With more online marketers making the move to blogging to build their brand and product base, it’s important to make sure you are staying above the curve with your blog and making the most of it. Besides the obvious importance of having a memorable domain name and a unique blog design, it’s also important to make sure visitors can quickly navigate through your site while hitting they key spots and returning for future visits.

Today I will be focusing on ten (5 today, 5 tomorrow) ways for the new, average or advanced blogger to better monetize their blog for profit. How many of these methods are you currently practicing?

Direct Ad Sales

Yes, we hear it all the time…”I hate banner ads and never click on them!“… sure, as marketers we can see banner ads a mile away and if we click on them, it’s because we clearly want to. From within the affiliate marketing industry, ad networks and product launches love banners, and they are proven to work very well. However, selling direct banner advertising may not be as successful in other blogging niches, such as a sports related site or cooking. You have to test your audience and find relevant advertising and what they are looking for.

Selling direct advertising on your site can be frustrating at first as you will need to establish your site and grow your traffic before placing ads on your site. During my first 9 months of this blog, I focused on my content, growth and readership and had no banner advertising… now ad spots are in demand month after month.

I go into how I setup my direct advertising and my preferred sites for outsourcing advertising, in my free Six Figure Affiliate Blogging guide.

Referral Marketing

The affiliate marketing industry is very unique in how it operates. Not only is “ok” to talk about how much we as individuals/affiliates make, but we like to talk about how and who (what networks) we are using. With so much talk about new campaigns and what ad networks have the best performing offers, it’s only fitting that our readers and other affiliates would follow our advice and join these networks. Fortunately, someone thought of the genius idea to create residual referral program within these ad networks. If you refer a new affiliate to an ad network using your referral url, you will earn 2-5% bonus commission on that referrals earnings.

Having a very tight niche blog on affiliate marketing and how to make money online, it’s not hard to send a decent amount of referrals to a network. Though compared to years past, we are seeing a much lower success rate for new affiliate applications being accepted at networks. Many networks have also lowered their referral program percentages, limited “lifetime earnings” to just a few months, or have even removed their referral program all together.

Build That List!

The success of a blog is all about growth and bringing your readera back on a daily/weekly basis. As important as quality content is, it just isn’t enough. How many of your visitors will simply forget the name of your site, or just to busy to ever return. Building a list is one of the best ways to keep your readers coming back for more.

At some point you probably visit this blog for the first time and you may have remembered some type of popup to grab your email. I’ve used both a lightbox method through Aweber, and my new solution through Popup Domination. Both of these solutions will display a popup like window in your browser after visiting a blog. I set my subscribe form to fade in and display after a user is on the site for 3 seconds. I also limited the subscribe form to display once every two weeks per visitor, so it doesn’t get annoying.

The bottom line here is that lightbox type forms dominate and convert your potential one time traffic to long term subscribers. Many bloggers have seen increases of 100-300% from just adding either a lightbox through Aweber or using Popup Domination.

Create a Free eBook / Bonus

Once someone starts a blog, it’s almost inevitable that they will create their own product or at least a free ebook or guide for their readers. Creating a free ebook is very effective and if you already have an established blog with a lot of content, you can easily go through and collect your best posts, rewrite and update the content, then pull everything together for a free ebook to offer your readers.

Being able to offer a free quality product ties back into having a lightbox subscribe form for your site. What’s the incentive if you visit a site and they just have a form that says “Join our mailing list!”?… almost no one will. Instead, come up with a value for your ebook (or product), then offer it for free to your readers as an incentive to subscribe. You will drastically see your blog numbers climb, while providing a valuable product to your readers.

Guest Posting & Time Management

For anyone that is already running a blog, we all can relate to the dilemma of not having anything to write about. As much as you may want to write a post everyday, it’s better to post nothing then to post crap. One way to relieve the stress of having to come up with a new post every day (or how ever often you post), is to bring in a weekly or monthly guest post. Not only will you provide your readers with an article for the day, but it may come as a new and refreshing source as it won’t be your own.

Guest posting can work in many different ways. I personally receive emails all the time for guest posts, but am selective on which I will post. If you would like to have your guest posts published on another blog, be sure to send the full post in an email, and not just ask if you can write a future post. Many well known bloggers receive hundreds of emails daily and your requests can easily get lost among the madness. If you are looking to spread awareness for your own blog, or bring in new content, guest posting is a win-win situation.

This was Part 1 of my 10 Quick Tips for Better Blog Monetization. Come back tomorrow when I will follow up with six through ten.

