Work these three online income sources into your blogging strategy for consistent income every month

More than 300 million new websites are created every year, that’s nearly 600 a minute. The total number of sites on the web has been pretty static around one billion over the last few years.

That means that just as many websites close down as are created, and the majority are those newly created sites.

There is money in blogging but it’s not the passive income miracle many people would have you think. Derek does a good job of pointing this out in his definitive guide to blogging.

Making money as a blogger and developing your piece of online real estate means finding the best online income sources for new bloggers as well as the ones that will make you the most money. Derek lists some great options in his guide including advertising, sponsored posts and freelancing.

I wanted to share my favorite three online income strategies, three that helped me make $86,000 last year through five blogs I own.

Making Self-Publishing a Natural Fit for Thousands

Self-publishing has been, by far, my favorite source for online income. It’s not my largest revenue source but is easily the most passive.

I made a total of $22,290 in 2017 from ten self-published books through Amazon, paperback and audiobook. Monthly income was very consistent, and I did nothing but spend around $200 a month in Amazon advertising and promote the books through my blogs.

Self-publishing is a natural fit for bloggers. You’re already creating content and developing your expertise in a niche, why not monetize that expertise?

Besides publishing books through platforms like Amazon, you can also convert posts or guides into pdf printables to sell through your site. Creating printables of just a few pages is a great idea because you can hyper-target your marketing with printables directly related to your high-performing posts.

Try this self-publishing strategy to seamlessly work the income source into your blogging:

• Choose a popular topic on your blog that you can turn into a book, a topic that you can create a transformation around.
• Brainstorm the process behind causing this transformation in readers including major steps, frequent questions and hurdles.
• Research books within the topic on Amazon. What are other authors talking about, what are they missing and what can you add? Check out reviews for each book as well. What did readers like and what else did they want to see?
• List out 8 – 12 chapter ideas for your book. These should offer a natural path to your reader’s transformation including everything you found through your research.
• Outline each chapter, the relevant topics in each and what you want to cover, then publish one chapter a week as a blog post.
• After a few months, collect all the posts into a single document and reformat into a book. Once the book is published, add a call-to-action and a link in each post to your Amazon page.

This strategy breaks your book into manageable chunks and keeps you on track to finish it. It also turns your blog into a ready-made marketing channel. Each post will start drawing Google search visitors, readers that are targeted and interested in your book’s topic.

Self-publishing won’t make you rich but it’s a solid online income source. After launch, just a few sales a month from advertising and your blog should be enough to keep the book ranked and generating sales from the billions of users on Amazon.

Sales on each book are different. I make between $100 and $500 on each of my published books but they average out to stable monthly income. Don’t give up if one book isn’t a best-seller. Publish a few books and the numbers will work out for you.

An Affiliate Strategy for Max Effect

Affiliate marketing, linking to a product on your blog and receiving a commission on each sale, can be a great income source but is also a lot of work. I make just over half my online income from affiliates, averaging $3,062 per month in 2017, but it wasn’t without a lot of hard work and stress.

The problem with affiliate marketing is that it takes time to write posts targeted to affiliate products then even more time to promote those posts so they rank on Google. Affiliates may only offer their commission for a year or two meaning you only have a limited time to monetize all that work.

Affiliate marketing benefits from higher blog traffic, whereas you don’t need as much traffic to make lots of money from self-publishing. You might only convert one reader out of 100 for an affiliate sale meaning you’ll need significant blog traffic to make real money.

I don’t want to scare you from taking advantage of affiliate marketing. It’s a great revenue source and there are some tips you can use to make strong monthly income.

• Concentrate on just a few affiliates, products that serve your target reader’s most critical need. I earned commissions from 45 affiliates in 2017 but just five accounted for 78% of my income. Spend your time on developing content around your best affiliates.
• Only recommend affiliates which you have personally used. First, you don’t want to burn your readers with bad products even if it means a little extra cash now. Also, readers respond much better to a personal recommendation than to a generic review of a product.
• Plan on doing three types of posts for each of your best affiliates; a review of the product, a demonstration where you walk readers through how to get started, and an interview with someone else that has used the product. These three types of posts are easier to rank on Google and really focus your reader on the affiliate.
• Comparison lists work great as well and you can include several related affiliates. Be sure to really detail out the list including non-affiliated products as well. Make it a great resource for readers and the sales will come.

