One popular post can bring your more traffic and links than a month’s worth of your usual content. In this post, I want to set you a challenge with the potential to launch your blog into the stratosphere. So make sure to use these tips and make the next post you write your most popular post ever.

1. Time is more important than talent – In the end of the day, it’s really matter of how much effort and time you put into your article. If you work on something for six hours, you can bet it will be good. With more time, you can refine, format and fill your post with plenty of value.

2. Use your best idea – A post will never become wildly popular unless it fulfills a need, and does so emphatically. To generate ideas, there are lots of questions you can ask yourselves. For example, what is something your niche wants but hasn’t got yet?

3. Use formatting to your advantage – These days, a post can never become popular without the help of social media. However, social media users are notoriously spoiled for choice. Use formatting to emphasize the best aspects of your post. Hone in on your funniest lines, your most profound bits of advice, your best resources. Make them stand out.

4. Brainstorm headlines – The importance of headline is often understated. Whenever I choose to read an article, how I would decide which to read is by browsing the headlines. I’m sure that is the same for everyone else. That’s right; headlines serve the purpose of drawing attention of readers to read your articles. So make sure to take some time to brainstorm your headlines.

5. Send messages with links – The best way to get a blogger to investigate your blog is by linking to them. We’ve got a natural desire to know what’s being said about us. If your post becomes really popular, each link inside it should send enough traffic outwards to be worth investigating. Be generous with your outbound links when writing your most popular post. It gives other bloggers an incentive to link to you, because it’s ultimately more promotion for them.

6. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – If your post looks good, it will draw readers in. Take the time to add images, thumbnails and formatting to what you create. Make your post a visual feast. With so much web content presented in a bland way, your post is guaranteed to stand out.

7. Edit your post – Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

Nik Imran is the author of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on blog setup. You can check out his guide on how to install wordpress.

Indeed blogging is a great way to make money online. Ever since it took off in 2004, many have jumped on the bandwagon in hope to taste financial success that they have envisioned. However, there are a couple of things one should keep in mind before they start blogging. Below is the list of things you should keep in mind before starting your own blog.

1. Be realistic – It’s all fine and dandy to dream big, but there is a problem when you have big expectations and don’t see yourself anywhere near it. I think when it comes to blogging, it’s better to set goals in stages so that your motivation will sustain over a longer period of time.

2. Don’t quit your regular job, yet – Many makes the mistake of assuming things will be smooth sailing. This is a bad business mentality to have. Plans always go wrong. Circumstances change in seconds. Before thinking of going fulltime blogging, I recommend keeping your regular job and setting aside some time everyday to work on your blog and popularize it first. Once you start making enough money for at least a few months, then only was it sensible to think of quitting your day job.

3. Enjoy what you do – Only if you truly enjoy blogging will you be able to stick to it and make it work. If you’re in it just to make money, you’re not going to be able to keep your enthusiasm going when you don’t see the dollars pouring in like you’d envisioned.

4. Having a niche – Blogs that fare well are usually those which focused on a specific topic. It’s important that before you start your own blog, you first choose a niche in which your blog will be focusing on, rather than prattling on random topics. This is in order for your readers to know what to expect from your blog. He or she could then make the decision of whether to subscribe to your blog, or not.

5. Be patient – I’m sure you heard of bloggers who makes a lot out of their blogging activities. The money is real, and spending a tiny bit of time each day to make a living does sound easy. But few questions how long exactly does it take for these bloggers to get to their position. It doesn’t happen overnight, not for many of them. Rather than focusing on instant monetary result, you should focus on providing quality contents to your audience on a consistent basis. It does pay to be patient.

6. Spend some money – Blogging is cheap. Unlike other businesses, you doesn’t require any startup capital. There are free hosting and free themes for anyone to choose from. However, I recommend to at least get your own hosting, as it is more beneficial to do so in the long run.

While blogging success is not hard to achieve, mistakes are easy to make. So, do make use of this list provided, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes other blogger does.

Nik Imran is the writer of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make a blog. If you are interested in building your first blog, you can check out his guide on how to choose domain name.

You have probably come across many blog tips before. Some are good, while others are just repetitions wrote in a confusing manner. Truth be told, you don’t need hundreds on blog tips to succeed when professional bloggers only stick to a few. Simply use these 7 tips and I’ll guarantee you a better blog today.

1. Reply to comments on your blog – Replying to questions or comments from readers is your way of letting people know that your blog is “alive.” It gives readers the opportunity to interact and engage in conversation.

