Make money online
Make money online blogs: how to be unprofessional!
I wanted to write something like “how to be pathetic”, but I think some of my readers would be mad, so I sweetened this a little. Let’s learn now how to run an unprofessional make money online blog. This shouldn’t be too hard, since I see so many people succeed into having such blogs. Maybe this article, mean as it is, would also help some people understand what is they are doing so wrong.
1. You’re on Blogspot.
There are 2 possible free hosts for blogs that are well known and work nicely: Wordpress and Blogspot. Even if Blogspot is the one most professionals hate you are there. Why? Because wordpress.com (even if better) doesn’t let you put ads there. And we all know you are not in the business to just offer content, you’re here to earn some bucks.
Nothing wrong with that either (I do make money too), but bragging about how cool you are with making money and using a free host for your small blog really sends some signals to me. And, as you might guess, none are positive.
Solution: Get a domain and a hosting. You shouldn’t have to pay more than 50 USD/YEAR for this, I assume you can afford this. Even if you are not the most successful entrepreneur (you’d like to let us think this, but we know you are not .. still), you can afford 4 USD/month. I can afford this in a poor country (I have 25 domains of my own, 4 reseller accounts and tens of other domains given for free to my webmaster forums members as prizes), so it’s not a big deal.
When it comes to your IMAGE this will be a HUGE deal. I’ll come and see your blog on a nice host/domain name and would surely think to myself: “OK, the guy looks serious. He’s got few articles, it’s a small blog, but I see he’s serious about this. Buying a domain name already makes you serious.
2. I have seen your skin thousands of times before
You are making 2 mistakes: you either try to emulate some of the big bloggers (WRONG!) or you’re using a stock theme we have seen in way too many blogs already. You know we have a free skin here too? I am not a wordpress theme coder and didn’t have the time to learn all the things I would need. But I made a “wrapper” in photoshop, sliced it and coded it and placed the code in the header/footer sections, while also making some changes in the CSS. And voila!, we have a unique look.
Solution: look for a less used skin and also change something in it. You have to make some changes in the CSS and maybe modify few images. If you don’t modify your skin at all, I won’t be able to REMEMBER your blog in the thousands of other money making blogs who haven’t changed their skin either. And, unless you do offer some outstanding information (which most blogs, no matter the niche, don’t offer) you’re just another one I won’t remember once I leave the address.
3. The million dollar blog and other asorted crap.
Are you already a millionaire? Then why do you try to “sell” me the information as this? Why can’t you just admit you’re an average Joe as I am and just have some ideas when it comes to money making. I would surely respect the blog some more. The true millionairs don’t have the time to mess with a 50 visits a day blog as we do. They have REAL business to attend and a lot of money to waste on anything that would make their life great.
“See how a x year old makes money” (change x with a small number, the smallest the better). So, you are 14 and making money blogging? Cool. I have 13-15 year olds in my forums who are already pretty decent programmers. And they don’t brag about this since most of the time they hate it when it comes to admit their age. Most people won’t take them seriously because they are kids and they hate this discrimination. You are just trying to milk this into another type of discrimination, by emphasising the idea that a 14 year old is useless and how cool you are for not being such loser. Even if it’s cute, I do think it’s wrong.
I am a woman. And I still get “that look” from people who have problems believing that a woman can be a good designer or a good forum manager or maybe a good IT “guy”. I try to change this idiotic mentality and prove them that “you can be a good professional NO MATTER the gender or the age”. These are just some reasons for others to discriminate against us and explain to them any flaws they might find. No, I don’t make mistakes because I am a woman, I make mistakes because I make mistakes. Because I made a bad judgement or because I was tired or didn’t pay attention. I don’t fail because I am a woman, I don’t fail because I am 30 or 130 year old.
Solution: maybe it’s a good idea to just present yourself as a normal guy who’s got something to say. Don’t play the millionaire card, don’t brag with your age/sex/race that much. Just have some good ideas and articles and we’d come to your site day after day. Because we don’t care who’s doing the writing as long as this makes us come back.
