Blogs are web assets and, therefore, a potential source of income. Have you thought about turning your blog into a source of passive income? Does it seem like something only other people can accomplish?
The truth is, any blog can become a source of income when you know how to make it work. If that’s your aim, here are 4 steps required to turn your blog into a money-making machine.
Build a backlink profile the right way
You need a strong backlink profile to rank in the search engines, but you don’t want to risk violating Google’s terms. Your best option is to hire a professional marketing agency to help you develop strong backlinks through quality content without violating Google’s rules.
If you’re a new blogger, it’s tempting to purchase links in large quantities to give your site an extra boost in the search engines. However, this strategy can actually hurt your rankings. Buying links is against Google’s Terms of Service, and if the algorithm detects an unnatural backlink profile, your entire domain name could be penalized.
Paid links are generally considered to be part of a ‘link scheme,’ which has been banned by search engines because it lowers the quality of search results. Google’s Quality Guidelines state, “any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.”
Google defines unnatural link building in their Quality Guidelines as “creating links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for by the site’s owner on a page.” In other words, Google wants all of your backlinks to be earned organically.
Publish outrageously useful content
You can earn many organic links just by publishing valuable content that people will use as a resource. The kind of web pages that get linked the most tend to have long-form content, an organized clickable table of contents, outstanding typography, and industry-specific content you can’t find anywhere else.
For example, you can find thousands of short blog articles about securing the WordPress installation that tells you to install a few plugins, enable SSL, change your SALT keys, install updates as they’re released, and you’ll be secure.
Then there are sites that publish extensive instructions for securing a WordPress website. For example, MyThemeShop.com published what could be the most thorough WordPress security blog you’ll ever find. In addition to detailed instructions for securing a WordPress installation, the blog explains potential attacks in detail and provides instructions for securing the webserver and database.
When you create this kind of valuable content, it will take time to rank, but eventually, your content will rise to the top of search results. It will be the obvious first choice for people to use as a reference on other websites – naturally.
Capture email addresses
Capturing email addresses is essential for making money with your blog. With an email list, you can send out regular emails to nurture your leads and generate sales. Email marketing is how you’ll bring your visitors back to your site.
It’s easy to get people to sign up for an email list by offering a reward like a discount code or free shipping. According to a Loyalty 360 study, 59% of mothers in the U.S. sign up for email lists when offered a reward.
Be relatable to and generous with your audience.
No matter how much of an expert you are in your industry, make sure you keep your content relatable for your audience. You don’t want to put people off by being a know-it-all or demeaning the people you interact with within the comments.
If visitors don’t like the way you interact with them, they’ll unsubscribe from your mailing list, and they won’t do business with you.
Also, be generous with your visitors and spend some time interacting with them if you have comments enabled. Make your visitors feel good, and they’ll want to come back.
Creating a steady source of income takes time.
Regardless of your industry, it takes time to gain momentum. Be patient with your blog and be willing to spend upwards of a year in development before you start to see any significant action.
You can turn just about any blog into a money-making machine, provided you’re producing high-quality content that people want to consume. You’ll find your sweet spot when you have great content and a strong marketing strategy.
