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Should We Also Have A Blog ?
makem1
Posts: 27
Joined: 29 Apr 09
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01 Jun 09 9:09 am

Should We Also Have A Blog ?

Hi all,

Almost every other course I've come across extolls the virtues of having a blog
linked to your site - by this I mean your own blog.

Mark, unless I've missed it, does not seem to promote this approach. Is it felt, therefore,
that this is a waste of time ?

By the way, I feel this is the best course on affiliate marketing around.

Regards
Lawrence
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Moderator
wollowra
Posts: 869
Joined: 14 Mar 08
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03 Jun 09 1:35 am

 Hi Lawrence,
Do you mean a Blog or a Forum?

I personally like to create value-added content that attracts paying customers.
Wordpress is in itself a Blog and you can decide to add a user comments section so users can comment and ask questions.
However you will need to moderate the comments as you will get silly people posting stupid comments and kids who come on and post every new profanity they learn that week.

I suppose it's good for SEO rankings as they like new content... I have'nt tested this though.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? would like to hear them.

Troy
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Last edited by wollowra on 03 Jun 09 5:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
 

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sonitin
Posts: 152
Joined: 26 Apr 07
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03 Jun 09 5:22 am

 Yep I do have thoughts on this :)

Blogs rock and are too good a search engine bait. Despite being so heavily abused and despite the fact they have lost their effectiveness that they once had, they still are attract search engines and visitors. The best part about them is they provide what current web users want - interactivity through comments and posts. Web is no more about posting quality information, web is getting more and more about getting people to interact.

Blog works :)
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makem1
Posts: 27
Joined: 29 Apr 09
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03 Jun 09 7:18 am

 Thanks for those comments.

Although it would be a simple matter for me to add a Wordpress blog
via my Hostgator account, Ed Dale likes to describe Wordpress Direct
blogs as 'Google gravy' as, he feels, they are much more search engine friendly.

I've found that everytime I put up a Wordpress Direct blog it gets higher rankings
and more quickly than the corresponding website.

I suppose it can't do any harm. I can 'spin' my existing articles and put the whole
thing together in minutes after all links-is-links.

Lawrence
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PremiumMember
chrisgoddard
Posts: 20
Joined: 17 Feb 09
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08 Jun 09 4:37 am

 Hi Lawrence,

There is an awful lot of value in producing a good blog. For example our Affilorama blog is one of the main sources of traffic on our site.

It does take hard work though. I don't think that Mark has not promoted this approach so much as focused on other aspects in AffiloBlueprint. AB is more about getting a really good start with an affiliate site - getting it making money, so you can then go and build on it and take it to that next level - and authority site. That I think is definitely when things like blogs come in to play.

It really depends on the type of niche your in as to the relevance of having a blog. Some niches more naturally lend themselves to having a continually updated blog, for example niches that have lots of on-going news in them (for example the "make money online" niche has heaps going on in it all the time... there's always something to write about). Other niches can be promoted fine just with a site with lots of really good articles on them.

Google does like new content though. But you need to assess where your site is at the moment and focus on what you need to build up. It may be that you need a good base of articles first, and then once these start getting traffic you can keep your site fresh by introducing a blog.

Great comments and input from all though! Yes you are definitely right about the benefits of the interactivity that comes with blogs through comments - but you're also right in that it is an undertaking when it comes to moderation. (you can actually check out my latest blog post on blog moderation here: https://www.affilorama.com/blog/three-ti ... e-comments)

Has this answered your question?
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makem1
Posts: 27
Joined: 29 Apr 09
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08 Jun 09 7:42 am

 Thanks Chris,

That's very helpful. I will focus on making some money first before adding a blog.

Lawrence
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charlies
Posts: 8
Joined: 19 Aug 09
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31 Aug 09 2:48 pm

 I've seen a ton of good blogs out there. On the other hand, I've seen a bunch of crapy ones as well. I think if your blog is good enough to add positivity to the vibe of a website you should link it. After all it's another link and more information about your site so why not? Charlie
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hasanur
Posts: 33
Joined: 21 Feb 09
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24 Nov 09 1:10 pm

 In my opinion you should have blog. you need to create blogs as your first affiliate site to promote other people products for free! It is no risk but all gain business model. so please start with blogging then expand your business with affiloroma blue print or WA and ppc bully
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superaff
Posts: 354
Joined: 09 Sep 06
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26 Nov 09 7:24 pm

 Yes, we should have a blog.

But remember: one thing at a time. Follow Chris's excellent advice (above) about finishing your site first.

Franck
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twokad
Posts: 9
Joined: 04 Dec 09
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06 Dec 09 8:59 am

 A blog is great for traffic as it has constant fresh content. Be careful though, treat the blog as a venue for providing interesting free content relevant to your niche, not a sales pitch. Encourage readers to leave comments, eg "what do you think?" at the end of your post. People like to communicate and feel a sense of belonging. Once you start to build up a following you are building trust. Repeat visitors can be turned into customers when you have built trust and authority. Another tip: you want to have subscribers so have a subscription form, but don't use the word 'subscribe', say something like 'leave your email for free regular updates of our articles' of similar. Subscribe evokes ideas of paid subscriptions, like for magazines or newspapers. You want people to realise it's free!

Blogging is work though, and not an overnight sales generator. It takes time, but it's worth it in the end and can be fun!
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Lara @TwoKad
http://www.twokad.com
 
joypackard
Posts: 4
Joined: 24 Feb 10
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01 Mar 10 5:14 am

 It's great to have blog! Blog can generate traffic but it takes a lot of hard work.
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speedyreader
Posts: 6
Joined: 17 Feb 10
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09 Mar 10 3:27 pm

 Agreed, Blogs are like gardens, they need constant care, watering and love but if you plant fresh flowers (ie new relevant content), you will get visitors and praise.
A great blog post will get people to comment on it, which will make others want to leave a comment. I judge the popularity of a blog by the number of comments left and am less impressed by review postings which are really sales pitches.

A blog supplements an affiliate website but does not replace it. In other words, it is another traffic and loyalty generation strategy.

I made the mistake of doing a blog by itself and had no luck with it so I decided to leave it and build a squeeze page to get my mailing list started. After several mailings, I might refer people to my blog and/or use the blog to promote my newsletter. Of course I am still a newbie myself.

In summary, make some money first by following Mark's plan, then build your blog to make more money later.
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PremiumMember
jmpruitt
Posts: 3918
Joined: 19 Jun 09
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18 Mar 10 2:12 am

 I run blogs on all my sites. often once you build up a following and a list you dont have to do a lot of link building. Your followers will do it for you. I find that I can do a few social bookmarks, and a few articles to directories, yet I still wind up with a few hundred backlinks to my site.
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luckylook3
Posts: 28
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07 Mar 11 8:07 am

 blog is alway great way to get links and traffic to your site.
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danielabeier
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19 Mar 11 1:12 pm

 I hear a lot of you say "hard work" - just remember outsource it!
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