4. Well, you’ve gone overboard with the ads
.. and widgets and affiliates and coupons and a lot of glitter and blinking stuff that makes reading hard. We do avertise too. We do promote affiliates that pay and we are pleased with them. There is nothing wrong with promoting SOME of them, just don’t make your blog another pixel advertising site, with the “pixels” being some big banners that clutter the content.
Try to understand that we don’t care about your ads. Most of us are already “blind” when it comes to them. Just placing tens of banners makes you “hungry” and unstable. You cannot focus on few advertisers, you are so desperate for 2 cents that you prostitute your blog for some small cash. THIS IS THE SIGNAL you are sending.
Solution: focus on 3-4 affiliates and have few ads. See which are paying nicely and kick the rest. Don’t put too many widgets (or chose the smallest possible sizes for them), don’t have things that take the eyes from the written articles, because you will be losing those few visitors this way. You need to look professional with the advertising too, not desperate.
5. You don’t really have anything to say
I know this is harsh, but it’s true. I don’t care for links to other articles you found interesting (or at least do this once a week or something like that). I don’t want to see such list in each of your article. I assume you opened a blog because YOU have something to say. Why not make an effort and try to write something on your own?
Don’t make too many reviews for all kinds of products/services. I know you hope you’ll be milking yet another small payment, but you are ruining your content and compromise yourself as a blogger. Did you personally find excellent service? Then tell me about it. Same with bad service. Still, this shouln’t be such a frequent thing. I want to read INFORMATIVE posts, some ideas you’ve got, when you did wrong and how much you were able to mess that time.
Solution: Most of your readers should LEARN something from you. Give them some advice, offer an interesting article, write your own posts in your own style. Don’t sell us anything, but your good experience, this makes us come back. Don’t lie to us, don’t promote something just to gte few cents. Promote what you believe in and we’ll believe you.
When it comes to GOOD money making blog, there is a lot of effort in it. Because there are WAY TO MANY already, because you need to offer us an alternative, because we need to read something good and remember where the good article was.
So, how do we make this professional blog I will surely bookmark?
- on a nice domain/hosting
- a modded skin. Even if it’s a unique skin made from scratch for you, or you just made some changes to make it look different
- promote good content, not catchy stuff like “millionaire” or “2 year old”. I know these should be pretty successful as catchy phrases, but most of the time they make us sick
- just relax with those ads, less is more
- write your own content, don’t copy content, don’t just review services for money, don’t make lists of links, don’t repeat same stupid things we hear all the time. If you have something to say, then create an article, if not .. maybe you need day off. Or a year off.
Best of luck to you all. Let’s see some changes in some of the blogs, let’s read some nice articles. I am hungry for information, amaze me 
I see this in just about every blog niche, not just the MMO ones
Debt Free Revolution’s last blog post..Saving Money on Pet Food
Very well said. If I can add to the list… Spelling and Grammar. Nothing gets me off a blog faster than simple misspelled words and poor grammar. Spell check is your friend.
I think I am going to use your fifth point as a launching pad for my post tomorrow. Where are the fresh ideas? I know this isn’t like the fountain of youth… they do exist… but where?
Rhett Soveran - Epiblogger’s last blog post..Do You Love Your Blog?
Hello Rhett and welcome to the madhouse
Can’t wait for the post .. it’s true we don’t reinvent the wheel, but still there are so many things to be said
I liked the article. Got a real good laugh about too many ads. Just as I was reading the point about too many blinking things on the page one of your ads blinked at me.
Skolor’s last blog post..Ready, Set, Grind!
Very funny and amusing article!
It was pleasure reading it.
hope this will be an eyeopener for many bloggers out there, there is so much to learn that sometimes one just can´t see the forest through the trees,
have a good one!
Mirjam’s last blog post..My own Belief System Made it Impossible to Become Rich
Great post!
Came from Mirjam’s blog. I like what I read here.
Will come back for more …
Thanks!
Terence Chang’s last blog post..8 Blogs that I read everyday on my entrepreneur journey
Thank you all for the nice comments
Terence, I also spent quite some time on Mirjam’s blog .. she does have a lot to say. So glad to see you here
Ha.. I hate number 5. It seems that most blogs I go to today just post links to other sites, talk about a contest, or post pictures of the last restaurant they went to eat at. Where’s the real content?
