Blogging

The Best of Replace Your Salary in 2011

Comments (32)

2012 is here, and this year I’m going to start a tradition… a recap of the previous year, highlighting popular posts, and posts I feel are important to visit (or revisit).

2011 brought many challenges and changes, positives and negatives, and ups and downs, for me both personally and professionally.

My online business, including this blog, has seen steady growth. Slight changes were made here and there as needed, and are still being made… not enough to probably notice, though. Income sources have come and gone, as is common with this type of business.

Overall, I am very pleased in the direction my business is headed, and I’m looking forward to growing it even more.

With that said, I once again want to thank you, my readers, for your support and encouragement over the past year(s) and for your continued support. It would be very difficult to be here without any of you, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for your active participation here on the blog.

Your comments, “likes”, +1′s and Re-Tweets are extremely appreciated. It’s because of you that I’m able to showcase some of the most popular posts of 2011.

I also decided, at my discretion, to include other notable posts from the past year that I feel are worth mentioning. These include guest posts from esteemed authors in related fields.

I’ve broken up the posts into categories to make them easier to sift through. Oh, and the posts are in no particular order whatsoever.

I hope you find the “best” posts from 2011 inspirational and helpful as you embark on your journey through 2012.

Without further ado, here they are…

This completes the list of the best (based on your comments and my bias) blog posts from 2011 on ReplaceYourSalary.com.

Which post(s) do YOU consider the “Best?”

I’m curious to know which post you liked the most from last year, so scroll down to the comment area and let me know.

Did I leave something out?

For obvious reasons, I couldn’t include every single post. They don’t make computer screens big enough, or attention spans long enough, for that. If you’ve enjoyed a particular post that I didn’t mention, or enjoy reading my monthly blog post roundups or Income Reports, let me know.

Wishing you a prosperous 2012!

3 Things I’m Grateful for as a Blogger

Comments (58)

I’ve been blogging for roughly three years now. I can still remember my first official post on this blog (back in October 2008). Brings back memories. Mainly how little I really knew at that time about blogging, and marketing an online business. Things sure have changed since then.

I spent a lot of time learning and mastering various strategies, some of which have changed during the past few years. That’s what happens when the internet evolves – we must change with the times.

Reflecting back, there is a lot for me to be thankful for, both as a blogger and internet business owner, and as a person. I’d like to think I’ve matured and improved my personal development a bit, and I have. Running an online business and blog has improved my professionalism greatly. It doesn’t hurt to place other like-minded professionals in my life, either.

But honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. I like to joke around a lot (ask any of my close friends). It’s just who I am. I know when to be serious, though.

I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy and am always keeping a positive outlook on life, no matter what obstacles get in the way. Life is just better that way.

I wouldn’t have gotten where I am today if it wasn’t for my friends, colleagues and mentors.

Friends, Colleagues and Mentors

I think we would all agree that life is a lot easier when we have friends by our side to get us through the hard times. They’re also great to have around for the fun times, too. A true friend can never be replaced, and I’m very thankful for the friends I have in my life. They may not all understand what I do with this whole internet business thing, but they at least think it’s cool and support it.

During my time online, I’ve met some awesome people, whether through various forums, membership sites, or social sites like Facebook or Twitter. Some I have partnered with on various projects and endeavors, and others I collaborate with and get input from. Even though we may not have met in person, I do consider you all my friends and a great colleague.

Learning all of this online marketing stuff wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have a few mentors in my life. It’s been an honor being a student of some great minds and highly successful entrepreneurs and internet business owners. The wealth of knowledge I have gained over the years has proven to pay off, and I can’t wait for the next 5 to 10 years ahead.

Free Exposure

If I said I didn’t like free exposure and publicity, I’d be lying. I’m very thankful for it!

I’m honored when people link to my blog posts or my website’s home page. It’s nice to know people find value in what I have to say and share.

I especially love it when people come to me and want to do an interview or share my story within their circle of influence.

