Archive for July, 2009

Why everyone is blogging for dollars

July 3rd, 2009 Kevin Quinlan No comment

The more I get into blogging the more I realize that everyone is really just blogging for dollars. Very few people I believe are purely interested in helping others or sharing information. To me, it seems that blogging for dollars is the motivation behind 99% of all blogs created. People trying to find niche topics untapped and stalking keywords that are within reach with proper SEO fixes. No one sits down and says how can I help readers learn something about a topic I feel is important.

Why does this happen? Well, the bottomline is that we are all selfish people right? Blogging for dollars is motivation to sit down and write. Sit down and maintain a blog and get backlinks and market the blog to increase traffic. What motivation comes from just handing away content without reward? A good feeling on the inside? A sense of satisfaction knowing you helped another maybe in a time of need? Nah, overrated it seems. Blogging for dollars is the only motivation out there for bloggers.

What does this mean? Well, unfortunately it means that the web is filled with crap. That most people create blogs on topics they know nothing about and just rewirte good quality content into crap content rich in keywords so that they can attract the readers. Blogging for dollars has turned a useful tool, the search engines, into a headache to find what you are really looking for, which is, answers to questions.

Am I guilty? Sure, to some extent. I have ads here on this blog and my other blogs. I would like to make a few bucks writing these blog posts but in the end I would be more happy building traffic and getting an audience for what I write. I think the downfall of a good blogger is once they achieve a certain level of stardom. A level where the blogging for dollars has been achieved and now it is time to just post for the sake of posting while old articles written keep bringing in new readers.

Don’t get blinded blogging for dollars. Remember content is king. Answer people’s questions. Provide value to readers. If you do these things for a long period of time you will get traffic. You will be blogging for dollars but the right way.

When does a blogger turn into professional blogging

July 1st, 2009 Kevin Quinlan No comment

There is no magical sign when a hobby blogger turns into a professional blogging unfortuantly the most basic and obvious sign is that they are now making some money. This of course might only be one dollar and need to wait six months to reach the minimum payout to ever see the money.

Professional blogging is not as common as most people think. Not everyone is going to be the next ProBlogger. Very few bloggers are able to convert a part time blogging gig into a full blown professional blogging career. The starting point on the road is the decision to monetize a blog. Most people feel that a blog needs to have a certain level of normal daily traffic before it is really monetized. The reason for this is that advertisements can scare away readers. Especially early on when the blogger does not have enough traffic to bring in private advertisement opportunities or affiliates on their blog.

The other thing is that not all blogs really can lead to professional blogging. Not all topics will demand one million readers a year just because the niche might be too small or on the other side, the topic overkilled. You can be the top result for all of your keywords but if no one is searching for them, what does it matter?

So when does a blogger turn to professional blogging? It really just depends on what the goal of the blog is. This is a decision that any good blogger should set on day one. Set goals of traffic. Set goals on page rank. Set goals on subscriptions to their feeds. Once these goals are achieved then they should monetize the blog.

The theme selected should also be able to support monetization. Some blogs look like crap when you put advertisements on it or they are hidden and no one clicks on them. Deciding from day one you will someday want to make money and be a professional blogger can shape your approach to your design.

Decide early on. Is professional blogging in the cards for you and your blog or are you content as a hobby blogger?

The Blogging Center

Archive for July, 2009

Why everyone is blogging for dollars

When does a blogger turn into professional blogging

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories