Blogging

How Do I Write A Blog With Multiple Topics?

May 21, 2007 By Jim Kukral 1 Comment

Question: I’m new to blogging (5 days old) and I’m not sure how to approach my entries.

I have some blog entries where I’m sharing certain spiritual topics that I am learning about, entries about dreams I have, and some entries that are just about me. Is it a good or bad idea to mix topical entries with personal entries? Is it okay to mix the two..or should I have 2 blogs (one personal and the other spiritual topics)
One of the reasons blogs work is because they are relevant and on topic. People like to read about things they are interested in, so they come to blogs to be part of those discussions.

This is a tough question to answer, but in the end, I believe you need to look within and answer two questions before you can make a decision.

Ask yourself these questions.

1. Who’s reading my personal blog? And do those people want to read all of my life, or just some of it?

2. Am I writing my blog for me, or for everyone else?

In a business situation, I’m going to recommend you separate your blogs into different topics to keep things relevant.

In a personal situation. Well, I’d just do whatever I wanted to do. It’s your blog. And frankly, if something is a part of your life enough to blog about it, it fits on your personal blog.

Good luck, and have fun. It shouldn’t be work.

Filed Under: Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Writing

How Do I Optimize My WordPress Blog?

May 21, 2007 By Jim Kukral 9 Comments

Question: We all know that WordPress isn’t really SE friendly because of the duplicate content it produces in other categories, monthly archive, etc… and many found ways to solve this problem. Just wanna ask your opinion. What is the “best” way to optimize a WP blog?
First off, let me comment on your first statement, as it’s important for me to clarify my position on this. You said…

We all know that WordPress isn’t really SE friendly because of the duplicate content it produces in other categories, monthly archive, etc…

I very much disagree with your assessment that WordPress is search engine unfriendly because of duplicate content. I have seen zero proof to show me that that is true. It is simply not true, and concentrating your time worrying about it is a complete waste of time.

I should make this perfectly clear. Going to put this in bold and all caps because I want everyone to understand something very, very important.

GOOGLE WANTS HIGH-QUALITY, RELEVANT CONTENT, PERIOD. IF YOU SPEND TIME DOING ANYTHING BUT WRITING GOOD CONTENT, THEN YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO RANK WELL LONG-TERM.

Now, back to your original question, in case everyone forgot :) You asked…

What is the “best” way to optimize a WP blog?

I do recognize that there are small things you can do to optimize your blog for the search engines (and more importantly, your readers), perhaps, but again, those pale in comparison to writing good content. That being said, here are some optimization tips that I have heard of that you could do.

Write better headlines. It’s very simple. Write titles that have searched for keywords and phrases in them. Write them in a way that someone might search for them. See my title on this blog entry?

Make sure your title tag has your title (headline) first before your blog name. You’ll need to edit your blog template to make sure that is happening. This is VERY important.

Tag your posts. Blog search engines like Technorati use tags to organize blog content. You should too.

Filed Under: Blogging, Wordpress

How Do I Change My WordPress Blog Permalink Structure For Better Search Engine Rankings?

March 1, 2007 By Jim Kukral 3 Comments

I want to get better search engine rankings. How do I change my WordPress permalink structure without breaking my old blog links?

When you install WordPress fresh, it sets your permalink structure to something like this:

http://www.domainname.com/?p=123

That’s fine, it doesn’t hurt you. The problem is that you may want to later change your permalink structure to something that has your post title keywords in it for possible improved search engine rankings. For example, like this post.

http://www.asktheblogger.com/how-do-i-change-my-wordpress-blog-permalink-structure-for-better-search-engine-rankings/

So if you make that change, you risk losing all of your old search engine indexed pages, and possibly all of the bookmarks that people have accumulated to you over time.

So How Do I Change It Without Breaking My Links?

There’s a plugin that can help you called ‘Permalinks Migration Plugin for wordpress’.

With this plugin, you can safely change your permalink structure without breaking the old links to your website,and even doesnâ€™t affect your search engine rankings.

How Does It Work?

Here’s the technical details on how it works. I realize it can be confusing, but you should know how it works.

