26-May-2008
The Long Tail Way To Make Money
 Okay, how's your long tail?I mean if you have, say a money making blog, do you concentrate on the word money as a keyword? If you do you'll have a heck of a lot of competition and might have a job getting a good position on the Google search engine. Also, if you use a word like money, it can mean different things to different people. In other words someone who puts money into a search might not be thinking about money making. If he or she isn't then they'll probably leave your blog as quickly as they arrived. It might be a referral for the stats but it won't make you any money. A Long Tail, in a keyword sense, is more than one word. It could be several words, or a phrase, that really defines what your post (or blog) is all about. Therefore, if a searcher uses your Long Tail words, when they arrive via Google it's more likely they will remain longer on your blog - as you should have something they are really looking for. So this time they are a referral that is more likely to make you money. So how do you decide what Long Tail words to use? One way is to use a tool (yes, it's free!) such as the Keyword Suggestion Tool. This tool will give you up to 100 suggestions and these are based on what people have been searching for. Let's give an example. So you've written a post all about, let's say, Harry Potter. So what Long Tail keywords should you use? Here's what this particular Keyword Suggestion Tool came up with:  The full list includes 100 suggestions but I thought that would take up a bit too much space! Anyway, the above list shows what people are presently searching for. Yes, the two words Harry Potter are at the top but are you realistically going to get a top ten search engine position with these? Doubtful. But you might just fare a lot better with some of the other suggestions on the list. Whatever Long Tail set of words you choose, of course, has to be incorporated within your post and even in the title if possible. I used Long Tail keywords long before I'd ever heard of the expression. It simply made sense to me and I've proved to my own satisfaction that they work. You could even get ideas for posts based on a selection of Long Tail keywords. Enter the theme (i.e. dogs, football, soccer, baby, art or whatever) of your blog into the Keyword Suggestion Tool and see what it comes up with. If we take the theme or niche 'dogs' the tool suggests: dog breeds, westminster dog show, dog names, dog parvo symptoms, dog food coupons, dog rescue shelters and so on. So amongst the top 100 there should be an idea of something on which to base a post. The idea is to try and match the searcher with what he or she is looking for. Do this and you have a proper targeted referral - that has a better chance of making money. I know I've often said that Lots of Traffic = Lots of Money but ... ... Lots of Targeted Traffic = Lots More Money! Give the Keyword Suggestion Tool a try, there are also others about and they could help: (1) Bring more targeted referrals (2) Get a better position on the search engines (3) Give ideas on which to base a post relative to your niche. (4) Make you more money! Providing you have the right ads, programs etc. to tie in with the keywords. Good luck, Mike. Labels: keyword suggestion tool, long tail, long tail keywords, Mike's Money Making Mission, money making blogs |
24-May-2008
Do You Do It Every Day?
