The Most Important Thing Needed for a Profitable Blog

Bloggers can still make money online, but there is one item that is critical to a profitable blog. What is it? CONTENT.

Yes, you need a fast loading attractive blog that is easy to navigate and contains a clear call to action. You need social media accounts. Landing and squeeze pages help. So does SEO.

But the singular most important thing your blog needs above all else is quality content that serves the needs of your customers (readers).

What Makes Money Online?

There are a few basic business models that generally achieve a good deal of success online. They include:

• Information marketing – Information is sold online, generally about a specialty topic.
• Membership marketing – Profit is made by selling memberships and selling advertising space.
• Service provider – Profit is made by providing a service. For example, virtual assistants provide administrative services online.
• Retailer or ecommerce – Profit is made by selling a product online.
• Affiliate marketing – Profit is made by promoting the products or services of others and earning a commission.

There are a few things these five business models have in common. They are online (of course!) But in order to thrive they all rely on people visiting their website.

And, how do they get people to their website?

Content is King!

Content is the unifying theme behind successful websites. People go online to be entertained, to be informed, to connect and communicate. To be successful online you need something for people to interact with, buy, share, etc. That is your content.

Content can be read, watched, listened to and shared. It can be a blog post, a report, a book, an online course, a video or a podcast. Without content a website doesn’t stand a chance.

Information is the reason for the internet. If a blog doesn’t provide information, it has no value to online users.

The Basics of Blogging

Here’s an overly simplistic outline of starting a profitable blog:
Step One: choose your business model.
Step Two: choose a business topic or specialty (a niche).
Step Three: create a website
Step Four: crank out the content.
Step Five: rake in the money!

Content gives people a reason to visit your blog and become a member, or buy your course, or hire you, or whatever your profit model is.

What are you going to offer people to motivate them to become a members?

What information are you going to provide as an information marketer that will motivate people to buy your books?

What information can you provide clients to motivate them to hire you as a service provider?

Regardless of the model you choose, people want to know one thing: “What is in this for me? How will this benefit me?”

How can this help you be profitable?

If you are reading this article, I am assuming you are a blogger that wants to make money from your blog. I wrote this article with helping you do that in mind.

We want you to become a member of the International Bloggers’ Association and purchase products and services from our favorite businesses. That is the IBA’s “business model”.

But, if all we had on the IBA Blog was a list of “subscriber here” and “buy now” buttons who would come to the site? Who would click on the buttons and spend money?

We have to create content to help you become a better blogger. We have to show you the value of the tools and services we use so you will be encouraged to try them through our affiliate links.

By helping you succeed, we succeed.

Mow let’s turn it to your blog. Ask yourself two questions:
1 – How am I going to make money with my blog?
2 – What content can I create to encourage people to do #1?

Create fantastic content and provide value. That’s the core of any successful business, whether it is a blog, a coffee shop or a maid service.

IBA Posts that Can Help You Create Content

• How to Leverage Even More Content for your Blog with Microblogging
• 5 Simple Ways to Create Crave-able Content in Every Post
• How to Create Blog Content Like a Champion!
• The Curious Case for Conversational Content