For more tips on blogging and how you can make money with your own blog, download my free guide at SixFigureAffiliateBlogging.com.

After going through what seems to have been several years without getting hit with a serious virus, this weekend I got nailed with a killer. It was one of those extremely annoying trojan viruses that digs it’s way into your system and causing some serious damage along the way. The fun worst part about this virus was how it would instantly activate itself upon windows starting up, then to make matters worse, it would instantly close out any applications you tried to open and wiped out internet access all together.  The main goal of the virus was to not only infect your computer, but also to make money in the process.

This virus in particular is referred to as a “Security Alert Virus”. If you’ve ever had one of these viruses you already know what I’m talking about. If not, just think about any anti virus software like Norton or McAfee, and how the program gives you an alert when it finds an infected file on your computer. There are many different versions of this virus, but their concept is all the same, which is to look like an active anti virus solution currently on your system. To the advanced PC user and marketer, this may be obvious that it’s not your typical virus alert software… however it is quite convincing to the average PC user. You can see a preview of this concept the right.

No matter what application you try to open, the virus will close it out and say there is an infected file. You are then asked if you would like to delete the file using your anti virus software. If you click “YES”, you are then sent to their anti virus software web site, where you could then buy the software… which I’m sure wouldn’t work anyway. The amazing part here is how the virus pretty much wipes out all of your internet usage, except to access their site and buy the software. As sleazy and scummy as it is, it’s also pretty amazing… and I’m sure very effective!

On the flip side, there are tons of web sites cashing in on anti virus software without being bastards and having to infect computers with a virus to make their living. Web sites dedicated to providing information on how to remove these viruses are also cashing in. Many of these I had the pleasure of visiting while I was in the process of learning how to remove this particular virus for instance. Each site gives a run through of how to get your hands dirty to manually remove the virus, or how you can simply download their anti virus free trial software (which then leads to a sale). No one wants to start messing around with .dll and .exe files, as you can easily mess things up… so it’s not a hard sell for most of these sites since people visiting their sites are already infected and looking for a quick solution.

An excellent example of these sites can be seen at SpywareRemove.com. Nearly all of these sites share the same information on how the individual virus is spread through out the computer, and which individual files you will need to remove. Most of these sites are good information sources and can actually help in the virus removal process, but they all also seem to push their own (or affiliate related) anti virus software solutions.

So there you have two examples of how to make a killing in the anti virus world. One of them is hardcore nasty… not only infecting and destroying computers, possibly planting keystroke loggers in the process (stealing information), but also making money along the way by scaring users into buying their crap anti virus software. The other method, which many of us can relate to in the affiliate world, is to become prominent information and resources sites, while being an affiliate partner with hopefully a legitimate anti virus software (or selling your own).

In short, I was finally able to remove my infected virus by continually trying to stop operations as they started. A long process of restarting the computer, quickly bringing up task manager before applications started to run, once again gaining internet access and updating my virus removal software (though a lot more complicated then it sounds)… and finally removing the virus. Not only did everything turn out fine… but I also got the inspiration to write this post about the nasty and profitable world of viruses and anti virus software.

Jonathan Volk has been extremely successful in the affiliate marketing game, and also for making a name for himself. After starting his blog just a few years ago, he has already passed 30,000 RSS subscribers and already launched two successful programs…. that’s in addition to earning millions of dollars a year through affiliate marketing! Jon is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

The following is my interview with Jonathan Volk from my Six Figure Affiliate Blogging ebook. You can download the full ebook for free at SixFigureAffiliateBlogging.com, which includes over 130 pages of content and interviews with 25 highly successful affiliates and bloggers.

Interview with Jonathan Volk

1.) Please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Jonathan Volk. I’m a “super affiliate”, blogger, speaker and online entrepreneur. I have been blogging about internet marketing and making money online over at http://www.jonathanvolk.com since 2007. I just recently launched two projects: My Free Affiliate Marketing Guide and my complete guide to advertising on Facebook.

You can read more about me over at http://www.jonathanvolk.com/about

2.) When did you start blogging and how did you first get into it?

I started blogging back in 2005ish on a blog that no longer exists. It was in 2007 that I decided to blog about my journey to making money online and that is when I started JonathanVolk.com. I have now been blogging for over 3 years, and am loving it. Blogging is one of the parts of my business that is not as profitable as the other areas, but I enjoy it too much to not have it be a part of my business.

3.) When starting your blog, did you ever expect it to grow to where it is today?

