Archives for January 2013

One of the key tools you should have set-up on your blog from day one is Google Analytics. Setting up Analytics is pretty simple, but understanding how to use it and all of the data it provides isn't.  I often receive questions like:  How do I use Google Analytics? and I have analytics set-up, but have no idea what I'm looking at.  Can you help me understand Google Analytics?. With those questions in mind, I thought I would put together a series that will overview what Google Analytics is, Continue Reading

If you've been reading any of my more recent articles, you'll know I've been hanging out on Google+ frequently these days.  In a Google+ community I'm a member of, a comment was made by a community member that is a new blogger.  The comment contained the following observation: Blogging isn't as easy as it looks. She was more right than she knew.  In fact, blogging can actually be really hard sometimes. Many people make the mistake of reading some article on ShoeMoney or JohnChow.com Continue Reading

You've spent the last few days setting up your new blog and writing your first ten articles.  Maybe you followed my Start a Money Making Blog Series, some other tutorial or perhaps you just winged it.  Regardless, your blog looks great, your content perfect and everything is ready to go.  Now you can just sit back and watch the traffic start rolling in right ?? Wrong! What you just completed was the easy part, now the hard part begins: building up your blog.  This takes time, creativity Continue Reading

One of the most frustrating things I'm seeing is new (and unfortunately experienced) bloggers deluding their brand name by over promoting their own content.  This has been an issue for a while.  Starting with blog comments, and now made even worse through use of social media. I published an article recently pleading for moderators of Google+ Communities to crack down on bloggers self promoting by pasting links to their latest articles and blogs within the communities.  Due to that article and Continue Reading

The Future is Now.   This was the phrase on a small sign my Dad made for me when I was in college.  That simple phrase became one of my driving mantras in life, starting with college, but also in my marriage, my professional career and in my blogs.  The phrase is a constant reminder to me that the choices I make right now determine my future.  The phrase serves as a reminder to not put anything off, but instead do them right now. The future often seems so far off, when in reality the future Continue Reading