Super Affiliate Blog Birthday, 1 Year Later…

One year ago today, I wrote my first post and the blog going live. Awesomely enough the blog went live on St.Patrick’s day… so it would seem I’ve had the luck of the Irish on my side. Thousands of comments, 2,100+ subscribers and 300+ posts later, the blog has become everything I had hoped for. Not only have I been able to help spread my wealth of information, but I have also met so many readers and other influential bloggers along the way. After attending BlogWorld back in November and Affiliate Summit just last month, it only impressed upon me that much more how important the blog is, and how many people actually read the blog that I didn’t even know about.

So what’s to come? The first nine months of running the blog were on a custom designed layout with no advertisements or revenue monetization in place. Once I met up with UniqueBlogDesigns at BlogWorld, ZacJohnson.com quickly went live with it’s new design, which allowed for monthly case study reports on how blogs can be monetized to turn a profit. Since then the blog has successfully be earning a few thousands dollars a month, while giving better exposure to top article posts, comments, picture galleries and top advertisers/affiliate networks in the industry. Through the life of this blog I will continue to post on industry news, new affiliate programs, marketing methods, conference coverage and my experiences over the years… things will only continue to get better!


Comparison Between Original Design & New Monetized Blog Design

When I first started ZacJohnson.com back in March 2007, it was my first attempt at running a blog, and I wanted to make sure it was done right. There is so much anticipation when you are starting a new blog. You want to provide the best content you can, but in the beginning you have no readers. However, as the saying goes, “build it and they will come“. I did my best to focus on providing quality content and tried to write a new post at least 3-5 times a week, now I try and get a least one post in daily. In the beginning it’s tough and we all hit “writer’s block” sometimes, but as you get more familiar with your readers and writing it gets easier. After working on the blog and writing for a few weeks, I went ahead with my first review, which was featured on John Chow’s blog. Now it’s becoming a passion… and something I look forward to everyday!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Here we are, one year later and I am so excited for the future. With the recent explosion of “Make Money” blogs, they seem to be everywhere. Some people are complaining, but I think it’s a good thing… even if some of these bloggers are new to the industry, I’m sure they still have something we can learn from. Happy St. Patrick’s Day and I wish you, your families and your blog/business or money making efforts all the luck and success of the Irish! (and a little luck from Rocky too)

34 pieces of wisdom given by ye faithful
  1. John Chow said on March 17th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Happy Birthday! A year sure flies when you’re having fun!

    Reply
  2. Caroline Middlebrook said on March 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    Hehe happy blog birthday Zac :) A year seems such a long time, my blog has barely been going for six months…

    Reply
  3. ProBlog said on March 17th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Happy Birthday Zac, keep the good work ! I’m a big fun !

    Reply
  4. Mike Huang said on March 17th, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Happy 1 year Zac :) There are more to come from you and I can’t wait :D

    -Mike

    Reply
  5. Jeremy Palmer said on March 17th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    I’ve added this blog to my daily reads. The content is rock-solid.

    I was noting the difference between your original blog and this new style, and I think I appreciated the older design with fewer ads. Like the aesthetics of the gradients etc. but I don’t love the flashing banners - e.g. “make $5,000 week”.

    Reply
  6. AgentX said on March 17th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    Congrats, Zac. I think you’re doing an excellent job. I also think the quality of your content far outweighs any ads you run here. Keep up the good work :-)

    Reply
  7. Zac Johnson said on March 17th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    I agree on the flashing ad. I will be contacting the advertiser at the end of their campaign and ask for new creative. I would rather a more attractive site, then a few extra bucks. I did accept this banner for now, as it is below the fold, otherwise it would be too overwhelming elsewhere.

    Reply
  8. CDFnetworks said on March 17th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    Great job on the first year Zac. Here’s hoping to an even better year 2 for you.

    Reply
  9. Tom Beaton said on March 17th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    well done zac - your blog has done very well.

    Reply
  10. Jcyreus said on March 17th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    Congrats Zac. Regarding your comments about the saturation of “how to make money blogs” out there, like anything, the good ones will continue to grow and the others will quietly fade away.

