10 steps to make money blogging with a search optimized niche blog

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10 steps to make money blogging with SEO and a niche blog. Pic by Sanctu

"Want a clear step-by-step guide on how to make money blogging?" All you need in order to make money blogging is a steady stream of organic search traffic.

Getting plenty of blog traffic from Google search results requires you to create high quality search optimized blog content.

Great blog content, that is well optimized for Google search traffic, will rank higher in Google search results than content that is generic, unfocused and not properly search engine optimized (SEO'd). This ten-step niche SEO blogging guide will show you how to find and dominate an SEO blogging niche.

Make money blogging with SEO and niche blog content

Most blog traffic originates from organic search, and many bloggers make a good living off the valuable search traffic they receive from Google and other search engines. Their secret? Find a niche topic, create plenty of search optimized, quality blog content, and make money with advertising, affiliate links, or selling products and services.

If you aren't familiar with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and blogging, I recommend you read the following articles before continuing:

Here is my ten step, niche blogging and SEO process that will cut the amount of time and effort required to dominate a target, niche SEO topic, and start making money online.

1. Pick the "right" niche blog topic

The "right" niche blog topic is any topic you know something about already, or are passionate enough about to spend time sharing your experiences, or believe is an unexploited area from which money can be made.

2. Further define and focus the blog niche

"Business" is not a niche blog topic. It is far too broad, and there is far too much competition for a new or unknown blogger to dominate Google search results in a short amount of time.

Likewise, "marketing" might be a niche in the overall "business" category, but it is still far too broad.

When I say niche, I mean niche. Find a sub-topic of a sub-category of a niche. Make it a local blog. Local SEO is becoming more important as Google tends to return search results biased in favor of "local" pages.

3. Do niche SEO keyword research

With a niche blog topic in hand it is time to do some research on the size of the search market - I recommend using Google AdWord's Keyword Tool that comes integrated with Google insights for search.

Knowing how much search traffic this niche can potentially generate can help to forecast potential earnings.

In addition, finding out how much potential traffic can be generated by a niche will help you to further focus it (if there is too much traffic and competition), or loosen the focus (if there is not sufficient traffic to make enough money).

4. Setup a niche blogging website

There are plenty of good, free blogging platforms available. I recommend using WordPress or Tumblr.

For complete control and advanced SEO features, it may be better to use a more sophisticated blog platform in the form of a CMS (Content Management System) like Drupal.

WSM4B is based on Drupal and has been developed to near perfect SEO scores to help get maximum visibility and rankings in the search results.

In any event, you'll require a search optimized (i.e. includes relevant SEO keywords) domain, and a quality, affordable hosting plan:

5. Plan the best way to make money from the niche

Each niche is different. The market in different niches may behave in different ways. Visitors may respond better or worse to adverts. They may be actively looking to buy stuff online, or simply want to be entertained.

One of the key factors in your success as a niche blogger is how well visits are converted into revenue.

The three most popular ways are Google AdSense, affiliate marketing with affiliate networks like Commission Junction, and selling products and service using an eCommerce platform or online shopping cart.

FYI, here are the best three eCommerce solutions available:

David Mercer's picture
WSM4B

I am a software developer, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author of programming, development, eCommerce and marketing books.

I love solving complex problems and bringing cool solutions to market. I have a cum laude science degree (double major in applied mathematics and mathematics), and 15 years of Web development, programming and online business experience.