I get a lot of people contacting me these days to swap links but reciprocal linking just doesn’t work like it used to, so how does one increase traffic through linking then. Well personally I have more than one blog in each of my niches. This allows me to target traffic slightly differently but also I can offer one way links by doing three way linking.

But the there are other ways to get those one way links for yourself.

You Can Start Writing Keyworded Articles.

I write articles with a few things in mind but when I am publishing them other than on my own blogs I try to write them so that other bloggers will want them on their web sites. I then publish them on EzineArticles.com, as they get indexed quickly so I start getting traffic sooner than other article directories.

When I am writing articles to publish, about fishing or gardening, I focus on how to accomplish a task, which others want to learn and share with their readers.

Spend Some Time On Forums Helping Others

I don’t do this as much as I used to, forums can be quite addictive. But get onto some forums that are in your niche and start sharing and helping others.

Most forums allow a signature in your profile which appears after each post your write. A great way to get a one way backlink to your pages.

Don’t waste your time if you think you can go to a forum and just leave spammy posts and replies. You will just get banned and no one will ever come to your site.

Get Your Sites Listed In Directories

I get emails all the time from people asking me to list my site in their directory. It’s worth your time to find directories that have pagerank and get your sites listed in the appropriate category. You could get a lot of traffic this way and it can be quite targeted as well.

Comment On Blog Posts

Get out there into the market and find related blogs. Start commenting on then and linking to relevant pages on your own blogs.

Don’t be spammy and always try to be the first to leave a comment. Make the comment of value to the post and you will get traffic. You may even make a new friend if you continue to add value to other’s posts.

And finally do the social networking thing, just leave yourself enough time to create compelling content or your visitors may never return.

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I think most everyone around the globe has felt the pinch from this crappy recession and if you haven’t I am sure you know some who are. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise as it’s been a turning point in so many lives, for the better that is.

You maybe scratching your head about now wondering if I am on drugs but I’m not and what I am talking about is how people are starting online businesses to earn a little extra income. That’s all it takes to get started but it takes a little more to be successful, so read on.

Do As I Say, NOT As I Did

I jumped in with both feet and no budget because of problems at my day job. My bosses were married to each other and went through a divorce while we went through hell at work. I quit my day job and started working online.

My advice is to NOT do what I did. Plan things a bit and keep that job. You can do this on just a few dedicated hours a week as it’s mostly the time spent and not just money spent to make marketing online work.

FOOLS RUSH IN – DO NOT RUSH IN

I really only started making money once I started blogging and sharing the experience I have from my interests and hobbies. That triggered like minded people to visit me and start asking questions. Eventually I started adding affiliate links to sites that I make money through.

Once I realized I could make money from my hobbies, something I had always want to do, just didn’t expect it to be online, I went nuts with blogging about everything I loved to do. I’ll admit I went way overboard and had to pull back once I found I was working myself to death, literally and it wasn’t needed at all.

Start A List Of Loves And Interests

I’m not talking about guys and girls here, I am referring to hobbies and interest. They can be gold.

So start a list of what you like to do and what you know that others would like to know. Don’t sell yourself short like so many people I have talked to that think they have nothing to offer. That just leads to being broke and frustrated at the same time.

I personally drew a blank for days just because I didn’t feel I had anything anyone would want to know. I look back and just shake my head, but I do understand when others say the same things. I just smile and help them get the ball rolling with a list of questions that help to open their mind.

You May Have To Spend A Little To Make A Lot

I tried to make it with a zero budget after I quit my day job and it was a tough go, really tough. Once I invested a little here and there things started turning around. It started to make sense that you need to spend a little to make money faster.

I was penny pinching because I no longer had an income. I wasn’t broke but thought it best to keep what I had for other things. Wrong move on my part. I could have been making so much more, so much faster. So really it cost me more NOT to spend a little.

Like I said, I started my online business without spending a penny, other than to buy a domain and pay for hosting. I didn’t make much at all, just hit and miss.

Then I started a site and invested about $100 to get articles written for my niche and published them on EzineArticles.com. Once they were published there I changed them up a little and published them on a bunch of other article directories. That’s when my traffic picked up and I started getting some sales.

Instead of waiting for months to see if a site was going to work I saw things happening in just a few days, once those articles started getting indexed in the major search engines.

Using a bit of money to get started was the brightest move I had made since quitting my job.

I didn’t rely solely on the articles I had paid to be written. I also wrote content on my own and did it on a regular basis, about 3 posts a week seemed to work. It keeps the search engines coming back and I keep getting more keywords in Google which sends me even more traffic.

Now I use a few places to get articles written and start new sites based on my interests and I’m making more money every month.

Note: The articles that I have written work as a method for getting relevant backlinks to my sites. Bonus

One of the sites I use to get articles written for me is ArticlesZ. They are inexpensive and do the job in a good time frame. I have no complaints about these guys.

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By this time, you must have heard about media advertising kits and what they can do to help you make money blogging.  But what exactly is a media kit?  Basically, it’s a page that’s crammed with information that should draw in advertisers and make them interested in putting up an ad on your blog.  It’s what you should put up if you’re at a point where direct advertising is your next step, and your eager to step up your efforts at monetizing your site.

Nonetheless, a lot of bloggers are still a little clueless about what their media kits should be like.  What should go in it, and how should it be written?  We’ve gathered a number of tips to help you put up your own media kit and make the whole process a little smoother for you:

1.  Keep it simple

“The cardinal objective of this blog is to proffer visitors with real-time information and analyses of current trends in the multimedia sphere.”  Sounds good?  Probably if you were writing a thesis, but if you’re putting up a media kit, this sentence alone will be enough to drive away advertisers.  Don’t consume their time by whipping out sentences that are long-winded, ambiguous, and boring.  Short and sweet is the way to go with media advertising kits, so keep things simple, and direct to the point.

2.  Include your blog’s profile and stats:

You should also put up a good blog profile, detailing what your niche is and what sorts of issues, concerns, or topics that your blog is immersed in.  What does your site offer that’s different from the mishmash of other sites out there?  Advertisers will definitely want to know.
You should also include the figures on your blog stats to show how much traffic your blog is getting, and where your visitors are coming from.  You can even sneak in a screen shot of your Google Analytics page, just to show potential advertisers what the deal with your site is.

3.  Give clear information on your ad packages:

Don’t give advertisers the runaround by being mysterious or unclear about your advertising packages.  Make sure to include information about the size of your ad space, your rates, the terms of payment, and which spots in your site are up for grabs.

4.  Create a page exclusively for it:

Finally, make sure that your media kit is in a prominent, conspicuous spot where advertisers can easily find it.  Put up a tab or a new web page that’s exclusively devoted to your media kit, and make sure that your advertisers see the link right on your landing page.

Now that you’re all game to seriously make money blogging, creating a media kit should be one of your priorities.  This way, advertisers will be aware that you’re willing to accommodate them in your site, and that your blog is the perfect place for them to put up their ads in.

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