Free Blog Traffic - 31 Day Challenge - Week 2

Take the Free Blog Traffic Challenge with me:

If your blog needs more free traffic you can follow along with the 31 Day Challenge to increase traffic to your beloved blog.

To view the beginning week of My Free Blog Traffic Challenge click here.

Free Blog Traffic Challenge - Week 2:
1. Answer Questions at Mahalo for backlinks
2. Article to GoArticles
3. Hubpage Article
4. Press Release
5. Answer Questions at Blurt It for links
6. Get my blog Reviewed
7. 43 Things.com link

Another busy week here to get more free traffic to my blog.  I am also still blogging each and every day then pinging and doing 100 Entrecard drops daily.  Anyways, one week down and three to go for my free blog traffic challenge.  My free blog traffic has increased daily mostly from Entrecard but I am also getting some organic search traffic also.

I am not sure where to get my blog reviewed for free.  So I will be on the look out for a free blog reviewer.  If any one knows where I can find one please leave it in the comments, up above this post with my tags, and I will owe you one!

Day 20 - My Blogging Challenge Update

 Day 20 of my money making blog challenge.

 Here is what I have been up to in the last few days:

Because of my daily double posting I have not been spending enough time getting traffic to my blog.  I have definitely done a few things here and there, but not the big things that I had planned.  So now that I will only be publishing one blog post a day that will free up some time for me to work on getting all that lovely traffic that is needed to make money blogging.

•  I got my first comment, a result of making some blogging friends.
• Finally got my blog approved on Technorati.
• Working on a Blog Traffic Generation Course for myself that others can follow.

Still working towards my eventual six month goal of earning $300.00 a month.  I believe if I work on getting higher rankings and more traffic to my blog it will be a success and a money making blog in that time.

Good Blogging Habits

Do You Have the Right Blogging Habits?

If you make some daily blogging habits it can help you do have a successful money making blog.  The experts seem to agree that habits are made in about one month. So if you do an activity everyday for one month you can make it into a habit.  Likewise, if you want to break a bad habit you will need to stop doing it for one month's time.

Good Blogging Habits:

1. Blog Post Daily - If you get into the good habit of posting on your blog everyday it will become a habit and you may even begin to look forward to it.  If you happen to stop posting for a day because of illness, etc. you may have guilt because you have let yourself down or your readers down.  Take the challenge - Post everyday for one month.
2. Attract Traffic to Your Blog - This is an essential step that most people stop after only a few tries.  If you go around the Internet and daily try to get traffic to your site, you will be a step ahead of the competition.  Read:  5 Ways to Get Traffic to your Blog for ideas.
3. Build Blogging Connections - Leave comments on other bloggers blog posts and they might just return the favor.  If you make blogging connections with bloggers in the same niche in the future there may be an opportunity for a joint venture.

If you continue to make these three steps into daily habits no matter what you will succeed.  That means if you don't get any comments or make any sales and have no visitors then you still complete these good daily blogging habits.

To take a quote from the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, t(he)y will come."  If you post regularly and go out and actively try to get traffic and make blogging connections eventually they will come to your blog.

So make some new habits and commit to doing these three things each day for one month.  Then you will be set and soon will have even more traffic than before.

Why Do You Want to Make Money Blogging Online?

Why Make Money Blogging?

If you are broke, in debt or maybe you have lost your job and have bills piling up and the appeal of making money blogging is calling to you and you want to get rich quick.  You could also be in foreclosure of your home and need some fast cash so you have turned to blogging for cash.

Blogging is not a fast money maker, not at the beginning at least.   You must have read about how these pro-bloggers make an extremely nice full-time income from blogging and thought that would be nice for you too.

What is the blogging appeal?
For most blogging represents the ultimate freedom.  Freedom of speech, to say whatever the heck you want to say, go on a rant for ten minutes and have someone read your stuff.  Blogging full-time could mean that you get to fire your boss or quit that job that you hate.  The appeal of spending time helping others with your knowledge of a hobby or some other information you possess.  Blogging can mean so many different things to so many people. 

Why blog?
Because bloggers in the blogosphere can change the world.  Bloggers can actually get their voices heard and that can be a powerful thing. 

Why do I blog?
Short Answer:  I would love to find a way to make money online and be able to share exactly what I have done with others so that they can follow my blogging blueprint and have their own success.  Long Answer:  It is basically the same as above just much more long winded and I just don't have it in me to go on and on right now.   If I wasn't a blogger, I would never be able to get away with that last sentence, but this is a blog and I can do whatever I please, now that's freedom.

How to Make $300.00 a Month with Blogging

Monthly goal of $300.00 from Blogging

I recently read a blog post over at Problogger called,  "How to Make $30,000 a year Blogging."  posted by Darren Rowse.