I remember my live radio interview with Lynn Johnson I did last summer. I was ecstatic (and nervous, for sure) about the opportunity to share a little about myself and what I do to a whole new medium that I normally don’t reach.

Then there was my video interview with Allan Galang. That was a whole new experience as well, and I’m grateful to Allan for being willing to take the time and do that for me. He set everything up for me, edited the video, converted the video, and even blasted the video to video sites, including YouTube. What a great guy.

And, just recently I was mentioned on Northwest Indiana Times in an article about working from home. I’m guessing they found an article or video I did (maybe even a press release) to get the information and quotes. Either way, I think that’s really cool. Thanks, Patricia, I appreciate it.

Readers and Subscribers

Last, but certainly not least, I’m highly grateful to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, which some of you may be both. I honestly could not make this all possible if I didn’t have your support and words of encouragement. I’m truly touched whenever I have a reader comment on a post, or when a subscriber emails me to tell me that they enjoy the free content I send them because they find it helpful. I think that’s awesome, so thank you, everyone!

These are just a few examples of the things I’m thankful for as I progress on my blogging and internet business journey.

What are you thankful for?

Guest Blogging to Promote Your Business

Comments (19)

Are you using guest blogging to promote your business? If no, then you might be missing on something really big as far as your marketing effort is concerned. This article will provide 5 ways that you can benefit from guest blogging.

Here they are…

Reputation Building

The first advantage of guest blogging is that it can help you build your brand on the internet. Indeed, by publishing content on some authority sites you can help other people become acquainted to your brand and hence build a reputation online. But, for this to happen, you will need to make sure that your articles are really useful and that they really add value for your readers. After a short while people will begin to consider you as an expert in the field.

Massive Traffic

Another advantage of guest blogging is that it can help you get some really good traffic without relying solely on the search engines. Normally if your post is good enough, people will be interested to visit your site in order to learn more about you. And, if you published your post in some related sites you will be in a position to get some targeted traffic that may boost your sales. This benefit of guest blogging can be really useful for new blogs that have yet to get a ranking in the search engines.

New Market

Guest blogging can also help you target a market that you may have thought impossible before. By guest posting on some other blogs, you may be able to place your product in front of people that you would not have considered before. This can help you generate some new ideas that may be helpful when it comes to developing your business.

SEO

If you are a seasoned internet marketer you will know that the whole SEO game revolves around backlinks. Backlinks from real blogs that have real traffic can be really useful when it comes to boosting your site in the SERPs. This is why it might be useful that you look for blogs that have high PR and Alexa rank in order to get the most benefit.

Guest blogging can also be a useful alternative to article submissions. Following the Google Panda update, article directories have lost some of their effectiveness, and guest blogging can be a capable replacement when it comes to link building.

Social Media Benefits

Another advantage associated with guest blogging is that it allows you to take advantage of the host blog’s strength in social media. In the majority of cases, your article will be shared to the host blog’s Twitter followers or Facebook Fanpage, thus allowing you to take advantage of the site’s strength with social media sites. One idea will be to make it easy for visitors to share your content across social media sites. Place your Twitter and Facebook button in a visible position to encourage the sharing of your site on the different social media sites.

New Contacts

Guest blogging can also be instrumental when it comes to making new contacts. This can indeed create some opportunities for you to meet new people – not only fellow webmasters but also some readers of the host blogs. This can be a great opportunity for you to meet some other business professionals that might be interested in a possible joint-venture.

Guest blogging can be really effective when it comes to promoting your business online. It can help your site get instant traffic, break into new markets, improve your SERPs and also allow you to increase your social media reach. Whatever your business might be, you are definitely going to benefit from guest blogging.

About the Author

Robert Bellarmine is the writer behind Visitask.com where he covers topics related to project management and other management topics.

Earn $750 A Month With Your Blog?

Comments (28)

This may sound too good to be true for some. For others, this may be only a fraction of what they make from their blogs.

