How to Making Money With Your Blog

Last but not least, you will be adding the very popular Google AdSense to your blog. Content-related ads are placed on your blog in the location you choose. If someone clicks those ads, you get paid.  Although it sounds simple enough and is easy  to add to your blog, you should think about it carefully before making that decision. I originally had Google AdSense installed on my blog. However, I was using McAfee Site Advisor ( siteadvisor.com) which rates search engine results and basically gives the “OK” to click a site found. It gave my site a status of Caution or Unknown. I realized it was due to Google AdSense.

When I removed it, my site passed and got the green checkmark of approval. Although I know not
everyone uses Internet browsing safety tools like McAfee Site Advisor, I didn’t want there to be any chance of my site not being visited. Therefore I removed Google AdSense.

However, if your sole purpose of your blog is to make money and you want it to be loaded with ads, Google AdSense is free to install and will insert content-related ads to your site. Another point to keep in mind is that depending on your blog’s purpose and your type of business,
you may be inserting ads linking to your competition. Google AdSense will insert money making-related ads, and in doing so may insert a link to a competing online earning. Would you really want to do that? No! Again, installing Google AdSense is simple, as you will see in the next exercise, but the decision to add it to your site is not.

How to add Adsense account:

Add Google AdSense to make money:

1. From the Dashboard, go to Monetize
2. Select a location for your ads. In our example, The Online Earning Tutor, the second bullet was chosen (in the blog’s sidebar).
3. Click Next. 
4. Click Create a New AdSense Account.
5. Enter all information including your name, address, country, etc.
6. Click Submit Information.

7.   On the next screen, verify that the information is correct.
8.   Click Create Account.
9.   Review the Terms and Conditions.
10.  Check the box at the bottom about accepting the terms.
11.  Click the I Accept button.
12.  On the next screen, your AdSense account is enabled on your blog, however they will not appear on your blog for another 48 hours.
13.  Click Edit Layout to move it around in your sidebar. 

14. Click Save.

how to add meta tags to blogger

In this  exercise, you  will add meta tags to  your  blog:

1. From  the Dashboard, go to  Design, Edit HTML.
2. Scroll down to find  the HTML  code  “<head>”.
3. Enter  the following code, but replace  with keywords  and descriptions  that  best  suit
   your  blogging needs:
   

<head>

<meta name="keywords" content="online earning,internet earning,earn money,blogging guide,blogger,blog setup,SEO,search engine optimization,money earnings" />
<meta name="description" content="Online Income Methods and Guide." />

4.  Click Save.

Page Elements or Add a Gadget in Blogger blog

When entering the Design portion of your blog from the Dashboard, you  will see three tabs: Page
Elements, Edit HTML, and Template Designer. Page Elements displays a  visual layout of your blog and where all your gadgets lie. A gadget is an item in your blog’s layout. When you first created your blog, there were gadgets that Blogger automatically inserted into your blog’s layout About Me, Followers, Archives, and Page  Header (the banner area which currently displays
your Blog’s Title and Description previously entered). Gadgets can be deleted at any time. We discuss gadgets in more detail later in this post. In addition to the existing gadgets  in your layout, there are other elements or areas of your blog that we'll review, such as the Navbar, Header, Blog Posts, and gadgets like a Search Box.

1. Navbar
The Navbar is a built-in feature of your blog used to quickly navigate to your Design, compose a New Post, or to Sign Out, and displays your email (username). On the left side on the Navbar when viewing your blog, you will also see an area to report abuse, or the ability to go to the next Blogger blog. In the Navbar page element, you can edit the Navbar color to best match the coloring of your blog. The only option when editing the Navbar (without  using custom HTML/CSS code) is choosing a color. I would recommend one of the “transparent” settings

2. Gadgets
In the way posts make up the majority of your blog, gadgets make up the majority of your blog’s layout, particularly the sidebar(s). We will begin with basic gadgets available from Blogger when clicking Add a Gadget. In the next chapter and throughout the remainder of this book, you learn how to add additional third-party gadgets  to promote your blog, connect to popular social networking sites, make money, or further customize the design or functionality of your blog.

Let’s review a list of commonly used gadgets and then add a few popular gadgets to your blog, such as a Search Box, in the following exercises. You do not want to clutter your sidebar(s) making your blog appear too busy, nor will every gadget suit your blog’s purpose or appeal to all blog readers. Pick and choose those that you need and from which you will benefit. 

