A few days ago I received an email coming from someone who wants to learn blogging and earn something from it. This someone is a special person. This person met an accident several years ago and because of it made him incapacitated to earn a living. I’ll just call him “Jan.” This is not his real name.
Hi Jan, this article is dedicated for you. I hope you learn from it and I wish that this may help you bring some means of earning-a-living support.
For a newbie or beginner to blogs and blogging, here’s how to start.
1. Choose a blogging platform.
When I started blogging, I begun with blogger.com aka blogspot.com. I chose this one because this came from google and naturally you can put google adsense ad units in it. Ad units are those advertising boxes in web sites or blog sites. Site owners earn commissions or rebates from these ad units. Ad units can be image or text units. Plus, blogger.com is free.
Another is WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is free but you can not put adsense ad units in it while WordPress.org is something like you can use for self hosted site and of course you can put ad units here. In my case, I opted for WordPress.org. Aside from I insert ad units I can also customize my site according to what I want.
There are also other platforms out there. You can choose from many others. However, in this how-to tutorial, I’ll tackle more of blogger.com. So, Jan can put ad units in his would-be site for free. And also, blogger.com and wordpress.org are only those platforms I am familiar to navigate and maneuver with.
2. Create an account or Sign-up for an account
Go to www.blogger.com and create an account. You must have a google account to create a blog from blogger.com. So if you do not have a gmail account create one first. Then, in www.blogger.com, fill-in information like email address, your would-be password, your blog display name and word verification. Then, click the accept terms of service and click continue arrow at the bottom of the page.
3. Create a blog
Once you click the continue arrow, you’ll be directed to a page called “Name Your Blog.” In here, fill-in the Title of your blog and blog address or url (click check availability) and word verification fields then click continue arrow.
4. Choose template
Click on the template you want from the selection given. Click continue arrow. You will be prompted “Your blog has been created.” Then, click “start blogging” arrow.
5. Create post
Here, you can now start writing your articles or the so-called” posts.” Fill-in the Title of your posts and the body or the content of your articles. Then, click post options and fill in post date and time. Then, fill-in the labels for this post, these are basically the keywords of your article content. Then, click publish post. Then, view blog.
Please note, you can only create one post per day, however, you can schedule posts articles. Meaning you can create a few posts today and set the post dates on different dates.
5. Decorate your blog site.
Click on the “customize,” located in the upper right most of your site. Click on the lay-out tab.
a. Click the fonts and colors tabs, here choose whatever color and fonts you want for your site.
b. Click the page elements tab, here click “add a gadget,” here click whatever you want to add in your site like pictures, search form, picasa album, etc. Just read the brief description of the gadget then decide if you want to include them.
6. Monetize your blog–earn while blogging.
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a. Click the page elements tab, here click “add a gadget.” Here, choose adsense and html/javascript.
Notes:
1. In order for you to have an adsense, create an account first. Indicate your true name and true address. Those info that indicated in your IDs because adsense will send your commissions to western union, naturally you need to present your ID when claiming money. Please note that Adsense application processing and approval takes time. There are cases an applicant is disapprove, do not be disheartened. There’s alternative to adsense.
2. Alternatively or while waiting for adsense, sign-up for nuffnang, adbrite, chitika, etc. Just google search them so you can land on their websites. Once, you sign up with them, you will be given codes. These codes are the codes for the ad units to be displayed in your site. Copy and paste them in the “html/javascript” element. Note that they are free.
7. Drive visitors or readers for your site.
Now that you have a blog site, invite others to visit and read the posts in your blog.
a. Sign-up for blog directories and blog catalog.
They are many out there, to name a few, blogcatalog, topblog, mybloglog, pinoy top sites, etc. Just google search and use key words like blog directories and blog catalog then sign up to those offering free membership.
b. Advertise your blog for maximum exposure. Sign up only for those free.
I normally advertise my sites with Entre Card, Adgitize, Fwebtraffic, etc. Browse my site, yes this one, this “Here Anything Goes” site, then click on the widgets and badges of entrecard, adgitize, etc. Click on them so you can be listed under my referral list. I am your referror. Then, you will be directed to their sites then sign up for free. just follow their guidelines or read FAQs so you will be familiar on how they operate.
8. More semi-passive money/income for bloggers
Aside from writing post articles and earn from monetization programs of online advertising companies lioke adsense, nuffnang, adbrite,chitika, etc. you can also earn from the ff.:
a. Affiliate programs or Referral programs.
Join or participate in the affiliate programs of web sites offering them. Adgitize has it and many others have it. Again, just search for them.
b. PPPs, PTCs (Pay Per Click, Pay To Click) and the like
There are web sites who offer this. Just search and sign up for them and read their guidelines or mechanics for earning. Just click on the widgets/badges in my site and you will be directed to their sites.
c. Be a Virtual Assistant and/or Content Writer
There are people who are in need of virtual assistants and/or content writers especially now that blogging is at its booming stage. Offer your service to them, make a post in your site that you are offering such services and get paid. Discuss and negotiate your scope of work, the timeline/due date, pricing, and manner and where of payment, this can be thru atm or gcash or paypal. You can be full-time or part-time. You could also make a banner like ad of your services, in the add a gadget, choose either picture or text.
And/or, join/apply ContentCurrent or oDesk, they are companies that hire virtual assistants, writers, editors, etc. These are typically “work from home” jobs.
Til here. Hope this helps. Maybe you can share this to the group you are belong to –http://apnil.org/about-us/ — so they can learn and earn from blogging somehow.
Happy blogging.
PS: Jan, when you already created one, don’t forget to inform me so I could include you in my list of blog roll.
