I just saw a blog post on a blog (I’m not going to link to it because it’s a pretty spammy site that pushes splog software and was filled with lots of affiliate ads) that made me laugh (and feel a little depressed all at once).
The topic of the post was about how to make massive income through AdSense and Affiliate programs through creating ‘niche content sites’. Here were their steps:
1. Set up a Blog – they recommended a variety of free blogging platforms (including WordPress.com – which if you dig even a little you find don’t allow you to use Adsense, YPN, Chitika or most other ad systems on wordpress.com).
2. Add your Google Adsense Code – (with affiliate button)
3. Find a related affiliate products (they recommend ClickBank – of course with an affiliate link)
4. Promote your blog (using pinging software – more affiliate links)
Easy isn’t it!
But what’s the missing step in this process to creating massively successful niche content sites?
How about Content?
While the article in question was obviously a cheap and nasty way to generate some affiliate sales for the author, I’m sad to say that the attitude of ‘build it and they will come – and you’ll grow rich’ is one that many bloggers buy into.
I’ve come across a few angry bloggers this week who seemed to feel that it was their right to have traffic to their blog after putting the effort into making it (despite the fact that they only had 10 or so free articles and a couple of 2 sentence original posts on their blogs).
I know this is pretty basic stuff for many ProBlogger readers (apologies) but I’m finding it is a constant conversation that I’m having with bloggers.
BEFORE you set up a blog it’s important to ask yourself a series of questions to help you work out if a blog is for you:
• Am I willing to write regular (I recommend a minimum least 5 times per week – 5 is ok, but in practice I find 10 or more is ideal) content on my blog?
• Am I willing to interact with readers who might comment on my content?
• Am I willing to deal with comment spam (while there are tools to help with this, some will get through and you need to put time into deleting it as it comes in)
• Am I interested enough in the topic to blog about it for a long time?
• How much time am I willing to put into this blog each week?
• Do I know enough about the topic I’ll be writing about (or am I willing to learn)?
• Am I willing to stick at this blog for the long term – even if my blog isn’t successful quickly?
• Am I willing to watch what others in the blogosphere (and in other mediums) are writing on this topic?
While there are probably a few well trafficked blogs out there that break a few of these rules I would suspect that most successful bloggers work pretty hard at their blogging. Looking in from the outside, making money online can be quite ‘easy’ (and there are elements that some people do find easy) but the fact is that it takes a lot of hard work also.
Amen to the hard work! I see it so much from mlm to blogging to building web sites that is permeated by the get-rich-quick mentality.
I don’t think that it is stressed enough that anything you do, including your online ventures, takes tons of hard work. Thanks for pointing it out.
What people need to realize is that unless you are really lucky/good you don’t make money in the first month, or the first 6 months, or the first year, or even the second year. Web publishing is a long term game.
You want to know the REAL WAY to make money blogging?
Step 1: Choose a topic you love (not like.. LOVE).
Step 2: Read a book about writing well.
Step 3: Write every weekday.
Step 4: Repeat “step 3” 400-700 times.
Step 5: Enjoy life and learning more about your topic.
Step 6: Monetize your blog.
Amen to all that. Add to this list:
* If you apply these rules, success will come with steady growth — hang around long enough and keep producing, and your audience will grow — but you won’t necessarily predict when or how (or even if) you’ll break through. A post picked up by a bigger blogger, an oldie that breaks through, some new inspiration.
* Resist the urge to take shortcuts. You never know who’s watching and seeing what you’ve done. More people watch than you realize.
It has definitely been a tough road for me. it has been slow in coming, but it is getting good now.
I recommend to people that visit the http://www.CrimsonLight.com blogs that they should not expect anything until they have written consistently for over a year. Than at that time they might start seeing some money, but normally not enough to go fulltime… since that is what they always ask.
Content Content Content
thank Darren, this articles give me more new line of rules about writing/blogging. i knew some bloggers that just keep posting for other website products, of course with link affiliates on it. im too lazzy to read their blogs or add for link partner.
Gee, shock, horror! You mean that blogging isn’t the get rich dream of our dreams … you mean we have to treat blogging much like any other business as in find a need in a market and fill it – damn it, Darren … I thought that all I had to do was place a handful of posts on a blog and I’d be watching those AdSense cheques rolling in … ;-)
You mean, get ready for this, blogging is actual work … ;-)
You know Darren, I’m not sure how you manage to consistently write about how to blog without sounding overly repetitive.
I only started about 3 months ago, and without focusing on monetization or “making it” managed to get onto memeorandum for the first time yesterday. Consistently writing, linking, commenting and working to improve my blog by reading sites like yours have made all the difference. Thanks.
Excellent post! Content is one of the main reasons I go to a site, or to a blog for that matter. That is even why I started coming here so often. I like what you write and you deserve to get paid well Darren.
It’s funny isn’t it? We hear of people who are making millions of dollars we all want to become one too. Then people will read about us and we will make more money.
Somehow the old adage “It takes ’20 years’ to become an overnight success” is ignored when it comes to the Web (blogging).
If you have great conent I’ll read and I’ll return. I’ll even tell others to go to your site and then you’ll begin to make the money.
I like Daraen’s pragmatism when he says around 10 articles a week is ideal. That is a tough gig! But, if you do that, write good content that applies to “me” then I definitely will come.
It’s funny isn’t it? We hear of people who are making millions of dollars we all want to become one too. Then people will read about us and we will make more money.
Somehow the old adage “It takes ’20 years’ to become an overnight success” is ignored when it comes to the Web (blogging). Okay, it may be quicker but it isn’t “instant”. (And of it is instant, it may also be “fleeting”.
But … if you have great content I’ll read it and I’ll return. I’ll even tell others to go to your site and then you’ll begin to make the money.
I like Darren’s pragmatism when he says around 10 articles a week is ideal. That is a tough gig! But, if you do that, write good content that applies to “me” then I definitely will come.
Darren, I’d add another point to consider – is there enough content available for the long term. I’ve gotten to the point that I’m posting news content on The Barter Blog anywhere from every couple of weeks to a couple of times a week because you can only repeat the recycled “news” stories so often. On the other hand, an occasional infusion of fresh news is all that’s needed to keep a reasonable search engine presence and since the search engines respect longevity, even intermittent posting isn’t the worst thing in the world for some topics.
Bill – 20 years to become a success in blogging? And the web has only been around for 12? ;)
I’ve find that niche blogs don’t have to post as much to get top listings on Google (or to stay there either), but on the other hand less niche blogs should be posting like it’s going out of fashion. 5 posts a week is enough for a niche blog, but I’d recommend 15+ posts a week for the rest. I’ve lost momentum with the dS blog and to be honest I’m probably just not trying hard enough, a little more effort on my part me thinks!
Lee
Good post, Darren. Unfortunately blogging is the new “get rich quick” and only beginners and idiots don’t realise the work that goes into building a successful blog. Unfortunately, high-profile probloggers like yourself are helping people buy into this notion (although you are a definite “white hat” type!)
I think the main thing that is missed by the get-rich crowd is that you’re building a brand. You need good design, good SEO skills, good content and a growing community. Oh, and passion (lots of). How many of us preach these things daily, only for people to assume it’s as simple as banging up a blogger blog and riddling every ounce of whitespace with adverts?
Hey Darren,
“Build it and they will come” is true if you mean using solid content.
Whether you are selling something or selling yourself (niche), you have to have a good base on which to build.
Once you have a good foundation, you can begin to build the entire structure (site).
Joe
It’s not suprising that the get-rich-quick guys would latch on to the blog bandwagon and emphasize the form over the substance.
Of course, it takes effort and content (and some design, too) to succeed. I would also argue it often takes either a special style (or voice) to distinguish oneself from the masses. Unless one is brilliant, these elements sometimes takes time to develop and requires effort to overcome your weaknesses (good writers are rarely good designers, etc.)
It does not hurt to think ahead about the monetization aspect- there may be subjects that one absolutely loves, but few others are interested in. But taking an inventory of what one can write about with obvious interest and style does count for a lot.
Yea, all that, but the real annoying thing is that the sploggers make more from their splogs than I do from my blog. :p
To be serious, though, I’ve found blogs to have the lowest ROI out of any type of website I’ve done.
Most Ironic Part is that it’s always on main page of google’s blogger.com under “Recently Updated” Heading ……if that’s da same blogg you are talking about!!
Most Ironic Part is that, it’s always on main page of google’s blogger.com under “Recently Updated” Heading ……if that’s da same blogg you are talking about!!
Nice piece.
Content is everything. If you have nothing to say about a topic, maybe you shouldn’t be writing about it.
While I’d like to make money at blogging someday, I was ecstatic last week when I found that a couple of visitors had found my main blog by searching on terms such as “totally unhappy marriage” and “when to stay married and when to divorce.” My blog is already fulfilling its mission, which is to help people save their marriages. That helps me stay focused on the real reason I’m doing this, because it’s sooo tempting to just think about money.
Recently a google searcher found my Signal 7 site looking for “show me how to make a web page of my own for fun to make money with out having to do anything“.
Talk about high hopes!
lol, Mathew Patterson. That is a very interesting query. I believe it is the longest I’ve seen.
I think the idea is to get as much internet real estate as you can. People who subscribe to this idea are convinced the search engines can’t catch all their splogs.
I’m still wondering how they keep up with all of them. I have a hard time remembering the few passwords I have.
[…] Darren Rowse writes extensively on problogging topics, and here’s a little advice from him. read it and take it to heart, or at least mind. He makes money from his blogging, and wants to make sure everyone knows it takes hard work. […]
Goodness.. I just figured out how to put a form subscription on my blog. But I’m not crazy to think I can make millions from a blog in less than 6mths. Maybe 8-10. :)
Great article – all too often I find people wanting to get rich quick or fall prey tot he sales copy advertising ” 3 simple steps to make millions” The one step always let out is the 4th step – hard work.
There is nothing in this life that does not come from work. The higher quality effort you put in the better the results will be. If you think just setting up a blog, adding adsense ads and then you can sit back and watch the money pour in – I am sorry this will not happen. You have to put in the effort.
Iam a convert of Ken Evoys so what you are saying just makes
common plain old sense to me. Good quality content on any
given subject will always rise to the top and there are no short
cuts. In fact the blogs that you refer to in this article are doing
themselves a dis-service and most probably losing money
in the process. As for myself any blog or website, for that matter,
that looks like a bunch of links and content junk, is quickly washed
away with a stroke of the mouse click.
This is just a real nice post and it brings me back to memory that there are indeed lots of people who gets a good ranking at blogs and ‘assume’ that they’re monetizing which in fact is also pretty much a disguise of success.
The many elements in blogging will definitely give results and the hardest to master for most average people is the discipline to be consistent and post with quality.
If we can achieve this skill and mindset. All will be set in motion soon enough.
Great post Darren. As we all know, there’s no magic bullet. Hard work and dedication are the seeds that grow a successful blog.
And as always, quality, quality, quality!
Shine on,
Aaron