Looking to Start Your Own Blog? Read THIS First!

So, you would like to start a blog to help your family and friends save money.  Well -  you’ve come to the right place.  I am going to be honest – brutally honest and fill you in on what I have learned along my blogging travels.  Make sure that you take the time to read all of this before you get started as you want to know everything BEFORE you jump in with both feet!

HOW TO GET STARTED

The first thing it so select your hosting platform – be it blogger, wordpress.com or wordpress.org.  Keep in mind that wordpress.com will NOT allow you to monetize (i.e. – none of your own ads that might make you money).  So, once you have decided WHERE you want to have your blog hosted, you then need to find a name.

So, before you set up a blog called “Penny Pinchin Atlanta Mom” – you need to do your research.  First of all search for names which might be close to the one you are considering.  You do not want to use a name similar to another blog — like Penny Pinchin’ Atalana Mom.  First of all it is rude to piggyback off of another blogger’s site name (which can be detrimental to your growth).  In adddition, should you use that name, you could potentially be shut down.  Why?  Many site names are trademarked or servicemarked.  This means you can not use any form of their name.   Doing so could result in receipt of cease and desist order and your site could be shut down before it even gets off of the ground.  There are thousands of names and ideas out there.  Take your time, do ample research and make sure that your name is original.

Once you have your name, purchase your URL.  Your site will be more trusted if it is www.myname.com vs. www.blogger.com/myname (for example).  Make sure that your layout and site design are user friendly.

FULLY COMMIT YOURSELF

If you are going to start a blog, know before hand that this will require a LOT of your personal time.  I spend a minimum of 6 – 8 hours each day working on my site.  I work Saturdays and Sundays (not as much – but a little bit).  This is not something you can just decide to do willy nilly.  You have to be able to commit yourself to actually providing fresh content.  Without content, your site will die a quick death.

Fresh content is not just going to other blogs and sharing their deals.  It means finding your own deals.  It means finding your own coupons.  Of course, you can share some information found on other websites (read ethics below for more on this).  However, if all you are going to do is post deals from other sites, then you are not setting up a money saving blog.  Don’t start one if this is your intent.

Fresh content also does not mean finding another site and doing the same articles, posts or features that they have.  I have seen so many sites which do nearly everything another site it doing.  They will take article ideas and tweak them to make them their own.  They do little spins on features.  Bottom Line – you need to be original.

When it comes to matchups, to do them right requires time commitments.  It takes me upwards of 1 1/2 hours and more to complete just one store matchup.  I tell you this not to scare you away from doing this – but to be completely honest so that you know WHAT you are getting into.

BLOGGING ETHICS

 There is an “unwritten code of ethics” when it comes to blogging for deal sites.  If you really want your site to grow, you will want to follow these.  Otherwise, you can be frowned up by bloggers and not get links and credit, which helps your site to grow.  Here are some to keep in mind:

• Original Site Name:  I mentioned this above, but it really is true.  If you use the same type of name as another blogger, it is frowned upon HIGHLY and may result in your site being shut down.  Make sure you keep your site name original.
• Do not steal content:  Most bloggers never mind if you share a deal you find on their site with your readers.  In fact – it is encouraged.  However, do not just copy and paste the content from the post.  Make sure to include your own links, and content.  And then, give credit with a link within your post so that you are thanking the blog where you found the deal.   Again, make sure that your site is not filled ONLY with links to other sites – find your own deals/content.
• Do not hyperlink photos:  If you find a photo on a blogger’s site and want to use it, in most cases you can (ask your blogger if you are unsure).  It is important that you copy the photo onto your computer and then upload and link it through your own photo hosting service. When you hyperlink a photo, you are in fact, stealing bandwith from that blogger.  That in turn can cost the blogger more money.

SITE DESIGN / LAYOUT / CODING

Make sure that your blog has a user friendly layout and site design.  You can find designers on the internet and then contacting them for fees.  There are also thousands of free designs that you can download yourself.

When it comes to learning how to incorporate different features on your site, contact a programmer or again – Google it.  That is how I learned how to add many of the features on my site.  I ask that you do not email me to ask me how to incorporate something.  Not because I do not want to help – but because I am just too busy to be able to fully help you as you may need.

MONETIZING YOUR SITE

I have had several people ask me how I am making money on my site.   Below are links to some of the sites which I use.  These should all be simple enough for you to follow to get signed up and then start adding links/ads to your site so you can start to make money sharing your deals.  If you have questions on how to use any of these sites, check their FAQs or their contact me section for assistance (as if you email me, I can not guarantee I can help you):

Linkshare (use for commission based advertisers)

Escalate Network

Logial Media

My Savings

Brandcaster (coupons.com)

Panthera Network

Commission Junction (use for commission based advertisers)

Pepperjam Network

Share a Sale Network

Amazon

If you are still interested after reading all of the above, then I wish you the best of luck.  There are thousands of money saving websites out there and it can be a very tough market to break into.  If you follow these steps I can’t guarantee your success, but I can give you the steps and foundation necessary to work hard and give it your all!

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