Some people start a blog simply for personal reasons. Others start a blog with their eye on making money.

To make money at home as a blogger you need to implement online blog marketing methods into everything you do. Luckily blogging platforms such as WordPress make this very easy to do.

1. Put a little bit of thought into what you want your blog to be about. Today this is referred to as choosing a niche.

If you have some knowledge in something this might be a good way to start a blog. If you have a hobby, or a passion you enjoy, this is also another good way to start.

2. Domain name. Choose a name that has your primary key words in it.

Whenever possible by a dot com domain. I like Go Daddy, but there are many excellent sources for buying domain names.

3. Website hosting. Plan on viewing your blog as a website. I host most of my sites at Host Gator.

They have the Fantastico Program for quickly setting up your blog. If you are unsure how to do this Host Gator will do it for you.

4. Keyword list. Build your list with Traffic Travis.

This is a free software that will let you find up to 200 keyword phrases relating to the theme of your blog. You can purchase the Pro version and actually get hundreds if not thousands of keywords to target.

5. Proper blog post structure. Title your blog with the keyword phrase in it.

Include the keyword phrase in the beginning and last paragraph of your blog article. You can also write variations of your keyword in the body of the article.

6. Monetize your blog. Join Google Adsense and place some Google ads on your blog.

Join ClickBank and add some banners for ebooks. Amazon.com is another excellent affiliate program you should join.

Put in a good effort and online blog marketing never seems like work. Be consistent in adding content and over time you will build up a loyal readership if you are writing interesting and helpful blog articles.

7. Bookmark your blog posts with Only Wire. This is a service that will bookmark each post to over 40 social directories. You will have to join each directory, but this is time well spent.

Bookmarking your blog articles is an important part of online blog marketing. This is how you get backlinks to your blog.

Also understand that search engines go to these social directories on a regular basis. When they find a link back to your blog you will have the search engines spidering your blog on a regular basis as well.

Online blog marketing is a process. Getting your blog set up is a big part of it. However, that is only the beginning. What you do in the future will determine whether you make money blogging or not.

One of the main differences between a blog and a static website is the way people are able to interact with your content. With a static site it’s just people reading words on a page. When you have a blog they can explore and even comment back! You want to get that sort of interactive spirit going so you can create a loyal readership with your blog.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy! There are literally millions of blogs out there all vying for the attention of your audience. It can be even harder to grab people’s attention when you’re just getting started. The bad news is that it’s going to take some work and dedication to build up a loyal readership. The good news is that it’s very possible, and even fun, to put these things into place. Follow these rules and you’ll have the kind of repeat visitors and fans that really make blogging worth your while.

Rule #1: Write Great Content

Let’s face it; if your content stinks there is no way people are going to come back and read again! They’ll just click away, never to return. If you write great content, however, you’re sure to get some fans. Not everyone considers themselves to be a good writer. That’s OK! No one expects you to have perfect grammar and spelling. It’s far more important that you write interesting content that stands out from the crowd. Give your real thoughts and opinions on things that matter to the audience.

When you write great content, not only will you have people who want to visit your blog all the time. They will also link to you! You know that more linking means higher rankings in Google. That’s definitely a great thing that will expand your readership base to levels you couldn’t even imagine when you got started.

Rule #2: Leave the Comments Open

It’s amazing — but there are bloggers out there who close their comments! While it can be a lot of work to try and get rid of those spam comments, you’re also missing out on a big part of what being a blogger is all about. You need to let the audience write back and speak their mind too. People don’t just want a website they can read anymore, they want one they can add their “2 cents” to. So, leave your comments open and listen to them. It doesn’t matter if people always agree with you or not (they won’t!), you’ll get a much larger and interested following.

Rule #3: Guest Blog

The chances are good that there are some blogs out there that are very well-liked by the people in your niche. These blogs probably get a lot of traffic and a lot of respect. It’s time to get your name and website out there in front of this audience! All you need to do is write to the owner and say that you’d like to write some guest posts. They will probably be more than happy to take a break from their own posting and to give you a link back to your blog. This will not only give you link juice for the search engines, you’ll also win some of their loyal readers who are interested in what you have to say.

Learning how to create a loyal readership with your blog is incredibly important if you want your blog to thrive. It’s all about the people, and making sure they are aware of your blog and love your content.

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