Taking Your Blogging Income to the Next Level

Self-publishing is great but you’re looking at about $3 for every copy sold. I sell over 600 copies of my books every month for a profit of just under $2,000…not bad but there’s a way to make even more on fewer sales.

Video courses are truly the next level for a blog and a natural progression from self-publishing. You’ve already created the content to drive a transformation in your reader, why not show them how to do it?

Whereas most ebooks on Amazon sell for between $3 to $5 a copy, you can price your courses between $99 and $300 each. I’ve seen video courses and workshops sell for $1,000 though I prefer the lower range.

Creating a video course is a lot more work than publishing a book but you’ve already got some of the work done. Try self-publishing first to see which books are popular with readers then consider converting those books into courses.

• Just as you created marketing channels by posting your book chapters to your blog, consider uploading a few of your course videos to YouTube.
• Start developing a YouTube channel now for your courses so you’ll have an audience that is used to following you on video.
• Use your YouTube channel to start the learning curve for video production. Believe me, there’s a lot more that goes on in producing a good video than you see by watching it. Practicing with videos on your channel will help you get proficient before you start recording course material.

These aren’t the only income sources you’ll want to target for your blog. The best blogging strategy is one that includes many online sources to diversify your income. It can be devastating seeing your only source of online income drop off. Being able to rely on multiple sources helps keep you in the game without getting discouraged. There’s no secret to being a successful blogger. Keep at it and you will make money!

Joseph Hogue worked as an equity analyst and an economist before realizing being rich is no substitute for being happy. He now runs five websites in the personal finance and crowdfunding niche, makes more money than he ever did at a 9-to-5 job and loves building his work from home business.

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4 Reasons to Search Available Domains on a Regular Basis

Websites are a fact of business in the modern landscape. Whether that site is used for ecommerce, promotion, information, or any other reason, a great domain is what launches it into the next level. Conducting a routine domain search is an activity that provides a few distinct advantages for the long and short-term. Since searching domains is a free process, it never hurts to brainstorm a few keywords in order to tap into the additional potential of the Internet.  When we were researching domain names for HealthierDay.com, we actually checked over 900 domain names!

Brand Protection for Your Business

For companies that are already active on the Internet, performing a routine search helps safeguard the brand you have worked so hard to build. Since a lot of time and effort are put into the company website, it makes a lot of sense to be on the lookout for domains that can be mistaken for the official site. Staying aware of those domains that are close to company site, or even making an extra purchase, is one way to make sure the brand stays well protected and unique.  If any future dispute or trademark lawsuit develops down the road, it can be critical to prove that you are taking steps to protect your brand.

Develop New Business Ideas

New ideas have the potential to jump up at any given point in time, which means having a place to launch those ideas into motion is part of the process. Many times a great domain can light the creative engines on fire. Performing a regular search of what is available for purchase on the Internet can provide the necessary spark to give life to another brand, an extended site, or even a companion web presence.  Finding that great domain name available can even give rise to a new startup business opportunity.

For instance, if you are looking to start and setup your own blog, there are nearly a limitless supply of clever domains still out there.  You just might have to put on your thinking cap and spend an hour or two digging out that hidden gem, but they still definitely exist!

Alternate Extensions For Your Business

The days of the usual .com, .net, or .org extensions making up the bulk of Internet locations is long past. The explosion in digital popularity has led to .club, .guru, .company, and other extensions. While these extensions might seem foreign at first, they have the potential to fit a company better that the traditional ones. On that note, the only way to explore those options and keep them open is stay aware of what changes are taking place on the Internet.

Better Choices For Your Business

The simple fact is that the domain name might be what is holding the site back. Often as websites grow and evolve, they transform concepts and shift focus. A new domain has the possibility to harness those changes and fit the company in a better way. While rebranding and renaming a site can be a massive undertaking, the process has the benefit of fitting with the strategic vision of the business in a better way.

4 Reasons to Search Available Domains on a Regular Basis – Final Thoughts

In the end, searching available domains is just one way for companies to help prepare for the future. The digital frontier can change quickly, and staying flexible is important for every business regardless of industry. Taking advantage of new extensions, protecting the brand, and being ready for new ideas are all valuable assets. Domains are one of the most basic elements of any Internet business. Like every business asset, they need to be nurtured and maintained on a regular basis. Since a search is a free activity, it never hurts to keep an eye on the horizon.

