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Making Money Blogging: Top 7 Mistakes
This article is guest posted by Amino Zawawi.
Making money blogging has become the general obsession in cyberspace with its many angles: SEO, traffic exchanges, link baits, etc. Is there a secret recipe for making money online? Are those abundant e-books effective?
The blogging medium has changed drastically – at least for someone who’s been blogging for the past 6 years. It went from a “You have a… what?” to a “Read what happened at the party on my blog” to a “Let me write a guide in light of my experience in parties”
Are people really making money blogging? As a matter of fact, there are a handful making money blogging like Problogger, Carl Ocab, Dosh Dosh, and many more.
So how come you’re not generating cash from your blog? There are top 7 mistakes why your blog is not earning the money it should.
1. Setting Unrealistic Goals
A goal such as “I want to make $1000 this month from Google Adsense” is definitely a far fetched and unrealistic goal if your blog has just started out, you have modest traffic, or your content is not well optimized. You must set realistic goals that go with your blog’s gradual growth. One e-book that hits the nail on the head in relation to realistic goals is Josh Spaulding’s $5 Mini-Site Formula.
2. Creating Empty Content
Empty or filling content is content that gives no real value for your reader. When you first start your blog, you ask yourself two questions.
- Why would anyone visit my blog?
- Does my content enrich, help, or educate my reader?
If your blog is filled with useless content designed as a beard for the ad packed website you’re running, chances are you won’t generate profit. Profit comes from loyal readership. Remember that no one loves those useless ad packed blogs!
3. Spreading Yourself Too Thin
Many bloggers start out by trying all sorts of techniques ranging from traffic exchanges, to affiliate programs, to paid posting, and private advertising. You should focus your efforts on your content for the mean time then think of advertising.
4. Advertising Too Early
Many people might disagree with this point, but you shouldn’t advertise if you don’t have enough traffic. Why? The revenue you get will not match the time you spend obsessing over it. In terms of blog age, you must wait at least for 3 months before submitting your blog to advertising companies such as Adsense, WidgetBucks, or Adbrite. Your goal in your first year is to develop your content for people to start reading.
5. Not Buying a Domain
Let’s think of this in terms of the real world. When do companies really start earning the big bucks? Is it when they’re renting a small generic office in a 120 office building, or when they rent/buy a ground shop with a glass front to show their merchandise? Sticking to free hosted blogs can be beneficial for those not aiming to make a lot of profit, however; buying your own domain serves as a branding factor and can make all the difference with how much control you have over your blog and how people view it.
6. Slowing Blog Down With Images & Flash
It is said that any internet surfer will lose a reader if his blog takes more than 8 seconds to load. Think of how many potential readers will stop visiting your blog because of the numerous images that take forever to load. Optimize your website to load in less than 8 seconds and you’ll see how money will start flowing your way.
7. Giving Up
Many bloggers have what I call the “Am I doing it right?” paranoia. Statistically speaking, many bloggers will abandon their blogs out of frustration, impatience, and moderate traffic. The key to building a profitable blog is patience, since it takes a lot of time to build readership, getting picked up by search engines, and increasing your website’s traffic.
Feel free to add other mistakes that starting blog entrepreneurs make. Remember you will reap profit in accordance with how much time and effort you invest in your blog!
Carl Ocab is one of the most successful teenage bloggers on the net. But remarkably, Carl was just 13 years old when he rose to fame with his hugely popular “make money online” website: www.carlocab.com
Hi, my name is Carl Ocab or as many call me, the “Kidblogger”. I’m a 16-year old kid from the beautiful archipelago Philippines.
April 27, 2008
11:57 pm
I have to comment on your 4th point though – Advertising Too Early.
Who says it takes 3 months to get enough traffic to advertise? I bet with the power of social media, you can drive thousands of visitors to your blog in a matter of HOURS.
And heck, even if you don’t really have that much traffic – still monetize your blog. Just don’t be obsessed bout it ;-)
April 28, 2008
2:48 am
Carl I totally agree with you. You’ve got to look for the profit from day one.
April 28, 2008
12:29 am
It’s true Carl, the power of social media is miraculous and can put you on top – given that the blogging enterpreneur is very well connected.
However, the point is not to obsess about it. What budding bloggers do in most cases, however; is watch their budding blog make nothing in the first couple of months or as much as $5 a month and start getting frustrated and jump to mistake #7.
There’s an interesting debate about whether social network traffic generates better CTR. I’m thinking of conducting a small experiment (aren’t we in the experimenting mood, bum marketing and the social marketing CTR effect)
April 28, 2008
11:02 am
Just read the post, skipped the comments though but this is what I saw…
“And if your business is based around making money off clicks, this is something that should be keeping you up at night.”
There are tons of ways to monetize your blog aside from CPC, say CPM ads or by capturing leads for long term profit like what I’m doing.
If your point though is not to be obsessed bout the ads on your blog, then I’d agree with it.
May 2, 2008
2:33 am
Thought this was the right time to pitch in. My blog is about 20 days old (since I disclosed it ) and it has already earned $80 through adsense. And thats good money I think.
