Blogging for Business: How BloggingJunction.com Started to Get Traffic and Generate Money

Looking to start blogging for business or just want to take your blog to the next level?

Read how BloggingJunction.com started to get traffic and generate money…

I had the privilege to interview its owner (Saksham Talwar) by email about his blogging experience and experiments. Enjoy.

I know you’re only 16 years old. It is quite impressive to see youngsters take the blogosphere by storm and succeed when others are just dreaming about it. So, when (and why) did you start blogging and what is the story behind creating www.BloggingJunction.com?

My blogging story started back in 2008 with a small Blogspot blog where I wrote about wildlife and nature. I had no intentions what-so-ever of making money via blogging before I moved on to a self-hosted domain two months after I created my first blog.

My first self-hosted blog was about computer tips and tricks. For the first year I didn’t make a single dollar, but I learnt a lot about blogging, SEO, advertising, social media, etc. In 2009 I decided to shut down my computer tips blog and start afresh with a new blog – Blogging Junction. I decided to share my experiences; some things that helped me build a better blog and will be helpful for other newbies too.

How did it feel to write in the beginning and how often did you create content to help launch the blog?

In the beginning I was a bit confused about the topics to write on as I had just one year experience in the blogging field and most of the tips I was going to share already existed on many other blogs. Still I decided to give a try and wrote blog posts on what I learnt during my first blogging year and as BJ progressed, I also shared tips on what was making it to progress!

I had made it a point to write at least 1 article a day and sometimes even 2, but due to my high school studies I could just write 5-6 blog posts a week.

As the competition today is a lot higher, for new bloggers I would recommend to write at least 1 high quality article every day and if possible 2 or more than that.

What methods did you use to help promote your blog and attract an audience?

I used blog commenting, forum posting and even invited some other bloggers to read my blog and many of them did that! The way that worked the best for me to attract visitors was blog commenting. Though its power isn’t that high as of today, but the good news is that it still works and will help you get your initial blog visitors.

Blog commentating -> Find 10 “new” blogs belonging to your blog niche -> Comment on their blog posts regularly and even follow back to their replies -> Socialize further via social networks

What was the most powerful traffic-getting method in your opinion and why?

The method that worked for me then was blog commentating. But as I said above, blog commentating is not that powerful as of today. Guest blogging is the method that works like a charm today.

Guest blogging on popular blogs not only helps you attract their audience to your blog but also helps you get useful backlinks which help you rank better in search engines and get more organic traffic. So guest blogging exposes you to two traffic sources – direct traffic from blog where you guest blog and organic traffic from search engines which you get due to increased search engine rankings.

So in order to build traffic the method I will recommend is to guest blog and keep on doing the same!

How often do you publish content on your blog nowadays?

Last month I published at least one post every day. This month I am following a different strategy. This month I am going to publish posts on alternate days so that each post gets proper exposure. Let’s see how it goes!

How do you attract traffic to your blog nowadays?

A.)  Guest blogging

B.)  SEO

These methods are working like a charm for me these days and will work for you too.

Let’s talk about SEO, my favorite topic and the method of smart bloggers around the globe.

Why is optimization important to you and how do you optimize your blog for the search engines? What are you doing special that maybe others are missing?

Optimization is very important and helps us in bring in visitors indeed easily. Optimization has two parts – on-page and off-page optimization. On-page optimization is one in which you optimize your blog internally. This includes using proper titles, descriptions, adding META keywords, ensuring easy navigation, building internal links, etc. Off-page optimization includes link building from external sources like guest blogging, blog commentating, forums posting, guest blogging, etc. On-page SEO is the first step of ranking higher and next comes Off-page SEO.

People these days aren’t keeping up to the trends. It’s time to move on with search engines. There was a time when directory submissions worked, but they hardly matter anymore. But still if you see, people are buying directory submissions, but it’s of no use. Instead guest blogging works these days and hopefully it will work in future too.

As I am writing this, www.BloggingJunction.com shows a Google page rank 4 and an Alexa ranking under 25k. Could you give us a step-by-step walkthrough on what new bloggers should do in order to achieve similar results as you did?

To get a high page rank you just have to build links from good blogs or websites. Try taking the full benefit of commentluv links, dofollow forums to build links and in no time you will have a good PR as mine.

As far as Alexa rank is concerned, it hardly matters in my opinion. Alexa rank depends on your luck I say. If the visitors visiting your blog use the Alexa toolbar or if you have Alexa widget placed in your blog, your blog will have a good Alexa rank and if the visitors don’t use the Alexa toolbar, your blog will find it difficult to rank higher. Don’t focus much on Alexa rank I will say.

How did Google Panda update affect your rankings and what do you suggest bloggers who are worried about their rankings: what should they focus on, and more importantly, what should they avoid?