No matter which category you fall in, $750 is easily obtainable by implementing various money-making strategies. However, I’ve recently been introduced to a new blogging network that will actually pay you up to $750 per month. Sound crazy? Perhaps…

Blogging Network that Pays You

Guest blogging is super popular these days, and if you’re subscribed to my blog, you’ll know that I regularly publish guest posts on here. I know a lot of other bloggers who allow guest posts on their blogs as well. It’s a great way to build relationships with fellow bloggers/authors and introduce them to a new audience of readers.

But…

Guest blogging doesn’t have any monetary gain whatsoever. The guest author doesn’t get paid, and the hosting blog owner doesn’t get paid. This isn’t a bad thing at all, and frankly, that’s the way it should be. There are plenty of other benefits for both parties involved that don’t involve money.

However, this is about advertisers wanting to get in front of a target market, and they’re willing to pay to be seen.

What if there was a way to get paid for hosting guest posts? Would you be interested?

That’s exactly what WebTrafficControl.com does. They connect advertisers with blog owners and will pay you $15 for every guest post you publish to your blog. This isn’t your normal advertisement/sales type posts, though. The posts are useful, helpful, and don’t try to sell you anything.

They’re essentially no different than any other guest post that you would find on a blog, including this one.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons to get a better understanding of what WebTrafficControl is all about.

The Pros

I had a chance to email one of the guys behind the blogging network back and forth regarding functionality and what all the blog owner could control regarding the content their blogs would receive.

Here are some of the pros that really stood out to me after some of my key questions were answered:

Quick process to add WordPress blog to system
Clean and user-friendly member dashboard
Built-in moderation system in place to ensure quality content only
Blog owners can accept/deny each post that is received
Once approved, articles are automatically posted to the blog via an Author account, with relevant categories
Each post is relevant and targeted to your blog and your readers
Posts are informative in nature and not a sales letter
“Advertisers” download reports of all posts, able to see which articles were left on your blog

My main issue was the blog owner level of moderation, which they just recently implemented. This was important to me as I wouldn’t want an irrelevant/non-targeted post on my blog. My other issue was whether the “advertisers” would know that their articles were being published to my blog.

I was happy to know that both issues were fully addressed with systems in place. Overall, I was quite satisfied with what I found out.

Cons

The only issue I could see, that I find with any form of guest blogging, is the author coming to the blog and replying to comments left on their post. While the authors can download a report of their posts, there’s no guarantee that they will visit the blog/s to reply to comments being left.

I see this as a con only because I’m someone who encourages community and author/reader interaction. Replying to comments is something I require of my guest bloggers, and while it doesn’t always happen, I feel it’s better than no requirement at all. Most are more than happy to, as they also see the value in engaging readers.

Final Thoughts

I have added my blog to the network about a month ago but have yet to receive any articles to add to the blog. They provide you with up to 10 categories you can add your blog to, which increases the amount of articles your blog could receive. So, I would recommend adding your blog to 10 categories if at all possible as it may be a while before you start receiving articles for your blog.

All in all, I feel this blogging network could be good for supplementing your blog with additional, relevant articles, all the while increasing your monthly income.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think? Do you agree with my concerns about moderation and reader interaction?

After reading this, would you be inclined to add your blog to the network as well?

Please do share your thoughts by leaving a comment below…

Should You Pay for a WordPress Theme?

Comments (35)

The following is a guest post by Dan Cawrey. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

If you are going to be starting your own blog, WordPress is a great way to go. It’s simple, completely configurable through the web, and is run by a company that knows how to make good, free and open software. But once you’ve decided to use this platform as the back end, you need to start thinking about what the front end might look like.

WordPress’s outward appearance is powered by something called a theme. You have a several options when deciding what theme to choose: paying for one, using a free one or designing your own.

Paying

Shelling out some dollars for a WordPress theme is not a bad idea. With this option, you’re guaranteed a premium theme. You’ll get lots of options in the back end that you can customize, and many companies who design professional WordPress themes offer good support. One thing to be careful about, however, is paying too much for a WordPress theme. Don’t spend more than a couple hundred bucks on one, especially if you are just starting out. Check out FlexSqueeze Theme, WooThemes, OrganicThemes or ElegantThemes for some good designs.