The basis of the article was to realize what your money goals for your blog are, and then focus on trying to break that amount into monthly or daily goals so it does not seem too far out of reach.  My goal is to be making $300.00 a month in 6 months time.  Right now with only a little traffic that amount of money seems unattainable in that time frame. 

If I break down that monthly goal into a daily goal, I will only need to earn $10.00 a day from my blogging efforts.  Well - ten dollars a day does not seem like all that much.  Don't get me wrong it will take time to get to that point but breaking down the larger amounts of money into smaller amounts, it just appears to be more manageable.

So now I am going to focus on trying to earn just $1.00 a day.  That one dollar a day is not much but with a new blog it certainly would not be bad either.  Every little bit will add up and once I reach the $1 goal then I can move on to $5 and then to $10.

By breaking my money making goals down into smaller more easily handled chunks I can focus on the smaller more easily reachable goals and not give up so quickly because I am no where near my intended goal.

How to Make Money With Your Blog

There are only 2 things you need to do to make money blogging.  When you start a new blog those two things need to be done on a daily basis.  New bloggers or struggling bloggers will need to make a commitment to check these two items off each and every day.

OK, do you want to know what the 2 really important things are that bloggers must do?  You may be disappointed to learn that you already know the answer to the blogging keys to success. 

How to Make Money Blogging:

1. Make useful posts that help your readers.
2. Drive traffic to your blog.

Told ya that you already knew them.  These  items need to be part of your daily blogging routine.  Because if you have no helpful content people will leave.  If you don't have traffic they can't find your blog.

It seems so simple and in reality it is, but the traffic is extremely important and can be hard to attain.  That is why you have to work on getting visitors daily at first.  Later when your blog has taken off the traffic will come on its own.  For now though you must do some work.  So click on over to my post  5 Ways to Get Traffic to Your Blog and get busy getting your blog traffic.

Day 15 - My Blogging Challenge Update

Day 15 of my money making blog challenge.

My blog is already two weeks old and I have made improvements and done research and learned about new things and myself in the process.  Here is what I have been up to in the last few days.

Traffic to my Blog:
Technorati has still not completed my blog acceptance.
RSS Readership is up to 8 readers, Thank you!
Pinged blog again.
Submitted Traffic Post to Blog Carnivals.

Unfortunately I did not spend as much time on getting traffic to my blog this second week and I can see the results or lack of results.  My blog traffic was going up and then it went back down and seems to have tanked, so I can see this is an area where I am going to have to put more focus.

Money from Blog:
I have gotten 2 whole adsense clicks, while that is great it is an extremely slow progression.

Not sure if the Google Analytics are working or not.  I know that the reports are behind or not up to the minute but they conflict.  Very confusing and frustrating because I was told this was the most accurate reporting for unique visitors.

I changed my mind:
You may have noticed, or not, but I am now a .com.  I changed my domain from a blogspot to http://www.mybloggingfortune.com/  I was doing some thinking back to a past failure and I want to be sure that history does not repeat itself.

I was an eBay Powerseller then one day one of my competitors got jealous of my success and reported me to eBay.  I did nothing to break the rules but their decision is final and there is no appeal process and I was out of luck.

I realized that blogger who is owned by Google had shut down some blogs around the last presidential election and they probably did nothing wrong either, some of them got reinstated, but that is not the point.

The point is that I don't want to work hard for six months or a year and then all of the sudden have my blog locked because they think I broke a rule.  This way if that happens I will just go out and get my own hosting and will move all my posts there.

Just a little explanation of the recent change of heart or mind.  They want to protect their investments and I am going to do the same for me.  I did not want to spend the money until I had it to reinvest back into the blog, but I felt it was the right thing to do before I went any further.

New Blog Goals:

•  Publish 2 Blog Posts a day until March
•  Work on getting traffic to my blog daily.

How Do You Make Money Online - Poll

How Do You Make Money Online With Your Blog?  Poll

I have decided to add a poll to my blog.  I am interested in how you are making money online.  I currently only utilize a couple of the money making ideas that are listed in the poll.  If there is a way you make money blogging that I have not listed please leave that in the comments.


Please Vote!

PollPub.com Vote

How Do You Make Money Online

Google Adsense
Affiliate Marketing
Selling Products
Donations
Selling Ad Space
All of the Above!



View Results

Poll powered by PollPub.com Free Polls

As you can see I have used a free poll option that I think works well with blogger.  Here are a few other options that you can use.  Note: I have not tried out the following polls, so your results may vary.