2. Don’t think about making money first – If making money from your blog is your primary goal, I will not argue against that. The problem with focusing solely on money in the beginning is that you lose sight of the far more significant goal every new blog must reach first: quality content. What good will you provide your readers if you only post hundreds of affiliate links and self-promotional articles in the hope of winning people’s credit card numbers? Don’t be greedy. Money is great but don’t let it destroy your blog.

3. Show your personality in your writing – Your style of writing makes the difference between interesting read or uninteresting. Manolo the shoe blogger is the blogger was the first blogger I remember reading with a really unique voice (he writes in the third person). I’m not saying all style of writing is acceptable, but those that do will make your blog more memorable. Take Copyblogger for example.

4. Focus on your topic – Unless your blog has a clear focus, it’s going to be hard to convince people to subscribe to your blog. Think of it this way – They won’t know what to expect from your post. If you write about ten different topics, the chances are likely that they are going to pass on subscribing to your blog.

5. Publish new posts frequently and consistently – In order to gain more subscribers, you should post frequently and consistently. It’s not a coincidence that most big blogs post almost daily. Though I would not recommend doing daily posting, the best posting frequency for individual blog is around 3 posts a week.

6. Write killer headlines – Why? It’s the first thing your visitors see. If it does not attract your visitors, the chances are, they won’t be reading it.

7. Guest post – I can’t think of any other way to market a blog besides guest posting. Ok, maybe I can. But the point is, guest posting is useful in showcasing your writing talent and knowledge to new readers. For better results, I recommend guest posting in big blogs. Don’t wait, send them an email today.

Nik Imran is the author of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make blog. If you are interested in creating a blog, be sure to check his guide on how to choose domain names.

Gone are the days of padding your Internet articles with hundreds of keywords hoping to find yourself in the top spots of Google’s search results. While keywords still play a role in search engine positioning, you can actually be penalized if your content seems to contain too many of them – not to mention how difficult it is for a person to read an article that contains the phrase “insurance NY” every 5 words! Here are some tips for writing for web readers that will help you create informative and easy to read content.

1. The headline is the most important thing – You have about 6 seconds to attract attention from an Internet user before he clicks off your site and look somewhere else. This is about the same attention span of a two year old child, so you need a headline that is going to pull them in immediately, and capture their interest long enough to get them reading the rest.

2. Use Images – Images are a great way to break up a text heavy blog post. They can help to draw attention to a specific post and add color to your blog. Don’t use too many images though, or your posts get cluttered and your text gets harder to read rather than easier.

3. DON’T use tired clichs. – A clich is a phrase that has been coined for so long that it has become boring. An easy way to turn off readers and make them move on to another site is to pepper your posts with clichs like “right as rain” and “easy as pie.” Take a minute to prune those phrases out and replace them with something fresh and original.

4. Do use lists – Most blog readers skim copy rather than read it all the way through – One way to maximize your copy impact is to use lists. Bullet lists or numbered lists call attention to important points, and ensure that readers who are skimming will catch the most vital part of your post.

5. Cut the boring parts – Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. There’s no point is publishing content that isn’t useful, interesting, or both.

6. Keep it short and simple, sweetie. (KISS) – Most people are scanners. You may have a lot to say and think it interesting, and it may be. But people are reading online and out of time. Get to the point quickly. Publishing short posts more frequently is a better format than publishing lengthy articles every few weeks.

Following what works will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you’ll be left behind.

Nik Imran is the creator of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make a blog. He also reviews blog products in his site. You can check out his review on blog mastermind review, the most recommended blog coaching program.

There are millions of blogs on the internet. If your blog is just like any other blogs out there, the chances are, no one’s going to read it, much less subscribe to it. So, how can you differentiate your blog then?

1. Voice – Your style of writing makes a whole lot of difference. I remember the first blog that struck me as a joy to read. To this day, I have enjoy reading Copyblogger because of Brian’s style of writing, even though he seldom writes anymore. It’s short, precise and to the point. Did I mention funny?

2. Design – It should come as no surprise that a unique blog design can help differentiate yourself that other blogs in your niche. Besides logo, the color of your blog can also help create a unique experience to your visitors. I recommend having only 2-4 different colors for your blog design.

3. Being first – not easy to do but if you can be one of the first blogs in a niche it can help you stand out. ProBlogger would be a great example of this – at the time, no one else was blogging about making a living from blogs.

4. A memorable blog name – This is yet another easy way to stand out in your niche. I must however confess, to some degree, a good domain name is no longer easy to come by.

5. Opinion – one of the easiest ways to make your blog is to share your opinion. Your opinions won’t always be unique but the combination of them and the way you express yourself will be and will often set yourself apart from other bloggers who just report news.

6. Connectors – other bloggers are successful because they are so well connected in their niche. They not only know a lot of people but they have a gift in helping others to connect with those in their network.