Going Free

You can also opt to not pay for a theme, which is perfectly acceptable for smaller sites. There are scores of themes that are available for free. Actually, there are almost too many to choose from. You’ll never run out of free themes, but you might just run out of time trying to find just the right one.

There is one problem with free themes however, and that’s the fact that being available for no cost means someone else is using that theme. The internet is a big place, but for some, having a sense of originality is important, which may make or break this option. You can Google some free WordPress themes, and the WordPress folks also have about a thousand on their site.

Do it Yourself

WordPress is a fairly simple platform, and as such you can also design your own theme. If you have any experience using HTML and CSS, you can simply start from scratch and make a theme of your own that fits your design tastes.

You don’t need to have a bunch of programming experience, but WordPress runs on PHP so having some experience with that language is helpful for getting things to run just right. This is a great option for those who like to tinker. Check here for the official WordPress guide.

Middle of the Road

The best option for choosing which route to go here is actually a mix. Depending on how original or authentic-looking you want your site to be, you might want to grab a free theme and customize it yourself. If you think you’ll need more advanced back end features, you might want to pay for a theme and then change the front end. The additional changes could be done yourself, or you could hire someone on a site like Elance to help you make so quick (and cheap) modifications.

Starting your own site takes a lot of decisions, but one of the best ones you can make is to choose WordPress and to get yourself a design that fits your audience. Hopefully this guide helps to make your site the best it can be!

About the Author: Daniel Cawrey is a freelance writer. In addition to blogging about credit cards, he also runs his own site (powered by WordPress) on Google Chrome and Chrome OS.

January 2011 Blog Post Roundup

Comments (8)

January flew by very fast. February is quickly headed in the same direction… to me anyway. Exciting things coming up for this site and blog, at least I hope you’ll think so.

Last month was pretty sparse with posts, but the posts we have here are definitely worth checking out if you haven’t done so.

Let’s take a look…

January’s Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

My Guest Blog Posts of 2010

6 Tips to a Workable Home Office

Why One Online Business Is Not Enough

December 2010 Income Report

How to Get Your Site Indexed by Google

5 Useful Tips for First-Time Telecommuters

Blog Posts Around the Web

These posts are in no particular order…

Mavis Nong talks about how to stay focused on your internet marketing business on TechnShare. I know first-hand that this can be difficult on many levels. I’m sure you’ll find some good tips here just as I did.

Andrew talks about his fight against content thieves and what he’s been doing to combat the problem. A must read if you have people stealing your blog content and using it as their own. I wrote about this subject in the past when I started finding blogs stealing my content. I then did a follow-up post about the proper etiquette when using someone else’s content on your blog or website. Those are also worth checking out if you the time.

Daniel provides a list of 20 SEO terms you should know on Daily Blog Tips. This is a must for any website owner as SEO should be a regular part of your website promotion. If you don’t know much about SEO and related terms, then you’ll definitely want to read this.

Chris Pund of Dorm Room Biz offers some entrepreneurial quotes to help motivate and encourage entrepreneurs. I’m a huge fan of quotes and post them all the time on my Facebook Wall and Fan Page. They act as a great motivator and eye-opener and are definitely worth reading if you’re feeling a bit down.

Angie Stewart gives 5 tips for using Google Webmaster Tools to better help you with your on-site SEO efforts. If you haven’t setup a Google Webmaster account yet or have no idea what one is, then you definitely need to read this!

There you have it.

Be sure to check out these posts if you some spare time. You’ll be glad you did.

The Best of ReplaceYourSalary 2010

Comments (12)

Happy New Year!

There are less than 24 hours until 2011 is here. Do you have a New Year’s Resolution?

I wanted to do something a little different to say goodbye to 2010, so I thought I’d do something similar to my monthly blog post roundups. Instead, though, I’m going to include the best of the best of my 2010 posts.

I got this idea from Copyblogger, and I thought that it was an excellent idea to bring 2010 to a close.