There is a way to tell the search engines (and browsers) that the page has permenantly moved, and that the old address should be replaced by the new one . Itâ€™s called a â€œ301 Redirectâ€, also known as a Permanent Redirect.When you do this, Search engines will update their indexes quickly and you wonâ€™t lose your pagerank.you will continue to receive traffic as though nothing had changed. This works for search engines, bookmarks, and links from other sites.

Where Do I Get Started?

Simply download the plugin here and follow the directions. Good luck!

Bonus! AsktheBlogger Video On WordPress Permalinks

Filed Under: Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Installing Wordpress, Permalinks Migration Plugin, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines, Wordpress, Wordpress Permalinks

How Does The ReviewMe Affiliate Program Perform On Blogs?

February 28, 2007 By Jim Kukral 1 Comment

Is the Reviewme.com Affiliate Program a good program to join to make money with on my blog?

Yes! As a matter of fact it is, and especially right now because it’s very new and fresh, so if you sign up now you have a better chance at referring new signups.

What Does ReviewMe Pay?

That’s the beauty of it, ReviewMe pays you $25.00 for every new advertiser you refer to ReviewMe who purchases a blog review. So if you can generate enough referrals, you can rack up quite a bit of commissions pretty fast.

Here’s a tip, also signup for Text Link Ads because they pay on both publishers and advertisers. Promote them both.

Should I Start Paying For Reviews?

Heck yes. AsktheBlogger has bought many reviews and it’s worth the time, effort and little money you have to spend. The trick is to simply buy what you can afford, on the right blog.

You don’t have to spend a ton. Just sign up for free, and look for blogs that match your audience.

Sign Up Today, Before It’s Too Late!

Like I said, this program is new, so there is lots of opportunity to get some signups before it hits the mainstream blogs. It’s free to sign up, give it a go.

Filed Under: Ads On Blogs, Affiliate Marketing, Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Finding Affiliate Programs, Make Money Blogging, Making Money Online, Paid To Blog, Professional Blogging, ReviewMe, Sponsored Blog Reviews

How Do I Position My Affiliate Ads For Maximum Impact & Conversions?

February 24, 2007 By Jim Kukral 1 Comment

I have a niche content site and I’m starting to get some traffic, and I’ve identified my first affiliate offer to promote. Now I need to know what is the best technique for making my affiliate ad work best. The product will be of interest to my audience, but is not directly relevant to the site’s niche. Can you give me some advice?

Being successful using affiliate marketing is very possible, sure, if you know how to position your affiliate ads. So let’s talk about that.

The very best way to make maximum referrals from your affiliate marketing ads is to presell the ad. In other words, you can’t just throw a banner ad up and expect it to work. You need to engage your readers with reasons why you’re recommending whatever it is you’re recommending. For example, you can see this on almost every post here at AsktheBlogger.

Good example: I came across this product the other day that I really liked, it’s called the “ABC Product” (put in affiliate link to product) and here’s why I liked it. If you are in the market for a product like this, you might be interested in (link here).

Bad example: This product is awesome, go buy it now.

But Don’t Lie Just To Make A Buck!

Here’s the big ethical issue. Are you simply trying to make money, or are you trying to build trust and relationships? Because that’s what affiliate marketing is all about, trust and relationships. If you are writing bogus content on your site or blog just to sell a product, well, then, your readers are eventually going to catch on and probably not trust you.

You should know that everything AsktheBlogger recommends is something that he has used or experienced. You won’t see any fake content here just to make a buck.

You may want to learn more about how to become an successful affiliate marketer. Check out the AsktheBlogger previous post about how you can quit your day job!

Don’t forget, you can always Ask The Blogger for help anytime!

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing, Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Conversions, Copywriting, Financial Freedom, Make Money Blogging, Making Money Online, Quit Your Day Job

Can I Use Google Adsense On My Blog?

February 17, 2007 By Jim Kukral 8 Comments

Question: Can I Use Google Adsense On My Blog?

