You just got started blogging, and you’re wondering, now what?  Last week we looked at the First Steps to Make Money Blogging.  Here are some more follow up steps to increase readership and head down the path to make money by blogging.

Content Creation

Develop some content.  Before you start reaching out to find backlinks, try to fill your blog with some articles and information.  When you ask for backlinks, people will probably visit your URL to see what your site has to offer and if it’s interesting enough to link back to.  If you have content there, you can convince them.  But if they see an empty site, why would they want to link to it?

Since you’re just starting to write your articles now, I recommend writing a bunch of articles before you start posting them, and then only publish them one at a time.  This way you can stay ahead of the game.  Space out your posts, but don’t wait too long as you’ll want to make sure you get into the habit of posting regularly.  When you have a lot of blog entries on the “back burner,” you have more slack and a back up in case you get writer’s block.

Branch Out… Find Backlinks

Once you have a multitude of entries, reach out to get back links.  (Backlinks are links to your blog).  You can search for other blogs with similar subjects to your own and leave constructive, thoughtful comments.  Be nice and friendly, and refer them to your own blog of a similar subject and see if you can exchange links with the blogger (you post a link to them, and they post a link to you). It’s probably best to try to find a blog that has been around for some time and has a few links, but might be looking for more.

Remember to be polite.  Show that you are also interested in their blog, and are not just trying to use them for a link – they’ll be more likely to link back to you this way.

The main focus here is developing relationships with fellow bloggers.

You can also try to submit your blog to a search engine, but it’s probably better if you get backlinks and let the search engine find you.

Guest Posts

Writing guest posts is a great way to generate traffic and backlinks.

Find a blog that gets a good amount of traffic, and see what you have to do to write a guest post.  You should look for blogs that have a similar or overlapping audience, so you can attract those visitors to your blog.  By this point, you should already have a few backlinks and therefore a few friendships with other bloggers.  See if you can guest post for any of their blogs.

Once you have found a good site, make sure you approach them respectfully and patiently. Some blogs, especially really popular ones, will probably have a link somewhere that explains how to do a guest post for their blog, so before emailing the blogger, make sure you check to see what his policy is.  Realize that they are busy, and may not be able to respond right away.  Don’t send your article in your first email – it might come across as pushy.

Hungry for more?  Here are 5 additional ways to find backlinks and promote your blog.

A good domain name can help your blog in two ways.  First: if it is easy to remember and perhaps a bit clever, visitors can remember it, and therefore are more likely to return to your website.  Second: you can use keywords in your name to help it get searched.

Of course, you’re starting this blog to earn some cash, right?  So you might not be able to afford your own domain.  If you can’t afford to pay for one, you can set up a free blog on any of these websites:

• Blogger
• TypePad
• MySpace
• LiveJournal
• BraveJournal

If you are looking to include ads and sponsored reviews on your website, however, you have to be careful because some advertisers may not want to use bloggers on these sites (for example, some advertisers might request no blogspot.com blogs).  Additionally, some readers might not take these blogs as seriously.  However, they are still a great place to start, and if you have quality content, an attractive layout, and credibility and authority on your subject, then having a blog on one of these sites won’t be a huge issue.

If you can afford a domain, I suggest you get one.  Here are a few basic tips:

Keep it Short, Straightforward and Simple

You want your readers to be able to remember it easily.  Staying straightforward will help readers know what your blog is about; it will also help search engines understand what your blog is about.  By straightforward, I mean something relevant to your topic.  A short phrase could work too, as long as it is easy for readers to remember.  Don’t go with anything too long.

Use a Keyword…

If you want to boost traffic to your site you can try to use a good keyword (this might help people find your blog through a search engine).  Google has a keyword suggestion tool you can refer to if you wish.

…but don’t stuff it with a long string of keywords.

This will strain your credibility among readers and among search engines.  For example: “cheap-discount-phones-cellphones-telephones.com” is a terrible domain name.  It sounds spammy so the search engines will discredit it, will additionally look suspicious to readers and has no way of staying in the minds of readers.  Another example of what not to do is “homemade-cooking-recipes-kitchen-blog.com”.

Never use Hyphens

They make it harder for readers to remember your URL and it looks unprofessional.  There may be some exceptions to this, of course, but I would just not use them.

Make up a word

A lot of businesses create their own word as well for their websites (for example, I’m sure you’ve heard of Google, Yahoo, etc).  You can do this for your blog as well.  Just make sure that its pronounceable and easy to spell.

Use a .com extension

Generally people suggest “.com” as the best one; it is the most common and the one that every internet user knows (or ought to know).  If you can’t get a .com, then you could also try .org and .net.  Good advice that I’ve seen is to include these extensions in your logo to help users remember it better (otherwise, they might mistype your address and use a .com extension).

Regardless of whether or not you are buying a domain name or using blogspot.com, take these tips into account.  If you are starting with blogspot, one day you might buy your own domain name – and by then, you’ll be known and will be stuck with your blog name.  So when you name your blog, think ahead and choose something you can use as a domain name later on.

Need some inspiration?  See the next post on creative domain naming ideas, or check out this list of domain generator tools.

So you want to make money by blogging… Here’s the hard truth: most people do not start off making loads of money blogging.  If you want a large income, it will take time and patience, but it is possible – you can earn money by blogging.

If you start blogging and its obvious all you care about is money, you probably won’t be successful.  But if you wait and put in the necessary time, it will pay off.  A good foundation is essential.  This is the time when you want to increase your blog traffic.

I recommend focusing on setting up a good, appealing blog from the beginning, especially if you want to make a larger profit in the long run.  Here is an overview of things to look for; I’ll go more in depth with each of these topics in later posts.

Choose An Interesting Topic

Pick a subject that you not only find interesting, but inspiring and exciting.  Your passion for the topic will bleed into your writing, making it appealing to readers.  Good content will attract readers and keep them coming back.  Passion will also give you motivation to keep writing regularly, and when you have authority on a subject, readers will trust your “expert opinion”.  Even if your main goal is to make money, I still suggest finding a subject you like and enjoy.  Everyone has some expertise.

Pick a Memorable Domain Name

This is actually a very important step.  If you can’t afford to pay for one, you can set up a free blog on any of these websites: Blogger, TypePad, MySpace, LiveJournal, WordPress.  If you can afford a domain, however, I suggest you get that one, as it will increase your credibility.  Try to pick something short, simple and memorable, and try to use a keyword. You can make up a word if you want, but make it easy to spell and pronounceable.  Need more help?  Read Choose a Good Blog Name to go more in depth.

Keywords are the “Key”

Think of some keywords related to your topic and incorporate them into your blog.  You can do this by using them in your article title, headings in your articles, dispersed in your content and in your meta tags and description.  You can also make sure you use a keyword in your page title.  Include a description or “about” section of your blog and use keywords there as well.  Don’t go overboard though!  Too much won’t read write – with your readers, or with search engines.

A Layout is Like a Book Cover

A good layout can do a number of things.  A viewer on your blog is going to see the layout first, before they even start reading your words.  A layout is like a book cover, and if it is attractive, you can hook the visitor.  If you aren’t good at web design, you may want to hire someone or, if you can’t afford that, start with a template.  The free blogging sites usually come with one and they are somewhat customizable.  Make sure you keep your subject in mind when creating a design.  For more information, read about how your blog design can attract readers.

The basic idea here is that you want to set up your blog in the beginning so that down the line you can earn more revenue with your blog.  The first steps you take with your blog will be influential so that down the line, you can make money with sponsored reviews, earn income with ads, and profit with PPC Campaigns.  So be sure to keep this in mind when you decide to start a blog!