7. Expertise – Some bloggers rise to the top of their fields because they are simply authoritative and have real expertise in their field. They are well read, have extensive experience and have forgotten more about their topic than most of us will ever know about it.

8. Personal – Don’t just share information, share yourself to the readers as well. Share your experience whenever applicable. This technique is not only useful to explain to your readers your reasoning, but also bond with your readers.

Nik Imran is the creator of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make a blog, your ultimate guide to setup blog.

There are several ways to make money online. Hopefully this article will help you decide which method is best for you.

1. Affiliate marketing – Another popular monetization method that many bloggers use to derive income is through affiliate marketing. Under this system, you work as a middleman for various companies to refer your audience with products that are related to your topic (usually that is the case). As you don’t own the product, you don’t have to deal with customer service, taking orders, etc. The companies you become affiliated with provide you with a tracking link to use to link to their site. The commission is usually between 30%-75%.

2. Banner Advertising – This monetization method is one of the most lucrative out there. Depending on the popularity of the blog, direct banner ads can sell anywhere between $50 up to as much as $10,000 a month individually. The downside however, is that you need to have a big audience to get qualified advertisers, and you will need to spend time managing the sales process, the banners and the payments.

3. Affiliate marketing – This is one of the most convenient way to make money online. As an affiliate you refer your audience to various company websites, and when a sale is made you earn a commission. You are the middleman (or middlewoman) so you don’t have to deal with customer service, taking orders, etc. The companies you become affiliated with provide you with a tracking link to use to link to their site. That’s how they track how many sales you’ve generated. Almost all affiliate programs are free to join. It usually involves filling out a sign-up form and within moments the company sends you the links you need to use on your site or blog.

4. Premium Content – Some websites and blogs give away part of their content for free, and charge for access to the premium content and exclusive tools. SEOMoz is a good example. They have a very popular blog that gives advice and information on wide range of SEO related topics. On top of that visitors can decide to become premium members. It costs $48 monthly and it grants them access to guides, tools and other exclusive material.

5. Selling or Renting Internal Pages – Million Dollar Wiki made this concept popular, but it was being used on the web for a long time around (check Pagerank10.co.uk for instance). These websites sell for a single fee or rent for a recurring fee internal pages on their domain. Usually they have either high Pagerak or high traffic, so that people purchasing a page will be able to benefit in some way. Implementing this method on a small blog would be difficult, but the concept is interesting and could be explored further.

6. Highlighted Posts from Sponsors – Techmeme probably pioneered this idea, but somehow it has not spread to other websites. The tech news aggregator displays editorial posts on the left column, and on the sidebar they have a section titled “Techmeme Sponsor Posts.” On that section posts from the blog of the advertisers get highlighted, sending qualified traffic their way. Considering that the monthly cost for one spot is $5000 and that they have around 6 sponsors at any given time, it must be working well.

7. Selling a Hardcover Book – Many authors and journalists leverage their blogs or websites to sell copies of hardcover books. Examples include Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell. While most of these people were already renowned authors before they created their website, one could also follow the other way around. Lorelle VanFossen did exactly that with her Blogging Tips book. First she built her authority on the subject via her blog, and afterwards she published the book.

8. Merchandising -There are quite a few larger blogs are making money through this monetization technique – especially blogs with a cult following. A famous example would be by Shoemoney.

Nik Imran is the creator of IMakeABlog, a make a blog guide for beginners. You can learn how to create a blog with the 6 simple steps provided.

If you own a well established blog within a particular niche, you have a potential money maker. One way to improve your blog income is to focus on attracting both big advertisers and traditional media. Here are some tips on how to do so:

1. Show them the banners – If you currently have no paid placements on your site, put up house ads or partner ads in the same spot you would run a paid spot. (A house ad refers to banners for other products or sites that you or your company own).

2. Don’t use Google AdSense on your site – OK, this could be the most painful one for most people especially if you are generating a few hundred bucks a month from it already. But Google ad sense devalues your site and makes it look unprofessional. You have to ask yourself, “Do I want some real revenue from my site or Google’s table scraps.”

3. Focus on a specific topic and try to become an authority figure – Try to spread your opinions and research by contributing articles to blogs, newsletters, online magazines, and other things. Try to get interviews by other bloggers. You want to prop yourself up on a pedestal so that you look worthy of having advertisers on your blog.

4. Keep your blog professional – Try not to talk about yourself too much. You do not want to scare your advertisers away. They’re looking for a blog that is for a specific topic or industry. That means they want you to talk about it otherwise it will not feel like they’re advertising on a blog that really has a topic or goes within an industry.

