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

Ilona

:spam: First post and you are advertising your web site. Don't think it's allowed.

IzzyInTheHouse

I have recently started two blogs and as a newbie I was pretty overwhelmed but I am getting there. The one I set up first now has 311 views and it has only been going a few weeks, is that good? My other one is about a week old I would say and has 80 views! Both of these are thanks to constant posting on twitter about my blog really. I would be intrested to read some other ones similar to my blogs, how do I find them? Thanks! :beer:

PazDeLaHuertaFan

IzzyInTheHouse wrote: »

I have recently started two blogs and as a newbie I was pretty overwhelmed but I am getting there. The one I set up first now has 311 views and it has only been going a few weeks, is that good? My other one is about a week old I would say and has 80 views! Both of these are thanks to constant posting on twitter about my blog really. I would be intrested to read some other ones similar to my blogs, how do I find them? Thanks! :beer:

Let's say your blog niche is potatoes, then you could Google "potato blogs".

That might work.

Sixer

IzzyInTheHouse wrote: »

I have recently started two blogs and as a newbie I was pretty overwhelmed but I am getting there. The one I set up first now has 311 views and it has only been going a few weeks, is that good? My other one is about a week old I would say and has 80 views! Both of these are thanks to constant posting on twitter about my blog really. I would be intrested to read some other ones similar to my blogs, how do I find them? Thanks! :beer:

Search Google, then click 'blogs' under the 'more' link on the left hand refinement bar.

~_Dragonfly_~

Bigbase wrote: »

Advanta, whilst I agree with majority of what you have said.. Id like to point a few things out.

I find taking a different approach to the blogging normally works for me.

For example I normally pick a topic that has low competition on google to write about. I then put together a quick wordpress site and put up about 5 posts along with a contact form and an about page.

I took a friend under my wings, and set up a site with them. Yesterday the site made the highest amount ever. Just over £50.
£28.60 from affiliate sales and £23 from google. But normally the site does average around £15-18 a day, with next to no work. (after the initial hard work).


You can make money on google adsense.
(earnings for today is low, normally picks up around 6-7pm when the internet is busier)

Normally the affiliates dont make as much as that on a day to day basis, but you do find 1 or 2 days of the week where you make a bit and it evens out for the days you dont make a lot.

The traffic was just over 200 uniques. You dont need a lot of traffic to make money. Just like you dont need a lot of content to make money. Quality over quantity.

I've told him to gradually aim to build up a small portfolio of 5 sites all earning £10 a day. Which would equate to around £1500 or so a month.

This is a very decent wage. You will initially spend long hours. But your sites work 24/7. So it does eventually pay you back.

I hope your friend knows how lucky he is! I really wish I had a friend like you to take me under your wings! I would be dancing around the streets dressed as a tomato if I could get to earning £1500 a month! Last month I only earned about £10 on my AdSense and that was through another website, any blog I set up earns nothing.

But I am going to try to follow your instructions with a blogger blog and see if I can get your magic to work for me.I have no problem putting in the hard work, just knowing where to start is and how to do it is the big problem. Going to try and find a topic to start with now.

I have a Google AdSense account but I am guess from what you said above that you need to sign up to some affiliate sites as well to put on the site and not just put your Google ads on there?

Thank you for giving us all some information on how to be as successful as you blogging and setting up sites.

b1505

I've just set up a blog, mainly just for a bit of a hobby but obviously it would be good to make some extra cash. How do you get visitors to your blog? I've started them in the past but given up as I had nobody reading them.

Emuchops

b1505 wrote: »

I've just set up a blog, mainly just for a bit of a hobby but obviously it would be good to make some extra cash. How do you get visitors to your blog? I've started them in the past but given up as I had nobody reading them.

Yes, I would like to know this too. Trying hard to get visitors up, but it's a slow process.

daz501

It really is all about the traffic. Slapping Adsense all over thin content is not going to convert into clicks. What has been happening with my blog, is that marketing agencies have been getting in touch with me and offering money if I will publish articles containing a backlink to their client's websites.
I know why this is: there are new laws governing UK affiliates and cookies which is going to affect the online economy for both advertisers and publishers. So getting high quality back links with good content wrapped around is a pre-sell to get readers clicking those links.

But going back to the subject of blogging - it has to be something you enjoy writing about. Forcing yourself to write about something that you think is going to bring in traffic will get boring very quickly. And when you're competing with other bloggers writing about the same topics who have the passion and dedication.. well, there's no competition and it's inevitable for the half interested author to give up.

Search YouTube for Darren Rowse. He is perhaps one of the biggest and most profitable bloggers and has a lot of good advice. Bottom line, as always - content.

b1505

In just over a week I've had 265 people viewing my blog, but how do you get them to click on the adverts? Seems a bit useless atm

scaredofdebt

b1505 wrote: »

In just over a week I've had 265 people viewing my blog, but how do you get them to click on the adverts? Seems a bit useless atm

40 people a day isn't enough to make a good income from adverts - I tend to average ten times that amount and still only get one or two clicks a day, so just a few pence.

You can try placing the ads in different places to see if that has any effect and then try different ads if you have that option, graphics tend to work better than text etc.

Keep blogging and if your writing is good and people enjoy reading, you should get a bigger following over time, but it does take time.

Also if you put too many ads on the site you may alienate your readers so be careful.