WA Article Club: Inside Scoop

I recently joined a one-month WA Article Marketing Club when it was offered to Wealthy Affiliate members who wanted to learn the ins and outs of article marketing from the ground up. For this club, we each created new blogs using Wordpress Express and are promoting them through free sites such as Ezine Articles, Articlesbase, and other article directories. While these blogs all promote Wealthy Affiliate, the method can be applied to any niche.

Article marketing has never been something I've done in earnest for a particular campaign. With eHow articles, it really wasn't necessary, and I never realized how powerful an article marketing campaign can be for backlinks and traffic. In the WA article club, we write and publish about two articles off-site for every one post or page we publish on our blogs. Each of the two articles is tightly related to the topic of the blog post, and links directly to it as well as to the blog's home page.

This is a whole new method of backlinking for me, as I previously added backlinks rather sporadically and had only ever written a handful of articles for article databases. For instance, I created my Ezine articles account in 2008, but I've added more articles in the past week than I had in the previous two years put together.

In addition to the article marketing, the club has shown me a new way to set up Wordpress blogs, where there is a separate page for the blog posts as well as pages for FAQ, About, and other key pages. I hadn't known you could have your blog posts show up anywhere other than the front page... yes, I was a little behind the times.

After completing the 30-days tasks for my new Legit Work at Home blog, I will repeat the process for my pets niche site and my food niche site, both of which have shown great potential already (the pets one earns over $250 a month with the minimum effort I've put forth). I will update about their progress after completing the article club steps for these sites -- I'm really excited to see how it works out.

What are you working on? Have you done article marketing to promote your website or blog? I'd love to hear your experiences...

Blog Ideas for Profitable Niches

Looking for blog ideas?

If you want to start a blog for fun and income, coming up with a profitable niche topic is one of the most important steps to successful blogging.

When I started my first few blogs, I really didn't know what I was doing or how much I could earn from blogging. I was basically blogging for fun and to build back-links to my other sites and content. But now, when choosing a topic for a website or blog, I look at a few factors to determine my blog's focus.

1. Interests and knowledge base. Why start a blog on something I won't enjoy or don't know much about? This would likely result in neglecting my blog and it not living up to its income potential. Also, readers can tell when you're an authority on the subject and when you're just writing SEO content articles. To make your blog stand out, think of blog ideas that truly interest you -- maybe even something you're passionate about.

2. The competition. What other blogs are there on my topic? If the niche is already crowded, with many relevant, quality blogs, it might be wise to consider other topics and different blog ideas. A simple Google search for your topic and the word "blog" will give you an idea of what else is out there. But keep in mind that if you can find a different angle or focus on the same general topic, your niche may have very little competition.

3. Keywords. To ensure you'll have plenty of material for your blog, check out related keywords and topics through keyword tools. There should be a large variety and number of keyword combinations for your topic to be viable in the long run. I use Wordtracker's free keyword tool, and plug in my main keyword to see how often people are searching for it and related terms.

After considering your interests, niche competition and the quality and number of related searches for your blog ideas, you will have an idea as to whether your topic will be profitable. Run the numbers on several different topics so you can get a feel for where different niches stack up and make a educated decision.

If you still find it intimidating or confusing to come up with blog ideas, I will again recommend an awesome resource for new and pro bloggers, which hundreds of people have used to build a blog from the ground up: The Niche Blogger.

This program, which is run by a stay at home/ work at home mom of four as a way to show other moms how to earn a passive income with blogging, began as a very successful attempt to show the method to her own mom.

Her end result is a step-by-step program that literally covers every thing you need to know about blogging ... far more than I have shared with you in my posts, since space and time, as well as my lesser knowledge on the topic, preclude me from presenting as in-depth material as she covers.

An impressive aspect of the program is how Amy shares her method for coming up with good blog ideas. It really simplifies the niche research process, making it doable for any level blogger.

Don't forget, niche blogging is more than just picking a topic, it also involves finding one that will actually make money -- the most important thing for many professional bloggers!

Do you blog to earn money? How did you choose your niche topic?

What is Blogging?

