How I dramatically increased my online revenue

It's simple, really.

I have seen online revenue this month that's seven times greater than what I made last month.

That's right.  It's the last day of April and I've made 7 times as much money this month as I did in March.

7 times more money with one simple strategy.

How did I do it?

I set goals.  As March came to a close, I noted I was averaging 25 page views a day across all my sites.  Not great, really.  But, people were coming on a consistent basis.  And I made SOME money from the ads.  So, I figured, I'll try to double my daily page view count in April.

Well, I did it.  It's the last day of the month and I've averaged 50 page views a day.  I've had a couple days over 100, so that helps. 

But simply by doubling the number of page views, I've increased my earnings by 7 times over my March earnings. 

Sure, this is not enough (yet) to quit my regular job.  But, it does show that making money online is REAL and possible if you set goals and you are focused.

How'd I increase those page views?  Twitter and Facebook.  Yes, social media and a focus on having fresh, relevant posts helped my dramatically increase my page views. And, with the numbers I'm seeing, if I can get to 1000 page views a day, I can make REAL money online. 

My next goal, 75 page views a day in May. 

Should your business blog?

Yes! Hell yes!

It helps build web traffic.  And you want web traffic, right?

It can help answer questions... you know your FAQ's -- this is an interactive FAQ -- you get a question 10 times, you put it up on your blog, you answer it.

It allows you to interact with customers... interaction can help build loyalty.

Look, there are more reasons and they are in the article.  But if you have a business, you should have a blog.  Now.

The importance of content strategy...

...for big and small business... here's more.

How's my week going?

So, I set out this week to up my blogging game -- with the audacious plan to earn one billion dollars by blogging.

Keep in mind, while I've had monetized sites for a while, I've only started focusing on maximizing my earning potential in the last 30 days.

And, with the launch of this blog, I'm cataloging my success and letting everyone know what I learn (good and bad) in this experience.

My goal for this month was to average 50 page views a day. As of today, I'm at 56 page views a day. Now, that's not enough to generate a living income. But, it's a start. And it is more than double what I did last month.

I've had a high of 122 page views and four days over one hundred. My goal for May will likely be to average 100 page views a day, so the 4 days out of the last 20 I've hit 100 or greater offers some hope for that.

This blog has been the MOST successful in terms of earning money. In only 70 page views this week, I've gotten one click and made $2.35. Again, not huge money... and who knows how that will average out once I start getting 50-75 hits a day on this site alone, but it is encouraging.

I'm learning as I go through this..and sometimes, just looking at your stats and learning you've gotten a new click or earned a little money...well, it keeps you motivated.

How to use Old Media to Make New Media Money

Yes, I'm talking about Old Media. PRINT media. The newspaper.

You may not even read a newspaper unless it's on your iPad. I know.

But, believe it or not, people do read the newspaper. The print kind. And of course, most papers are online with mostly full content (except for those with the pesky paywall).

So, how do you use print media to generate money?

Well, it's just like guest blogging. Only it's guest writing. A column.

Most local papers are STARVED for interesting content -- or, any content.

If you're already blogging about an area you're interested in and have some expertise about, you're probably writing 750-900 word articles, anyway. That plus a picture is PERFECT for a newspaper column.

Then what happens?

Your column appears in the paper and you magically make money! (Ok, not really).

But, I've written guest columns for my local paper off and on. When I do, I notice that for the next 2 days, my site traffic goes up. When I first started doing guest columns, I didn't mention my site. Now, I do. You should absolutely use every possible outlet to boost your page views.

After one guest column, I was invited to give a speech at a local civic group. Guess what? I got to pass out material and talk about the topic I write on every day at my blog. I gained readers. Traffic spiked.

So, in short:

1) Inquire with your local paper about guest column opportunities and let them know what topics you'd be willing to cover

2) Write a guest column -- usually 750-900 words. Include a picture and mention of your website.

3) Enjoy a spike in traffic

4) Keep interest flowing by linking to your column from your website and sharing the column via various social media outlets.

Yes, you can use the print dinosaur to help maximize your new media money.

Can your blog post be too long?

Daniel Sharkov shares his thoughts in a nicely sub-headed, easy-to-read post. (Hint: All posts should be easy to read and hit the sweet spot in terms of length).

