Kenneth Crawford stopped by my blog the other day and left a comment.  I checked out his blog, The Freelancer Today,  and was impressed. Not only did he list a few WordPress plugins that will make my blogging life easier, he has a cool tutorial on how to create a money making blog.

Ken’s step-by-step series  on how to create a money making blog is a must read for anyone looking to create one. What I especially like about his information is that he’s telling you in detail what he does (not what you should do).  In other words, he’s not standing up on a mountain talking down to you; he’s in the trenches with you.

No Gimmicks, No Products, No Bait and Switch

The other thing I like about Ken’s method is that he uses old fashioned sweat equity to accomplish his goals.  He’s not using expensive tricks or monthly subscription programs to create a financially lucrative blog.  It’s a lot of work on the front end, but it is so worth it on the back end.

As a matter of fact, Ken has me thinking about giving his tutorial a try. I’ve created moderately successful blogs, but never anything like what Ken is promoting. Family obligations prevent me from starting another blog before the New Year, but I’m putting his tutorial on my January To Do list.

The next time a newbie asks “How do you set up a blog?”  I’ll use Ken’s blog as the answer.

You guys should check it out.

Disclaimer

I feel it necessary to write this disclaimer because what works for me may not work for you. I tend to take things slow and steady because I don’t want my freelance writing venture to feel like a job (although it did feel rather job like last month when I was a member of the Double O Club – too many DS articles).

Some folks prefer to work at promoting, backlinking, gaining page rank, page views and Alexa rating quickly. The more traffic you get, the better the ranking, the better the chances of making more money.  I understand why folks do it and there’s nothing wrong with it. As a matter of fact, there are several very successful internet marketers and freelance writers that seem to have mastered the skill of driving traffic and making tons of money.

A few I can think of off the top of my head are:

• Yaro Starak
• John Chow
• Darren Rowse

When you visit their sites, you should download their free ebooks.  There’s a lot of valuable information in them.

Back to Slow and Steady

What I’ve learned over the few years that I’ve been writing online is that it is important to diversify (but you already know that).  More than just diversifying the various writing sites that I write for, I also diversify and spread my blogs around.

I find that if I spend too much time on one blog, I become obsessed. I start checking my stats too frequently and I sign on to my Google AdSense account about 10 too many times during the day.  If the numbers are up, I have a good day.  If they’re down, well, the day isn’t quite so good.

Planting More Seeds

It finally sunk in that these things take time.  No matter how closely you watch a newly planted seed, it’s not going to change the amount of time it takes for the seed to develop its root system before it can sprout above the ground. Looking at garden dirt day after day is a discouraging waste of time.

Instead of wasting time, I realized I had plenty of seeds so I could start another garden.  While my first blog is developing its root structure with no visible signs of life, I would begin another blog to keep myself occupied so I wouldn’t spend my day staring at dirt.

Once I got the second one up and running, I would then spend time writing articles for the various other sites and blogs. After I made the blog/site rounds, I would check back on the first blog to see if it started to sprout.  If yes, great! If no, it’s time to work on something else.

Evidence of Growth

Although the numbers aren’t very impressive, here’s a seed I planted last January.  Just for grins, I compared the last 30 days worth of visits with the same period of time last year.  The green line represents last year’s visitors and the blue line represents last month’s visitors (click on the image to see it better).

As you can see, my little plant is beginning to grow.  Aside from watering it (with new blog posts), fertilizing it (an occasional backlink or two) and placing it in the sun (high-quality informative posts that enlighten readers), I leave it alone to grow. No major spikes or major dips, just slow and steady growth.

Fortunately, the income on the blog has grown in proportion with the traffic.

Not Always Roses

Some blogs do better than others.  Some blogs get better fertilizing, water and sun than others.  Some keep my interest while others don’t.  The one thing I’ve learned, however, is that if I keep a blog around for long enough, my interest eventually returns and reviving an old blog is a lot easier than establishing a new blog.

So, if you don’t see immediate results with your blog, stop staring at it. Plant more seeds.

A few facts about the blog

1. It provides reviews of a particular type of product.
2. Blog was created in January of 2009
3. It currently has 43 blog posts (an average of 2.2 posts per month)
4. Its written under an assumed name
5. All comments are closed
6. Google page rank: 2
7. Alexa Page Rank: 5,049,715 (far from impressive)
8. WordPress platform using a basic Thesis theme. No bells whistles or pretty pictures.
9. Daily traffic averages between 100 and 150 pages views. On a good day I may get close to 200 views, but generally it stays between 100 and 150.
10. Monetized with Google AdSense and InfoLinks. Earlier on I applied to Text Link Ads but they turned my blog down. I guess it didn’t get enough traffic for them. Who knows, maybe I’ll try applying again in the future.

Things I Noticed

I paid a little attention to where the traffic was coming from and where it was going. I used to insert a lot of links to the product manufacturer’s website to help my readers continue researching the product. One day, like a bolt, I realized I was linking away my income.

Most of the product manufacturers use Google AdWords and their ads were displaying on my blog. My readers were clicking on my links rather than the manufacturer ad links. Once I realized that, I went back and removed all manufacturer links. Now I will refer to the manufacturer website such as manufacturer.com, but I won’t hyperlink it.

The only hyperlinks in the posts are to other posts on the blog or articles I’ve written elsewhere on the same subject. No more giving away income.

Once I stopped giving away income I noticed the blog started earning more money. I can’t say for sure whether the monthly change in income was because I stopped the outside linking or because one month I wrote 4 posts instead of two, but between May of 2010 and June of 2010 the blog’s monthly income went from $69.97 to $315.20!

