Before becoming a professional photographer, I've been a WAHM (or work at home mom) for 3 long years, and one of my hobby as a WAHM was blogging.
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| Credits: beautywithmary.com |
Blogging is one of the best ways to start a WAHM business because it is so easy to get going. However, that does not mean that it is easy to make money from your blog. Don’t start a blog and expect to see money rolling in immediately. Blogging is an activity that will take time to build up to a profit level. It’s a good thing to start while you are working on other WAHM opportunities to let it build to a profitability level. With time and attention, your blog (or blogs) will grow into a business.
When you are blogging for profit, you’ll want to pay close attention to how you present yourself in your blog. There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and there may be several hundred blogs that are related to your topic. If your readers can’t understand your blog and have trouble reading it, they’ll just move on to the next one. The following tips can make your blog more user-friendly and help you gain consistent readers.
First, pay close attention to the format of your blog. Readers want to understand how your blog works right from the start. Most blogging platforms have similar formats, with links and tags on the left or right margin, and the most recent post on top. Make sure to use the links wisely. Only put links up for blogs or content that is truly related to your blog’s topic. The point is to give your readers additional information on your topic. Keep the list short and sweet. There is no reason to overwhelm them with links to other sites.
Also, take careful consideration when choosing your blog’s background and font color. Although there are a lot of color choices that blogging programs offer, its best to stick with a light background and dark text. Studies have shown that the human brain can process this type of format better than light text on a dark background. Think about this before you commit to a black background and white text. It might look striking, but readers might not want to stay there for long. Also, use a solid background color instead of trying to use a pattern or design.
Proofread your entries before you post them to your blog. There is nothing that reduces your authority in the eyes of your readers’ more than bad spelling and grammar. The online world is a world of text, so take some time to learn commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors.
Keep your blog fresh and interesting by posting at least once per day. With so much information available on the Internet, your readers may go elsewhere if you aren’t supplying daily content. If you aren’t sure what to write about, try posting a poll, a link to another blog, comment on a news story or post of list of helpful tips. Not every post has to be long and complicated, but you do need to post something everyday.
These tips will help keep your blog readable and interesting to your visitors. The more visitors you get, the more your blog will grow in profitability and importance. Just make sure to present yourself in a professional way and keep your readers coming back for more new content each day. In no time, you’ll have a profitable blog and then you can move on to create two or three.
These are all great tips for really any blogger. I write a mostly travel blog, and get tons of opportunities that aren't related to my blog. It is hard sometimes to turn them down, but I know that if their message is not related to my blog, the readers I do have will eventually become disinterested. I think another tip is just to look at your blog, the layout and format, and make sure everything is working at least a few times a week. Sometimes things will look OK when you are publishing them, and then a picture or something will be out of place. Always check your work!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I have to have a set schedule and usually do everything in between homeschooling and when kids are in bed. It can be tough, but it's very doable! I find keeping a schedule and not stressing is really important too! Less mistakes that way too!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the great tips. I was a consultant for a company when I started blogging and I started blogging so I could share the deals in some of my posts but I didn't do well as a seller and kept blogging instead. I'll pass on your tips to my sister because she just bought a new store and wants to start an online store branch for it as well.
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips! I love blogging and I blog about just about everything! I love to keep a variety in my blog so my readers have more to look at or read. I always make sure to post at least once a day. Thank you for all these awesome tips!
ReplyDeleteThose are all great tips. I am home all day, so I have lots of time to keep up with my blogging.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. Proof reading and staying true to your blog's audience are SO important.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. And I see so many blogs with a weird font or colors that literally make it too hard to read what it written. So I agree that it's especially important to make sure that your readers can actually READ your blog. And I agree that your blog should be fresh and up to date.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips For beginners! I am still building my content and connections with the hopes of earning some profit in 2015. I definitely try to remain professional and take pride in my work.
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips!!! You are right about posting atleast once a day though, surprisingly my readership when UP when I started to post more!! The threory is definitely true! If people like you they will keep coming back! Wish I had more time in my day to post twice! This fall when my daughter goes to school, its on ;-)
ReplyDeleteThese are all really great tips. I have started setting an alarm to help me with my time management.
