Gorgeous farmland beside the jungle in Buena Vista, Costa Rica. "Why isn't my blog making money??!?!?!"
How many times has *that* desperate question screamed in your mind?
I almost died in India after suffering through giardia and becoming dangerously dehydrated. I slammed into the pavement like Superman after a horrible motorbike accident in Bali. I've faced down deadly spitting cobras, killer kraits, savage centipedes and vicious bullet ants during my world travels.
I even sat in a locked cage with three, 400 pound tigers in Thailand.
Feeling the frustration of not knowing how in the hell I needed to optimize my blog to make money ranks up there with these scary, terrible feeling experiences from my world travels.
You may be beyond disgusted with your money-making campaign. So that you actually want to throw your lap top out of the window.
Or maybe you want to place your smartphone under a steam roller, feeling the satisfaction of seeing so much blogging pain crushed violently by a ton worth of mean machinery.
Before you trash your tech I want to help you:
You can create a stunning array of blog content, dripping with help and usefulness, but if your blog ain't packaged right you'll scare off money like a Buddhist monk sprinting from a Cracker Barrel Sunday morning, gut-busting brunch.
The 2 things just ain't a match.
Follow these 10 tips to optimize your blog to make money.
1: Grow an Email ListThe easiest way to optimize your blog to make money is to grow an email list.
Building an email list:
Rather than killing yourself, hustling here and there and everywhere to share your latest blog post across thousands of spots online, building an email list simply brings everybody to you. So after publishing a post you just create a small email through your list provider, hit the "send" button then hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands or more readers get your latest post in 2 seconds.
Even the Guige Playoff Crowd ain't afraid to scam folks. Why so scared to use pop ups? From Chiang Mai, Thailand. What sounds like it'll make you more money? Killing yourself to try to be everywhere online? Or using an easy way to bring everybody to you?
Build your email list. Starting today. Make this a prime intent behind your blogging campaign.
2: Post Pop Up and Side Bar Opt In FormsMy email list was a wee small prior to the last few months – gave it little thought – but it grew by 30% since I used pop ups. That's a hefty number. That 30% growth rate falls within 1-2 months.
Using pop ups is the quickest, easiest way to grow your email list really, really, really fast.
If you fear annoying people by using pop ups, you should be 10 times more terrified that you are missing an opportunity to build strong, powerful, profitable bonds with raging fans who don't join your list because they didn't see a clear, in your face, bold pop up on visiting your site.
Add an opt in form on your sidebar. As a follow up to your pop up form.
3: Add Multiple Streams of IncomeA sea sponge could clearly see how adding one income stream to your blog, every 3-6 months, and learning those streams inside-out so you actually make money through the streams, will help optimize your blog effectively, so that you make money.
10 income streams you learn and work and promote freely is better than 1 income stream. In most cases at least.
Example
10 minutes ago somebody bought one of my Selz eBooks. $15 (minus commission) sent to my bank account. Sweet. 3 more folks bought my eBook a few hours before. Roughly $9. Sweet. I'm due to make $35 through one consulting stream in a day or so. That's about $60 through 3 separate income streams, today, or between today and tomorrow, as of this writing.
Add in my:
and I give readers a chance to receive help and spend money through many channels. Which is a smart way to monetize your blog through optimizing.
4: Align Your Blog Top DownMake money through your blog by doing 1 thing, so you do it well.
Ensure your blog design aligns 100% with the 1 thing you do well.
My blog is a solid study. Every freaking widget, nook, cranny, post or page SCREAMS Blogging From Paradise: How to Retire to a Life of Island Hopping through Smart Blogging.
My readers have no confusion about what I do or how I help them. So they buy my premium stuff and hire me, because they know the 1 specific thing I do and how it helps them, and my blog reflects this clarity nicely, too.
5: Don't Be Shy to Ask for the BuyIf you're having a terrible time making money through your blog you are probably shy about asking for the buy.
If you make a pretty penny through your blog I betcha you have no problems asking readers once, twice or 10 times – through persistent follow ups – to buy your products or eBooks or to hire you for your services.