The following month the income dropped a little but it still earned $273!

[smartads]

As far as blogs go, I believe it has a nice monetary return per post. Since starting the blog, the posts are averaging $31.88 each (that’s 43 posts divided by the total blog’s income of $1,371.01). The $31.88 is a bit deceiving because during the first year the average earnings per post were $15.12. This year, so far, each post is averaging $54.33. I’d say that’s an improvement.

Lessons Learned

Here are a few things I’ll carry forward when I develop my next blog.

1. The blog’s topic will be about a product or service. I find those types of blogs offer the best financial return. I’ve got blogs on topics that are dear to my heart, but those are a labor of love because they earn bupkis.
2. I won’t give away links
3. I will place ads on the blog from day one. There had been some debate as to whether its good practice to immediately place ads on a brand new blog. Well, if I’m creating a money making blog, it’s difficult to make money without ads, so I put them on immediately. The blog that I refer to above earned $4.32 in the first month. That’s hard to do without ads.
4. Slowly add content and monitor the traffic. Some folks like to add a lot of content immediately when creating a new blog. I prefer just the opposite. I’ve found that even with a few posts you can tell whether the blog is a winner or not. I’d hate to spend an untold amount of time creating a ton of posts only to find out that it’s not a money maker. I like to work smart, not hard.
5. A surprising thing that I’ve learned is that there is life on the second, third or fourth page of Google. I don’t think my blog often ranks on Google’s first page. I’m sure if I put in a lot of time and effort I can make it happen, but I’d rather not work that hard.
6. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that choosing the right blog topic and time are the two most important ingredients for a successful money making blog. If you have those two ingredients, your blog will make money.

As with any source of income, it’s best to understand the rules and latest developments. If you want to successfully earn money with Google AdSense, check the Google AdSense blog to keep abreast of what’s new (did you read about the new privacy policy requirement?) and make sure you’re following the latest rules.

In the meanwhile, there is a program that offers a host of information for the newcomer and the more experienced web designer alike. The program is called AdSense Connection.

AdSense Connection offers valuable tried and proven information on how to earn money with Google AdSense. It is not a get rich quick scheme. It employs the old fashioned way of earning substantial income. You learn the rules, remain focused, work hard put in the time and it will pay off handsomely in the long run.

Steve Weber, by employing his AdSense Connection strategy, has been able to have his wife quit her full-time job and then he himself quit his full-time job. He now works full time from home earning money via the internet with this program and other internet ventures.

I stumbled across Steve Weber’s information while doing one of my many searches looking for more information on how to increase my internet earnings by working smarter, not harder. In my years of earning money on the internet, I’ve come across a lot of scams, so I make sure to research everything before I incorporate the teachings in my learning arsenal.

After some research, I ordered Steve’s AdSense Connection program. Steve’s information not only mirrors much of the information that I’ve learned over the years, he has also introduced me to new concepts, resources and ideologies that are helping me to earn more money with Google AdSense. It does not happen over night (remember, this is not a get rich quick program).

If you are interested in earning substantial income through the internet, especially if you wish to supplement your income and earn money with Google AdSense, you should take a look at this product. Steve Weber is so sure of the success of his product that he offers a money back guarantee.

“Follow my methods and your AdSense earnings will move past the $500 per month mark in just 5 months! Your first month may be very little, but by the end of the fifth month your system will be earning over $500 per month. If it’s not, just return the CD to me for a FULL REFUND!”

How many programs offer a full refund if you’re not earning $500 a month in five months? What do you have to lose?

Here are a few practical tips on how to make money with a blog:

1. Find a host for your blog. There are several blog-hosting sites on the internet such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com. It’s best to search around and check out a few to see which one you feel most comfortable with. Folks with more internet experience may go with a different host than a newbie. Find one that suits your experience level.
2. Come up with a topic for your blog. If you want to make money from your blog, I recommend that you choose a topic that interests you and other folks. A blog that no one is interested in but you is called a diary or a journal and shouldn’t be put on the internet. The money is in the visitors, so blog about something that will make people want to read your entries.
3. Write about what you know or what you want to know. By blogging about what you know (or want to know), it will be easier for you to come up with interesting and engaging blog entries. If you like what you’re writing about your blog won’t feel like a chore. If it feels like a chore, stop blogging. If your writing is forced and unnatural, your readers will pick up on it and stop coming by. In order to make money with your blog you’ve got to attract readers, not scare them away.
4. Monetize your blog. If you don’t have one already, sign up for a Google AdSense account. Once you’ve done that, place your Google ads on your blog to earn money. In addition to Google, sign up for an in line text link ad company like Kontera. Although the payout isn’t as high as AdSense, its still a source for earning money. Google AdSense and Kontera have compatible technologies so you don’t have to worry about violating the terms of service for each company.In addition to placing ads, you can promote an affiliate’s product or you can sign up with one of the paid to post companies. Paid to post companies will actually pay you to create a blog entry about a particular product or service. Companies like Pay Per Post and Smorty, to name a few, offer payment to approved blogs.

Now that you’ve got all of the ingredients to make money with your blog, the last remaining thing you need to do is get traffic to your blog. That’s done in a number of ways.

You need to be familiar with search engine optimization (SEO). Yes even blogs need to be optimized for search engines. When you are posting entries to your blog, make sure you select a few keywords and sprinkle them throughout the entries a few times. Using the right keywords makes it easier for users to find your site when using search engines.

Remember, you want your blog entries to be user friendly so don’t overuse the keywords or else your entries will appear to be spam and that could hurt your search engine rankings.

Now that you’ve got these practical tips, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start making money with your blog.