It is a blogging myth that you need to pay for a custom design in order to achieve a high level of traffic and profits. Of course, a custom blog would help to give your site a unique look and feel, but this is far from being a requirement. I have had blogs that were custom designed as well as those (such as this one) that run on a simple, free theme.
As I have mentioned time and time again, I do not have the technical skills to customize my blogs. If I want this done I have to call one of my friends for a favor, or pay a freelancer to help me out; both of which I have done in the past.
As you will see by the design of chrisblogging.com, there is not much to it. It is a basic free theme that I picked up after checking out several options. The main reason that I settled on this theme is because it is widget compatible, has a nice color combination, and is nothing over the top. I am a simple guy, and this is a simple theme!
Generally speaking, the only customization that I did was to add some sidebar content, new pages, and a slight tweak to the footer code. Besides that, everything is pretty much basic. Of course, as I move along I will probably insert some ads here and there as well as a few other ideas that I have been working on.
Does a basic design hold you back from making money or increasing traffic? The simple answer to this question is no! I have had template blogs earn more money than customized blogs and vice versa. The key is not the design of the blog, but the content that you provide. As long as you are not making your readers work too hard to browse your content you should be alright.
I have always thought that a blog will make money and receive traffic if the content is something that people want to read. Despite the simplicity of your design, if you are making good posts that are relevant to your subject matter, you will eventually reach your goals.
If you want to be a great blogger, you should read other blogs. After all, this only makes sense, right? And don’t say that you cannot find other blogs that suit your needs. There are more than 70 million out there, so you should be able to find at least a few to read on a regular basis.
There are a couple of things that I always look for when reading other blogs:
1. You may be able to get information for future posts by reading other blogs. For instance, I read at least three blogs on blogging and writing each day. In fact, I may obsess over this a bit too much. But hey, there are a lot of people out there who know more about making money through blogging than me.
2. Get ideas for how you can make additional money. For instance, if you are only using Google Adsense on your blog right now you are not going to reach your fullest potential. Take a closer look at how other similar blogs are making money. This way, you can implement these revenue streams to suit your needs.
There are only two reasons that people do not read other blogs. They either think that they know everything, or they are too lazy or busy to do so. You should not let either one of these things stand in your way! There is an endless amount of information that you can learn by reading blogs from others in your industry.
Being a professional freelance writer/blogger is the best job in the world; at least from where I sit (which is wherever I want by the way.) But before you can start blogging for the big bucks, you need to know what you are up against. Remember, there are over 70 million blogs online. And guess what? I would venture to guess that a very small number of them allow their owners to make a decent living. With that being said, there is no reason that you cannot turn your blog into a money making machine.
For beginning bloggers, the first thing that you need to know is that content is king. I know that saying is a bit “played out,†but it is true. If you do not update your blog on a regular basis it is not going to reach its fullest potential. Remember, people visit your blog for what you have to say. If they read a few good posts and then find that you slacked off for two weeks, they are going to forget about you. Even if you only have the chance to shoot off a couple hundred words, it is better than nothing.
In addition to blogging on a regular basis, you also want to make sure that your posts are of high quality. There is an ever growing debate between bloggers over what is better, “quantity or quality.†My personal take is that you need both. Maybe I am a bit off base with this, but if you offer both you will have a much better chance of succeeding. And that is what you want, right?
So at this point you know that you need to write often, and that your entries should be of the highest quality possible. The next step is to not get frustrated. I have had some blogs begin making money within a few days, whereas others have taken a year or longer. There is no way of saying how things will work out, so exercise a high degree of patience. In other words, concentrate on making posts and let the traffic and money follow in suit. Trust me; it will come sooner or later if you continue to write.
You may also want to consider whether or not you want to attempt to monetize your blog from day one. Some people feel that waiting for traffic is best, while others prefer to get their income streams in place right away. Personally, I like to wait just a bit to see what direction my blog is moving. This will then allow you to put the proper income streams in the right place.
For instance, if you have a blog with more Google Adsense ads than posts, your readers are going to think that you are after nothing more than money. I am sure some bloggers will disagree, but in my experience content comes first, then traffic, then monetization.
The majority of people start blogs to make money, but then give up within a few weeks when nothing happens. Do not become one of these people! You do have what it takes if you put your mind to it, stay patient, and continue posting.