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How to Write and Publish an eBook – Top Tips

Are you interested in writing your own ebook for fame or fortune?  I was fortunate to get some pointers recently from author Jeff Beard on how to write and publish an ebook.  I had some pretty basic questions that Jeff was able to answer easily.  Hopefully some of the top ebook writing tips will help you too!

 Q: How did you go about getting an ISBN and how much did it cost?

A: You can pay for an ISBN or have one assigned to your book for free. If you use the free publishing services of Createspace (an Amazon company) or Smashwords, they will give your book a free ISBN. You can also purchase a custom ISBN. The web is full of opinions about whether to use a free ISBN or purchase one. I use the free one from Createspace . I like free, and it fits my purposes for now. On a sidebar, Createspace and  Smashwords are the two most popular sources (and best) for self-publishers getting their books out to the marketplace. Their sites have a lot of helpful tools and articles to walk you through the process.

Q: Did you create your own book cover art?

A: My son, created my covers. I told him what I wanted to emphasize and then handed the project over to him. He knows the science of fonts, color, resolution, design, and all the other details that are needed for printing.  He is a freelance designer and animator, and the co-founder of White Ibis studios based out of Orlando, Florida (www.thisiswhiteibis.com). White Ibis is also creating a book trailer for my two books. Book trailers are getting popular for writers and publishers. White Ibis can be reached through their website. Whoever you have to design your cover, make sure that they learn the requirements, including the gutter size, pixels, and etc. for the size of your cover.

Q: How did you end up selecting the actual size of the physical book?

A: Pretty simple. The type of book (fiction or non-fiction) and the number of pages are the two major deciding factors. I use the 6 x 9 because it is the recommended size for fiction. It is also easy for the reader to hold and read. My first book is a novella and my second is a full novel. I used the 6 x 9 for both sizes. Instructional manuals and other types of non-fiction are usually larger. Createspace is full of helpful articles for choosing the best size for the type of book that you’re publishing.

Q: Is there any special formatting I need to know about? I am just using Microsoft Word so far…

A: Many writers use Word. I used it for my first two books. There are some formatting do’s and don’ts that you’ll want to know about before you get too far into the formatting with Word. I learned this the hard way and spent too many hours removing and changing formatting when it was time to upload my Word manuscript to Createspace and Smashwords. Both of these self-publishing services have formatting requirements and their manuals will help walk you through most of the mine fields with Word. I am pretty sharp with Word and have even taught classes on it, but I spent a few bucks and purchased a self- publishing template for Word. You can take your book and copy and paste into the template and be on your way. It dressed the formatting up to the professional look that was missing. You can also download a free copy of their guide for book formatting in MS Word at www.bookdesigntemplates.com Earlier this year I purchased a writing tool called Scrivener. This is a writing program that helps authors manage and organize their documents, ideas, notes, metadata, and a bunch of other stuff that writers have to do to make their work presentable. There are other word-processing tools for free that are pretty good. I researched and decided that the $40 was worth it. If you’re curious about Scrivener, there are videos on Youtube, or go to http://www.writersstore.com/scrivener/. If you’re comfortable in Word, stick with it. There are many writers, especially non-fiction, who use Word.  But, I would take a few minutes and research how to use, and how not to use, Word for writing books.

Q: Were there any challenges in going from digital (eBook) to physical that would be good to know about?

A: The formatting is obviously different so there can be some challenges. One way to avoid many of the challenges is to purchase the eBook template from www.bookdesigntemplates.com. I ended up using it to reformat my already published novella and I used for my novel. It was easy and professional. I only needed one ebook template for all my books. Spare yourself a lot of frustration trying meet the conversion requirements. The templates are inexpensive and a time saver.

This site provides a great, free tool for converting books to various eBook formats. I have used this to test my eBook formats –  http://calibre-ebook.com/

Q: How have sales of digital compared to physical?

A: Digitals blow my print sales out of the water. I don’t have a beachfront estate in Hawaii with a private eye driving my Ferrai 308 GTS, but my book sales have gone international. At least one copy. The book market is bending to the eBook.

Q: Have you tried other distribution channels besides Amazon? If so, what has your experience been with those?

A: Smashwords will put your book in all of the book distribution channels. A person can order your book from Barnes and Noble and the little book shop on the corner. Your books can be downloaded from ITunes, for Nooks, Sony, and any other e-reader. Amazon, including their Kindle, has the largest share of the eBook market. Most of my book sales, paperback and digital, are through Amazon. Createspace is the door to Amazon and the Kindle digital books. Smashwords will help put your books in all of the other markets and distributors. Did I mention that you can publish through both services free? They get a small % of each book sold through their site. You don’t have to purchase books or put any money up front. The paperbacks are printed when ordered and they send you the royalties. Over the last year or two, these two companies have developed their process to help authors and to promote the self-publishing field.