Last month I got clearer on my paid offerings. I promoted an eBook on a Friday. Saw a nice spike in sales. On Sunday, I reminded my email list subscribers to buy my eBook. My sales doubled the first day sales total. Yes….I sold twice as many eBooks on the follow up day versus the actual release/launch day.
It's the Commercial Effect: you tend to buy something after 2 or 5 or 10 or 20 exposures. A commercial plays once. Catchy tune. After seeing or hearing it for the 5th time the ad reminds you what you are missing and you make the buy. Or maybe it takes 15 follow ups to goad you to buy. But in the end, you buy, whether on the first or 20th exposure.
Practical Tips
Do you fear seeing more unsubscribes after adopting this approach? Who the hell cares! Are you blogging to persistently help great matches, who will readily gobble up your premium offerings and pad your pockets? Or are you blogging not to annoy poor matches who have issues with spending money?
One of the great mental illness memes passed between bloggers – dingbat me, included, for many painful years – is that "you better be careful not to burn through your email list." Like all fear-based blogging advice, it is an illusion (for the spiritually sophisticated) or a steaming pile of pure horse shit (for the more colorfully-inclined crowd).
Please; if you want to make more money through your blog ask folks to buy your stuff persistently, frequently and regularly. Million and billion dollar empires are built on the foundation of clear, persistent follow ups.
On the flip side, not following up persistently is a fear-based, selfish act that deprives your biggest fans and even lukewarm readers from the gentle nudge they need to buy something that would benefit their lives significantly.
6: Gussy Up Your Profit-Earning WidgetsI created this Amazon widget specifically for this post. For you bloggers who crave tips to make money through your blog.
Buy what catches your blogging fancy:
See how purdy the widget looks? Pretty-looking widgets are appealing, simple, clean vehicles through which to increase sales and boost your blogging profits.
Linking to eBooks or courses is a'ight but using a graphical interface creates the type of eye candy that increase your blogging profits.
Gussy-up your blog. Either use third party widgets or design simple, clean, eye-catching banners to wrap your income streams in higher converting packaging.
7: Focus Every Post on Solving a Targeted Reader ProblemOne easy way to boost your blogging earnings is to address specific problems suffered by your ideal readers. Through each and every blog post.
Example
Peep this post title. I am helping you make more money through your blog. Since this is a somewhat common problem – tongue planted in cheek – in the blogging tips niche I am solving only about 40 million blogger's problems through this post.
If one of my bribed readers says "Hey this moron actually solved my problems! Lemme see what eBooks and courses and services he has to offer", I just landed a potential new client or customer. More help. More fulfillment. More money.
Key point; solve specific problems for your ideal readers EACH and EVERY post. Not good enough to solve specific blogging problems this week then to turn around and help my readers learn how to create the biggest splat by throwing overripe papayas from 10 stories up next week.
Ya feel ya readers? Kathmandu, Nepal. Feel your reader's specific problems by being compassionate. Solve through your blog. Prosper.
8: Take out the Non Earning TrashDo you *really* need to show off reader locations around the globe?
How about that tag cloud from the early 2000's? Is it *really* the best use you can make of your sidebar?
Trash all non earning widgets to streamline your blog.
Treat your sidebar real estate with respect, not as a dumping ground. Add only brand-aligned, prospering ads, widgets or photos to maximize your blogging earnings.
9: Create Scannable Blog PostsCreating scannable blog posts sends off a professional, branded, clear vibe. Bloggers seen in a professional, branded, clear light tend to make some super scrilla online.
On the flip side, sloppy-looking, difficult to scan posts send most readers heading to the hills.
Make it easy for readers to scan your posts quickly so they get the information they want and can buy your stuff or hire you swiftly.
Use headers, frequent paragraphs and short, punchy sentences to ensure posts flow freely and smoothly, all prepped for easy scanning.
10: Be ReachableMake it easy for readers to email you.
Accessible bloggers profit nicely.
Sometimes a prospective client just needs to touch base via a quick email before booking a session. Ditto with prospective course or eBook customers.
Optimize your blog to make money by being accessible, transparent and super duper easy to reach through email.
Post your email address on your sidebar. Post your email address on your services rendered pages.
Be reachable.
Prosper.
Your TurnWhat tips can you add to this list?
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Source: 10 Tips for Optimizing Your Blog to Make Money
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