So monetize right from the start. You never know what you gonna get. :)
April 28, 2008
2:51 am
Carl it’s like they say, “The ones who can – Do… The ones who can’t – Teach
April 28, 2008
5:55 am
Thanks. I just purchased and I was wondering what you would do for your first year of blogging. Give me maybe a mini-gameplan on what to do.
April 28, 2008
7:47 am
Great post and congratulations for taking action at such a young age. You’re off to a good start. For me, mistake #7 is the most significant. Making money online or by blogging is an endurance race. In my opinion, giving up is the number one reason why most people fail in this niche. You can’t just flip a switch and turn on a money machine. It takes work and perseverance to succeed.
April 28, 2008
1:18 pm
as matt codlngton said monetizing a blog will help you understand that it isn’t easy… its earning while you’re learning
April 28, 2008
3:20 pm
These are excellent ideas indeed. I tried to advertise the blog from day one (had some articles posted then and the visitors would have something to read too). It’s a small effort to bring in some of those first visitors and try to speed up the process a bit. It’s sad seeing how many people give up. Most are into this just for the money and lack the PASSION that makes a dedicated blogger. Maybe lack the talent when it comes to write interesting articles, since it’s also important, if not the most important aspect: not all bloggers are meant to be bloggers.
April 28, 2008
7:46 pm
gr8 info shared out here frd … very useful for me … i was planning to have a blog on free hosting …. but now i WILL have a private domain of my own soon ;)
Thanx frd
April 28, 2008
8:41 pm
Very good points raised but I would also have to disagree with advertising too early. I think putting up ads from the start has four advantages:
1. The very little money you might earn is still money. You’re right – just don’t obsess over how little it is.
2. If you plan to advertising on your blog, it helps to see as early as possible which ones work with your site layout and which ones do not.
3. Your readers will get used to the ads. Try to imagine the possible reactions of your subscribers who got used to your ad free site when they suddenly see banners. It maybe just me but I think it will have a negative impression.
4. You give an impression to your new visitors that your blog is worth reading because you have advertisers.
Just my two cents.
April 28, 2008
10:15 pm
Fitz, I’ve especially loved your 3rd point! It didn’t occur to me when I was writing the article, but indeed, it would be like a cultural shock once they see the ads suddenly. That’s why I love hearing from other bloggers.
My 3 months rule is quite arbitrary, with my point being for bloggers to focus on content since I’ve often worked with bloggers seeking to monetize their blogs and the advertising revenue issue would send them straight to no.7. It’s up to the blogger and his own assessment, I for one don’t follow the 4th (hehe)
April 28, 2008
10:30 pm
I think that when people first start their blogs, they focus on the things that don’t matter and this causes them to get frustrated about why they aren’t making any money.
April 29, 2008
3:10 am
I’m still really new to this blogging game, but I suspect that content is still king, and that it’s important to write about something that you have a passion about. I’ve been reading a lot of MMO blogs in the last couple of weeks, and the ones that really stand out are the ones that have something unique to say. Most of them didn’t start out wanting to make money in the first place. I suspect this is why Carl does so well. Thanks for the post!
- Dave
April 30, 2008
8:12 am
Thanks for this article. I found it very informative. I’ve recently started blogging with three blogs and have a lot to learn!! As a new blogger, I need all the help I can get. Thanks again!!
Syn
http://www.lifeofsyn.com
http://www.stepfamilysanctuary.com
http://www.everythingohio.net
May 1, 2008
11:09 am
I think #7 is the biggest mistake.. Giving up is something we should refuse.. Just work a little bit harder to make money out of your blog.. Nice post anyway!
May 2, 2008
12:55 pm
Carl, they say having regular readers of your sites and blogs is great, but eventually it does not have any more positive effect on your earnings as your readers will be going back for your site’s contents and simply ignore your ads. Is this really the case?
May 2, 2008
2:48 pm
The biggest mistake is “2. Creating Empty Content”.A lot of usefull and unique content is the key to success.
Work At Home Make Money Online
May 5, 2008
3:48 am
Hi,
I am new in blogging and thanks for this articles I will develop my blog first.
buzz in hollywood
May 6, 2008
4:40 pm
Yes it is true.Advertising too early affects your money.Also one needs to be rich on content even before publishing ads.One needs to select meaningful ads and not publish only google adsense.People can now try web2.0 ads and also use TNX.net
May 8, 2008
10:17 pm
1 u should of did a spell check and its really wih blogs to do more network marketing if you would like the ebooks on blogging please just shoot me a email on blogging
May 9, 2008
3:12 pm
I absolutely agree with this post. I started a blog in January about earning money online and now I get 100 hits a day. I put a lot of work into the blog this week and had some really great unique content posts as well as reviews. I am already seeing an increase in traffic. It is cleat the content is what matters most. I am also running a personal contest so everyone can witness my making money methods first hand and see how much I really earn, and how.
http://www.projectpaydaymentor.com/
May 15, 2008
4:54 pm
Of course some people do get lucky and find a hole in the market. But still, 99% of the people just have to work and earn their money. Making money online is just the same. I think many people give up because their expectancy was too high. It seems so easy to get rich from making money online, but it is still a lot easier to lose money online…
May 16, 2008
8:33 pm
Great article, but I disagree with “Setting Unrealistic Goals”. I guess today a lot of people setting realistic goals, so you’ll get more results doing exact opposite.