Want To Make Money Blogging? Here's What NOT To Do.

I've heard the same question for years (I'm not kidding, almost a decade!) -

"How do I make money blogging?"

Okay, let me break it down for you.... You find your own way, for one. Your methods will be determined by your subject matter, as well as the needs of your readers. THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO MAKE MONEY BLOGGING.

But I can tell you what not to do........

Don't overload your blog with ads.

In other words, there are plenty of other things (other than advertisements) that should be in your sidebar, so take it easy! Leave plenty of room for your  most recent posts, popular posts, a short bio, etc. Ads should be second to your content, not overwhelm your readers.

No keyword stuffing!

Write for humans, not search engine spiders. Anyone who could possibly take your blog seriously will NOT like spammy content. Write the same way you speak, and you should be just fine. If you type "violet tinted sunglasses" every other sentence, there's a problem. Lay off!

Don't be a liar.

If you received a product for free, in exchange for a review, etc., be honest about it. Never claim or imply you bought something when you didn't, and vice versa.

I'm appalled by the number of bloggers who claim to have been gifted items they actually bought. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?? To appear popular and/or wanted by popular brands? That doesn't make any sense! Be honest and show your readers your real style! Your blog is about you, not the items you seem to define yourself by... if this is the problem, I think you need to do some soul searching, and figure out why you started blogging in the first place.

Don't blog about something you aren't passionate about.

It's obvious when you don't absolutely love the thing(s) you're blogging about. So why waste the time and hassle? If you want to write, write about something you know well, and are passionate about.

Don't do it just for the money.

I must be honest- you will spend many hours blogging for no payback whatsoever. If you won't do it for free, don't even bother! It will take time before you make any money, and even then, it will be a small amount. Don't expect a high return on your time and effort. It doesn't work that way.

Don't skimp on text.

Google is text-based, meaning if you post nothing but a ton of photos with nothing to say about them, you will not get found in search. 'They' say, "a photo is worth a thousand words," but 'they' obviously don't know anything about SEO (search engine optimization). It's better to have a thousand words than just a photo (or several). Better yet, post photos and text.

These are only 6 "don'ts" for bloggers... Can you think of more?
(And remember, there are no set rules for blogging!)