I know I write a lot about writing,but the best part of my income doesn’t come from writing for other people’s websites,it comes from writing for my OWN websites. This article is designed to teach you a bit about what I know of niche blogging,things I’ve found successful and…well,things that don’t work,too.
1- Write what you know.
You might think “But I can’t write,I know nothing”and that may be true. If you know nothing,then you’re in luck because you can research whatever you want. So write what you know,and keep learning more.
2- Start small.
Begin with a little blogspot blog,they’re free and can be monetized with adsense,,Chitika,SocialSpark (I review each of these sites here,and share my experience &best practices. Click on “Write at these sites”at the top of this page)
Once you’re ready to Buy a Domain ($7.49 at GoDaddy)
,consider whether you want to redirect it back to your blogspot blog or rebuild with a different CMS (Content Management System). WordPress is the platform I prefer for self-hosted websites (meaning when I own the domain and pay for the hosting) but the free version of wordpress doesn’t allow users many options for monetizing,in fact it’s against their TOS,so you can use it to learn about how to use WordPress,but not to make money. You can also use it to create incoming links to your articles and niche blogs..
Anyhow,the advantage of starting small (and free) is that you build up content (articles or posts) while you learn. You need to learn about niche blogging,search engine optimization and also about your niche. A starter blog like that is a great place to get int he habit of creating content regularly,while giving you practice with ad networks and things like that.
3. Get Help
And I don’t mean mental help,because friends and family will tell you you’re crazy. If they don’t come right out and say it,they’ll at least warn you that it’s a scam. Trust me (and tons of other successful niche bloggers) It’s not a scam. A lot of people fail because they mistakenly believe that the income comes like magic,without any work. That’s not true,it’s a lot of work,a lot of reading and a lot of writing but in the end,the income is residual,meaning that you can continue to earn for a long time without adding more work.
I happen to ENJOY the work,but there have been times when I didn’t add content to ANY of my websites for 2 or 3 months and STILL generated income. It’s really the perfect job for moms.
One place to get help and support is from the wahm.com message boards. These moms know their stuff,they help one another navigate the world of online writing,affiliate marketing,web design and every other skill that niche bloggers need. Amy Bass’Niche Blogging course is great for beginners,too. I wish I had found it when I was new. At least sign up for the free trial because THAT is enough to get the ball rolling for you.
4. Talk About Money,and LISTEN
I know there’s a backwards social stigma about not discussing your earnings,but how will you know who to listen to if no one is telling you how much they’re making? There’s a woman who always posts on forums about how well she’s doing with Helium.com a certain website. This certain website is BUNK. It’s garbage,writers earn “stars and badges”before they even have the opportunity to earn real money. I pressed her for details until finally she broke. She said “In my first month I made almost $10 but now I’m making almost four times that.”Well excuse me- ALMOST $40 isn’t really much money for all the work she had done (like over 100 articles) When people are evasive about the money they’re making,chances are that they’re not making much.
5. SEO is your business partner
Search engines like it when your titles,subtitles,headings and text are easy to figure out. How will a search engine know your blog is about Making Wheatgrass Juice if you call it “Miss Jean’s Sweet Green Sip of Heaven”You need to call it “Making Wheatgrass Juice”Be precise in your language,not picturesque.
Your niche blog will not make a dime if you don’t understand Search Engine Optimization. Amy’s class will teach that,you can also learn it (and build incoming links) by signing up to write at sites like Suite101 and Examiner. They both have very different SEO philosophies,both of which have merit.
6. Your site NEEDS Facebook
Create a business page for each of your sites and engage socially (on behalf of your site) with people,businesses and other sites that are relevant to the niche. Share links (to your site and others) and make it easy for others to “follow”you.
This can be automated for the most part. Amy’s course has a ton of resources for making things easier that way 