2010 has been a very exciting year for ReplaceYourSalary, and I couldn’t have done it without all of you. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I mean it. I’m honored to have such a great community of readers here who support me in my endeavor. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if this blog would still exist.

I’ll warn you now, there’s quite a few posts. I was going to limit them to like 10 or so, but I didn’t think that would be fair. Afterall, it’s supposed to be the best of the best here, and I didn’t want to leave anything out.

Check them out and share them with anyone you think could benefit from reading them. And, at the end I have a special opportunity for you, so make sure to scroll down when you’re done.

Best Posts of 2010

5 Things You MUST Do To Make Money Online

Affiliate Marketing is the New Job on the Market

30 Ways to Get Free Website Traffic In Minutes

Proven Strategies to Increase Website Traffic and Generate Sales

How I Get Backlinks to My Blog Posts Resulting in Sales

A Complete Step-By-Step Guide to Setup a Money Making Website

Why I Chose Affiliate Marketing and Why You Should Too

5 Things to Consider Before Publishing a Guest Post on Your Blog

Don’t Make The Same Stupid Mistake I Made… Seriously!

New Blog Theme – I’m Using the FlexSqueeze WordPress Theme

What a Man, a Dog and a Leash Have to do with Internet Marketing

AshMax – The Perfect Work From Home Opportunity?

What are Backlinks, and Why Do I Need Them?

How to Properly Use Backlinks to Increase Search Engine Rankings

5 Link Building Myths EXPOSED

Q&A: Getting Traffic to Your Website

How To Find a Niche Market and Make Money Online

Q&A: Building Links to Your Website

Q&A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Site Build It Review – Don’t Build a Website Before You Read This

Are You Marketing Your Blog on Facebook?

My Interview on The Lynn Johnson Motivational Radio Show

How to Choose a Proper Domain Name when Building Niche Sites

5 Core Components of a Website

Make Your Contribution

Do you have your own best of the best posts you’d like to share?

I want you to post them below by leaving a comment. I’ll allow up to 3 posts per person. It can either be your own posts or posts from a blog you read. Doesn’t matter… just make sure they’re awesome!

AND…

Please don’t abuse the privilege.

Okay, let me have ‘em…

6 Reasons Why You Should Have a Blogging Partner

Comments (18)

The following is a guest post by Maria Rainier. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines.

Although it really depends on what you want to accomplish with your blog, chances are that you’re better off blogging with a team than solo. Sure, you can do it alone, and plenty of people do—the blogosphere is the ultimate Athenian democracy. If you’re looking mostly to rant and rave and have personal reflections, you may be better off keeping it a solo venture. If, however, you’re looking to offer advice, guidance, or anecdotes, or in any way build a community, you and (your audience) might be missing out by playing this game alone.

Here are 6 reasons to have a blogging partner…

1. No Man is an Island

Think of your favorite singer or band. Well, if you have a favorite band, there’s no need to ask yourself this question: does he or she do it alone? (The correct answer is no, because someone’s on the drums, the guitar, the violin, break dancing in the background, etc.) Even solo artists have crews and roadies. The point is that even though you can manage a blog alone, your blog probably isn’t as big or effective as it could be if you had a team or at least a partner. Lady Gaga wouldn’t be anywhere without her makeup artist.

2. Get More Done

With a partner, you can accomplish more. For example, you can both look for post topics, guest post opportunities, marketing opportunities, commenting on others’ posts, keeping your blog up to date with technology and worldly goings-on, and the like. You can even divvy up responsibilities 50/50.

3. Twice the Talent

More people means more talent. If one of you has a better grasp on the English language and the other has a knack for computers and web design, you can have great content and a good-looking website.

4. Four Eyes are Better than Two

Another pair of eyes to proofread content before it’s posted never hurts. A partner also means having someone to watch your back when it comes to copyright, old content, social media monitoring, and the like.

5. The Bert and Ernie Effect

If you don’t mind relinquishing half of the power and the attention, both of you can post content (as long as both of you read over what the other intends to publish; this avoids conflict). It can have a sort of Bert and Ernie spin on a single blog which, as long as content is not repeated, conflicting, or in any way confusing, can work in your favor. Varying opinions on one site can also catch the attention of that many more viewers.

