Blogging may start as a way to connect with moms with similar interests but as time passes, you realize that it also has the potential to generate some income. But just because you have a blog doesn’t mean that money and free products are going to come rolling in.
There are many factors that contribute to making your blog successful, from the quality of your writing to the design of your blog. But what does it take exactly to become a successful mommy blogger?
This is the question that I have been seeking answers to and have been applying my findings to my own blog. So here is what you really need to know in order to get your blog on the path to success.
1- Good Design. And by good design, I don’t mean just a pretty looking blog. Adding a little blog ‘eye candy’ will definitely score you some points but you also need to consider carefully where you place things such as ads. Yes, your kids are adorable but you can share those pictures in your About section and leave the sidebar for ad space. It has been proven that the less cluttered your sidebar is, the more likely it is that someone will click on an item in your sidebar.
2- Good Writing. The quality of your writing will ultimately determine how successful you become. Well written posts will spark interest in PR agents and generate return readers. As moms, we deal with and write about similar issues. You need to make sure that your writing style stands out. Your posts should be engaging and free of grammatical errors.
3- Track Your Blog. I cannot stress enough how important this is! Numbers talk the talk, people! Knowing your stats can help you promote yourself to potential advertisers by showing them the amount of exposure they will receive on your blog. It’s also a fantastic tool for you as a blogger. You can see what types of posts really spark an interest in your readers.
4-
Monetize Your Blog. You can join several ad networks and generate some extra income through affiliate programs. I have joined
Google Affiliate Network and
LinkShare. I also joined
Juice Box Jungle recently.
AdSense is also a great resource to monetize your blog. And now that
Amazon has partnered with
Blogger to offer
Amazon Associates directly on your
Blogger dashboard, this is absolutely no excuse for you NOT to monetize your blog.
5- Link Exchange. Connect with other bloggers and exchange links. One of the factors Google takes into consideration when it calculates page rank is the amount (and quality) of outbound links to your site. The more links, the better.
6-
Post Regularly. Posting regularly also generates outbound links to your blog. The more you post, the more outbound links you create. Posting regularly also ensures that readers return often because you are providing new content for them to read. You can read more about this in my article,
Posting Every Day: Can it Really Increase Your Traffic?7- Find Your Niche. I am still struggling with this one. But finding your niche can prove to be fruitful because you can carve your own little space in the blogosphere. You can become the ‘go to’ blogger for whatever topic you chose to blog about.
8- Create relationships. You need the support of your fellow bloggers in order to get ahead. Create lasting relationships by following blogs regularly, collaborating, guest posting or providing help when asked.
9-
Become Part of a Community. Joining sites like
Mom Bloggers Club and
Mom Blog Network can help you build friendships, find answers and get your blog out there. Blog hops are also a great option when it comes to becoming part of a community of bloggers.
10- Professionalism. If you are contacted by a PR agent to review a product, respond in a timely manner and don’t share their information with other bloggers. If you think that another blogger might be interested in a specific campaign, give the PR agent their contact information and let them decide if they want to contact this person or not.
I’ll be exploring these points in detail in later posts and I would love to hear what you have to say. Have you already done any of the items listed here? Do you have any advice you would like to share?
