I have recently started following Kumiko’s Cash Quest and she has some excellent suggestions for those just starting a make money online blog.
Here’s one tip she has for starting to make money online:
Get unique – Ok. So you’ve got a "make money online" blog. Cool! Welcome to the world I love! How is your blog different from the other blogs doing the same thing? Why should someone visit your blog instead of the thousands of others doing the same thing? It can be a difficult question to answer, but it’s not hard to be unique – just be yourself! Write honestly and openly and you’ll set yourself apart from the other money makers in no time.
Source: Make Money Online at Kumiko’s Cash Quest: 5 Tips For New Money Makers
Check out the rest at her blog at Kumiko’s Cash Quest.
There are several things I like about Kumiko’s blog.
- The first is her attitude. She is honest and very direct. She seems to be taking on the entire world of Agloco on her own (the people with the ads saying "I own the internet").
- She also has great advice. She does not claim fame to any ‘secret" but shares her knowedge. She has had some success in a relatively short time and doing what she suggests is a great way to start out.
- I think her blog is a great example of taking things into your own hands when you want or need money. She has no financial cost in starting her online business since she is using Blogger. She is proof that you do not need money to make money.
- She has talent or developed the talent she needed. She has taken Blogger and made a unique site that definately has a Kumiko look.
I openly admit she is doing better in her 3-4 months online than I have done in nearly a year. I think it is because she has worked harder on one thing and not kept trying different things.
However, I think there is one thing I would have done if I were her.
I do think she should have bought her own domain name. It would be a real shame for her to develop a great blog and income only to lose due to some whim of Blogger. While there is no reason for this to happen, she does not control it and I think that is a bit of a risk. It will be very hard to move to her own domain when she outgrows Blogger (I have no doubt that she will, she has something great going).
I wish Kumiko all the success that I too desire. Keep it up. I’m reading.
*Update 3-31-07 Kumiko has a contest to see who can predict her pagerank. I do not want the prize money (I do value the link though, if I were to win). My prediction is a PR4. I think she could go as high as PR5 (I have a site that did that in 6 months) but think 3-4 is more likely in the short time she has been working. Of course hope I am totally wrong and she gets a PR7. 
Good luck Kumiko!*
I am constantly monitoring myself so that I don’t post too many things that seem to be oriented around making money online. In my opinion, that market is extremely saturated and making a name for yourself now will take a lot of time and work.
I didn’t start my site to tell people how to make money, but some of my more popular posts have been on the subjects of SEO optimization and others ways to increase traffic. I find that by slipping in a post on SEO every now and again you will grab some new readers that you might not have reached otherwise.
That is very important indeed. It is the people who do not take advantage of that who are the ones who normally do not succeed. If you stick with it and learn the ways, this industry can earn you a lot of money!! Good article, nice work.
~Sam~
(G.O.R)