Building a Blog Empire for Profit

Table of Contents:

PART I: AN INTRODUCTION TO BLOGS AND BLOGGING...4
The New Media...4
What a Blog is (and is Not)...5
The Blog as a Business...8
The Components of a Blog Empire...8

PART II: BUILDING YOUR BLOG EMPIRE...11
Deciding What Type of Empire You’ll Build...11
The Makings of Empire: Choosing Content That Provides Value...12
Construction: No one Need Blog Alone...15
Well, What Do You Know?...16
Develop a Blog Theme...20
Branding – Developing a Name and Image That Will Stick With People...21
Need Brand Be Relevant to Content?...22
Branding Idea Generator...22
Earning and Protecting Your Reputation...24
Designing a Page That Complements Your Content...26
Artwork...28
Fonts and Colors...30
Using Your Links Wisely...30
Layout...31
Objects...32
Blog Entries...33
Insightful and Unique Content...34
Links and Commentary...34
Consistency...35
Copyright...38
Are Images Necessary?...39
Hosting Images...41
Archives...43
Becoming a Relevant Portal...45
Blog Hosts...46
Free vs. Subscription...46
Generating Traffic...50
Traffic Exchanges...50
Blog Directories...54
Blog Rings...55
Link Exchanges...56
Visiting Other Blogs – Meet the Competition...58
Traded Links – a Valuable Asset...59
Search Engines and News Engines...60
Steppin’ Out: Blogging on Multiple Sites...61
Developing Content for Other Sites...62
Letting Others Put Your Name Out There...64
Keeping Readers With Expertise...65
Writing Unique and Valuable Content...65
Writing Timely Content...66
Comments and Input...66
Banning Readers...69
What About Free Speech?...70
XML and RSS Feeds...71

PART III: PROFITING FROM YOUR BLOG EMPIRE...74
Generating Profits...74
Google AdSense and Pay-Per-Click Programs...76
Selling Banners by the Impression...79
Swag, or Getting Your Customers to Advertise for You...81
Donations – “Ask and ye shall receive”...82
Subscriptions and Special “Insider” Reports...83
The First Entry – and Where it Leads...84
GLOSSARY 88


The Blog as a Business
Most blogs are small potatoes. The vast majority are online journals where teenagers talk about their lives to a readership made up of their closest friends. A growing minority, however, are businesses in and of themselves. They balance costs and income; they purposely seek out content providers, advertisers, and paying customers. They make a profit. They are, in fact, Blog Empires, ruling over a reader-defined section of the blogosphere as the go-to site for millions who come to get the news, buy promotional merchandise, and donate money to keep their favorite bloggers fed and happy.
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That’s where you come in. You can draw millions of readers, because what you have to say is important. You can accumulate advertisers, because they will pay to reach your readers. In short, you can build your own Blog Empire, and it’s easier than you think.
This book will walk you through the steps necessary to see your name in lights and your blog climb to the top of blog listings everywhere, and to fatten your bank account with the profits from your own blog business.
It will take a lot of work (what worthwhile thing doesn’t?) but you may find that being a blogger, building a Blog Empire of your own, is the most fulfilling job you’ve ever had.
The Components of a Blog Empire
A Blog Empire, like any other business, is made up of three major components: a supplier, buyers, and the products for sale. But a blog in many cases differs from the average business because you are bringing together two sets of customers and delivering two sets of products. And you’re not even selling the main item you produce.
Sound confusing? It’s really not. Let’s take a look at the component parts and illustrate just how simple it is.
The first component is a supplier. That’s you. It is your words, your opinion, your research, and your art which can bring thousands or even millions of readers to your blog. You will be the attraction, the broker, and the Emperor of your Blog Empire. If it 8
weren’t for you, the blog wouldn’t exist. Because of who you are, what you know, and what you do, it can thrive.
The second component is a buyer, a customer. While the vast majority of your customers will be your readers, other customers will include companies that pay you to feature their links and advertisements on your blog. “Traffic” (those millions of readers out there who care about what you say) is the lifeline of your site: you’ve got to find them and bring them in. Once they are there, your advertising customers will pay for access to your reading customers, and your readin