Monday, November 21, 2005

Blogging With a Mission

There are two trains of thought when it comes to making your blog sticky. Okay, when I first heard that at an Internet World convention in the late 90's, it took me a few moments to figure out what they were referring to.

Sticky means you offer something people will be attracted to, will come back to. Viral is another word used, which means your idea permeates and grows because people benefit as it gets passed along.

You're reading this blog because you want to know how to make money with Google AdSense. You probably have a blog, but maybe you have a website that isn't a blog. So, let's assume that yes, we have content - but bottom line, we're doing this to make money. And there's nothing wrong with that. The only problem I have with some sites is that they teach you can make big bucks creating worthless sites around keywords - sites so bad that your only relief is to click on an ad to move on.

Here's the truth: If you have content of value, and drive traffic to your site, your site will become popular. With popularity your AdSense ads will undoubtedly receive clicks from people interested in finding out more information.

First thought - create a site with a mission. People love these kind of sites. My site fits in this genre. I talk about AdSense and blogging, and other contextual ads. Readers come back, or subscribe to read more news and tips. Stick to one theme.

One way to think of this is to consider the roadside vendor. I love buying fruit and vegetables from these places. Let's say there's a place down the highway that has apples as you pass by. One day you decide to drive the same highway and stop by to get some apples. As you pull up you strain to see where the apples are. Oh - today we're selling squash!

You get my point. I can't rely on the vendor and wind up going to the supermarket.

The second thought is someone who can really grab readers just by the way they write. Erma Bombeck was great at this. Dave Barry is fantastic. You seek out their columns just to read their take on whatever has come in their lives that week. Blogs are great for this kind of thing because each day you can post on a different topic and readers can relate.

It becomes confusing when you try to do both.

I probably mention Hurricane Wilma at least once a week, but it's only because it left quite an impression on our town. This picture is just one of many signs around town that need to be fixed. Confusing, isn't it?

The best blogs are those where you know you're going to get some valuable information to take with you. Like the sign, they should tell you where TO go. They share a new tip, news about a company in the same industry, what the trends are. You find yourself going back time and again, or best, subscribing.

Take time to plan what you will blog about. Yes, it's okay to deviate and post something else of interest to you - just come back to earth and tell me more about your mission.

And if your mission says you sell apples, don't surprise me by changing to squash. I'll get my apples elsewhere.