 It's back to basics today and a trip into the past.I was asked how I managed to get traffic when I first started blogging - starting from nothing and without any blogging contacts. Funnily enough I couldn't quite remember, other than I had the principle that every day I would do something different to try and get visitors. It was really my constant try, try and try philosphy that eventually got things moving. I left this blog's URL/address wherever I could. Often, it has to be said, this wasn't always productive but like water drip, dripping away it does have an overall effect. Plus, by searching for ways to get traffic, you come across all sorts of ideas - again some that work and some that don't. The point is: seek and you will find - that almost sounds religious! So every day I plugged away doing something. I hit the blog directories. There is a list of directories, together with their PageRank, on my February post A List Of 40 Free Blog Directories. Looking back through old records the following two directories sent me the most referrals, though don't expect a deluge! Blog Show Off Blog Hub I also got a good response from Klik Us - mainly because I got onto the front page. When I checked just now I'm still there and I haven't been on the site for ages. I also joined various forums. These can bring traffic if used properly. One tip is to always comment on your own threads after anyone else makes a comment - this usually will bounce you up to the top of the list threads again. Then there are things such as MyBlogLog - see widget in right hand column and myLot. Again, when I was starting out they brought me referrals plus with myLot I also earned about $40. Like a lot of new bloggers I also dabbled with the Traffic Exchange programs. Now these definitely do work if you have the time. I'm not convinced, however, as to the value of the referrals but they can make your stats look good! Three I joined were: Blog Explosion Blog Soldiers Blog Mad One warning about Traffic Exchanges: Google AdSense do not like them so don't run AdSense ads while using any form of traffic exchange. I won't go through everything that I tried when I started blogging - I see I haven't mentioned the likes of exchanging links, commenting on other blogs, social networking for example - but the message is: Do something new every day to try and generate traffic. Readers won't otherwise magically appear - remember there are 50 million other blogs out there! Good luck, Mike. YouGov: Complete surveys and polls for payment - genuine company. Labels: Blog Directories, Blog Explosion, Blog Mad, Blog Soldiers, Klik, List of Blog Directories, MyBlogLog, myLot, traffic, Traffic exchanges |
21-May-2008
Make Money With Your Blog's Comments
| When trying to make money from blogs it's as well to use all sorts of things that are available. Such as having an ad or ads on your comments form or page. On Blogger this is very simple. Go to Settings and then Comments and on this page you'll find a box to complete headed Comment Form Message.  In the box just enter your ad and this will then be seen when visitors look at your Comments Page/Form (together with the relevant link, of course). Basic HTML is accepted. Since I have started doing this myself I have stopped using the pop up window for comments as any clicks on links only go to a small sized page i.e. same size as the pop up window. I figure that this may put off readers. So I'm back to using the standard full page. Having an ad on the comments page isn't going to make a bundle of money but every few extra clicks helps - especially if you have several blogs on the go. Good luck, Mike P.S. I believe there was a problem with my last post How To Get 90% Discounts On Amazon Products when viewing on Firefox. Hopefully the adjustments I have made have now corrected this. Fingers crossed! Thanks Tom and Zania for telling me about this. Labels: Blogs, comments, make money |
18-May-2008
How To Get 90% Discount On Amazon Products
 I suppose this post isn't exactly about making money with blogs, though it could be. It's about getting big discounts from Amazon - even as much as 90%!I say it could be a money maker for bloggers because what you buy cheap you can often resell for profit, which is a basic requirement for many businesses. There are a few pictures on this post of 'bargains' (taken at random) that could perhaps be resold, from both Amazon USA and Amazon UK. The Krug Baumen watch, for example, is down from £374.26 to £29.95, quite a saving! Offers shown are current at time of posting. Okay, so how do you find out these heavily discounted Amazon items? There's nothing too difficult in it, it's simply a matter of using the right search format. The following URL is all that is required, though it has to be adapted by altering the red, green and orange sections. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/? node=328228011&pct-off=90-99 First the red section. This obviously needs to be altered dependent on what country Amazon you want to search. USA would be altered to .com and so on. That's straightforward. Now the green section. This node code number has to be altered for the sort of items you are looking for. I've listed a lot of the codes below both for both UK and USA.  