Your Blog – Your Profits
In the years since it began, blogging has become more than a fad. Its not just teenagers and geeks that blog now.
If you seriously want to earn money online, you need to be blogging. Blog is the abbreviated version of "web log". They were originally used as a type of online diary for people who wanted to record their thoughts for posterity sake, and share information with friends and the world in general.
They are still used in that way but many in the business community see blogs as a way of developing true "content oriented" websites. These websites would not only help the business earn money online, but also provide true content and value for people reading them.
The other major reason blogs have become popular with businesses of all kinds, is that they are free to implement. Google's "Blogger" site is free for anyone with a Google account. They provide what amounts to unlimited storage space for all your thoughts, as well as a place to advertise without any cost.
Top online sellers are masters at getting the maximum number of hits on their sites. Blogs are indexed very quickly in comparison to regular web pages. Rapid indexing get them into the SERPS quicker than just about any other type of site.
Blogs are sometimes included in search engine results in a few days. In a few cases, withing a few hours. The quicker you can get listed, the sooner people being to visit your site, and the quicker you begin to earn money online.
Text is all search engines know. You can include all the graphics you want, but they wont get you listed. All the search engines understand is text.
The more you increase your visibility in the search results, the more hits you get and the higher your site will rank. Many businesses run blogs without a standard web page. Others use their blogs to speed up the process of indexing, and add content to a standard website. Stand alone blogs can promote affiliate programs or Google Adsense or other income streams.
The really savvy business owner uses the blog for keyword marketing, and to drive traffic to sales pages, or squeeze pages to collect email addresses. The words in the blog give your overall site higher visability.
One account I know uses his blog to keep his clients up to date on new money strategies and tax planning. Their regular readership gives him the opportunity to offer them other services like credit repair and book keeping services.
As long as your writing about your business, it might as well be online and accessible so that others can read about your business also. The more information you provide, the more visible your site becomes. Its like automatic advertising in a format that search engines love.
The more keywords you include in your articles, again, the higher you rank in the serps. You can publish keyword rich articles to your blog. You can add your favorite links and then email the owners of those sites and ask them to link back to you. Do you see how this process is almost automatic?
You can add a form to collect email addresses or offer and accept product reviews. A blog can be used in the same way that you would use a standard website, except that it is much easier to administer.
You have the choice to accept comments on your blog. Comments need to be moderated because a great many will be spam, but they also provide a unique opportunity to allow others to help grow your blog. Comments are a feature that makes your blog interactive, keeping your readers involved.
Blogs are ideal for the new online business owner. They are set up easily, they are free, they are fun and easy to use and administrate. Programs like WordPress are free. A nice option if you have your own hosting account and want more control.
Some platforms like Googles Blogger are not only free, but can be hosted on Google's system. Free program, free hosting, unlimited content. Blogger blogs can also be hosted on your own system if you wish. I actually recommend this so that you have more control over the blog.