James’s last blog post..Using video based content instead of text based content
I totally agree with you on all of these points.. and I have said it time and time again[Link to one of my articles: "Dare To Be Different"] that you need to be different to have ANY chance at success to “Make Money Online” when blogging.
These wanna-be bloggers that post their RSS feedcount showing a total of “9 Subscribers” just make me sick. Then they have the nerve to shove P.P.P. posts into their content. As if I’m EVER going to return to the blog in question.
You hit this topic right on the head, and I will definitely return to see more.
Brad Blogging - Making Your Blog Better Through Personal Experience’s last blog post..Introduction To Advertising - Table of Contents
Hello Brad, I am so glad that others have thought about this too and try to be different. My motto is this “dare to be different” I have it for years, since I made my portfolio and wanted to offer something (maybe not new but) not the same as others.
I loved your article too and I agree with you. I’ll be waiting for you again, hoping my next articles will also please you
Can’t Wait
Brad Blogging.com - Making Your Blog Better Through Personal Experience’s last blog post..Post One: How To Calculate Monthly Advertising Prices
Hey!
Your blog is awesome! Thanks for sharing this information.Truly great ideas for a beginner on how to make money online.
Hey this is alarming. This is a great post.
Your blog is wonderful! I would sure work on these topics to make my dream life a reality and hope to earn some money with blogging.
I wonder why being on blogspot is unprofessional. If you actually google the term “make money online”, the top spot is occupied by a blogspot blog. That blog is pretty useful..though I’m amazed how that guy has managed to stay at the top for that term for almost a year.
I Dream of Money’s last blog post..Big List of Paid to Write Sites
HEY,
Great post!
This will really become a pillar for a person who is planning to start a new home based business…
I fully agree with your post number 3 - yet am stupified to find my own members that have fallen for this tactic and shell out huge amounts of cash to make money online!
Most newbie fall into this error. I was there before now. I wanted to be like the big time bloggers withing months of starting with a free-hosted blog! Quite dumb. I started getting the right perspective when I saw what John Chow’s blog was in 2006. That was an eye opener. Those top bloggers paid for the fame they are enjoying now.
Nigerian Entrepreneur’s last blog post..The Best Online Business To Start!
I couldn’t agree more. This really was a fantastic post, and you hit the nail on the head about everything. I particularly like the part about the age thing, and the self-proclaimed millionaires that run cheap (or free) themes with no readers. Great stuff!
Blog Flipping’s last blog post..Quick Links - How To Build Links FAST!
Oh, one more thing… How about those “millionaires” that proudly display their 31 Rss subscribers? That gets me every time!
Blog Flipping’s last blog post..Quick Links - How To Build Links FAST!
Just found your blog through DoFollow Diver. Great job so far! I’m loving it! Check out my blog at http://monkeyblogger.com and let me know what you think, I’d be interested in bouncing off ideas.
Regards,
- Mark Cuda
Mark Cuda’s last blog post..MonkeyBlogger’s First Mini Contest!
I could not agree more with what you had to say. Everyday I stumble on new blogs that all look the same. They have ads in the middle of the main content that makes it almost impossible to read.
I admit, I have ads on my site but I tried my best to keep them to the right and away from the main content. I may lose a few clicks this way, but overall it is worth it to keep some readers.
And good advice about the theme, it doesn’t take that much to tweek any theme to look a little different. I think people just hurry through everything trying to make the almighty dollar.
Justin’s last blog post..It’s Time To Release A Sex Tape
Very nice article!
Great post!
You’re entirely right though; there are soo many mistakes newbies tend to make with their blogs, if I could go back to before I made my first blog I would have just bit the bullet and bought a quality .com domain and real hosting.
Carl @ Paid Surveys’s last blog post..The Best Free Paid Surveys
Couldn’t agree more. Why waste time making a run of the mill site with no content and a load of adverts when it could just as easily be time spent creating something worth reading that might actually make you a few bucks instead of just annoying the unfortunate traffic Google shoves your way.