Google Panda update increased my traffic by more than 60%. If Google Panda update has had a negative impact on your blog, make sure you remove or edit all the duplicate content present in your blog. Also try to reduce the outgoing links from your blog. This doesn’t mean you no-follow all the links, but instead just reduce the number of external links (affiliate links mainly). You can read the following article on my blog, 7 SEO Tips That Might Be Relevant After The Google Panda Update

What else can you mention to help fellow bloggers turn into SEO masters without tricking the search engines or deceiving their visitors?

“Write for your readers, optimize for search engines” is what I will suggest.

Write in a way and language that your readers like and optimize the blog post for search engines by building links and using proper meta details.

How to Select An Affiliate Program Network that Pays When You Are Just Starting Out

If you are an affiliate marketing beginner, and want to know how to select an affiliate program network that pays, listen closely…

Going with the a bad network is like associating yourself with the wrong gang. Things could get out of control fast, and you could remain empty pocket.

There are many horror stories about affiliate programs and networks. People have heard them over and over again, that some are even wary of joining one. The stories they may have heard are those related to illegal programs or pyramid schemes. Basically, this kind of market does not have real, worthy product.

You do not want to be associated with these schemes. It is obvious you want to be with a program that offers high quality product that you will readily endorse. The growing number of those who have joined already and are succeeding immensely is proof enough that there are reliable and quality affiliate programs out there.

Why participate in an affiliate program?

It allows you to work part-time. It gives you the opportunity to build a generous residual income. And it makes you an owner of a small business. Affiliate programs have already created lots of millionaires. They are the living testimony of how hard work; continuous prospecting, motivating and training others pay off.

If ever you are deciding to join one, you must take note that you are getting into something that is patterned to what you are capable of. This will be an assurance that you are capable of doing anything to come out successful.

How do you choose a good affiliate program to promote? Here are some tips you may want to look over before choosing one:

1. A program that you like and have interest in. One of the best ways of knowing if that is the kind of program you wish to promote is if you are interested in purchasing the product yourself. If that is the case, chances are, there are many others who are also interested in the same program and products.

2. Look for a program that is of high quality. For instance, look for one that is associated with many experts in that particular industry. This way, you are assured that of the standard of the program you will be joining into.

3. Join in the ones that offer real and viable products. How do you know this? Do some initial research. If possible, track down some of the members and customers to give you testimonial on the credibility of the program.

4. The program that is catering to a growing target market. This will ensure you that there will be more and continuous demands for your referrals. Make inquiries. There are forums and discussions you can participate in to get good and reliable feedback.

5. A program with a compensation plan that pays out a residual income and a payout of 30% or more would be a great choice. There are some programs offering this kind of compensation. Look closely for one. Do not waste your time with programs that do not reward substantially for your efforts.

6. Be aware of the minimum quotas that you must fulfill or sales target that is too hard to achieve. Some affiliate programs imposes pre-requisites before you get your commissions. Just be sure that you are capable of attaining their requirements.

7. Select one that has plenty of tools and resources that can help you grow the business in the shortest possible time. Not all affiliate programs have these capacities. Make use you decide on one with lots of helpful tools you can use.

8. Check out if the program has a proven system that can allow you to check your networks and compensation. Also check if they have it available online for you to check anytime and anywhere.

9. The program that is offering strong incentives for members to renew their membership each time. The affiliate program that provides continuous help and upgrades for its products have the tendency to retain its members. These things can assure the growth of your networks.

10.  Be aware of the things that members are not happy about in a program. Like with the ones mentioned above, you can do your checking at discussion forums. If you know someone in that same program, there is ho harm asking if there are many downsides involved.

Have a thorough and intensive knowledge about the affiliate program and network you will be promoting on.

Knowing the kind of program you are getting yourself into will make you anticipate and prevent any future problems you may encounter.

P.S. My favorite affiliate program network is ClickBank (although most of their products and sales letters sound hype or too good to be true)…

I also like DigiResults, Plimus and other CPA related networks (which I am recently testing).

Affiliate Marketing Tips: Using Product Suggestions To Increase Your Bottom Line

Discover. Affiliate marketing tips newbies don’t know (yet) and veterans tend to forget.

In affiliate marketing, there are many ways in which you can increase your earnings and maintain the account that you have worked so hard for already. Most of the techniques and tactics can be learned easily. No need to go anywhere and any further. They are available online, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

One of the more important ways of increasing affiliate marketing bottom line and sale is through the use of product recommendations. Many marketers know that this is one of the most effective ways in promoting a certain product.

If the customers or visitors trust you enough, then they will definitely trust your recommendations. Be very careful in using this approach, though. If you start promoting everything by recommendation, your credibility will actually wear thin. This is seen especially when recommendations are seemingly exaggerated and without much merit.

