by Courtland Low

Created on: February 26, 2009

With the economy in shambles right now, it's no wonder that many people are turning to Internet in hopes of making some extra money. There are a variety of methods to making money online, but blogging is without a doubt one of the easiest and simplest ways of doing it. Best of all, it doesn't take a lot of expertise to get started and can be lots fun. Blogging can supplement an income or given enough success, and a little bit of luck, can prove to be a regular and stable monthly income. So let's get started!

Creating A Blog

If you don't own a domain yet, set up a free blog. Blogger and WordPress are the most common blog space providers. Blogger is good for beginners, but as you learn more about blogging, you may want to move to WordPress as it allows a greater degree of customization and flexibility. With this said, both are extremely easy to use. Your next step is to choose your niche, a specific topic or area. Preferabbly this will be an area you are either interested in or have experience in. Writing about something that bores you to death will show in your posts and make it harder for you to make your blog a success. Do keep in mind that not all markets are created equal and some niches are more highly sought out than others. Weight loss is an immensely popular topic whereas hand-knit flower pot jackets that resemble past presidents might have a little more trouble flourishing.

Build Your Blog's Brand

Branding will make your blog stand out from the rest of the market. Business is personal - people want to do business with a person, not a faceless corporate entity. If your blog can reach readers on a personal level and draw feelings of trust and empathy, you're already ahead of most of the competition. Many successful bloggers include personal life posts including pictures of themselves. Readers begin to associate certain ideas with you as the blogger. It helps them remember you and your blog. Remember, the most successful bloggers are also marketers. Build your brand.

Content

Content reigns king when it comes to blogging. Quality content is essential to a good blog. Your posts should be informative and aim to provide solid value to your readers. But if you really want to make money as a blogger, you need to how sell things. You don't need thousands and thousands of page views a day to make money with blogs. The secret is to learn marketing, your blog isn't just a blog, it's a business. Like it or not, your readers are leads and your blog's chance at making decent

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