Absolutely! Google Adsense is an amazing tool that can help your blog earn either just a few bucks or millions! It depends on your blog’s traffic levels of course. But everyone who has a blog should at least try to use Adsense and see if they can make some money from their blogging efforts.

Once you’ve signed up and have an account, you need to create a piece of code to fit within your blog. You’ll then need to copy that code and paste it into your blog’s theme or template. You can find an explanation on how to edit your WordPress blog themes here.

p>If you’re not using WordPress, please consult the help files from your blog software provider. Look for “how to edit blog templates” or “how to put ads in my blog”. They should provide some level of documentation that can help you along.

Filed Under: Ads On Blogs, Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Google Adsense, Increasing Website Traffic, Make Money Blogging, Making Money Online, Professional Blogging, Search Engines

Am I Allowed To Put Ads On My WordPress Blog?

February 17, 2007 By Jim Kukral 8 Comments

I’ve got a free blog with wordpress. Am I allowed to put ads on my WordPress blog, and if so how do I do it?

Answer: Yes, if you are using the free blog software from WordPress.org, you can put anything you want on your blog, including ads. If you’re using WordPress.com, which is the hosted version, you are limited to what you can put on your blog.

To put ads on your wordpress blog, you need to be able to edit your themes. A theme is the design of your blog, and they are located in the “wp-content” folder, then inside “themes”. Locate the theme you are using and login to your blog via FTP (file transfer protocol).

You will need to locate the files in your theme that you want to edit and change permissions on them to 755, which means they are now editable. To do this, right click on them (on a PC) and choose “permissions”, make change and hit ok.

Now, you can edit your theme files directly through your WordPress login in your browser. Login, go to “presentation”, choose “theme editor” and you’ll see a list of the files your blog uses. You can now edit those files.

AsktheBlogger Short Video Explanation!

Now comes the tricky part. Where do I place the ads?

This can be a tad scary for people who aren’t Internet geeks. If you’re placing an ad in your sidebar, you locate the theme file probably called “sidebar”, then place the ad code (for example Google Adsense) in that file, wherever you wish it to appear. You may have to place it and save the page and then view it to see how it looks, then come back and move it around till you get it where you want it to appear.

It’s gets even more tricky when you want to put ads in or around your blog content. AskTheBlogger suggests looking into the WordPress support community for answers. Here is a link to get you started.

Filed Under: Ads On Blogs, Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Google Adsense, Installing Wordpress, Make Money Blogging, Professional Blogging, Wordpress Ads

How Do I Make Money Blogging & Become A Successful Blogger?

January 31, 2007 By Jim Kukral 3 Comments

This is probably the #1 question I get these days. How do I make money blogging, or how do I become a professional blogger, can it be done, really? It’s true, there are many professional bloggers earn lots of money from blogging. In fact, I’ve seen people build entire new lives around blogging success and income. Anyone can do it, and that’s no bull.

I can help if you’ll listen! Here’s a short video of me talking about Six Figure Blogging!

You Can Become A Professional Blogger Too!

There’s a lot of lame information out there about ‘how to be a professional blogger’. The key is figuring out who’s got the real information and who’s trying to b.s. you.

That’s why I’m personally recommending a professional blogging course by Problogger success story himself, Darren Rowse and Andy Wibbels.

It’s called Six Figure Blogging.
(That is my personal affiliate link, if you sign up I will get a commission)

What Is Six Figure Blogging?

It’s a 6 part course with Andy Wibbels and Darren Rowse from Problogger.net and the b5media Network. Included is about six 1-hour audio recordings + extensive, annotated transcripts in PDF format.

How Exactly Will This Course Help Me Become A Professional Blogger?

It’ll teach you how blogs make money – sometimes thousands of dollars. It’ll teach you how to drive and convert blog traffic. It will show you how to blog as an occupation (not just a marketing activity).

That’s how this works! You’re making a lifestyle change for your own good!

Does This Work Jim? Really?

Yeah, it does, which is why I personally recommend this training guide to anyone who wants to change their life and become a professional blogger.

Filed Under: Ask the Blogger, Blogging, Make Money Blogging, Making Money Online, Professional Blogging, Six Figure Blogging