How to Make Money Blogging in 2009

How to Make Money Blogging in 2009 - 11 Tips For Making it Your Most Lucrative Blogging Year Ever

Social media marketing is all the rage right now. Facebook is sexy, Twitter is fast and easy, and MySpace - well, you're nobody without a MySpace page. So where does that leave good old blogging? A has been. But, not so fast. Blogging is still one of the best ways to make money online.

If you want to make money blogging in 2009, the following 11 blogging tips offer some sage advice on how to go about it.

To Make Money Blogging in 2009, Get Back to Basics

Blogging Tip #1: Create a Posting Schedule. It makes it easier for readers to follow you; indeed, look forward to your posts. If your schedule is erratic, it will take you that much longer - if ever - to build up a loyal following:

Posting Schedule Tip: Try to do so at least once a week.

Blogging Tip #2: Post from Experience. Did you know that information is the best selling product on the web? And, much of it is written in a "how to" format by authors who've experienced it first-hand.

So share your experiences with readers using the first person (ie, "I"). Readers will come to know, like and trust the info you provide. And, that will make it much easier for you to sell to them (which is the ultimate goal, after all). It will also build up your credibility as an authority in your niche.

Blogging Tip #3: Choose a Niche. Speaking of niche - choose a niche and stick to it. It's where the money is. There's so much info on the web that it's impossible to be everything to everybody. So, clearly define your niche and always post with their wants and needs in mind.

Blogging Tip #4: Interact with Other Popular Blogs in Your Niche. The most effective way to do this is by commenting on other popular blogs in your niche. Make your posts relevant. Don't just post to post. This is pointless and is a waste of time. Use the space to leave helpful, relevant feedback.

Blogging Tip #5: Use Good Grammar. I don't care how good your post is, if it's poorly written, you will lose credibility. Never underestimate the power of good writing.

Blogging Tip #6: Get a Clean Design. You don't have to be a web designer to have an effective blog. After all, readers come for your information. If design is not your forte, don't sweat it. Just use a clean design that's easy to navigate. A clean, simple design is like a little black dress - it's classy - timeless.

Blogging Tip #7: Get Plugins. Plugins are things like "most relevant posts", "most recent posts", etc. They encourage readers to hang around longer. The longer a visitor stays on your blog, the more likely it is they will buy from you - whether right now or at some time in the future.

Blogging Tip #8: Blog with SEO in Mind. What I mean by this is, center each post around a keyword phrase. And, the writing doesn't have to be bad to "force a phrase," just keep SEO in mind when you blog.
Many bloggers forget this. They tend to think in terms of articles or web content when they think of SEO. But, the concepts apply to blogging as well.

Blogging Tip #9: Don't Forget to Market Your Blog. Don't stop at posting. Get mileage out of your posts. Employ "sexy marketing", ie, social bookmarking and networking. Tweet them on Twitter, post them to Facebook and MySpace, stumble them on StumbleUpon, etc.
Social bookmarking and networking tip: These are time-consuming marketing strategies because you have to interact with these communities to make this type of marketing effective. So just keep this in mind when you start with them.

Blogging Tip #10: Personalize Your Blog. Be you; inject some of your personality.

Blogging Tip #11: Don't Give Up. Blogging is more time consuming than many think when they first start. This is why there are so many dead blogs on the web. But remember, success is a marathon, not a sprint. So don't give up.