A blogspot blog may look unprofessional but they still rank for niches and personally people who are looking for solutions to their problem probably don’t care about the look, layout or feel. Just my opinion though.
Leo @ Internet Marketing Techniques’s last blog post..Why Internet Marketers and Make Money Bloggers Fail
I totally agree with the “too many ads” part. Many people think if they are offering you something for free they need to bombard you with ads in order to make up for it. It honestly has a completely adverse effect and makes you want to leave immediately.
Free PLR Articles’s last blog post..How to Dominate a Niche Category
This is all true but everyone wants get get internet income, and blogging is an easy way to start but has a long learning curve to get it right.
Yeah for me, I only use 3 Ads! But I have content babeh!
Now there is a solution. A lot of free blogger themes had been released
Free Ways To Make Money Online’s last blog post..Get A Chance Of Winning Instant Prizes With Bigdevil.com
Talking about not only copy paste the content is related with the choosing of blog’s topic in the beginning. Don’t just take niche profitable topic but choose niche topic that we belief can create own quality content regularly.
Monetize Blog’s last blog post..Blogging And Internet Marketing
I absolutely agree with you about everything, especially about theme. Theme should be unique in my opinion, so people don’t have the feeling they visited your site before, even though they didn’t
Josh
CashMakers’s last blog post..Earn Money Online And Work At Home Based Business
you’re right what am i doing in a free web jost if i’m serious on my online business,yeah i’m planning to buy my own domain i’m just fixing some things about my transfer sometimes i’m quite ashamed seeing my friends and link partners having their own domain and webhost but i have to go on. wow great job on your post
Hi
I like your post.I personally use blogger, because it ranks better on Google.Don’t forget that Google owns Blogger.
I for myself use blogspot as my blog hosting - its free, simple, fast with no HTML knowledge needed. Some bloggers have already making a big income just from their free blog. ^_^
@John - I don’t think that just because someone use blogger, they will ranked higher on SERP. It’s not the point that Google owns Blogger that contribute to the raking position of a blog. Instead, it’s depend on the content, seo and backinks.
Blogger is better than wordpress.com, but I can say that hosted version on wordpress is better than blogger, because it has a lots of features.
What I really don’t like are bloggers who try to sell themselves as real gurus when they so obviously aren’t. Their content and giveaways are the top indicators of who they really are. They share the exact same PLR content as all the other pretenders.
You have sweetened the post sweetly so no one will get mad. I think..hehehe..I think both Blogger and Wordpress have their advantages and disadvantages but basically they are two perfect tools to start a blog.
Lets not forget about Squidoo which basically which almost guarantees high ranking in the SERPS while blogger or wordpress does not guarantee a good ranking. You have to use headers and HTML.
This is a good post. Writing quality content is and always will be a crucial point.
When writing your blog, make it interesting. Think to yourself before publishing it, why would someone want to read this? What value does this offer to my readers?
Do this before publishing anything and you WILL see positive results.
Thanks for sharing. The tips are really useful for beginners and not only. Blogging is getting more and more popular activity, but I would like to append that blogging is a serious business, so you shouldn’t expect easy and fast money from it. You will need to work hard to reach your goals. Besides, you should never stop learning, because knowledge is a way to your success. Good luck.
This is realy not an easy job to do. Atleast 6 months or more before you can see a result. So patient, patient and more patient….
Nice article, but I disagree with you on the first point you made. Even though I have a paid for domain name and paid hosting, I know bloggers who are making money using google’s blogspot.
Do a search for the name Grizzly, you’ll be surprise that he owns some UGLY blogspot blogs that are occupying Ist page on SERP for some competitive keywords.
I believe it is not all about the platform, free or owned, it is more about the knowledge the blogger possess. Cheers.
Most people lose a lot of money on their blogs since they lack the expertise in that topic, do not work at it long enough & hard enough to build it up, choose a niche where there’s no paying market, or don’t know how to make the money that’s readily available in that market.
Wow that is a great point, thanks for pointing that out! I’ll be back again soon, I hope to see some more great content in the future from you!
Hi,
Thanks, for these 5 tips. Your information is too good.