One of the most exciting things about blogging is the hidden opportunities and value that you never really know about. For example, if you’ve ever created a blog you likely hear from a very small percentage of people that actually read it and then send you an email or tweet you through social media. However, that content is likely being read by thousands of people and makes a huge impact in everyday lives. More often than not, you just never know.
A great example of this can be seen through our latest Meet the Bloggers interview with Kelley Jones, who never really had a plan or business idea to start blogging but simply came across somebody else who was, and then lead her in the right direction. Learn more about Kelley and her blogging adventures below.
1.) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into blogging?
In 2013 I was just finishing up school and didn’t know too much about the online world. Through connections, I met with Jon of Authority website income and have had the privilege of working with him and helping to create and grow businesses with him.
2.) What is the focus of your blog and why did you choose that niche?
I have many sites in different niches but for this overview, I will only talk about one specific one. My blog is a pretty open topic site. I wanted to do a generic site because I didn’t want to be stuck in one niche. I wanted to be able to go after low hanging fruit no matter what the niche was.
3.) How are you currently monetizing your blog traffic?
I have monetized this site through Amazon mostly but over the last few weeks I have also rolled out Adsense.
4.) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started blogging?
I wasn’t really good with keyword research when I first started with my first site. Over the years I have learned how to properly do it and it has made such a HUGE difference.
5.) What are three blogs that you visit almost daily?
The 3 blogs that I love to read are:
6.) Can you give us three recommended tools/services that you use with your blogging?
There are quite a few tools that I love to use.
- MarketMuse – Helps analyzes your article against your competitors and tells you how you can make it better.
- SeCockpit – Great tool to help you find long tail keywords.
- Ferzy – A great free tool that allows you to check how competitive a keyword is. I usually like to pick a keyword only if it’s under 30.
7.) What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?
The learning never stops. As Google updates roll out and the online world becomes more and more competitive, the way you do things and how you do things will constantly be changing. Also, ensure you are reading the latest trends and advice online. Also test things out, some things will work and some things don’t. There is usually never a quick way to build sites and make money, it takes a lot of work and dedication, so don’t give up.
8.) What’s the best advice or tip you’ve discovered about blogging since getting started?
The best tip I have ever received is that you need to work hard in order to get results, if you’re not and others are they will beat you.
9.) If you only had $100 to start a new blog, how would you use it?
I would use it to get articles created and to get hosting setup for a site. There are a lot of tutorials out there that teach you how to build a site and how to do keyword research but what you really need is good quality articles.
10.) How can readers of the blog get in touch with you?
They can get in touch with me via InfluenceExpress.com or via email [email protected]
Thanks again Kelly for taking the time to share her advice and story with the Blogging Tips community. If you would like to learn about other bloggers and how they are finding success online, be sure to read through our blogger interview series.