Blog or website to promote referral links

[demaina]

I started a blog a year ago when I started this journey and I haven't really touched it since.  I'm not a big writer and try to be as clear as possible when stating things.  So, to me, a blog is kinda annoying cause I can only praise a site so much before it sounds commercial-y.  However, it's a great way to sorta update readers about issues encountered, great for organizing with keywords, and tends to bring people back if you offer good content. 

A website is nice cause you can kinda set it and forget it, changing content when it needs to be changed, and make update to only select pages without it affecting your entire setup.  However, unless you give people a reason to come back, why would they come back?  Grouping related topics (like what sites pay by check) requires that it be set up instead of automatically done.

This is what I want
I want to have a static thing list of all the sites I use, maybe a brief bit about each as well as the running total of what I've earned through them.  Then give each site it's own page so I can go into details about each site, it's pros/cons, and have a place for the payment proof pics.  However, I'd sorta like to have a thing to update so when a new payment is issued or something is done to improve/change the sites, I can make a comment about it without it burying all those static pages.  I'd also like to make it easy for my readers so if they want to read about only sites that have Paypal as an option, they can do so easily without it getting

I do realize all blog posts are there unless they are deleted, but I find it really frustrating to have someone link to their site saying to read what they did and you have to leaf through tons of pages before you find the page they told you to check out.  And with the amount of sites I'm currently on, I can't figure out a good way to link to all the site on the top bar without it looking tacky. 

Thoughts people, cause I could really use an alternative to my current setup?
Also, any suggestions of good sites to use for a website/blog, preferably not the "buy a domain" option.

[mawhite63]

I do on my blog something similar to what you outlined under "What I want".

When I get a new payment for a site I really like promoting, what I'll do is change the published date on the post to the date I'm updating it. That way it comes up on the top of all the posts. I also use tags so that posts can be grouped by things like PTC, PTSU, Surveys, etc. What's nice about that is I can keep a list of tags on the sidebar, so that visitors can click the tags and see posts that are grouped together by similar labels.

I also have my blog feed automatically update my Twitter account with the title and link of my most recent post, and that avoids what you described about having visitors wade through page after page of posts to find out what I want them to see.

I've been using blogger since 2010, but to be honest I am going to be moving it over to my own domain this year. It's a matter of just having a day to myself so that I can sit down uninterrupted to move everything over. Blogger has been really great for me, but there are some affiliate options I want to look into this year that require you to have your own top level domain and not be subhosted.

[lvstephanie]

Depending on how versed you are at web development, you may want to consider some type of content management system. A CMS uses a database to store all of the dynamic content and then pulls the data when loading the page for the viewer. By using a CMS, you can then just make quick updates to the database when information changes and the site will always show the latest data. The main downside is that it does take a lot of development time to set up the web site, as well as some knowledge of more advanced web development like using PHP to query the database and AJAX to update the web content with the data pull from the DB...

[y2kpeaches]

I want to thank all of you for this info you have posted as it is so useful. I will bookmark this post to come back and refresh the material as it will be helpful in what I'd like to accomplish! You all rock!

[oldbuddy]

Depending on how versed you are at web development, you may want to consider some type of content management system. A CMS uses a database to store all of the dynamic content and then pulls the data when loading the page for the viewer. By using a CMS, you can then just make quick updates to the database when information changes and the site will always show the latest data. The main downside is that it does take a lot of development time to set up the web site, as well as some knowledge of more advanced web development like using PHP to query the database and AJAX to update the web content with the data pull from the DB...

I use Wordpress as a CMS with a few minor adjustments made to the theme. It took very little development time and I didn't need any Ajax (I thought that was for cleaning the sink). Once you have a copy of the adjusted theme, anyone could set the same thing up in a few minutes.

[vp44]

I'm glad someone asked this question. I myself was gonna use wordpress to start something up. I am thinking of going with my own domain other than a blog. I have downloaded the program but was skeptical of using it.

[southernhorizons]

Oldbuddy helped me set up my website, which is a Wordpress site. Besides static pages for each category, I also have a blog page, that I can write posts to whernever I want. It is very simple to add or delete content, and even change it around if I want. I am sure I actually could do a lot more with it if I had time and more knowledge, but basically it is very simple and easy to use. I do have my own domain name, because of the advantages over having a free site.
You said you want a separate page for each site. That sounds like a good idea. But if you feel that you have too many sites, and the tabs would look cluttered, maybe you could have dropdown tabs instead. For example, you could have a tab for "survey sites" then when someone hovers their mouse over it, a list of pages for each site would show, so they can click on whatever one they want. Just a suggestion.

[oldbuddy]

I think the trick to making a blog work, is to do more Telling than Selling. Nobody likes to be sold, but everyone appreciates valuable information that can help them do better at whatever they are looking for. I don't mean to imply that this is simple to do, I keep trying to improve on it myself, but it really is the First No Brainer we need to learn. In fact that's why I named my newest blog First No Brainer so I would be reminded every time I go there.

