How many first time bloggers fall into the trap? I’ve seen more than a few that have. You start reading MMO (Make money online) blogs, and before you know it, you’ve signed up for the Keyword Academy, Unique Article Wizard, Ultimate Backlink Solutions, paid $100 for hosting, outsourced your article writing through Elance, and then sat back in your chair expecting the returns to just start rolling in.
It’s not until about 3 weeks later that you realize that you’ve spent about $1000.00, and you have yet to see a dime in profits. That’s when 99% of bloggers throw up their hands, walk away, and go straight back to your day job.
I’m going to tell you something that most bloggers (especially the ones that flog the “must have” services everyone seems to have) will not tell you. Do not spend money until you’ve made money. There’s NO POINT, and it just doesn’t make good business sense. Let me clarify that it doesn’t make good business sense AT FIRST. One of the reasons that blogging is so attractive is that there is such a high return on investment which you blow to shreds if the first thing you do is whip out your credit card. When you start out with blogging, it’s better to have a small stable of sites (maybe 5 or 10), and use them to really learn what you’re doing. Pick sites in niches that are easy to dominate- don’t gear your first site towards, say, weight loss solutions, or NYC attorneys. When you’re getting started with blogging, be prepared for your returns to be small- they will be. But if you keep building backlinks, they will grow. And as they grow, you can add more sites, and begin to automate/outsource a bit more. But it needs to be a gradual process.
Here’s another one that “professional” bloggers won’t tell you- start with a free wordpress blog, or a blogger blog. DON’T haul off and start buying domains. Yes it’s true, if you buy your domain then it becomes your “property”, you can sell it, etc. But let me walk you through two scenarios:
Scenario 1:
You buy 5 keyword-related domains that you want to build sites around, and you spend a few hundred bucks to do it. You’re new to the MMO scene, and you don’t really know what you’re doing. All the sites are flops- no resale value, and hundreds of bucks down the tubes.
Scenario 2:
You make up 5 or 10 blogger blogs. None of them work out, so you make up 5 or 10 more. Maybe one or two of those work really well. Then you play with them and get them ranking well in the SERPS, and suddenly you’ve got a little money coming in. Now, just buy a domain in the same niche, write a targeted page from your ranked blogger blog pointing to the new site- which gives it some great juice, then repeat the process of link building with the second site that you did with the first, bringing it up to the top of the SERPS as well- now, all of a sudden, you have not one but TWO sites ranking high, and you haven’t lost any money doing it. What’s wrong with being both #1 and #2 in the SERPS? Seems pretty good to me. And if blogger eventually dies, or you get kicked off, then so what? You’ve still got your blog.
In the second Scenario, the important difference is that you use free platforms and services to experiment with, do your research, develop your methods, and get a small revenue stream coming in BEFORE you open your wallet. Let’s face it- in internet marketing, a large number of your efforts will be failures (although some will also be successes). It’s better, when you’re starting out, to make sure that your failures don’t cost you anything, and that your successes put money directly into your pocket. It seems counter-intuitive, but it’s easier to make money online starting from $0, rather than starting owing hundreds of dollars.
Eventually, after you’ve got steady income, it might make sense for you to automate some of your process, or own your own domains- but don’t start out that way. You’ll dig yourself into a hole you’ll never get out of.
This is a guest post by Michael who blogs at Doorlockguide. If you would like to write for ShoutMeLoud, check our Guest posting guidelines.
Subscribe Updates, Its FREE!
Article by ultrahighfidelity
Michael has written 1 articles.
If you like This post, you can follow ShoutMeLoud on Twitter. Subscribe to ShoutMeLoud feed via RSS or EMAIL to receive instant updates.
→ 
→ 
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes Michael , You said the right thing ” Don’t spend money until you have made money”. By following this at least one will not become a loser.
Great article, but if you really know what your doing you can make money even when you spend. Think blogging as a business
keep your overheads clear.
Yeah, you have the point. I’ve seen many newbie bloggers spending a lot of money for plugins or tools although they haven’t earned a penny. However, I still prefer investing in a domain at first.
its really waste of money, if you want to earn money then learn from the tutorials which are posted in various blogs..
I agree with your points Michael… Thanks for the post….
Thanks for sharing this. i like this post a most because you have included my personal experience. i have made the same mistake by spending some money on unwanted factors. now a days i always take suggestion of some bloggers before taking a step in spending money for my blog.
WR
Bharath
TechnTricksonline
Thanks for sharing this. i like this post a most because you have included my personal experience. i have made the same mistake by spending some money on unwanted factors. now a days i always take suggestion of some bloggers before taking a step in spending money for my blog.
Agree, But we cannot take it as a blogging mantra. For starting a business we need to invest a bit at the. For blogging we need a domain name rather than a free blog, server space etc. So spend it wisely, n do not spend it for stylish themes n all.
Thanks for the article
Nice but most of the people waste money to make money
I didn’t spend a penny when I started my first blog, getting both domain name and hosting for free. But it sure takes a long time to take off.
Yaro Starak detailed his blog spending in this post: http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/4000/blogging-economics-where-does-my-money-go/
Thanks for sharing this article…well I think one should stick to golden rule : “Never spend a penny, until you have earned something”…
The example that you have given is not of a blogger but of an Internet marketer. A blogger writes for his blog. He doesn’t just hire freelancers.
But if you are not try different things online. Chances of success will be much lesser online.
Right on target. And this is where many new comers fail to realize that before buying all those “get rich”, “instant traffic” eBooks and the likes, that they should first get focused and learn the ropes before spending money. In the long run, It is my opinion that eventually, one should invest to make more money, but that’s just it, more and not less. Good advice
Nice post, i agree to a certain extend, I think you do need to spend a bit of money but the key is on the right things, and know exactly what you are doing. If your new online, then its best to seek advice, as there is so much choices online, and if you’re not careful, you will end up spending money on the wrong things which will not bring in results, in which case its best not to spend. On the other hand, if you don’t try you will not know.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who believes in making money without spending loads. I’ve spent money on the domain and that is it. I get free hosting from a relative and any premium plugins I receive are Christmas and Birthday presents.
Nice title!
When i started my blog. my investment was 0 mainly due to the fact that i started on blogspot then moved to domain…
I made no money with free blogs. Its when I started investing, then I got my first few dollars. Its however true that there isn’t any point in spending thousands of dollars on your blog only to get a few dimes. Good Article. Thanks.
Michael,
Thanks for your article.We should not spend any money until we have earned some money from online.
Perfectly said buddy!!! I love that line which you mentioned in the post. Do not spend money before you make some money. This is the strategy that I followed and it worked perfectly for me. Well written post with true experiences.