How to Become a Successful Blogger within One year?

There are now more than 50 million blogs in the blogosphere. There are all sorts of reasons that led people to blog. Since, it is free and easy the number of blogs can only increase. Out of 50 million blogs not even 50,000 are successful. Here by successful, I mean either or both of the following two things:
Blogging generating some decent money for the blogger
Blogging giving a career boost to the blogger.

To make your blog successful you need basically two things:
Links from other blogs
Healthy amount daily visitors who would read your blogs and some of whom would actually click the ads or buy some products through your blog.
It is a reality that very few bloggers of these 50 millions blogs have seen even modest success so far. If you are an occasional blogger and satisfied with what you do then you don’t need to bother about it. However, by visiting hundreds of blogs and numerous forums and message boards, I know very well that many people want to become successful as bloggers. I wish that this article can help some of them to become successful within one year. Here are my tips for it.

1. Asses your limitations: Blogging is not an attractive work yet and whether we like it or not the time for leaving the full time job for blogging has not come yet. May be some people have done it successfully but their number is very small. So, think of your limitations of time and energy. Secondly, successful blog entries requires good amount of research. How many hours can you give every day? I would suggest that you should give 2 hours daily for blogging and 7 days a week and 365 days a year (of course, sometimes you will miss it but still have a serious attitude).

2. Set up your Goal: When I visit the blogosphere, I get a feeling that many bloggers do not have any goal. If you want to become successful then you must change your attitude. Just think for one hour about your goals. Let me help you. Try to find the answers of these questions:
a. How many posts you want to write in the next 365 days?
b. What are the major topics that you want to write in your blog?
c. How many thousands of visitors you want to attract in the next 365 days?
d. Why do you want to blog? For earning some money or improving your career status or both? For example, I have opened this blog and giving some extra efforts mainly to send some visitors to my professional blogs- SouthAsiaBiz and IndianRaj.
Write answers of these questions based on your assessment of your limitations. Set up monthly and quarterly goals.

3. Time Management: I assume that you will give 2 hours daily. Now, divide this time into 3 parts.
a. Researching and Writing one or more than one blog entries.
b. Doing some promotional and marketing activities.
c. Reading about the art of Blogging.

4. Own domain or free: Frankly, I don’t see any problem with having a free account in a popular blog host like Blogger or Word Press. In fact, two of the most highly respected bloggers in blogosphere today, Seth Godin and Robert Scoble do that. However, if you decide not to spend money for hosting and domain name then I would suggest you to go for Blogger simply because putting Adsense here is very easy.

5. The topic: Don’t listen to those people who say that write about that topic or this topic to earn money. Instead, select a topic that you are either skilled or feel passionate.

6. Writing the content: The most important part. Good thing is that there are not any hard and fast rules about it. You read a lot of writings of other people every day. You like some writings while you don’t like other writings. Just try to think what makes you attracted to the writings you like. Actually, to become a skilled writer you need to read a lot. Don’t listen to those people who say that your writing should be long or short. Just try to enjoy your writing. The more you write and read the more skilled you will become.

7. Promotion through Commenting: Everyday, try to write at least 3 comments in other blogs. At first, writing 3 comments will take time but within a few weeks you will notice that you can write comment much faster. By writing comment you are making other people interested about your blog and some of them will like your blog and in fact link your writings. It has happened to me many times.

8. Promotion through Social bookmarking sites: Really, social bookmarking sites are god mothers to the bloggers. Digg, Reddit, Fark, Stumble Upon, Shoutwire- these 5 are my most favorite as my two professional blogs have been blessed with thousands of hits in the last few weeks from them. There is nothing wrong in submitting your own blog entries but try to submit only quality stories and don’t submit more than one entry at a time.
You can read 50 tips to be successful with Digg and 25 tips to make the best of Reddit.

9. Title/heading: An interesting title/heading can be your best promotion. Catchy title will always give you an extra edge. So, when you are watching advertisements in newspapers, televisions, Internet or even in the street try to notice their language.

10. Sitemeter: Check your sitemeter every day and try to understand from where and for what people are visiting your blog. It won't take more than 5 minutes but it will help you so much.

11. Attitude: Try to have a positive attitude and never give up your dream. If you want to survive in blogging then you must have a positive attitude. If you are persistent, you will surely improve.

Just don't give up your dream. As long as you have a dream and try for it, you stand in a chance to become successful. Remember it everyday. On the other hand, don’t go for shortcuts.

(I am writing in this blog with the hope that some of my visitors will visit my professional blogs SouthAsiaBiz and IndianRaj and be regular visitor there. So, if you like my writing please pay a visit- if you have the time.)