 

Gadget	Description
Pages	Allows you to create content on your blog separate from  your main post area. It is similar to the traditional web page describin g a service you may offer, list products you sell, or a custom About Me or About Us page
Followers	Displays a list of people following your blog (in their Dashboard under Other Blogs, it will show your blog updates).
Search Box	Adds a Google Search box to your blog allowing visitors to quickly and easily search your blog.
HTML/JavaScript	Primarily used to add third-party gadgets to your blog.
Adsense	Provides capability to  earn money with your blog by adding Google AdSense.
Picture	Use this gadget to add a picture to your blog’s sidebar, footer , or header area (in addition to your Profile Photo). This gadget is not used to insert an image into a Post.
Slideshow	Creates a quick slideshow from Picasa Web Album, Flickr, Photobucket, or other photo storage sources.
Link list	Creates a link to your favorite blogs, web sites, photo albums, or other links.
Labels	Displays a list of categories (labels) used in your blog posts.
Subscription links	Allows a reader to subscribe to your blog’s posts or comments using popular readers like Google Reader.
Profile	Allows you to add certain profile information to your blog, including the Profile Photo if one was uploaded.
Blog Archive	Select how to archive your blog’s posts; most commonly is by month.
Page Header	Add a header area to your blog. Your blog banner would typically go here.

3. Search Box
In the next exercise you will  add a Search Box to your  blog allowing readers to quickly  an d easily search your blog. You  want to keep them on your site as long as possible, and allow  them  the  ability to  find what they need especially if you are selling product or  promoting  an event on  your site. This  gadget uses Google, which can be advantageous.

How to add Search box:

After blogging for a while, you  will have many posts, labels (categories),  and archives.  Adding  a Search  Box allows visitors to quickly search your blog without scrolling or visiting many labels trying to locate what they are looking for. They can type in a word or phrase and click  Search to get results.

1. From within Page Elements in  the right  sidebar  (right-side  column  of  your  screen),
   click  Add a Gadget at the top  of the column.
2. From  the Basics list, choose Se arch  Box
3. Check “This Blog” since the purpose of the exercise is to allow visitors the ability
   to search your blog. However, you may also like using the search engine to search
   pages you’ve linked to or to search the Web as well. In our example, all three have
   been selected. 
4. You can also change the Title of the gadget. The default is “Search This Blog”
   used in our example. Another preferable option is “Search My Blog.” 
5. Click Save.
6. It is now added to your sidebar, the first/top item.
7. Drag the gadget to a new location and drop (or release your mouse) in the new
   desired location (above Blog Archive).
8. Click Save.
9. Again and after any change in your blog’s layout, click View Blog to see your
   changes live.

Why Use Google Blogger

There are a few popular blogging platforms including Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress. So why use Google Blogger? The number-one answer is because it is free. In additi on, it is easy to learn and user-friendly. 

Typepad requires you to purchase an unlimited package (US $14.95 a month) to be able to install a custom background and have full customization control. WordPress.com charges US $15 a year for a CSS (Cascade Style Sheet) upgrade.  But Blogger allows you to cust omize your banner, background, posts, and footers (just about any aspect of your blog ) for free. You have complete control of your blog, its elements, and functionality.

Google Blogger is a user-friendly blogging platform  with all the bells and whistles. What more could you ask for?

How to Start a Free Blog in Wordpress

Step 1: Sign Up for a Free Wordpress Account

Visit the Wordpress home page and select the 'Sign Up' button to register for a Wordpress account. You'll need a valid email address (that has not been used to create another Wordpress account) to sign up for a new Wordpress account.

Step 2: Enter Information to Create Your Free Wordpress Account

To sign up for a Wordpress account, you'll be prompted to enter a username and password of your choosing. You'll also be asked to confirm that you've read the terms and conditions of the Wordpress website. Finally, you'll be asked whether you want to create a blog or simply a Wordpress account. If you want to start a blog, make sure the box next to 'Gimme a Blog!' is checked.

Step 3: Enter Information to Create Your New Wordpress Blog

To create your Wordpress blog, you'll need to enter the text you want displayed in your domain name. Free Wordpress blogs always end with '.wordpress.com', so the name you choose for users to type into their Internet browsers to find your blog will always be followed by that extension. You will also have to decide on the name for your blog and enter that name in the space provided to create your blog. While the domain name you choose cannot be changed later, the blog name you select at this stage can be edited later.

You will also have an opportunity to select the language for your blog in this step as well as decide whether you want your blog to be private or public. By selecting public, your blog will be included in search listings on sites such as Google and Technorati.

Step 4: Congratulations - Your Account is Active!

Once you have successfully completed the 'Create Your Blog' step, you'll see a screen that tells you your Wordpress account is active and to look for an email confirming your login information.

Step 5: An Overview of Your Wordpress User Dashboard

When you log into your newly created Wordpress blog, you'll be taken to your user dashboard. From here, you can change your blog's theme (design), write posts and pages, add users, revise your own user profile, update your blogroll, and more. Take some time to explore your Wordpress dashboard, and don't be afraid to test out the various tools and features available to you to help customize your blog. If you have any problems, click on the 'Support' tab in the upper right corner of your screen. This will take you to the online help section of Wordpress as well as the active user forums where you can ask questions.

Step 6: Overview of the Wordpress Dashboard Toolbar

The Wordpress dashboard toolbar will help you navigate through your blog's administration pages to do everything from writing posts and moderating comments to modifying your blog's themes and customizing your sidebars. Take some time to press all the tabs on your dashboard's toolbar and explore the pages you find to learn all the cool things you can do in Wordpress!

