't try and guess it as you will break your heart putting blood , sweat and tears into something that just misses the mark!

Once you have your niche selected, you need to break it down further by choosing the right keywords for each page. Again, you can use the free google tool to get a rough idea of this and there are more advanced commercial tools available if you want to take it further.

It sounds like you have a good grounding and between your web skills and his writing, you should be able to make a good business out of it with the right niche.

Lisac36

Hi

There are loads of ways of making money out there if you are good at writing. Offer to write blogs for people, this is great for websites as it increases content on the site as well as getting people to follow them. You can also win money in Magazine competitions, there are loads out there and you can win £200 and more!

The Writers Bureau to writing courses that you can do at your own pace at home and it really helps if you want to get started in writing and earning an extra income from writing.

Cheers
Lisa

Bigbase

I run a few blogs, if any one wants to write - PM me the topics you can write on.

Obviously i will pay - or help you get set up with your own blog

red_devil

i just made a google blog about revewing this years technology. I havent a clue how to promote it or start making money or even if its good? Can someone advise?

MikeR71

Funny enough I started a blog last week.
It all started because my facebook status was at times so controversial that it led to long debates with my friends. What can I say? I have controversial opinions about things, from politics to football.

So I decided to start a blog and write on things, anything, in the news or not that I feel I have a say about. I haven't had any visitors so far but then again I haven't sent the address to any of my friends. I have only posted a couple of articles on it.

I don't expect people to read my blog for my opinion. As they say, opinions are like a**holes! I will need to find my niche, but that will have to be a different blog.

WayneDave

Hi, I've just started my blogging (and by the way if anyone is willing to view mine and give me any advice could they PM me, would be greatly appreciated) and have read through a lot of the information on here. There's some really great stuff. I am under no illusion that come tomorrow I'll be rolling in the dough or anything! Was wondering though, does anyone do this as a full time job/income?

Trixi

I'm a beginner at this too and havebeen looking around at advice about making money with blogs/websites. Many of the more sensible (not trying to sell me some crazy looking eBook!) money making blogs recommended a course on internet marketing at The Keyword Academy so I've just started a free trial month there to see if I want to subscribe.

It looks really interesting so far and seems to have potential, though I have no illusions about it being very hard work! Quite a few people seem to make steady money after a year or so, so I'll stick at it for a bit and see how it goes. I'd love to be where some of you are at, making a regular monthly amount.

edit - re-reading some of your posts it looks like some others here are Keyword Academy members too - if you don't mind me asking, how have you found their methods working for you? (this question is aimed at anyone!)