How to Sell Text Links

Sure you might end up losing your good PR as Google continues to play nasty when it comes to text link sales - but what good is PageRank if you can’t use it!

So while you still have it, why not go about making some quick cash flipping some much sought after links.

Heres the low down on where and how to sell text links:

DigitalPoint Forums

Every Tom, Dick and Harry webmaster is desperately trying to buy as many links as possible to “increase their search engine rankings”.  Sure it doesn’t work as well as it used to (the seo’s won’t admit it because they will be out of a job).  And all of these Tom, Dick and Harry’s seem to be hanging out on the DP forums.  Just offer a good deal but don’t expect any huge payday.  Links only go for a few dollars here.

Text Links Ads

If you have a blog with a PR4+ then you can sell Text Links of through the TLA marketplace.  Expect to get around $20 a link (minus commission).  It also helps to have lots of traffic with TLA as many people are purchasing links for the traffic.

On Site Sales

Yay! No commission sales.  Thats the way I like to do business.  Create an “Advertise” page on your blog listing your various placements with stats, pricing, testimonials and a hell of a lot of sweet talk.

One Final Point

Ads will sell better if the advertiser thinks other people are buying ads on your blog and its a “hot property”.  Don’t bother with a blank “advertise here” banner.  Instead, chuck up some affilate banners or offer free advertising for a month etc.

Massive Traffic - Part 1

Here the first installment in a series of posts about how you can drive massive traffic to any blog.

Introduction

The saying goes “you have to spend money to make money”.  And yes its absolutely true (mostly).  And with traffic you will have to be prepared to spend a little dosh here and there to keep your traffic fresh and regular.

So what is traffic and how much do you need?  Well the traffic usually refers to visitors coming to your site, but I like to think of traffic as new and unique visitors.  These new and unique visitors, when they come to your blog, will either read it or leave it.  Usually they will leave it!

So if the majority of the traffic you send to your blog will not even spend 30 seconds hanging around, you are going to have to play a numbers game.  The more you send through, the more will stick around.

Here is my first method of driving Massive Traffic (remember the key is in the numbers!).

Sponsored Post

The number of sponsored posts on blogs have decreased yet  if you look in the right places, you will still find quality blogs willing to write a sponsored post about your blog.

Sponsored reviews aren’t a perfect form of advertising and they are highly unpredictable.  It can often be luck of the draw when selecting the right blog to purchase from.  Just think - you could get a negative review, the post might quickly be buried into the blog with newer content and you could receive a bunch of negative comments.  Of course there are strategies for dealing with these that I will talk about in other posts.

I have purchased many a sponsored post before on a wide range of blogs, mostly in the “online marketing” niche.  And here is what I recommend to look for:

• Stay Away From Networks - They take a nasty commission, are filled with spam blogs and the quality often leaves a lot to be desired.
• Pay between $30 - $250. - Any more and it just won’t be worth it, no matter how big the blog.  Shop around and compare price for similar blogs.
• Pay for Traffic not PR - Forget about PR.  I only recommend buying sponsored posts for the traffic.  If you want PR - buy a text link.
• Give them Something to Review - Make sure your blog is full of quality content before requesting a sponsored review.

And thats about it.  Sponsored posts can be a really valuable asset in a marketers toolbox, but be prepared for a dud post here and there that just doesn’t convert.

Welcome to BloggingTheme

Hi Gang!

I was asked to be one of the co-authors on BloggingTheme, a new blog about making money doing what you love doing best - blogging.  I haven’t written much about blogging or making money online for a few months now.  Why? Well the entire industry seems to have cooled off a little bit.

Sites such as PayPerPost has really tailed off, and many of the “make money blogs” have been deserted.  Yet, there are plenty of people making real incomes from blogging and plenty more people making a few dollars here and there with the odd ad or sponsored post.

Currently, all the big players in online marketing are going after Affiliate and Adsense incomes.  Adwords combined with affiliate offers are red hot right now and setting up a mass of Adsense sites/blogs is also where the money is.

But thats not to say there isn’t any money in the individual blog - in fact I believe the opposite.  And thats were this blog comes in.

So sit back and start your earnings.