USA Codes:283155 =Books 5174 =Music 502394 =Camera & Photo 1065836 =Audio & Television 541966 =Computers & PC Hardware 229534 =Software 172282 =All Electronics 361395011 =Home Appliances 1057794 =Furniture & Decor 16310101 =Grocery 165793011 =Toys & Games 3367581 =Jewelry  377110011 =Watches3760911 =Beauty 3403201 =Cycling 3375251 =Sports & Outside UK Codes 266239 =Books 229816 =Music 283926 =DVD 300703 =PC & Video Games 560834 =Camera & Photo 560858 =Audio & Television 560884 =iPod & MP3  561904 =Computing & Office300435 =Software 11052591 =Home & garden 468292 =Toys and Games 328228011 =Jewellery & Watches 355005011 =Shoes 362353011 =Bags and Accesories 318949011 =Sports and Leisure 65801031 =Health & Beauty Simply substitute the code required for whatever type of products you are looking for discounts on. Thirdly the orange section. The 90-99 shown, in the example, refers to us looking for discounts of between 90% and 99%.  I must point out that there are not always discounts of between 90% and 99%, on all categories. With some products it might be less.Discounts are continually altering, dependent on lots of factors, so several searches may be needed. If there is nothing in the 90-99 range try altering the discount to, say 75-99, or whatever you think might be acceptable. Some products are more likely to have bigger discounts than others. It's really a matter of playing around with products and discounts until you spot what you consider to be a bargain price, either for your own use or to sell on for profit. Here are a few examples to test and see what's currently available. USA Watches & Jewelry Electronics UK Cameras & Photos Watches And that is how to get big discounts on Amazon products. It's worth messing around with as you never know what you might turn up on any particular day. Good luck, Mike. Labels: Amazon, Amazon Discounts, making money |
16-May-2008
Amazon Widget Brings Music To Your Blog
| Amazon have introduced yet another widget for affiliates. This allows you to play song samples from Amazon's catalogue of over five million entries. You can choose the songs you want or alternatively display the latest bestsellers - as I have done in the sample below. It's only a small money maker as a download is normally only about 99c - and the commission is at 10%. Of course, once on the Amazon site, the reader may be tempted to order something else of a higher value. I must admit though that I've never really managed to get a good return from Amazon. I was just looking at some stats and my last 250 clicks only produced one order. So we are talking of only a 0.4% take up. Not exactly amounts to set you on fire - but a few small income streams help to make something bigger. Okay now click the widget and see what you want to download! Let's see 10% off 99c is ... good job there are a few far superior affiliate programs about. Good luck, Mike. P.S. John has emailed me to say that he had done his regular Proven Earners Carnival. You can see this here. Labels: Amazon, money maker |
14-May-2008
Make Money Giving Away Free Magazine Subscriptions
| This is a money making program I have only just joined. You may have heard of it before, it's called RevResponse. So what's it all about? You simply give away free magazine subscriptions, podcasts and white papers relevant to your particular blog or website niche. To help you to do this, along with ads and widgets, you also get a free co-branded site. Here's my site as an example. It's possible to fiddle and adjust things but I've left mine, so far, exactly as provided. If you want the official details, this is how RevResponse describes it: "With NetLine’s RevResponse, you’re in the position to give your audience valuable content completely free of charge AND get paid for doing so. As you know all too well, this is practically unheard of. Your users see the value and sign up for the free content, and we pay you a commission on every qualified subscription or download request - including requests from your international audience. Find another network that pays you to give away professional content and resources." What can you earn? Got to be worth a look! Good luck,  Labels: free magazine subscriptions, money making, RevResponse |
12-May-2008
Money Making Silly Cats
Let's look at a blog that is successful I Can Has Cheeseburger. Yes a silly name name and it's also a silly blog full of silly photos of cats with silly captions (often wrongly spelt as above). Yep, there's money in blogging. Labels: Blogging, cats, money making |
08-May-2008
How To Make Money Doing Nothing