5. Think of your blog as a business – Monitor your traffic and webpages with conversion ratios in mind. Set up auxiliary streams of income (Job board, online stores) to improve your site’s perceived income value.

6. Hire writers/guest bloggers – Once your blog has grown huge, I recommend you to hire writer/guest bloggers so you can focus on strategic planning for your blog. Multiple writers will also help establish your blog as an online publication or community blog. Think Mashable.

As advertising can generate a substantial amount of regular income, make sure to make the most out of your blog by following these tips. Happy blogging.

Nik Imran is the creator of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make blog. You can check out one of his article on how to install themes.

For a blog design, no matter how unique your design is, it’s always not recommended that you forget the basic. Lately, I have come across a few blogs that have great logos and headers only to have bad basic design. Use these six tips and mistakes to make the most out of your blog.

1. The user must know what the site is about in seconds – Attention is one the most valuable currencies on the Internet. If a visitor can not figure what your site is about in a couple of seconds, he will probably just go somewhere else. Your site must communicate why I should spend my time there, and FAST!

2. Avoid complex URL structures – A simple, keyword-based URL structure will not only improve your search engine rankings, but it will also make it easier for the reader to identify the content of your pages before visiting them.

3. Make sure your website is cross-browser compatible – Not all browsers are created equal, and not all of them interpret CSS and other languages on the same way. Like it or not, you will need to make your website compatible with the most used browsers on the market, else you will lose readers over the long term.

4. Use complimentary colors – Be judicious in choosing your color scheme; too many colors, or colors that are too bright, can turn off readers and cause them to click away sooner than they might otherwise.

5. Do a usability check – Borrow a trick from the pros and do a usability check by enlisting several friends or colleagues to poke around your blog. This is most effective if you’re sitting beside them, listening to their feedback with a notebook in hand. You might be surprised what valuable information you receive when you ask for it.

6. Make sure to include anchor text on links – I confess I used to do that mistake until some time ago. It is easier to tell people to “click here”. But this is not efficient. Make sure to include a relevant anchor text on your links. It will ensure that the reader knows where he is going to if he clicks the link, and it will also create SEO benefits for the external site where the link is pointing.

Although I won’t deny that most blogs can get away with bad design as long as they provide good content, it’s always a good thing to provide good user experience to your user.

Nik Imran is the author of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make a blog, your step-by-step guide to setup blog.

Your About page is a page that explains who you are, what your blog is about, and how to contact you. If someone is new to your blog, they’ll most likely click on your About page to find out more information. Likewise, if you’re passing out business cards at an event or conference, when people return home and check out your blog, they’ll likely click on your About page first just to get a feel for who you are. These days a blogger can’t ignore her About page. It’s your online resume of sorts; your virtual “How do you do?” Whether you’re using your blog as a way to attract PR and marketers, a resource for your new book, a way to attract publishers, or just as a hello to new visitors, you need to put some time and effort into this page.

What should a basic About page include?

1. A picture of yourself – Put up an image of yourself. People like it. You don’t have to look like a film star! Even better, you might want to publish a video of yourself.

2. An overview of what your blog is about – Share your elevator pitch (the short explanation of what your blog is about) and then expand the explanation. This is the perfect opportunity for you to explain why you’re different from the other bloggers who write in your niche. What makes you special?

3. Your contact information – It’s always nice to include your contact information at the “About” page, especially so if you do not have a contact page. If you’re worried about bots harvesting your e-mail and using it for spamming purposes you can make it harder for those bots by using a modified version of it (e.g., me[at]blogging[dot]com).

4. Share interesting information about yourself – Maybe you like old music? Perhaps you’re good at tennis? This is the time to introduce yourself to the world. Make sure to not only include why people should read your blog. Have something to share that others might find interesting as well.

5. Write in first person – I know there are some well known bloggers who writes in third person for their introduction in the “About” page. Personally, I would not recommend new bloggers to write in third person. This is because unless you’re already well known, it’s obvious you wrote it yourself. If you must write in third person, you can always wait till your blog grows bigger.

6. Your goals – This can be your goals for your blog, your short- or long-term goals for your life (if it’s related to what you blog about), or just the goal of the About page (to introduce yourself or encourage people to contact you or whatever).

Think about the last time you read a book – chances are you checked out the author’s bio and maybe wanted to see his picture in addition to the bio. This helps you get a feel for the person writing the words you’re reading, helps you feel more connected to the words, helps you to care about them more deeply than if you were reading an anonymous person’s post. So remember to get your About page up if you still haven’t.

Nik Imran is the writer for IMakeABlog, A blog that provides guide on how to make a blog. Besides blogging tips, he also provide blogging tool reviews. You can check out his thesis review to learn more.