Newbie bloggers shouldn't obsess about Search Engine Optimization
I rarely do keyword research: Admittedly though, I did get a few tips and hints early on about using common sense, and walking in a information consumers shoes. I never fell victim to the keyword-stuffing back-link Svengali types out there.
You can get bogged down with all the technical beat the search engine stuff, you're better to just write and get learning.
If you come at this from a quality-information-meets-consumer-needs philosophy, I believe you will get rewarded over time.
Just make sure your titles and subtitles have the target keywords for the reader you are going after.
Sites like Twitter and Facebook are also pay to play, and honestly I think you'd be better off just creating good informative content, and not worrying about social media too much. You can build your own little tribe of followers just by creating heart felt information.
Develop a what you are known for
This is also known as developing a niche. If you have a particular expertise about something, this should be something you write about. After a period of time you can become a go-to expert on the topic.
Understand this however: You can't really develop working only a few hours a week, blogging involves writing articles, and participating on social media, forums, and other networks inside the community you want to reach.
Think 90% writing and creating your blogs or sites and 10% social media and other stuff, probably 99.99% actually just writing and building.
After a year or so of daily work, writing, and participating a little in groups and forums you should see some success.
Don't forget about responding to people who comment on your blog.
Hang out with people inside the niche you want to write about
The old adage, "birds of a feather flock together" is very true. If you hang out in forums and on sites with people you want to be like, you are bound to learn a few things. You can learn the things you should avoid as well, to save you a lot of trouble and time.
You will also learn of new places to write through forums and help sites, not to mention all the valuable tips from those more experienced bloggers.
This might be sobering for you, but I work 8-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week minimum writing and learning. I also juggle an eBay business as well, so my time is filled. Oh yeah I am also a stay at home dad, thank God for caffeine, and a stiff adult beverage now and then for sure
The biggest reward for me personally has been not having to do the typical manual labor jobs I did until I was nearly 37 years old, at 46 I am now doing what I enjoy, you can too.
Bonus Tips:
Sign up for the Amazon.com affiliate program:
Amazon pays up to 10% (as of Jan. 2017) commission rates. If you develop a presence inside a popular niche, Amazon can be a big windfall for you.
You can promote products through your honest and info packed sites. Think about your passions, and then write about those topics. Don't just regurgitate ad-copy like product specs though. That will get you penalized by the search engines so fast your head will spin.
Sign up with VigLink affiliate Program:
You can choose from a multitude of different retailers and earn commissions. Plus earn bonuses for referring others to the program. You can also use eBay and Amazon through VigLink.
Personally if you plan on focusing on Amazon product reviews for instance, I would just go directly through Amazon's affiliate program.
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