The biggest complaint that new blog owners have is that they cannot attract an audience. In other words, they feel as if they are writing, but nobody is reading. While this can be a difficult problem to overcome, it is one that every blogger has to deal with early on. Your goal should be to increase your readership day in and day out. Even if you only make small strides, this is better than standing still. Small successes will lead to bigger ones in the long run!
But remember, you are never going to increase your audience if you do not give people a reason to read your blog. Readers need to have a reason to visit your blog. If you give them one, it is safe to say that they will come back time and time again. If not, you are going to struggle to reach even the smallest of goals.
So why should people read your blog? If you cannot answer this question, nobody else is going to be able to either. For me, the answer to this question is short and sweet: readers should visit Chrisblogging if they want to learn about or make money with freelance writing and/or blogging. With each post that I write, my goal is to stay within this “reason for reading.â€
Any reason to read your blog is a great one. Some blogs get tons of traffic because they are controversial, and others attract readers because they have pictures of scantily clad celebrities.
No matter what, you need to have a hook that will draw people in. This way, as word spreads about your blog, traffic will continue to increase.
There is a fine line between monetizing your site, and taking things to an extreme. If you are going to look into monetization methods, you need to make sure that this does not negatively affect the way that readers perceive and read your blog. In other words, if your revenue streams are getting in the way, you may be doing yourself a disservice in the long run.
I have found that monetizing a blog too early is one of the number one ways to put readers off. Day in and day out I come across blogs that have a couple of posts, but advertisements all over the front page. What does this tell me? Simply put, it tells me that the person is more interested in making money with their blog than providing good, quality content.
I am of the opinion that monetizing a blog, if done at the right time, will not put readers off as long as it is done appropriately. As mentioned above, this means that your revenue streams should not interfere with the navigation or overall look of your blog. While it is impossible to monetize a blog without changing its look, you need to make this transaction as seamless as possible. Upon arriving at your blog, you want readers to notice your content first and everything else after that. If your ads are sticking out all over the place, you are going to have a difficult time retaining and attracting new members.
Also, keep in mind that monetization is not a vague, generalized term. There are so many ways to set up revenue streams that you are sure to have your hands full. As you can imagine, the monetization methods that you choose will have a lot to do with the way that your site looks, and also the way that readers will react. If you have a blog with steady traffic and comments, your visitors will be sure to let you know if you have done something wrong.
The key to monetization is making sure that your blog is ready. When you feel that the time is right, make sure that you choose the best ways to make money, and that you never turn readers off by overcrowding.Â
There are some blogs that make money, and others that do not. At this time, this blog fits into the later category. I have yet to consider any monetization methods, and am probably still a few months away from doing so. Until I am comfortable with the content and traffic, I will stay away from monetization. But with that being said, I have been thinking a lot about how much money should be reinvested in a blog. In other words, what percentage of your blog’s revenue do you reinvest?
This is a question that every blogger will answer differently. There are some that like to reinvest every last penny that they make, while others would rather keep the money for themselves. And guess what? There is no way of saying for sure what is right and what is wrong. It really depends on your goals and situation.
If your main goal is to grow your blog as quickly as possible, you will definitely want to reinvest some of your revenue. How much, you may ask? Well, that is for you to decide. You may want to take a certain percentage of your overall revenue, or simply have a set amount that you will use for reinvesting each month.
On the other side of things, if you are trying to make money with your blog to sustain your current lifestyle, reinvesting may not be the best idea. After all, the $100 that your blog earns may be needed to pay some bills. If you are in this situation, there is no need to worry. Even though your blog would probably grow faster if you were to reinvest some earnings, if you continue to post quality content, your traffic should naturally increase; even if it takes a while.
It would be interesting to find out how much money the big time blogs reinvest. For instance, do you think John Chow has to put any money back into his blog? I am sure he does this to a certain extent, but with over $10,000/month in revenue, it is probably not enough to make a huge difference. In fact, it is safe to say that he probably reinvests more money in his blog in one month than most blogs earn. But remember, even he started somewhere!
As the month winds down, consider your blog reinvestment strategy. You may find out that tweaking this could help your blog reach new heights in August!