Q: Did you order physical copies of your book to “test drive” before actual finalization?

A: I strongly recommend “test driving” a printed copy before finalizing. Createspace allows you to purchase proof copies. Do it. Go through your proof copy carefully. I will add that using the templates that I mentioned above took care of the formatting. If your editor did his/her job, and the book cover was created correctly, the finalization should be easy. Three “musts” for anyone self-publishing:

1. Have your manuscript professionally edited. You may be a good writer, even a great one, but you read with your mind, not your eyes. Editing doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be done. It is important to know what kind of editing you want and/or need for your book. Yep, there are different types of editing a of manuscript. My editor is Sandy Anders. She’s professional, detailed, easy to work with, and … well let’s just say she’s a “Strunk & White” writer. She can be contacted at: sandyanders53@gmail.com.
2. Get a few people to read your draft and get honest, critical feedback
3. Don’t hesitate to rewrite, and rewrite until you have it right. Don’t publish until you are completely satisfied. I remember reading a blog on Scribblepreach.com about the secret of effective writing. The blogger pointed out that “Roald Dahl admitted he rewrote/altered/edited his first chapters 150 times before he reached the last. Michael Crichton rewrote his novels in entirety 6-7 times each. Hemingway rewrote the ending to ‘Farewell to Arms’ 39 times.” We need to be patient and get it right.

How to Write and Publish an Ebook – Top Tips – Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful.  If you have other questions please leave them in the comments below, and I can relay to Jeff.  Alternatively, head over to his blog ( www.jeffbeardbooks.com) and get the answer straight from the horse’s mouth!

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How To Get Sponsored Posts On Your Blog

If you would have asked me when first starting this blog what would have brought in the most revenue, I’d answer without pause that Google Adsense would lead the pack.  well, I would have been dead wrong

How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog – The Background

When visiting other sites, I’d notice from time to time that there would be articles that didn’t really seem to fit with the main content hosted on the site, or they’d have really strange links…  These would usually be labeled as “sponsored articles.”  Maybe I’m just slower than most, but I didn’t really realize what these were until just recently.

How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog – What is a Sponsored Article?

Well, I’ve come to find out that a sponsored article is a post where typically a third party will write some content, include a link to another website, and pay the webmaster some amount of money to post it on their website.

The way things typically work is that an “advertising company” will solicit businesses to improve their Search Engine Optimization.  When they find someone that is willing to pay, they will plan out an article with a link to the business’ website.  They will then farm out the articles to blogs in an industry that fits.

Why would someone pay for this?  Companies shell out big bucks to get higher search engine rankings for their websites.  Higher Google rankings means more money coming in – at least that’s the pitch from the advertising companies!

How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog – Sponsored Articles vs. Guest Posts

Sponsored articles differ in one main difference from a guest post.  A guest post will usually contain a link back to a BLOG whereas a sponsored article will link back to a COMMERCIAL website.

Why is this important?  For me, as MoneyAhoy began to increase in traffic, I started getting unsolicited emails daily for “guest posts.”  I followed up on a few of these, and the article quality was almost always completely terrible!  They also linked to some of the most random stuff you could imagine.  In addition, most of these were pitched to me as a: you get free content, and we’ll get the link type of a deal.  Not exactly that great of a deal from my end…

How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog – My Experience

One day I received an email to sign up for a service called Valued Voice.  This company basically acts as the middle man by selling advertising links for you to place on your blog.  They write articles for you to use with the paid link, or you can compose your own if you’d rather.  The great thing about Valued Voice is that you can name your own price what what you’ll sell links for on your website/blog.

With Valued Voice, I have heard of some folks getting anywhere from $50 a post all the way up to $250 a post.  The price that you could command for your blog will usually depend on the Google page-rank.  The higher the rank, the higher you would be able to charge per post.  Regardless, those sound like great results to me!

How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog – Final Thoughts

If you have a blog and you’re looking for ways to monetize it, you should consider sponsored posts. It’s a great way to pick up a little side money each month.  Just be sure that the content is something that your readers would be interested in viewing.  If the articles are completely off in left field, I could see how this could hurt your blog.  In addition, if you’re getting side offers through email for “guest/sponsored” posts, Valued Voice is a great tool that can help you determine what a good market price for sponsored posts would be for your site.

