Start a blog can be very easy, you can simply create a blog in blogspot, wordpress, joomla and etc. for free. You can write whatever topics you like, you can show it to the public or even hide it as your private diary. Blog is the most secure, comfortable place for you to express your feeling and share your thoughts, blogging is not a homework that assigned by teacher, there is no time frame for it. You happy, you blog it.
Most of the people who start a blog just to write their personal rants, but some of them start a blog just to make money. I don’t mean that a personal blog can’t make money, a personal blog can really make money if you have unique character.
7 Steps To Start A Blog That Makes Money
1) Choosing Niche Topic
Before you create a blog, you have to choose a niche topic to write. You’re recommended to choose a niche topic that is popular and also your interest topic, so that you can keep writing fresh content non-stop. It’s obviously easy to choose your interest topic, but how we know whether the topic is popular? Ok, now you go to step #2.
2) Keyword Popularity
Keyword popularity means the popularity of the keyword, we have to check whether the topic is really popular and have a lot of people look for the topic. Let’s say you want to start a blog that talks about petrol, so your keyword might be “petrol”.
Google has a keyword tool that allows you to check the popularity of a keyword, it’s a very useful keyword tool before you choose a keyword and topic. By using this keyword tool, you’re able to know whether the keyword is popular or nobody looks for it. If the keyword is popular enough, then go to step #3.
3) Keyword Competition
After you check for keyword popularity, now we have to check the keyword competition. Keyword competition means the keyword is competed by a lot of people, compete the keyword means they want their blog to be appeared in the first page in Google search result with the keyword.
By using the same keyword tool, you can also see the competitor for the keyword in “Advertiser Competition” column. If the rectangular box is full green, that’s mean there are a lot of people compete this keyword.
By using the keyword tool, you’re not able to see the number of competitor, sometimes the rectangular box is full green but the numbers of competitor are low. So, now you open a Google page, type your keyword in the search bar and press enter, you can simply know the numbers of competitor. I advise you to choose a keyword that has less than 500k competitors. Now you can go to step #4.
4) Domain Names
A domain name is one of the factor that Google takes in consideration to rank your blog. Get a short and nice domain name is really hard because all nice domain names have been sold to others. So, you have to try to get a domain name that similar with your keyword. If your niche topic is petrol, then your domain name might be www.petrol.com. If it’s not available, you can simple add a “-” like www.petrol-blog.com, try until you get a nice domain name. Now, go to step #5.
5) Search Engine Optimization
I assume you’ve started and get a name for your blog, so a little search engine optimization skills must be applied to your blog. You can simply read the “SEO Checklist For Beginner” or “SEO Tips” in my category page. At least you have to learn some basic SEO tips and apply it to your blog. Search engine optimization is the key that boost your blog traffics and makes you a lot of money through blogging. Now, we go to the important step #6.
6) Unique Content
After you have set up your blog and do a little bit of basic SEO, you can now build up unique content for your blog. I would say this is the most important step that you must follow. Of course, a blog must has content, if your blog got no content then it’s not called a blog, right? Google likes fresh and unique contents, and your contents are built to help your readers too. Google likes them and definitely Google will gives you a good rank in search engine ranking, that’s mean you can get a lot of organic traffics from search engine if your blog has good rank.
Remember, some of the SEO tips in #5 are used when you creating content too, i.e. keyword optimization or basic HTML coding. Other than that, you can simply download and install a SEO plugin called “All In One SEO Pack“, it helps to improve SEO for your blog too. So, now you can go to the last step #7.
7) Monetization
Let’s say you master all the step #1 to #6, if you don’t know how to monetize your blog, you can’t also make money blogging. So, you have to learn some monetization methods and learn how to make money blogging. If you don’t know them, at least you know Google Adsense, it’s the most common monetization method for blogs and websites. Simply place an adsense ads on your blogs and start make money through your blog.
Conclusion
In this 7 steps to start a blog and make money, some of them have been covered in my previous articles, I’ve combined them and add some new tips for beginner blogger who don’t know how to start a blog that makes money. If you want to start a make money blog too, simply follow all the steps listed above and start make money blogging.
I’ve gone through all the steps above, so that I can share it with you. I don’t make a lot of money like other famous bloggers, but I do make some money through my blog too. So, what are you waiting for?