Blogger Tools: Polls

• Addpoll.com
• Freepolls.com
• Pollpub.com
• Freeblogpoll.com
• Vizu.com
• Blogpolls.com
• Go2Poll.com
• Tezaa.com

Putting a Poll up on your blog can be a great, quick way to connect with your readers and get them to interact with your site.  Getting visitors to interact with your site can get them to stay longer  on your money making blog and possible help you with future sales.

Top 10 Ways to Get People to Stay on Your Money Making Blog Longer

Top 10 Ways to Get People to Stay on Your Blog

If you have set up your blog with some posts and widgets and you are attempting to make money online with your blog you want them to stick around as long as possible or at least until you have convinced them to buy something.

You have blog traffic so you know people are coming to your site, but you have a high bounce rate - they don't stick around for long.  So the real question is, How to get visitors to stay on your blog?  There are several different tactics that you can use to get people to get stuck on your site or to have a sticky site.  Follow along with the top ten ways below.

Top 10 Ways to Keep 'Em Around the Blog:

1. Content is King - Give them good blog content and they will stick around to soak it up.
2. They enjoy your sense of humor, so laugh it up.
3. You're Lucky and they just happen to like your personality.
4. They can identify with what you are trying to accomplish.
5. Blog about something controversial.
6. Your blog is inviting and easy to navigate.
7. You don't try to sell them something every 5 seconds.
8. They think you are successful and they want to be successful just like you.
9. Ask questions or take a poll.
10. They like Top 10 Lists. 

Okay, now that you know, what will you do?  Are you going to run on over to your blog and implement these ideas?  Or will you say that is nice and just let all of the traffic come and stay on My Blogging Fortune's blog?  HuH?

Now is the time to take what you have learned and put it into practice.  I have done at least half of these top ten items, maybe more if I have any personality or sense of humor at all.   So hop to it and go make some money with your blog and keep those visitors on your blog longer.

Do You Have What it Takes to Make Money Online with Blogging?

Do You Have the Right Stuff to Make Money Blogging?

Are you cut out to be a blogger?  Are you willing to do what it takes to be successful and learn the tricks of the trade to make money blogging?

If you answered yes to the above questions then you are part way there.  But there is more to blogging success then the will to make money.  You need to have the entrepreneurial spirit and qualities to reach your achievements.

Ready for the long haul? 
Blogging does not usually produce fast money results.  Are you willing to tough it out for months with no income?  Then when you have the traffic and you are still not making any money you need to be willing to revamp everything and change it up so that is can be profitable.

Personal Social Networking:
Blogging or other work online can leave you devoid of social contact. So you need to be prepared to not have the advantage of having coworkers that you can talk to on a lunch break, after work, etc.  You can combat the loneliness of the quiet blogging life by being active on Facbook or just by picking up your cell phone.  You can even join groups to give you some social contact during the week.  Just make sure your social life doesn't get in the way of your blogging priorities. 

Steps to Blogging Success:

• Make a Blogging Business Plan.
• List your monthly money making goals  - do what it will take to try to keep those on track.
• Make blog posting goals and stick to it.
• Don't put all of your eggs in one basket - multiple streams of income.
• Stay focused in your niche.
• Keep learning for success.

As a blogger you need the ability to make goals and find the ways to reach them.  You need to have the drive to push yourself beyond what others in your niche are willing to do.  Make sure you have the time to devote to your new blog and invest your time wisely.

Sometimes being desperate for money can be a big push for people who want to make money with blogs.  There are plenty of success stories out there and there are just as many failure stories too.  If there is something you don't understand or cannot do just ask someone who is already successful.  If they don't answer you then find the answer on your own or ask someone else, but find the solution and you will progress.  Hopefully that progression will lead to money making blogging opportunities.

Should I Quit My Job to be a Blogger/Affiliate Marketer?

Should you quit your job to make money online with blogging?

NO!!!  Do Not Quit Your Job to become a Blogger.  You should not quit your day job until your blogging income can replace your JOB income.  It may be the new American Dream to sit at home and type up a few blog posts for a few hours, then do what ever you want and watch the money pile up into your PayPal account.

That may be the dream, but it certainly is not the reality of blogging and affiliate marketing.  Those people who are making it big have worked many long hours to get where they are today.  It may have taken them 5 years or more to start making that 6 Figure Income.

Then once the money starts pouring in what do they do?   They automate as much as they can so that money continues to keep pouring into their accounts.  Then they go and invest in new ventures or try to recreate their success again and again.

Now that you have read all of the above note that I do not currently have a job.  Only because I am a stay at home mom and take care of the kids.  But if you do not have a job for whatever reason then blogging for money can be a great option if you can do it.

On the other hand if you hate your job and think that by quitting and telling your boss to shove it would light a fire under your butt to make it rich in the blogging world.  Well then you just might want to consider that point.  Also consider how you will pay for your bills during the slow start that is associated with money making blogs.