One thing to keep in mind is that “sponsored posts” are against Google’s terms and conditions.  This means that if you get caught, you could have your search results hit as a slap on the wrist.  All the popular blogs do “sponsored posts”, but few like to talk about it because of this.  If you do decide to try sponsored posts for your blog, please keep this in mind  

*Note: the Valued Voice link above is a affiliate link.  If you sign up, then I get a small benefit.  If you do decide to signup and use the service, then thanks

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Making Money With eBooks vs. Blogs

If you’ve been following along with my goals for 2014 (a new year’s resolution, actually), you’ll know that my main goal is to write an eBook on Stock Market Investing for Beginners.

Making Money with eBooks vs. Blogs – Why Another Stock Market Investing Book?

There are dozens of books out there on stock market investing for beginners, and tons of eBooks as well.  So, why would I try my hand at writing yet another one?  Well, some are great, but on the expensive side.  Some are complete crap, and I could write one better with my eyes closed.  I think I can come up with an inexpensive option that will do a decent job of getting more folks into investing by building a simple knowledge of how stock market investing works.  But, all of this isn’t really the main point of this post.

Making Money with eBooks vs. Blogs – Does it Have to Just be the Book?

So, I’ve planned out my whole book with an outline, broken it down to six chapters, with each chapter having four main topics.  I’ve even knocked out the preface!  So, 24 topics to write about total.  Well, then I got to thinking (dangerous – I know).  Could I just post each section of the book here on MoneyAhoy.com under the investing section?  I could even create a master content page with all of the articles linked.

I know I’m not going to get rich with this book, but I thought it would be a fun, challenging goal that would bring in some amount of money for me.  Would it reduce sales of the book if I copied verbatim each section of each chapter and put them up as posts?

Making Money with eBooks vs. Blogs – What Are Customers Actually Paying For?

If you sit back and think about it, what are folks actually paying for when they purchase an eBook?  How are we (as writers) to determine the best way to make money with eBooks?  You’d think that when someone buys as eBook their paying for information.

While that’s partially true, I think that there’s a little bit more to it.  From my simple research, it’s become clear to me that when folks buy an eBook they are paying for convenience.  Think about it, most of the information in how-to books can be found on the internet for free.  The only problem is that the internet isn’t the most organized thing in the world.  It isn’t always accessible all the time either.  When people purchase an eBook, they are paying for the convenience of having all of the answers to their topic of interest in one place, nicely organized.  For how-to eBooks, this is something that holds their hand and walks them through the topic which they can access from anywhere.

So, it would seem to me that based on the research, putting the same information out there on MoneyAhoy.com wouldn’t really hurt sales.

Making Money with eBooks vs. Blogs – Final Thoughts

So, will it hurt eBook sales to put the exact same verbatim information on one’s own blog?  I don’t think so, but I’d like to hear other’s take on it.  Are there any out there that have tried it?  What do you think?

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For more saving money, making money, and investment ideas go to www.MoneyAhoy.com

I’ve Joined the Yakezie Challenge

I just recently decided to join the Yakezie Challenge and set the goal to try and get my Alexa ranking below 100,000 in the next 6-months!

I’ve Joined the Yakezie Challenge! – What Is It?

Well, that’s exactly what I’ve been wondering over the past couple of weeks/months.  I’ve stumbled across dozens of sites that have claimed to join the challenge, but I could never really figure out or understand exactly what this meant.  I guess I’m just a little slower than your average blogger?!?

Well as I understand it, here is what you’re basically comitting to if you decide to take on the Yakezie challenge:

1. Focus on creating great content 2-4 times a week on your site.
2. Work to actively promote other’s blogs and build relationships

I’ve Joined the Yakezie Challenge! – What Were the Steps to Get Started?

1. Install the Alexa Toolbar.
2. Commit to write 2-4 blog posts a week on my site.
3. Install the Yakezie Challenge badge.
4. Announce that I’ve joined the challenge (hence this post).
5. Selflessly promote others and build relationships.
6. Stay committed and consistent over the next 6-months.
7. Introduce yourself at the Yakezie Challenger’s Forum.
8. Assess progress after 6-months to determine if you can become a member.

I’ve Joined the Yakezie Challenge! – What’s Next?