    The great thing about sites like yours, John Chows, TheRatingBlog and others is that for those of us who have our own niche, we can take your strategies for SEO, growth and monetization and use them for competitive advantage while focusing on content that will make our readers stick.

    Reply
  11. Wayne said on March 17th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Congrats on the success.

    Reply
  12. The Manager said on March 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    Congrats Zac. Im lucky i found your blog. Something about your integrity that keeps me coming back.

    Reply
  13. Start Blogging said on March 17th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    Happy birthday and congrats! I’d say you were pretty successful. :P

    Reply
  14. Andrew Pavelski said on March 17th, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    Zac, your blog is doing awesome. Congrats on all of your achievements and happy b-day ;) Oh yeah, happy St. Patrick’s day too!

    Reply
  15. ViralKing said on March 17th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    Congrats on 1 yr mate

    Reply
  16. thegeekboys said on March 18th, 2008 at 12:30 am

    It always sounds good to here a story of success

    Reply
  17. Edgar said on March 18th, 2008 at 2:05 am

    wow its been a year already, I was one of the first readers

    Reply
  18. Homebizseo.com said on March 18th, 2008 at 3:14 am

    The 17th was my birthday also. A big 39. My birth weight was 5lbs 5oz

    Reply
  19. Michael Dunlop said on March 18th, 2008 at 9:12 am

    Well done Zac! You done a lot in such a small amount of time.

    Keep up the good work buddy!

    *Cough* Interview :P

    Reply
  20. Mubin said on March 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am

    Happy Birthday!

    Reply
  21. Zug LinkBait said on March 18th, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    congrats on the one year crazy blog ride.

    Reply
  22. Adam said on March 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    Happy Bday Zac.
    Just came across this blog and got hooked to it. A ton of information in here. You have a lot of experience and expertise in IM. Thanks for giving all the value. And its very inspiring as well.
    God bless.

    Reply
  23. Chetan said on March 18th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    Happy B’day blogging Zac!

    You sure had a great success this whole year..

    Reply
  24. Chetan said on March 18th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    The same wishes goes to you too :)

    Reply
  25. Eric Itzkowitz said on March 18th, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    I’m a new reader, but hope you achieve even more success in 2008.

    “Don’t trip over the dollar trying to get to the quarters.”

    - Eric Itzkowitz

    Reply
  26. Mr. Javo said on March 18th, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    Great Zac! you have did it great, keep doing what you know and you will be more successful than you think.

    Reply
  27. Shay Amar said on March 18th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    Hi Zac,

    You did a lot in one year.
    Keep doing the good work.

    Reply
  28. Jim said on March 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm

    Congrats! I have especially liked the detailed write ups on how to do PPC advertising.

    Reply
  29. Etienne Teo said on March 18th, 2008 at 11:33 pm

    Congrats on your one year annivesary, and thanks for sponsors my upcoming contest!

    Reply
  30. ms danielle said on March 19th, 2008 at 4:46 am

    woot woot!! happy birthday! doesn’t seem like a year, does it? congrats on creating such a substantial site in just one year :D

    Reply
  31. Mohamed Bhimji said on March 19th, 2008 at 7:22 am

    Congratulations on the birthday! Any blog that makes it to the one year mark, especially in such a competetive arena should be commended. It takes a lot of effort to maintain a blogging schedule and adding value. I wish you many, many more successes!

    Reply
  32. Vista Sidebar Gadgets said on March 23rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    Hey, Happy BDay to your Blog!

    Lots of great advice has been given here, and it definitely earned a top spot in my feedreader.

    An inspiration to us all!

    Reply
  33. Bob Francis said on November 15th, 2008 at 4:24 am

    Hi Folks,

    Recently I have found a very useful and attractive Affiliate program on Internet and I believe this is the Best on Internet.
    Everybody can use, it’s so easy!! and the site consists of 9 Affiliate Programs all over.

    Reply
  34. [...] had a great time at the conference. Was a pleasure to meet people such as John Chow, Zac Johnson, and Justine Ezarik. I was gone from home for 5 nights and even though I was away, my tasks and [...]

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