Now, you cannot be so naïve as to remain oblivious to the fact that the search world is evolving and the same old tactics that you so dearly love to get the posts of your blog appear top in some long tail keywords are not working anymore. Sorry boys, but you cannot deny the reality. And the old methods to monetize your blog by slapping some adsense code here and there, are about to kiss the dust as Google has decreed that it is going to shot the shit ads heavy sites down. A new algo is here and unlike the fearful Panda, is not obsessive about make you produce great quality articles, it just force you to reduce the amount of ads you are putting in your sites. So that means, hard times ahead but I am not asking you to renounce your blogging career and go for some day jobs. Nope, here what I am trying to do is to help you see things up and close so that you are well prepared for the tough time.
Monetize Your Social Presence:
Search is unstable. Unless you are a genius or graced by the almighty Google for some reasons unknown, you are sure to see ups and downs in the traffic from search engines. To ensure steady flow of traffic to your website, you should not be dependent solely on search engines and more particularly on Google because search engines can pull the rug from your feet at any point of time. So, you need to learn to use your social influence for the advantages of your blog. Make it a point that all your posts are getting shared via your social networks like twitter, Facebook, Google + etc. A steady flow of traffic from these social sites will give you a peace of mind that you can still earn your daily bread by cashing in on social media traffic even if Google pulls the plug on your site for some strange algo shuffle.
You may like to read : The Stumbleupon Guide For Driving Traffic To Your Blog
Search, Plus Your World:
You are certainly aware of the fact that Google has introduced “Search, Plus Your World” and that means, people will now enjoy personalized search result. Math is simple here. If any of your friends in Google + search for topic related to your blog in Google, it is highly likely that your blog post will appear top position. So, that means, you need to increase your footfall in Google + if you are to cash in on this new search feature which is already under fire for alleged promotion of own products by Google.
Reduce Ads:
Well, do not place guns in my head. I am not asking you to reduce your monthly budget by toning down the number of ads per page, I have no such intention. But as Google has said, it is going to shoot down ads heavy sites, you need to make sure that your site does not belong to that race. So, you need to find alternative ways of earning your living. Do not start selling links in your sites as it can make your website come under the scanner. Rather try some alternatives, like you can go for selling banner ads in the right side panel and again a note of caution, you should not post that banners in the Above the Fold section as Google seems quite obsessive about keeping this position clean.
Keep It Fresh:
Remember the Caffeine updates rolled out late in 2010. Yes it was basically infrastructural, so there was nothing to worry about but Freshness update that we have got last year is algorithmic in nature. So, what does it mean to a blogger? Yah, you got it right, you have to keep your blog fresh and vibrant all the time. This is freakingly tough task. Take it this way – if you are to make the most of freshness update, whose purpose is to serve the latest info to end users when they are searching trending topics, you need to produce more and frequently. Now, if you are writing 5000 words each day, you are sure to give less attention to quality and that means, you are inviting a penalty from Google. Now, it is up to you whose side you take on.
Rather than keeping yourself creaked under the volume of work, I would suggest you to focus on quality and go for killer promotion. Write one really well researched articles and get it shared on all social media sites and get some social loves in the forms of Likes, comments, shares and your blog will be loved by all, I mean, search engines and users alike.
Try these humble advises, and who knows your blog may be the next showstopper. also see How to Start a Successful Blog?
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