About Lee Ka Hoong
yahoo.. blogging and making money are fun =)
mike : Ya, I’m sure you can earn more than me in 1 day mike! Keep it up! =)
how many thousands have u earned so far ka hoong? must be more than $1000 usd kan??haha..Keep it up!
wordpress.com users can’t put ad scripts. :)
chuan : Haha, around $1000 (RM3000++) lo, thanks all my readers that support me from the beginning. You too keep it up chuan! =)
makesomemoneywithme : Ops sorry, forgot to state that free wordpress blog (wordpress.com) doesn’t allow blogger to place any ads to make money. thanks bro for remind. =)
Kewl.. hope i can get more idea’s from you.. i really wanted to learn the secret’s of blogging..
@eshanne,
No problem eshanne, let me know if you need me help. I will try to help you. :)
Hello. I found your link through Lowyat Forum. Just read through first page. Very Interesting I would say!! There are much to learn from you.
I setup a new site 1 week ago. http://www.manyholes.com. The site is a collection of forwarded mails, sorta like gallery or something. I put 3 Google ads on it. But the revenue is only few cents a day. Drop by and have a look, is there anything I can improve?
Let me know. I’ve left my email.
@ahbing,
If you want to get more targeted traffics, you should do research on the keywords that you want to optimize. I don’t think it’s good to copy the forwarded mails in your blog, because I did do research about those forwarded mails, you try to search the topic of the forwarded mails, there are tonnes of people writing the same thing. It’s some kind of copied content or duplicate content. Other than these, there are tonnes of people writing the same thing, it’s difficult to get your blog post ranks well in search engine.
In my opinion, what you can do is, everytimes you receive a forwarded email, see what kind of content is that, do keyword research on Google Adwords Keyword Tool, re-write the content and optimize the keyword, and keep track the traffics and results. This is what you can do with site like this.
Let me know if you need my help okay? I’m here to help. :)
Thanks for the input, that helps alot. I guess Manyholes.com is not going to generate much money from ads after all. Well, I started that site, and I have to continue for the time being. At least have to get 2k unique visitors per day then only I am satisfied.
On the other hand, I might give keyword field a go. Haven’t found any interesting topic yet. But definitely interesting. For example, I want to focus on “man grooming”, what keywords should I use? Is there any guide for it? I wanted to know the “value” of the keyword, and the similar keywords for it.
ahbings last blog post..Damn you, Absinthe.
@ahbing,
Whenever you want to know about the popularity and potency of a keyword, do a research on Google Adwords Keyword Tool, it might helps you alot. Perhaps you can read my two articles to get some ideas.
1) 12 Steps How To Build A Profitable Niche Blog
2) How To Make Money Online With A Niche Blog
Do let me know if you still need my help okay? :D
hi kahoong!
im ahmed and i have just been introduced to blogging and iv learnt that we can earn money from it too!
i have created a blogg with the help of bloggers.com but i dont kno wat else to do and hoo to start!
i want to start a blog on mobile solutions and their prices and i kno quite alot myself about the topic but i have no idea how am i supposed to go about it and place adds!
please help me out!
id b glad if you could reply me on my email id!
thanx
@Ahmed,
I’ve sent you an email, please check it and let me know if you still need my help. :)
Hi Mike, i had read you splendid post but i don’t get how do blogging get paid? u mentioned that we could get paid by sponsors for the advertisement right? But how do we actually come in contact with those sponsors? I wish to start a blog but im in a lost >< Mind helping me out??
Oops sorry, i guess i mentioned the wrong name. Please forgive my mistake, It should be kaHoongChai instead of Mike. =p
@Allan,
lol no problem, I’m curious why you call me Mike too haha! Regarding your question above, you don’t have to actually find advertiser for your blog, when your blog grows with huge traffics, high PR and good Alexa Rank, of course good search engine ranking for certain popular keywords too, then they will look for you, either email or leave you a comment in your blog. But, you can also look for them if you know who is the advertisers on the net. I’ve tried to find before in someone’s blog, I click his banner and look for the contact info, I emailed the advertiser and asked whether they want advertise in my blog. I’d emailed less than 10, about 2-3 advertisers agreed with my offer. So, you can try too, but make sure you have something to offer and attract them. :D
Between, mind to share with us about your blog? Perhaps I can try to see anything I can help. :)
oh ic.. thanks for the info. Erm, i have not started out yet, i would share when i have done one. thank you very much for sharing ;p