Do not be afraid to mention things that you do not like about a given product or service. Rather than lose any points for you, this will make your recommendation more realistic and will tend to increase your credibility.

Furthermore, if your visitors are really interested in what you are offering, they will be more than delighted to learn what is good about the product, what is not so good, and how the product will benefit them.

When you are recommending a certain product, there are some things to remember on how to make it work effectively and for your advantage.

Sound like the true and leading expert in your field.

Remember this simple equation: Price resistance diminishes in direct proportion to trust. If your visitors feel and believe that you are an expert in your niche, they are more inclined to making that purchase. On the other hand, if you are not exuding any confidence and self-assurance in endorsing your products, they will probably feel that same way and will go in search of another product or service which is more believable.

How do you establish this aura of expertise? By offering unique and new solutions they would not get anywhere else. Show proof that what you are promoting works as promised. Display prominent testimonials and endorsements from respected and known personalities, in related fields of course.

Avoid hype at all costs. It is better to sound low key and confident, than to scream and seek attention. Besides, you would not want to sound unprofessional and have that thinking stick to your potential customers and clients, now would you? Best to appear cool and self-assured at the same time.

And remember; prospects are not stupid. They are actually turning to experts and may already know the things that you know. If you back up your claims with hard facts and data, they would gladly put down hundreds, or even thousands worth of money to your promotions. But if you don’t, they are smart enough to try and look at your competitors and what they are offering.

While recommending a product, it is also important that you give out promotional freebies. People are already familiar with the concept of offering freebies to promoting your won products. But very few people do this to promote affiliate products. Try to offer freebies that can promote or even have some information about your products or services.

Before you add recommendations to you product, it is given that you should try and test the product and support. Do not run the risk of promoting junk products and services. Just think how long it took you to build credibility and trust among your visitors. All that will take to destroy it is one big mistake on your part.

If possible, have recommendations of products that you have 100% confidence in. Test the product support before you begin to ensure that the people you are referring it to would not be left high and dry when a problem suddenly arouse.

Have a look at your affiliate market and look at the strategies you are using. You may not be focusing on the recommendations that your products need to have. You plan of action is sometimes not the only thing that is making your program works.

Now that you’ve read today’s affiliate marketing tips , you know how to do product recommendation the right way and be among those few who have proven its worth.

Top 3 Ways to Boost Your Affiliate Commissions Overnight: Your Best Options for Income Increase

The ideal world of affiliate marketing does not require having your won website, dealing with customers, refunds, product development and maintenance. This is one of the easiest ways of launching into an online business and earning more profits.

Assuming you are already into an affiliate program, what would be the next thing you would want to do? Double, or even triple, your commissions, right? How do you do that?

Here are some powerful tips on how to boost your affiliate program commissions overnight.

1. Know the best program and products to promote. Obviously, you would want to promote a program that will enable you to achieve the greatest profits in the shortest possible time.

There are several factors to consider in selecting such a program. Choose the ones that have a generous commission structure. Have products that fit in with your target audience. And that has a solid track record of paying their affiliate easily and on time. If you cannot seem to increase your investments, dump that program and keep looking for better ones.

There are thousands of affiliate programs online which gives you the reason to be picky. You may want to select the best to avoid losing your advertising dollars.

Write free reports or short ebooks to distribute from your site. There is a great possibility that you are competing with other affiliates that are promoting the same program. If you start writing short report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other affiliates.

In the reports, provide some valuable information for free. If possible, add some recommendations about the products. With ebooks, you get credibility. Customers will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.

2. Collect and save the email addresses of those who download your free ebooks. It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first solicitation. You may want to send out your message more than six times to make a sale.

This is the simple reason why you should collect the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and ebooks. You can make follow-ups on these contacts to remind them to make a purchase from you.

Get the contact information of a prospect before sending them to the vendor’s website. Keep in mind that you are providing free advertisement for the product owners. You get paid only when you make a sale. If you send prospects directly to the vendors, chances are they would be lost to you forever.

But when you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to be able to earn an ongoing commission instead of a one-time sale only.

Publish an online newsletter or Ezine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind publishing your own newsletter. This also allows you to develop a relationship based on trust with your subscribers.

This strategy is a delicate balance between providing useful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to build a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.

3. Ask for higher than normal commission from merchants. If you are already successful with a particular promotion, you should try and approach the merchant and negotiate a percentage commission for your sales.

If the merchant is smart, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a valuable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a zero-risk investment to your merchant; so do not be shy about requesting for addition in your commissions. Just try to be reasonable about it.

Write strong pay Per Click ads. PPC search engine is the most effective means of advertising online. As an affiliate, you can make a small income just by managing PPC campaigns such as Google AdWords and Overture. Then you should try and monitor them to see which ads are more effective and which ones to dispose of.

Try out these strategies and see the difference it can make to your commission checks in the shortest of time.

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