Step 7: Choosing a Theme for Your New Wordpress Blog

One of the best features of starting a free Wordpress blog is making it your own with the various free templates and themes available right through your Wordpress dashboard. Just click on the 'Presentation' tab on your dashboard toolbar. Then select 'Themes' to see the various designs you can choose from. You can try several different themes to see which one works best for your blog.

Different themes offer different levels of customization. For example, some themes allow you to upload a custom header for your blog, and each theme offers various widgets you can select from to use in your sidebar. Have fun experimenting with the different options available to you.

Step 8: An Overview of Wordpress Widgets and Sidebars

Wordpress provides a variety of ways to customize your blog's sidebars through the use of widgets. You can find the 'Widgets' tab under the 'Presentation' tab of your main Wordpress dashboard toolbar. You can use widgets to add RSS tools, search tools, text boxes for ads and more. Explore the widgets available in the Wordpress dashboard and find the ones that enhance your blog the best.

Step 9: You're Ready to Write Your First Wordpress Blog Post

Once you've taken the time to familiarize yourself with the Wordpress dashboard and user environment and customized your blog's appearance and functionality, it's time to write your first post. Enter the title and text for your post, and select the 'Publish' icon to kickoff your blog!

How to Start a Free Blog at Blogger.com

Step 1: Sign Up to Create a Blog at Blogger.com

Visit the Blogger.com home page and select the "Create Your Blog Now" button to begin the process to start your new Blogger.com blog.

Step 2: Create a Google Account

If you don't already have a Google account, you'll need to create one by completing the form on this page.

Step 3: Sign In with Your Google Account

If you already have a Google account, you can bypass the "Create Google Account" step and simply sign in with your existing Google account username and password.

Step 4: Name Your New Blog

Enter the blog name and corresponding domain name (to precede '.blogspot.com') in the spaces provided.

Step 5: Choose a Template

Select a standard template your new blog.

Step 6: Congratulations - Your New Blog is Active!

Your blog is now live and ready for you to start writing content.

Step 7: Write Your First Post

That's all there is to it! You're now ready to write your first blog post in your new Blogger.com blog and join the blogosphere.

Making Your Own Website

What Kind Of Website To Start

 Note: When I first wrote this article I was making most of my income from third party sites like the ones above. In the past couple of years though, most of my income comes from sites that I own myself. Don't think that it is hard to start your own site or expensive to do so. Most hosting companies like Go daddy offer tech support who can help you get a WordPress site up and running for only a few bucks a month. 

You can start a website about almost any subject but niche ones do better than others. For example you can start a site a website about backyard bird feeding and offer helpful pictures and information on the kinds of birds that may visit a feeder. Choose a domain name that has the key words your site is about. The example above should have a name like "backyard.com", to rank higher in the search engines. 

Once you have made a website and have it up and running you can earn money from selling products like bird feeders through links on your site and earn by selling ad space. 

One good potential money maker is to start an online store using the Amazon.com Associates program, which is a well respected associates program.  Another is the eBay partner network which pays you a commission on sales on eBay from links on your site. You can get a domain name now for as little as $8 a year with free hosting at Godaddy.com, or Yahoo Hosting. 

Avoid putting too many affiliate links on your website, since this may harm the search engine ranking. I have not been able to find out how many is too many, but I do know from experience that if you pepper an article page with too many commercial links it will get bumped down on the search engine.

Domain Names And Hosting For Your Website

Try a discount site like Godaddy.com for cheap hosting.  Famous for Dana Kirkpatrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ads and low price website hosting and domain names. Half of my sites are on Godaddy and half are on Yahoo and I've had no down time or service interruptions on either.

Once your site is up and running you need to submit it to Google and Yahoo, using the link at the bottom of their page, and using a free site submission service. You can also submit your site to the human edited Open Directory Project at http://www.dmoz.org  

Selling Things on Your Website and Earning From Advertising.

A well designed website that features a good amount of unique information to visitors can easily generate over $100 a month from paid advertisements on the site, by selling products on the site by joining an affiliate program or direct sales using Paypal

Once you have your website up and running you can join  programs like Adsense and start earning from relevant advertising on your website. You can also offer advertising on your website using sites like Projectwonderful.com to sell ads. 

A great way to monetize your website is to sell items directly. Paypal is one of the best ways to accept payment for merchandise since anyone with a credit card or Paypal account can buy from you without you having to pay costly credit card setup fees. Paypal can provide you with links that you can place next to your merchandise so customers can check out and pay securely through their secure website, without you having to set up a complicated online store.

Partner and Associate Programs

Once your page is made and is getting traffic you can add an Amazon store selling related merchandise such as bird feeders, etc. You will get from four to fifteen percent revenue for each sale on a sliding scale depending on how many items you sell. 

List Of Programs You Can Use To Monetize Your Website