...so I built it? When will they come?
So you've monetized your blog? So you think, "If I build it, they will come". NOT! It should be that easy. How about trying this mantra on for size? 'First I build it, then I help them find me'. This is the second step in successfully monetizing your blog. You've made certain that your blog is focused, targetting a specific demographic. A specific niche. Good. First half of the game - won. Now to the second half of the game.
If one word is to describe the theme of the second half, that word is 'diligence'. From this point forward, it will take diligence, on your behalf, to put your blog in front of the audience that will make it possible to earn revenue. Be it book/magazine publishers, sponsors, affiliate marketers, advertisers or/and businessess willing to pay for posts, every concerted effort at this point is to 'optimize your blog'. Make it shine. Shine like a beacon guiding its charge into shore after a long journey.
Getting in front of the businesses that pay for the audience that you have carefully groomed through the content of your blog, can be accomplished in several ways. If your blog successfully reaches your intended audience, it is safe to say that you have a grasp of the techniques used to optimize your blog. Let's go through a few.
Appropriate use of 'tag' words. Without boring you to tears, the wizards behind Google Analytics have devised a method of ranking web/blog sites on their search engine. The ranking is driven by an intricate number of factors, one of which is the use of 'tag' words. The word(s) that the average individual, doing a web search, would use to find web-based information - tag words (aka, labels, keywords). All blogging platforms have templates that allow the blog author to put tag or labels. Make your tags/labels/keywords descriptive of the blog post that it is highlighting, minus the industry jargon.
Link Building. The inclusion of rich anchor text that references or/and gives credit/kudos (or just plain ole' shout outs) to another source - reciprocity. Quality links, placed appropriately in your posts, allow interested readers (read:: potential monetizing agents) to add your blog to their site's blogroll, allow them to 'follow' your posts, becoming evangelists for your blog and ultimately monetizing agents. Links help to optimize your blog by allowing search engines to follow the links to your site. Some sites will always give you 'link love', while others will not.
Increase the amount of traffic to your blog. Increase in traffic flow to your site is a direct function of truly knowing your audience and then providing them with relevant, pertinent, useful and valuable information. The greatest challenge in doing this is refraining from 'selling' to your followers. Increased traffic, naturally, draws the attention of those who share a common audience with you.
Remember that the use of strategically used tag/keywords/labels, appropriately placed links and relevant posts is about making quality connections. Thinking in terms of offering content that is of value to your audience will, eventually come to the attentions of those monetizing agents who, also, have the best interest of their audience at heart.
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