My Blogging Fortune Just Got Indexed in Google

Just one week after starting the money making blog My Blogging Fortune and it was  Indexed in Google this morning.

I have been checking Google everyday since I started my blogging challenge and it had not indexed yet.  Now some of the links that I had posted and bookmarks were showing up but not my blogs URL.   My blogs URL is:  http://cashblogmoney.blogspot.com/ and it finally showed up.  

This means that my new blog posts should get indexed also.  If I use the correct key words for my blog such as making money online with a blog, then people searching those words should find something about my blog and hopefully be compelled enough to come and visit and learn something.

I was very excited to find out that all my hard work that I had done last week actually worked.  I had been getting a little discouraged because it was taking so long to get my blog indexed.  I normally don't care too much but this blog I want to succeed and quickly so getting visitors and indexed in the search engine is a great advantage.

I was worried that it would get stuck because I was reading how it took some money making blogs anywhere from 3 to 6 months to get indexed.  So right there I am way ahead of the game.  This way I won't give up and I can use the extra time to post to my blog and build up readers and some other things that I have planned.  

So if you want to make money online with a blog like me just follow along and see just what I will do next to get more money from my blog!

What Can You Learn from Problogger?

If you have been looking around the blogging for money world you may have noticed the blog site:   Problogger.net  which is written by Darren Rowse.  Darren has written a blog post about generating traffic a favorite topic of mine.  You can view his post below:

7 Factors on Generating Traffic to Your Blog 
"Over the last few weeks I’ve had three conversations with readers regarding different sources of traffic..."

 
Darren has been running his blog for a few years now so he has built up quite a following and quite a large yearly income just from his problogger.net blog.  Darren also has guests post sometimes on his blog - which is a win/win situation.  He gets more relevant content for his blog and gets a break from posting so often and the guest poster gets a link back to their blog.


It is always nice to have someone who is the top in their field to emulate.  So Darren Rowse is my mentor, whether he knows it or not.  You can learn a ton about a person just from watching and reading their blog and noticing the methods that they use.

Day 1 of my Blogging Fortune Journey

On day 1 of my Blogging Fortune Challenge here are some of the things I have done to set up my blog to make a fortune in cash.

How I Set up my Blog for Profit

• New Blogger Template
• Clickbank eBook Links
• Google Adsense
• Share Widget
• Google Analytics
• Heading Description

I have gotten a blogger template but I am not sure if this will be permanent or not but I like it for now.

Changed around the templates a little bit and added a few links to some informational ebooks that I want to use to make money with this blog.

I added Google Adscense to the blog for even more money making potential for my money making blog.  I was already signed up and have Google Adscense on some of my other non perfoming blogs.  Well I currently make from $5 to $10 with Adscense ads but I want to multiply that amount by 100. 

I also added a Twitter and Facebook share widget to my blog so others can share this blog which translates to more free traffic for me.

Added Google Analytics which will take a day or longer to get any results from my blog.   This will enable me to track my traffic to the blog: how many visitors, where they are from, how they get to the blog, and which search engine and keywords they are using to find the blog.

I also added a short description to the heading - My Blogging Adventure to Make Money by Blogging.

All of these things took me less than an hour to set up.  This day one will probably be the day when I spend the most time working on this blog.  Writing blog posts takes a much shorter amount of time.  So hopefully soon I will be making a great amount of money for my blogging efforts.

Next I am going to add some posts about making money with your blog to add search-able content that will rank higher in the search engines.

About Me and My Blogging Fortune

OK, so I haven't really made a blogging fortune yet.  This is my adventure in blogging and trying to make a very profitable blog in a niche market.  I want to make money online and have been trying for a while.  While not a complete newbie in terms of earning cash from blogs I am new or at least on the bottom rung.

About Me: the My Blogging Fortune author:
I am a freelance writer who would like to have more freedom.  Freelance writing gives you a ton of freedom already but I would like to not have everything I write have to be approved by an Editor and then agree to their terms and deadlines.  So I am entering the world of niche blogging to find My Blogging Fortune. 

I am hoping to change all of that with this blog.  I am inviting you to follow me on my journey and I will be sharing with my readers what I am doing to earn money on my blog.  I am also going to post my earnings for each month.  Knowing that the more I blog and the more time passes my income will go up.

I intend to use Google Adsense, the Amazon Affiliate and informational products to make money with my blog.  There are more options and ways to make money out there but these are the three areas where I am going to focus at first.

I know that there are so many others out there striking it rich with their blogs and I want to be one of them.  Be sure to check back in often to see my progress.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             marie

P.S. If you need to contact me with questions or suggestions you can shoot me a note to:  MyBloggingFortune@gmail.com