Not at all. Really it was just for fun. It was not until it started to grow to 1000+ RSS readers that I began to realize the potential.

4.) You’ve now established yourself as one of the top affiliate bloggers. What advice do you have for others looking to bring their blog to their top of their niche?

When I first started blogging, I didn’t take the blog seriously. Sure I would blog regularly but I didn’t treat the blog like my other projects. I highly recommend, if you’re going to blog, that you research some of the blog tip websites like problogger.net, dailyblogtips.com, and bloggingtips.com. In order for you to really take your blog to it’s full potential, you need to utilize the resources that are out there.

5.) After successfully launching your Affiliate Marketing 101 guide and Facebook Ads Guide, do you feel either of these products would have had the same success if you weren’t an established blogger and voice in this niche?

I believe a huge reason these products are a success is because I have been able to build a solid following over 3 years. Now, when I launch anything, I have instant access to tell tens of thousands of people who are interested in making money online.

5.) How have you incorporated affiliate marketing into your blog?

I use affiliate marketing to make money with my affiliate marketing blog. When there is a product or service that I like I usually make a post or two about it with my affiliate links. This has allowed me to earn a nice blog income – the single biggest source of income from my blog.

6.) In your opinion, what is the single best way to monetize a blog?

I would say there is no “best” way, only what’s best for you. Some of the ways that I think work best are to use affiliate marketing, sell ads directly, or create your own product.

7.) What would you recommend for a new blogger, that wants to create their own brand or presence in blogging?

If you want to make a blog for more than just a hobby, you should focus your efforts on learning how to build a good blog. This includes installing an email capture, setting up your RSS on feedburner, blogging regularly, making guest posts, etc. Like I mentioned above, check out the blogs about blogging so you can learn how to be the best blogger there is right from the start.

My wife blogs over at BachmansSparrow.com. She has taken blogging seriously and with my guidance from the things I have learned about blogging, she has been able to build quite a blog following in under a year.

8.) Any recommended blogs or resources for bloggers looking to bring their blog to the next level?

Mentioned above.

9.) Do you have any big announcements or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

I am going to be launching my own coaching forum shortly for Facebook Advertising. This is a service that will go along side my guide to advertising on facebook. I’m really excited about it as it’s going to the be the first forum of it’s kind. (check out Facebook Ads Guide)

* If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to download my free 130 page guide to “Six Figure Affiliate Blogging“.

Every week a new product is released and it promises to give you the secrets of wealth and how to make money online. While most of these are rehashed programs, data and learning methods… some of them are actually great. But what if you go could around the product and follow the exact moves of the mastermind itself! That’s exactly what I have been doing for months now with Tim Sykes.

Today’s layout was too perfect not to post about, and I just had to let more of you know about how great Tim Sykes is at stock trader, and why his learning program is simple the best around.

Here’s how it works, in short. Tim Sykes is a mastermind at trading. He turned his $12,415 in Bar Mitzvah gift money into $2 million, and is the number one investor on Covester.com. Tim’s stock training program includes a ton of learning guides and dvds, but his “Tim Alerts” is where the big money is. Right before Tim buys/shorts a new stock, you are sent a new stock alert… likewise whenever he sells. This alerts are sent by EMAIL and TEXT to cell. You simply buy/sell based on Tim’s recommendation… oh, by the way… he’s almost ALWAYS profitable!

How I quickly made $700+ profit today with Tim Sykes in less than 20 mins.

10:00 AM – I receive the following stock alert: “TIMalert: bought 10k LQMT at .545, signed a mysterious deal with Apple yesterday, could really ramp higher in the next few days”
10:01 AM – I quickly head over to my stock trading site ThinkorSwim.com and purchase LQMT. It’s already moving, so I get in at .594.
10:19 AM – I’m keeping a close eye on the “profit for the day” and it’s already swinging upwards of $600, so I put a SELL order in if it hits .69 per share. BANG! Sells all 7,500 shares and I walk away with another $720 profit because of Sykes recommendation.

Now, I usually BUY/SELL whenever I receive a recommendation from Tim, but this one was moving quick and I was happy with the profit in 20 minutes. Tim hadn’t sent out an alert yet to sell, and the stock is now at .84! If I stayed in I would have profited over $1800 within an hour! Obviously, your gain/loss will depend on how much you put into each stock and when you get in/out.