I'm committed to sharing more as I learn more on my journey to a billion dollars through blogging.

Does LinkedIn Really Work?

Ok, so I know I JUST posted about linkedin...but, here's some evidence that it actually works... BETTER than facebook or twitter.

How to make money from LinkedIn

Step 1. Get a LinkedIn profile. Yes, you really should have a LinkedIn profile.

No, it's not like facebook...except it sort of is. But it's not the place to put cute pics of your kids.

It is for professionals.

Step 2. Follow all the instructions and set up your profile. Be sure to include a recent, professional picture. This is how people will recognized you and perceive you.

Step 3. List your business website.

So, none of these things alone mean more money for you, right? But, if you have a profile and you are active on LinkedIn (you find colleagues and work associates, you post relevant news items, etc.) You'll get people looking at your page.

When I first started a consulting business a couple years ago, I got on LinkedIn. For the first few months, LinkedIn was the number one referrer to my website.

See what I mean? You can build reliable traffic by having a good, solid LinkedIn profile. Traffic means money. So, you can make money from your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is still a top referrer to my business website...so, I know it works.

Is blogging a real job?

Yes. Blogging is a real job.

But, try telling someone you're a blogger and see what happens.

Go ahead. Find someone and tell them you're a blogger.

I'll wait.


How'd that go?

Did they say, "yeah, but what do you DO?"

Did they laugh and walk off?

Did they just give you a strange look?

Then, what did you do?

What do you tell people when they ask about what you do, you tell them you're a blogger, and they say, "what does that mean?"

What they are really saying is that blogging is not for serious people or that being a blogger can't be a real job. Tell it to Single Dad Laughing (Dan Pearce)

His whole job is blogging. He's a writer and a Dad (as you might have guessed) and by some accounts, he makes a pretty good living ($5,000-$6,000 a month) just by blogging.

So yeah, blogging can be a real job. It requires creativity, writing ability, and persistence. And yes, it has its perks. You can blog from a coffee shop or at your kid's baseball game or anywhere, really.

But, it also requires WORK. You have to post every day (or, at least 5 days a week). You have to have useful, interesting content. You have to generate revenue from ads or affiliate marketing or both. You have to study your reports to see what's working and what's not. You have to optimize your site to get more readers and maximize clicks on your ads.

So, yeah, blogging is a real job. And yes, you can make real, actual money by blogging if you're willing to put in the work.

This blog is my journey toward a billion dollars by blogging. Today is day three. And believe me, it's a job. But it's also fun. And so far, I've made money every single day.

How much time does it take to make money online?

Less than one hour.

That's how much time it took me to sign up for a domain, get this blogspot deal going, and set up the ads, etc.

You can be making money online in less than one hour.

Now, the real question is: How much money can you make online?

I got 21 pageviews overnight... and I've had another 4 today and I've just launched.

Remember, traffic is KEY to making money online.

So, today on all my blogs, I've had just over 30 page views. Not huge, right. But last week, after posting a story on a blog, I had a click for cash on the 35th page view.

If you consistently generate solid content, you'll get views. And if you get enough views, you'll get clicks. And that's cash.

There are, of course, other ways to make money online. And you can optimize your page to ensure you're maximizing the number of clicks you get per page view. This takes some time and some careful viewing of your analytic reports.

But yes, you can make money online in less than one hour.

This is my Billion Dollar Blog

When I began working to monetize some blogs I run, I thought it'd be great to set some goals.

I got really serious about making money by blogging last month. I've set page view goals and income goals. I've made a commitment to post at least once every day. And, I'm making more money now online than I ever have.

My initial goal was to make $20,000 a month through blogging and have a total blogging income of $5 million by the age of 45 (I'm 36 now).

Then, I got to reading. There aren't any bloggers who are billionaires.

None.

And of course, a billion dollars is a lot of money.

So, I thought, let's dream big. Let's create the first billion dollar blog.

So, I am. I'm blogging to make one billion dollars.

I'm going to be posting tips and tricks for making money blogging here. If you have ideas, share them in the comments.

I'm going to be suggesting reading. I'm going to let you know how I'm doing.

Maybe I won't be the first billion dollar blogger. Maybe I will. But, blogging is a legitimate way to make real money every day.

Follow me on this journey toward a billion dollars by blogging.