Blogging is a great way for work at home moms, professional writers, students, or those desiring a work from home job, to earn money online. This post is the first in a series devoted to blogging and making money online with a blog.

So ... what is blogging?

The word blog, a shortened term for weblog, or web log, refers to a frequently updated online site in which the author shares thoughts, ideas and information in print, audio, photographic or video form. Blogs typically contain dated posts and comment sections, and can range from personal diaries to authoritative niche sites to witty commentary on current events.

Blogs started as a way for internet users to share their thoughts on websites they visited -- hence the "web log" notation -- and link to sites they found interesting. As blogging evolved, popular blogs developed large, diverse audiences and became more interesting. Bloggers now write for an audience, not just for fun.

Blogging can actually be quite lucrative, and many top bloggers earn six-figure incomes every year. While blogging revenue was a surprise to many early bloggers who had started blogging just for fun, many bloggers now begin blogging with the intention of making money from their efforts.

Thus the answer to the newbie's question, "What is blogging?" will be as varied as those who ask it. As the internet evolves, so does the concept of blogging. But overall, most blogs contain dated posts, a place for users to leave comments, links to other blogs and sites, and regular updates with information presented in any variety of mediums, from podcasts to photographs to prose.

Many bloggers also started creating informative blogs in different niches and now pull in amazing part or full-time incomes!

Many blogs derive loyalty from consistent visitors and loyal readers. Blogs on a specific topic are a great idea because they can often attract and keep a targeted audience. Readers who find and enjoy the things you are writing, the chances are that they will subscribe or bookmark your blog and revisit again and again to read new posts.

As a blog gains more followers and you write more content, you will start to ranking higher in the search engines, which is important for traffic and, ultimately, blog earnings.

TIP --> Blogging can also be a great way to promote your other sites and articles with links and traffic. Thus even those desiring a primarily passive income, such as myself, may find that blogging is a great way to help build that up. Also, since passive income can be slow in the beginning, a more active income source, such as blogging or writing articles for pay, can help a writer transition into a full time passive income.

If you have decided that you want to become a blogger, but aren't sure where to start, or are already blogging but don't know how to take your blog earnings to the next level, I recommend learning from professional bloggers who have created a solid method for building income-producing blogs.

It can be difficult to choose something to blog about, and not everything will be profitable, so if making money is your goal you need to focus on the right topics from the start, and set up your blog in such a way that you will maximize your income.

If you are serious about eliminating the steep learning curve, check out Amy Bass' The Niche Blogger membership site.

The first thing that got me was the fact that it was created by a mother who, like me, stays at home with her kids. She found a great way to make money online and shares that with many other stay at home moms, too.

She makes it very clear that if you follow her instructions and focus, you may be able to make the same level of income she does -- and at this point that's enough to entirely support her family at a very nice level of comfort.

I am comfortable recommending this resource to you because not only is it top quality, the price is very low. It really is a no-brainer when you consider the amazing, life-changing, value that you get from having expert advice on setting up your blog, choosing a profitable niche, and making money online.

I highly recommend this site if you've decided that after reading my answer to the question, "what is blogging?," this is an online income stream you're interested in developing. You can even try a free three day trial of the site with no other obligation. Try it and let me know what you think!

Are you a niche blogger? Please share your experiences!

New Residual Income Blog & Future of my WAHM Blog

I've decided to re-focus my WAHM blog to all things WAHM, from getting out of debt, entertaining preschoolers, and balancing work and home, to freelance tips, work at home ideas and resources to help other WAHMs and online writers.

To better focus on passive and residual income topics, I've created another blog, ResidualIncomeWeb.com. I am really excited about the blog, as it will better allow me to share what I know and what I learn in the future on the subject.

I hope you'll take a look -- I've got four posts up, and began the blog by sharing my journey to working for long-term residual income rather than for wages or a flat fee per content article or freelance piece. If you subscribe to the blog, you'll see new content as soon as it's posted.

Meanwhile, I'd love your input on My WAHM Blog. What do you like to see, and what would you like me to write about? What do you look for when visiting the blog?