[Ronnis25]

Hi all can you tell me how to start blogging and where to go to blog?  never done the blogging but would love to make more money with referrals. thanks for sharing

[lvstephanie]

I think the trick to making a blog work, is to do more Telling than Selling. Nobody likes to be sold, but everyone appreciates valuable information that can help them do better at whatever they are looking for. I don't mean to imply that this is simple to do, I keep trying to improve on it myself, but it really is the First No Brainer we need to learn. In fact that's why I named my newest blog First No Brainer so I would be reminded every time I go there.

I agree completely with this. It really is the best marketing technique, whether online or even in the "real world". For example, if you were to go to a restaurant and the waiter kept trying to get you to purchase a bottle of wine, you might not be that tempted to do so. However if the waiter were to mention how a particular wine pairs well with the food you had ordered, and perhaps adds how the tannins in wine were healthy for the heart, you'd be much more tempted to purchase that bottle of wine.

Or an example in the online world... Instead of just trying to promote some brand of e-cigarette, were you to create a video-blog showing two different e-cig. brands and comparing / contrasting the 2, you'd probably get more people to make a purchase. One brand may be more expensive, but offers more options, like different flavors, various levels of nicotine, a car-charger, etc., But if you had your affiliate link to both brands, some people may buy the cheaper model since, to that individual, cost is the largest factor. On the other hand, some other person may be really trying to quit smoking regardless of the cost, so having to option of changing the level of nicotine (to gradually decrease the addiction) would be a major benefit to them, so they'd opt for the more expensive brand.

I remember the 2nd time I tried FC... When I actually joined FC, I was just starting to make money in the online world. I didn't know much at all, but found FC advertised on some PTC site (just using their referral link as the ad for FC) so decided I'd try it out. But when I actually got on here, I was totally confused. It seemed like you'd only be able to make money if I signed up for other offers, some of which required a credit card that would get charged after the first "free trial" month. Knowing my track record in being on-time, I just thought this site was a scam, and gave up before even trying. Enter in the 2nd time I was (re)introduced to FC. Again I was on some different site watching ads when I happened across one of OldBuddy's training videos for FC. Not only did the video suggest that the viewer join FC, but also gave valuable information as to how to make money for free, the benefits of referrals, etc. After watching the video, I finally got how I could also make money on this site. And ever since then, I've become a regular on FC.

Another site that I really enjoy is essentially a blog of different ways to make money from home (http://www.workathomenoscams.com/2007/08/27/is-fusion-cash-fusioncashcom-a-scam/ is his review of FC; or http://www.workathomenoscams.com for the home page). It comes from another online entrepreneur, Eddy Salomon, who also uses the same philosophy in organizing his site. Instead of just showing a bunch of links to different sites, he actually delves into the pluses and minuses of each site. If you look at the link I posted about FC, you can see an example of just that; he discusses the program in general, says what the pros are about the site, and also looks at the cons so his reader can make an informed decision about the site. He does a lot of research on the different sites, not only whether he got paid from it, but also checking with the BBB, reading reviews on-line etc. His goal with the site is to direct his readers to legitimate work-at-home jobs that are not scams. By "telling instead of selling" he is able to get more followers... Not only for the one site a particular page is trying to promote, but also for all of the other sites he talks about. By showing you the benefit of one site, he also shows that he can be trusted and shows how knowledgeable he is, that readers of his blog may be more apt to take his suggestion in a different program as well.

@Ronnis25: Check out the site OldBuddy just mentioned... It actually looks pretty good, starting with getting your own site and hooking up WordPress to that site.

[demaina]

Many of you have touched on the issues I've been trying to avoid.  I hate when it seems like people are just trying to make you buy something so the idea of having 5 blog posts saying how I've been paid by FC, one about removing the games back in March I think, and another about my opinion of the site seems to get a little long.

I like the idea of changing the dates of the posts so that it's launched to the beginning of the blog, but I'd kinda like to keep them as the original date so it's like a record of when everything was done.  That way a person could see that a site has been paying since 2011.  I may end up doing that until I can find a better method though.

[mawhite63]

I like the idea of changing the dates of the posts so that it's launched to the beginning of the blog, but I'd kinda like to keep them as the original date so it's like a record of when everything was done.  That way a person could see that a site has been paying since 2011.

I sort of have a general template for each post about the programs I belong to, that lists the date I joined plus how much I've been paid, finally with the last date the page was updated. That way I can be really transparent about how much I'm making.

My overall blog theme is just boiled down to: I'm a super busy woman with a super hectic life, and I really need some money. Some days I can be online for 8+ hours... other (most) days I'm lucky if I get an hour to myself to be making money. Here's what I joined, here's when I joined, here's what actual Paypal or gift certificates I got paid each day. Your miles may vary.

I think then people can just look at it and think: Well, my life is busy like that, or I have more time than she does. If this is what she's making and where she's making it, I probably can make money there too. There have been a few times at a few sites where I've seen referrals of mine really blow me out of the water with how much money they've made, and even though they're making more than me, it makes me happy that I was able to refer them to a place that helped them. Because in the end, I know I've got a repeat visitor who is going to check back from time to time and be a referral for another program.