Well, I’ve realized that I need to do a much better job of promoting other’s blogs in the personal finance arena.  Have you ever heard the saying that fast is slow and slow is fast?  I’ve been kinda selfishly trying to promote my own blog without helping others out on their own journey.  I’m trying to take the fast road and it isn’t moving all that fast  I need to slow down and change my approach a bit by linking to other’s blog posts and promoting other’s content.

This insight was there for me to see the whole time, but I didn’t pick up on it until recently.  One of my most trafficked pages is actually a link to another blog’s topic with my own two cents thrown in as discussion.

I’ve Joined the Yakezie Challenge! – Are You a Blog Owner?

If you are a blog owner and you haven’t decided to take the Yakezie challenge yet, what are you waiting for?  Click the Yakezie Challenge Badge on the right or click here to learn more.  Good luck!  If you have any questions on the Yakezie Challenge let me know, and I’ll be happy to answer them!

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How to Setup a Blog for Fun or Profit

Updated: February 22, 2016.

Have you ever wondered how to setup a blog for fun or profit?  If you have interest in setting up a blog or simple website, then this article will give you the info you need to get up and running.  Whether you’re interested in writing for fun and self-expression, starting an interest blog to earn some side money through advertising, or engaging customers by writing for your new startup small or medium-sized business, this guide will help step you through the process of setting up your own blog.

Read on for tips to consider before you get started and to find out how you can setup your blog or website is less than five minutes!

What Are Blogs?

Let’s start from the beginning for those that aren’t fully up to speed.  First of all, what exactly is a blog?  Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years, you’ve probably visited dozens of blogs and may not have even realized it!

Wikipedia defines a blog as: a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order.

Blogs can take many different forms and can serve many different purposes.  Before we get into how to setup a blog by yourself, let’s look at three of the main types of blogs that you’d probably be interested in setting up.

Three Main Types of Blogs

Here are the three main types of blogs that one can create:

1. Personal: This type of blog is used by folks to express themselves creatively or share aspects of their lives with others.  This could be used to share poetry, artwork, personal feelings, events in one’s life, or share family photos (to name just a few uses). The most famous personal blog network that most folks interact with daily is facebook.  I’m sure you’ve heard of it…
2. Interest: This type of blog is an extension of the personal blog.  The main point of these types of blogs are to create articles related to a specific topic that readers will find interesting, helpful, and engaging.  Some typical topics could include money, politics, technology, etc.  Writers of these types of blogs frequently seek compensation through on-line advertising or affiliate links for their time spent writing helpful articles.
3. Small or Medium Sized Business: These blogs are really an extension of a small or medium sized business.  Typically, they involve B2B type articles, push products or services, or simply serve as a type of on-line “business card”.  The main point for these blogs is to advertise the businesses’ products or services to new and existing clients or customers.  Writers of these types of blogs are typically folks in marketing employed by the company in question and are responsible for the company’s on-line presence.

With that said, what you have in mind should fit into one of the three categories above.  Now that we have that squared away, let’s move onto the various places that you can setup your new blog.

Where Should I Setup my Blog?

There are a TON of free blogging sites out there, and they are all pretty much the same (more or less).  In my opinion, there are three main options that really stand out for you to consider.  These are: tumblr.com, WordPress.com, and paid hosting through Bluehost with the WordPress.org Plugin.

A special note on Bluehost: I use Bluehost for this blog (MoneyAhoy.com), and I have had a great experience with them so far over the past three years.  They came highly recommended to me, and now I am recommending Bluehost to you because their service is reasonably priced, reliable, and it is very easy to setup the WordPress.org plugin through their control panel.  The links I have setup here from Bluehost are affiliate links.  It does not cost you anything additional, and I receive a commission from them if you sign-up to host your blog through them.  If you decide to go with them, then let me say thank you for your support!

Below is a table that lists the features of the three main options for blogging:

A couple of things should jump out at you from the table above:

• Tumblr and WordPress.com are both free and are very nice blogging platforms.  
• Tumblr is better suited for creative types of blogs that are heavy in photographs, artwork, poetry, and other creative sorts of endeavors.
• WordPress.com has a more professional feel to it if you are considering creating more article based posts.
• There are several advantages to going with a paid hosting service like Bluehost.com with the WorldPress plugin if you are creating an interest blog or a blog for an existing company:
  • Ability to display custom ads, so there is an ability to monetize your blog (starting with Google AdSense and branching out from there).
  • Ability to completely customize the look of your blog.
  • Ability to add custom coding to your blog (if you’re technologically gifted)
  • Unlimited storage space.
  • Register your own domain (DerekIsAwesome.com) versus having a domain like DerekIsMildlyInteresting.WordPress.com
  • Will appear as the most professional for any type of existing business.

