How To: Become a four figure blogger, Part 3
This is part 3 of a series called How To: Become a four figure blogger. If you haven’t, read Part 1 and Part 2.
Sorry that it’s taken a little while to get to part 3 of the “Becoming a four figure blogger” series, things have gotten a little busy around here.
So what are we talking about today? I’ve already covered AdSense and affiliate marketing, so today I’m going to talk about moving away from the hosted blogging options like Blogger, TypePad, and whatever Microsoft calls their hosted blog solution (I think it’s MSN spaces or something like that). Also – if your primary blog is on MySpace, I think you’re reading the wrong article…
I’m assuming that if you’re willing to work towards becoming a four figure blogger that you understand basic HTML, can login to an FTP program, and can run a Google search to understand anything that might seem foreign (i.e. chmodding a file to 666).
You need your own domain
If you want to have any credibility you need, at the very least, your own domain. Even with your own domain you can integrate Google’s Blogger service or TypePad, though I don’t recommend it. Domains let people know you’re serious. It helps them remember your website’s name. It helps them return easily.
Your own domain will also allow you to manage your own MySQL databases, install an application like WordPress(.org) and have much more control over the monetization of your blog.
Domain’s cost money, right? Yes, they do. They cost $8.95. There is absolutely no excuse to not buy a domain. Buy ten or twenty if you’re not sure what you want the name of your website to be. Hosting is cheap as well, I believe I’m paying about $7 a month for 100GB of bandwidth and 2GB of webspace. It’s so cheap and since you’re planning on becoming a four figure blogger anyway, it’s an investment that you’re going to recoup in no time.
Why can’t I use Blogger, WordPress.com, TypePad or [whatever]?
There a lots of reasons why using a hosted blogging solution is “bad.” A few of the most important ones are
- They don’t allow enough control over the content to optimize advertisements effectively
- You don’t have control over the databases – backing up your blogs on a regular basis should become a habit.
- Your credibility drops quite a bit when someone sees one of the standard Blogger templates or “name.blogspot.com” in your URL.
Hosted solutions work fine when you’re writing a diary for family and friends, but if you’re looking to write a blog and make money you need to invest some money into it. A domain is the first step.
The extra control also extends to your design. You’ll be able to play around with the sidebar elements, add your own header images, tinker with fonts, colors, etc. Essentially, you’ll be able to make the blog unique and make it stand out from the rest of the pack. If you want to get really serious you could even hire a professional blog designer (like me!) to create a custom design for you.
Did you order your domain yet?
If you haven’t already done so, go order your domain. Come up with something catchy, something people will remember. If your last name is hard to spell, don’t use it. If you think everything in your industry is taken, think again. Be creative, be funny. Do not be boring.
In Part 4 I will start talking about how to establish credibility with your readers on their first visit to your website and how to keep them coming back.
Related Articles:
- Nominate College Startup For The Blogger Appreciation Contest
- How To: Become a four figure blogger, Part 1
- How To: Become a four figure blogger, Part 2
- Ecommerce vs. Content Monetization
- I’m Posting At Performancing….
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Definitely agree, a domain and self-hosted blog is a must if you want to do the whole blogging thing professionally.
I recently wrote a post on How to Find That Perfect Domain Name, which a few people might be interested in: http://www.nathanwaters.com/archives/how-to-find-that-perfect-domain-name
cheers
nathan