| I was looking through my affiliate stats with the FriendFinder Group, which is now actually owned by the Penthouse Media Group, and I see that I'm making money by doing nothing! Since I first signed up with this group I've earned some very respectable money, and it has always been paid out on time. What I'm noticing now is that I'm making money by other peoples' efforts. These are people I have introduced into the program as affiliates. I get 10% of what they earn. Now what I like about the FriendFinder Group is that, when you sign as an affiliate, you are able to promote about 27 different websites. There is something for all interests. Plus, and I think this is important, the individual programs are worldwide. As examples, I have recently had checks for $320.15 from their Adult FriendFinder website - and I'm still talking about what other people have earned me. But I have also affiliates making me money with other varied sites within this group as well. These are a few amounts I have outstanding at today's date (the total being $185.67): Alt.com* $7.13The above illustrates the varied nature of the websites that affiliates can promote, there are also many others. The amounts shown, remember, do not include the money I have made from promoting the sites myself on my blogs. I feel that if we are Blogging then we have, in most cases, international readers and it is limiting if we only promote programs which are for the country that we live in. Think worldwide and the potential, with something like the FriendFinder Group, is enormous. And it's especially good if a percentage of the money you make is not purely by our own efforts. I learnt a long time ago that it's not necessarily what you do yourself that makes you money, it's also what you get others to do. And this applies to lots of affiliate style programs. As well as 'selling' the products yourself introduce others as affiliates and you'll increase your earnings no end. Regarding the FriendFinder Group, as I call them, they have good back up and excellent varied forms of promotional material. They are a professional organisation with millions of members - but don't let this put you off - there are billions of people in the world! Good luck, Mike. Labels: Adult Friend Finder, Friend Finder Group |
06-May-2008
Use Link Bait, Set The Trap, Count The Money
 Strewth! I was looking at a couple of SEO websites and saw that one of them offers to create a Link Bait campaign for other sites. Seems a good idea, but then I noticed the price - $9,950. And there are no refunds!It shows the money making potential if you have the guts to ask for it - and have a knowledge of the subject, of course. Putting this aside Link Baiting is something that we should all try - though sometimes we do this without actually realising that this is what we are doing. To put it as simply as possible Link Bait is creating a post that others will want to visit again and/or will want to share the post with others. In other words it's a post that will attract a lot of links. The post may be just text or perhaps a video, a web tool or an image. What it has to do is create a lot of interest and so create a viral effect bringing you lots of incoming links. It's about creating a buzz. There are a myriad ways of doing this. The standard advice is to do this is by: Being Newsworthy: Release or create an important piece of news or something that your specific niche will be desperate to read - probably something they haven't heard about before. Become a ground breaker. Being Funny: Humour (or humor to those in the USA) is what makes the Internet go round - a funny cartoon, picture, video or story. Being Controversial: Yes, upset a few people, take an opposing viewpoint from the norm, go into a rage or rant and, before you know what has happened, the subject is being talked about on other sites and forums (with those important links to what you have written). Being Resourceful: Simply tell others where to get specific things relative to your niche. A nice long list should bring links in return. Or provide any other resource or reference. There are lots and lots more ways if you put your mind to the subject. Once the Bait has been laid do everything possible to promote your post - and know how you are going to go about this prior to publishing. It's no good laying bait without a trap. Think: Social Networking, Blog Comments, Help From Blogging Friends, Keywords - make the post Keyword Rich (include the Keyword(s) within the title), Relevant Outward Links within the post (this may encourage a return link), Forums and so on. As with most things in successful Blogging, Link Baiting takes effort and planning but the dividends can be amazing. Link Bait = Inward Links = More Visitors = More Money (Income) Good luck, Mike. Labels: Link Bait, Link Baiting, links, making money |
04-May-2008
Images Make Me Money
 I know I have written about the Power of Images before but, just to emphasise the point, on one of my celebrity blogs I have now had over a quarter of a million Google Image referrals in the 336 days since I started this particular blog. And, of course, this was starting from blank.As you will see from the stats on the left Google Images have now overtaken the standard Google as my top search engine referrals. The stats also show the power of Google when compared to the other search engines. Though Yahoo, for example, pulls in about 20 hits a day this is a very small percentage when compared to Google's combined totals. The other thing that this stresses, of course, is how reliant the blog is on Google for search engine referrals. I hope I don't inadvertently fall out with them in any way! You may recall in my post Be Careful Of The Search Engine Censors I have had a problem in this direction previously - and through no fault of my own.  The message from all of this must be: (1) to use images whenever possible and (2) always look for alternative ways to gain traffic. Good luck, Mike. Insider Hot News Videos: News on video - from Entertainment to World News. Labels: blog, celebrity blogs, Images, Referrals |