UPDATE: Tim Sykes releases stock alert at 11:53AM – “TIMalert: sold 10k LQMT at 85 cents/share, having trouble making new highs, i gotta play it safe, $3k profit in exactly 2 hours, potential rebuy later though”

Tim Sykes isn’t a long term trading and is usually in and out of stocks within a few hours or a day or two. With this said, it’s important to always have access to your Tim Alerts and being able to trade stocks. I have Tim’s alerts sent directly to my cell, then with a click of an app, I have ThinkorSwim load up on my iPhone and I can make a trade almost instantly. Buy/Sell based on Tim’s recommendations and you are set… rinse and repeat!

Take a look at Tim Sykes’ Stock Alerts!

Where have you made some of your best “real life” contacts in the internet marketing space? I’m not talking about over email, skype or in a forum… I’m talking about finally putting a face to a name and really meeting up with people you’ve talked with forever online.

If it was at an internet conference, there is a good chance it was Affiliate Summit. It’s funny to look back nearly a decade ago before Affiliate Summit (and really any big conferences) was around, and the lack of internet conferences. From what was just a little over a hundred people meeting in NYC in 2003, is now over four thousand attendees and held twice a year. The importance of networking and new business and exposure brought to affiliate and internet marketing from Affiliate Summit over the years has been simply amazing.

The following is my interview with the co-founder of Affiliate Summit, Shawn Collins, which is also from my Six Figure Affiliate Blogging ebook. You can download the full ebook for free at SixFigureAffiliateBlogging.com, which includes over 130 pages of content and interviews with 25 highly successful affiliates and bloggers.

Interview with Shawn Collins

1.) Please tell us a little about yourself.

I got started as both an affiliate and affiliate manager in 1997. I spent ten years managing affiliate programs, and have been an affiliate the whole time. In 2003, I co-founded the Affiliate Summit conference with Missy Ward, and we’re about to host our 14th Affiliate Summit, which takes place August 15-17, 2010 in New York City.

2.) When did you start blogging and how did you first get into it?

I started on Blogger in February 2004 with infrequent posts on affiliate marketing (my first post), and moved on to using Movable Type (MT) several months later. I started, because I wanted an alternative to putting all of my content in somebody else’s forum, and while I was publishing some newsletters, I wanted to do something where people could publicly respond.

3.) When starting your blog, did you ever expect it to grow to where it is today?

No, I didn’t imagine blogging itself would take off as it has. As my blog gained momentum, I invested more time in it. At this point, I think it’s been four or so years that I’ve blogged every single day without interruption. I’m a big believer in the importance of consistancy.

4.) You’ve been in the affiliate and internet marketing space for a very long time, how much of an impact have affiliate / marketer bloggers made in the industry compared to before blogging went mainstream?

I think blog software as a CMS has revolutionized affiliate marketing. At first, I looked at blogs as a type of affiliate, but using WordPress and other platforms as a CMS has become increasingly popular. In the past couple of years, I’ve moved all of my sites over form being hand-coded to running them on WordPress.

5.) How have you incorporated affiliate marketing into your blog?

I was using affiliate marketing on my blog from the time I left Blogger for MT. At first, I was going with banners and buttons, but eventually shifted to contextual text links. I’ve used various programs to automate the links, but came back around to manually insert the links, so they are products and services I can hand-pick to promote.

6.) In your opinion, what is the single best way to monetize a blog?

Banners and buttons are a waste of time. Pop-ups, sliders, etc. are a bad experience for visitors. I think the soft sell is the best sell – relevant text links.

7.) What would you recommend for a new blogger, that wants to create their own brand or presence in blogging?

I’d urge them to blog about something where they have a passion – a topic they will love six months from now, so they won’t abandon their work before it takes off. I’ve mostly followed my own advice, but there are also many blogs I started to monetize on a niche and quickly lost interest.

8.) Any recommended blogs or resources for bloggers looking to bring their blog to the next level?

I think the most useful resource is Google Alerts, so bloggers can set up alerts for all of the terms relevant to what they are doing. This can act as a source of posts for their blog on a regular basis. Also, I would suggest making the full posts available via RSS. Some people won’t bother coming back to your blog all the time, so make it as easy as possible for them to consume your content.

9.) Do you have any big announcements or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

My main focus is Affiliate Summit East 2010, taking place August 15-17 in NYC. Then, there will be an Affiliate Summit unConference in Orlando on September 27, followed by Affiliate Summit West 2011 on January 9-11, 2011 in Las Vegas.

* If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to download my free 130 page guide to “Six Figure Affiliate Blogging“.