ReplyDeleteI love the post.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one of my goals that I revealed on my other blog for this year was not
to stress myself out when I cannot post everyday on my main blog. Well,
apparently, that was not a wise goal since you recommend one fresh post per
day. I did that last year and to be honest it left me kind of burnt out since I
work online as a freelance writer and social media full time in addition to
blogging and doing direct sales.
These are all great tips and I agree for those intending to start working from home and making money through blogging need patience and to build a solid foundation as i hear it takes a while before you start to seem real money roll in
ReplyDeleteLots of great tips! I can't tell you how many new bloggers I've had to talk out of using a black background.
ReplyDeleteThese are some really awesome tips, any blogger could learn a lot from all this!
ReplyDeleteThose really are great tips. I'm trying to blog for profit these days and it can be hard to get going. I hate when new bloggers try to make money from their blogs straight away, it's like they're blogging for the wrong reasons. As for dark font, my blog does have that but it has a floral background framing a white background and people have stated that the design is one of their favourite things about my blog. Just a heads up for you, your font was hard for me to read, I think it was the grey colour and the size.
ReplyDeletethese are some great tips. I love being a WFHM
ReplyDeleteI always tell people that blogging is like building a business. If you were to pour concrete and build the walls, that might be your first year of blogging. Unless you are lucky to get a post to go viral. Your 2nd year your walls and maybe your roof will go on. Year 3, you start decorating your inside. All the while, networking and marketing.
ReplyDeleteI consult other bloggers about their blogs, and it is so enlightening to see things through other people's eyes. Sometimes it just needs another look and I Can help someone catch an error they made or find a link that doesn't work. I am always trying to grow, and these tips were helpful. I am a work at home mom myself! It is a hard job! ;)
ReplyDeleteOH my gosh, the proofreading tip is such a good one. There have been times when I've been rushed to get a post up and haven't done that... the results were not always pretty. ;) Thank goodness for the edit feature, but still...people saw those mistakes.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Blogging is a fun, fun way to make a profit. If you understand your target market as well.
ReplyDeleteI love all these tips. Really looking at a blog from a reader's perspective vs. from the blogger's makes a big difference in the design and functionality.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I'm a work at home blogger and agree with so many of them. Scheduling is KEY for me!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! Blogging is something that you need to do only if you have the passion for it. I don't think many realize just how much work goes into a blog.
ReplyDeleteThese are all great tips for blogging and being able to stay home to work. There's a lot of dedication and hard work that goes into blogging, it's not for everyone.
ReplyDeleteYour tips are great for moms who need the extra push with their blog. I agree that it's important to have a user friendly blog and choose a good design. Blogging every day is not necessary though. What matters is the quality of the content and posting on a doable, feasible schedule. Some of the best, top blogs are not published daily.
ReplyDeleteI usually write reviews/give-aways and then sometimes about the family and things we do so I guess it's a bit of a variety there. These are all great advice & tips too. Like I do Post every day mainly because if you don't they may not come the next day thinking you're gone or something. People like to know that when they come over it won't be a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteGood tips for anyone beginning a blog! I've had my blog for some time (and actually have been blogging since 2000...!, but have yet to monetize my blog in a way that makes it more than a hobby.
ReplyDeleteRight now, it's my spare-time interest, so I don't have the opportunity to post everyday, but my hope is that once I start a family, it will be positioned such that I can make it my daily project with some sustainability pay-off. Congrats on being able to do so with yours!
xo,
lauriel
EyeForElegance.com
These are great tips not just for WAHMS but for anyone at all! I am a newbie at it (about 2 months so far woo hoo!) and these are some excellent tips! What I need to work on most is being on a schedule, sometimes I will post 4 times in one day and not post for the next 2-3 days. I would love to be consistent in the future. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips. Oh how I wish I was a stay at home mom again but as for right now i'm not but I think your tips are great for any blogger not just the work from home ones. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. I am new to blogging, so I still have a lot to learn. But from browsing through the blogs of others, I agree that formatting and ease of navigation are very important to readers.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips for a beginner. I get a lot of friends asking me about how to make money online, or what can they do with a blog. There is so much to explain...and when I'm done, they just look at me with blank stares (overwhelmed).
ReplyDeleteThese are some really great times. Thank you so much for sharing them. I have been blogging for over 4 years and I am still constanly learning.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. Blogging surely is a way for anyone seeking to stay home full time to start a biz or add blogging to your biz, too. Thanks for these tips.
ReplyDelete