When you hear the word attractive I hope you were not only thinking of the appearance or look of a blog. Yes this does have its place but how would it feel when people just run to your blog and leave faster than they came to it. If you only put all the hard work and effort into the look of your blog and not focus on the content you would defeat the purpose.
Imagine meeting an individual that on the first look seemed to be very attractive. As you take some time in attempt to get to know them you realize that they really have nothing to offer. All of a sudden the desire you thought you had for them is quickly going away.
One of your major goals is to gain followers. This can only be done by giving benefits to your readers. People will be checking your blog out to see how it can help better their lives. You will definitely not make money if people are not interested in your blog. Now if you are entering a best looking blog completion then go ahead and pimp your blog.
If you desire to make money from your blog someday it will take more extra effort on your part. There are numerous blogs created everyday but many of them live a short life. Let me just say I’m on your side so I don’t want you to fall into that category. I want you to succeed.
As you attract more and more readers, you will end up with a good following. Eventually, this will open doors for you to use numerous opportunities to make money through various forms of advertising.
1. What Interests You?
I know you may be tempted to follow the latest trend. You must also be careful what people say you should write about. When you do not have a real desire for something it will show in the long run. This is why it is important to find something you love to talk about from the start. Do you love sports, cooking, making money, fashion, music, travel, shopping etc.? Try brainstorming and see what you come up with. Even if you have to sleep on it then do that, cause once you get through this stage your creative juices should start to flow.
2. Domain Name & Hosting
Yes you will need a home for your site. Thus the reason to find a good domain name. I use NameCheap where you can find a “.com” name for about $10 a year. I know that there are free platforms like WordPress and Blogger. Bear in mind that so many blogs share these domain names ending in “.wordpress” or “.blogspot” that your blog can get overlooked by search engines.
As you got your brain flowing at a good rate for item no. 1 this should be a bit easier. There is no need to get a deep obsession on this. The shorter the better and something easy to remember.
Make an effort to select one that is relevant to your topic or niche you will be writing about. Start with a basic one year registration. In the event you don’t like your first choice you are not stuck with a multiple years registration.
There are many options for hosting your site but I use HostGator starting at $7.95/month. When starting an affiliate blog make sure it is compatible and friendly with the blogging tools that you choose e.g WordPress.
3. Blog Theme
Decide on the theme of the blog and find a template (or hire a web design company to create one) that best fits your needs. There are numerous blog templates available online for free. You can find designers by looking at the bottom of blogs that you like. Many blog themes are also available for download at WordPress.org. Aim to make your blog as unique as possible.
There are a number of tools out there to set up a blog. Things like how easy it is to use, cost, technical support, widget support, user satisfaction, reputation, and more are very important.
4. Content Provider
Decide who will be blogging and writing the content. Are you good at writer? Then this will be an advantage for you.
5. Op-tin Box
You will not have a profitable blog or business without a list. This is the best way for you to collect information from your readers and visitors. Having a list gives you the right to send marketing messages directly to those that have opted-in. You must make it appealing for people to opt-in. What are you giving them in exchange for their name & email address? A free ebook, free report, mini-course, software, etc. are some of the things you can find to give way for free. If the money is in the list then it is critical you make sure you build one.
5. Auto responder / Email Service
Once you begin driving traffic to your site it will be beneficial for you to have an email service provider. As your visitors opt-in to get updates, tips, newsletters, etc. they can be managed by your email service provider. I use Get response and it enables me to provide an option for visitors to subscribe to my blog RSS via email, as well as newsletters, and series of follow-up emails on various topics.
6. Include RSS Feed
An RSS (Really Simple Syndication), is very important if you want people to stay connected to your blog. This easy and fast method, alerts those who sign-up when new content has been added to your blog. You can easily do a quick Google search to give you a step by step instructions on how to do this.
7. Post Regularly
Why spend all that time creating an attractive blog if you are going to neglect it. You have to give your blog love and attention if you want others to love it. Aim to do two or three post a week but a minimum of once a week. As you do this you will keep your readers happy and also get good search engine ranking.
8. Create Your Identity
If you are not a journalist or professional copywriter don’t pretend. Be yourself and write the way you talk. There is someone out there that needs to hear your voice. Even though it may be tough finding things to write about, hang in there. Make it a practice to plan out what you are going to write about and always have a pen or some tool when ideas come to your mind.
9.Patience
You must resist the temptation of throwing ads all over your new affiliate site. When people are looking for information and content they don’t want to see your ads grabbing after them. Therefore a very important quality you must have is patience. The most popular reason people will come to your blog is in search of quality content, so let that be your key focus.
Once you get to the place of introducing ads then keep focused and use relevant ones and not necessarily the ones that pay the most. Don’t only use eye catching banner ads but text links as well. Test to see what works well for you. Realistically, it will take time to build up your blog and an audience so you shouldn’t be expecting to see money immediately. Just never quit.