Based on all of the information I’ve shared with you so far, the following table illustrates what I’d recommend when building/setting up a blog based on the type of blog you plan to create:

How to Setup a Blog

Now that you’ve made up your mind which blogging platform is right for you, we can get to the nuts and bolts of how to setup a blog.  Rest assured, each of the options above is incredibly easy to setup – you’ll have your new blog up and running in no time!  The Bluehost with WordPress.org plugin has a couple of additional steps, but it is still VERY straight forward, I’ve even included a video of the entire process below if you are having reservations!

For Tumblr.com, you just go to their website and register straight from their front page.  It takes about one minute to join.

For WordPress.com, you go to their website and click the “get started” button.  Fill out the information and click “create blog”.  It takes about two minutes to join.

For Bluehost with WordPress.org plugin, here are the steps to setup your blog.  I’ve also included my recommendations on what you can do without (to save yourself some money).  This whole process can be completed in less than five minutes, and is really the way to go unless you are creating a personal blog.  We’ll be using the example  www.DerekIsAwesome.com in these steps as well as in the YouTube video below:

• go to the Bluehost.com website and click “sign up now”
• enter your domain name (DerekIsAwesome.com)
• Fill out your account information
• Select the hosting package (you can get the cheapest price if you purchase the 36-months plan – $3.95/month)
• un-check SiteLock Domain Security (unnecessary)
• un-chuck Site Backup Pro (unnecessary)
• check Domain Whois Privacy if you don’t want your name, address, and phone number available to spammers (I recommend paying for this service, but it is up to you)
• Enter your Billing information
• The “Congratulations, your purchase was successful” page will display.  Click the “Control Panel for <DerekIsAwesome.com>” button.
• Under the “Website Builders” section, click “WordPress”
• Click the green “Install” button
• Fill in the Advanced Options with an admin username and password
• Click the green “Complete” button
• Click the link to login to your new WordPress installation  <http://www.DerekIsAwesome.com/wp-admin>
• Click “Post” and write your first post in the textbox (be sure to give it a title)
• Click the “Publish” button when complete.  You’ve now written for first blog post.  Congratulations!!!
• The look and feel of your blog can be easily customized through the WordPress.org layout menu
• If you run into any issues, you can work on-line with a Bluehost.com representative through their 24/7 on-line chat help.  I’ve used this more than once, and the tech support was fantastic!

Click here to sign-up for your blog today with Bluehost.com

Here is a quick YouTube video I made that steps you through the entire process I’ve outlined above for how to setup a blog on Bluehost.com with the WordPress.org Plugin:

How Much Can I Make From Blogging?

When it comes to blogging, the sky is literally the limit for how much money you can make!  Over the past ~3 years, I have personally made nearly $14,000 with just this one blog alone!  I made this much with just blogging a couple hours a week – imagine if you were to blog as your full time job.

There are plenty of success stories where bloggers are currently making $100K, $200K, $300K, and even more a year by fully committing themselves to blogging.  If they can do it, then so can you!

How Can I Make Money From My Blog?

One question I get all the time is “how can I make money from my blog?”  There are several different ways that you can make money from your blog once you have it setup.  Here are a couple posts that will help understand the different ways to make money with your blog:

• How to Get Sponsored Posts on Your Blog
• Making Money with eBooks vs. Blogs
• Selling a Blog or Business – When is the Right Time?
• How to Start a WordPress Blog with Bluehost

For more on how I make money with this blog, check out my Reports page where I detail out my monthly side-income from blogging.  It will give you some great ideas on how you can make money blogging.

How to Setup a Blog for Fun or Profit – Final Thoughts

For those of you interested in how to setup a blog, I’ve given you all the tools you need to get started out on the right foot.  If you’re going for the most professional look possible, then you’ll have to fork up a little bit of money and go with a hosting service like Bluehost.com.  There are great free options out there as well if you’re trying to get started on a shoestring budget, but they do come with some limitations.

So, what are you waiting for?  Setup a blog for yourself or your business today!

Click here to sign-up for your blog today with Bluehost.com

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