6. Someone’s Always Driving

Don’t go on a cross-country venture alone; you get another driving partner to drive while you’re catching up on sleep. If one of you is feeling down or uninspired, there’s always someone around to pick up the pieces and get you back on track. That’s what friends are for, right?

Admittedly, some bloggers are lone wolves and that’s fine. Partnering up isn’t for everyone. If you’ve ever felt like you could use a helping hand or a fresh brain to pick, however, you may want to look into finding a co-blogger.

About the Author: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

October 2010 Blog Post Roundup

Comments (10)

I hope October treated you all well (and no pun intended there). October had it’s up and downs for me. The up being I had the opportunity to spend four days in Myrtle Beach, S.C. As you can tell by the picture (playin’ some mini golf) the weather was absolutely beautiful down there. I couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.

Did you do anything exciting this past month? I’d love to hear about it! So, let me know in the comments section!

Let’s take a look at last month’s blog posts that you may have missed

October’s Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

It’s All About Traffic and Knowing How to Get It!

Q&A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

3 Home Based Business Ideas for Senior Citizens

Site Build It Review – Don’t Build a Website Before You Read This

Business in a Box – The Entrepreneur in You

Are You Marketing Your Blog on Facebook?

Bad Economy – Good Jobs?

August 2010 Income Report and Micro Niche Site Update

Comments (27)

Things have been going pretty well. It’s been a busy week for me, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. I made my first ever hotel reservations online a few days ago (applause?) for my cousin’s wedding coming up next weekend. I’m pretty excited for the trip and to get away for a little.

That’s about all that’s going on with me as of late. Got anything exciting going on with you? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Here’s how August’s earnings looked…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

ClickBank: $76.32
PayDotCom – $56.34
Angela’s Backlinks: $26.25
Paul’s Backlinks: $16
Yarie: $73.83
Google Adsense: $18
SFI: $19.77
Project Payday: $9 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
AdFish – $20.20
ResponsiveData – $6
Ads – $40
AshMax – $23 (Total monthly commissions from GDI and FTS)

Total = $384.71

Web/Blogging/Internet Marketing Services

Every now and then I get the opportunity to help out with some web and blogging type stuff (editing/changing WordPress themes, etc.). I’m no longer doing any regular marketing work, but if the opportunity arises, I may consider.

Total = $45

Income from Proofreading/Re-writing/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $110

Income from Re-writing Service via David Hurley’s PLR Article Service Membership

It has been an honor to be able to partner with David, a good online friend of mine, and provide the re-writing portion of his article membership. To learn more about his PLR article service, visit the link above.

Total = $75

Total online income from all sources…

$614.71

Not too shabby.

Micro Niche Site Update

I also wanted to update you on the progress of my micro niche site. You may recall I started a new site just over a month ago, and I was working on getting it to the top of Google. During my previous income report, it was sitting at the #4 position.

Well… days later it reached #1, and it’s been there ever since. It wasn’t real hard actually, as all I really did was get 5 links from articles submitted to EzineArticles, social bookmarked the site and built about 30 high PR backlinks to it.

Ever since the site landed in the top spot, it’s been receiving Adsense clicks almost daily. For the most part, the clicks have earned very minimal amounts. However, today and yesterday have earned over $1 for a single click. I’m pretty excited about this and the outlook I have for the site. I plan to develop it further as time allows to bring in even more revenue from it. So far, it has brought in just under $5, so with the way things are looking, it should pay for itself just after two months.

I still plan on entering another niche once my micro niche site starts brings in more revenue as I find time to develop it. This niche site will focus on a single Clickbank product and create a funnel for visitors to get them to the order page.

That’s all for now. As always, feel free to leave your comments below…

Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 »

Free Newsletter

Get Exclusive Work From Home Tips & Tricks

Featured Websites

Finance

SEO

Internet Business

Entrepreneurship