by Lisa Van Dam

Created on: January 06, 2010

If you are looking for a second income, you may be interested in blogging. Blogging is something that a lot of people already do, you may as well get paid for it right? Blogging for money is actually not as hard as some might think. There are a few things you should do to get started.

Start by finding a topic that interests you. It is a lot harder to write about something that you are not interested in. After you find a topic, research that market through Google. See if other people are interested in that topic, but check to see if there is too much competition. Now research if there are affiliates products you can sell that are related to your topic.

Sign up for affiliate and programs, and start writing articles for your blog. You want to include key words in your articles, but at the same time ensure that your writing flows smoothly. Review your articles for accuracy. Ensure that your articles are related to the topic of your blog.

Now, either buy a domain name and hosting, or sign up on a free blog site such as Blogger. If you are going to sign up for a free blog site, read all terms and conditions to ensure that they will allow you to place affiliate links. When you can afford to do so having a domain name related to your topic can help your blog be seen by the search engines.

Find a blog platform that you are comfortable with. An easy one to use is Word Press, but there are others. Google “blog platform” and decide which one you are most comfortable with. Publish your articles and affiliate links to your blog. Continue adding articles and updating your affiliate products on a regular basis.

Market your blog everywhere you can. Notify friends and family of your blog. Include a link in all your e-mail signatures. Make business cards and hand them out. Vista print gives out 250 business cards to new customers. Include a business card in the envelope when you pay your bills. Give the teller at your bank a card. Post flyers around your town. Advertise on free classified websites such as Craigslist. Include a link on your My Space, Twitter, Face Book page, or any other social networking site. Submit your site to the various search engines. Check out the Thirty Day Challenge for a free 30 day course in getting started (link in the resource section).

Resource: thirtydaychallenge.com

Learn more about this author, Lisa Van Dam.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.