Answering Reader's Questions

I have had three recent questions come up and I'd like to try to answer them in a post so that others who may have similar questions may benefit.


First Question: How did I get my own domain name and change my site address?
There are many places online where you can buy a domain name for as little as $6 per address. Two popular sites are Go Daddy and 1and1. I bought mine at 1and1. If you are using blogger you can purchase your domain name through Google right on your blogspot site. Here's how to do that:
1. Click on Settings on your dashboard.

2. Click on Publishing.

3. It should say, "You're publishing on blogspot." Switch to custom domain. Click custom domain.
4. It then will say, "Buy a Custom domain for your blog". You can then check the availability of the name you want and buy it from Google for $10.

5. If you go through Go daddy or 1and1 you simply click "Switch to advanced settings" after the site you bought the domain through says that your new name is ready.

6. Blogger will walk you through the next steps to get your domain changed over.

**Those you of who graciously have Thrifty Florida Mama listed in your blog roll would you please make sure that my new domain is the one you are linked to. This will help my Google page rankings because when I switched domains I lost all of my rankings. Thanks!"

Second Question/Situation: "I just started a new blog. How do I get more readers?"
Obviously this question is a little more difficult to answer than the first one! Here are some things I've learned:
1. I began with word of mouth to my friends and family. When they liked what they saw they told others about my site.

2. I emailed my friends list on my email and asked them to check out my site.

3. I began reading other blogs with similar topics as mine. I left comments for the blog author and some people who read my comment click over to see my site.

4. I began participating in "blog memes". These memes focus on a singular subject and lots of people then post something on their blog and link back to the meme host. Popular memes include "Frugal Friday", "Menu Plan Monday", and "Kitchen Tip Tuesday". When you include a brief description in your link it gets readers' attention and they click over to your site. Think about entering a blog carnival. Then many, many people will see your site and post. I just submitted my first entry into the carnival of debt reduction. Hopefully, my post will make the cut.

5. Without even asking them to do so, many of my readers have listed my site in the side column of their site under "Favorite Blogs" or "Money Saving Blogs", etc. These do wonder for your numbers! I'm am so thankful for all of you that have deemed my sight "read worthy" and have shared it with others.

6. Link to other people's blogs on your posts. They are more than likely willing to do the same for you when your blog post relates to their site. On days that some popular blogs link to one of my posts, my site stats go way up into the 1000's!

7. Always be thankful of the readers you have and don't concentrate on solely growing your reader base just to say you have X number of readers. You must be yourself and have genuine intentions with your blog. If you aren't your readers will see through to your real intentions.

8. Allow your blog to morph as it grows older. Expand the topics you post about and include personal stories. People want to see blog writers as real people with real problems, solutions, and lives.

9. Write everyday and even more on some days. You don't want your readers to have to guess whether or not you will post.

10. Ask for readers' opinions! In the past week I've learned so much about buying organic food just by asking for your advice. I'm actively searching for good, frugal sources of organics something I never thought I would do just a month ago!

Third Question: Are you making money from blogging or from the Internet?
Let me begin by saying that I did not even know it was possible to make money from blogging when I began this blog. The more I read on other blogs and researched how to add/change things on my blog, the more I became aware that people actually get paid to blog!

1. The easiest way to add a little revenue to your site is to add Google adsense. It is free to sign up. They give you an html code to add to your site. You can add Google ads in up to three spots on each page. I have Google running on the top spot on my site and between the first two posts on the page. You get a small amount of money each time someone clicks on the advertisement from your site. I do mean small; usually between $.01 and $.15 per click. They also pay more as your get more page visits. The first month I ran adsense I made a paltry $3.XX. Each month my revenue has increased and I am happy to report that I will be getting my first check from Google at the end of February. They payout once you hit $100. Some blogs make $100's even $1,000's per month with Google!

~You support my site and my goal of becoming debt free every time you click on my Google ads!~

2. I am signed up with commission junction and clickbank. I get a small commission if I advertise a site or product on my site that someone buys. I only promote products or stores that I myself are using or have found a good deal through. For example, I promote Upromise because it is working for me to save money for college through their program. Two weekends ago I promoted a sale at Limited too.com because there were some great clearance deals that I myself were taking advantage of. You can trust that anything I advertise is because I believe in the product or site!

3. I am signed up with Amazon Associates. I display their "Deal of the Day" banner and whenever someone clicks my amazon link and makes a purchase I receive about 4% of the sale price.

4. I also get referral incentive money through Cash4Books, ebates, and cashcrate.

5. I recently began posting for "Pay per Post" but because I changed my domain name my google ranking is not updated for the new domain site so I'm not getting any opportunities there at the moment. Some bloggers are making quite a bit of money with PPP.

6. I participate in some survey sites on the Internet. I do cashcrate and pinecone research.

In all I've made approximately $400 through blogging, which isn't all that much but I don't dwell on making money. Anything I get paid for doing something I am loving is just icing on the cake. My focus for this blog is and will continue to be to connect with my readers, share a saving money spirit, and offer practical advice for getting the most bang for your bucks!