Great content, as stated in part 1, is the most vital part of the blog.  However, the average person only stays on a page for 1 to 5 seconds before deciding whether to click on or stay.  (Figures vary on exactly how long they stay, but it isn’t long!)

Good graphics help with keeping people on the page.  In addition, a well-organized layout will allow the user to easily navigate your content.  A disorganized or unattractive page will actually have a negative impact on your traffic.  There is a website in which I absolutely love the articles, but it so hard to read and so hard to sort the articles from the advertisements that I don’t visit it.  

So, what are some rules for having an attractive and easy to read page:

1) Use colors that don’t hurt people’s eyes.  While blue font on a purple page certainly catches attention, it is hard to read.    Stick to simple fonts also.  While “freestyle script” offers a cute appearance, it is very hard to read.  People are not going to stick around just to decipher what you were writing.   Big bold letters on a pale, colored background (such as lemon yellow) can also be hard on the eye.  The best way to determine what would look best: browse other blogs and see what works.  

2) Layout rules- As with the colors, try to avoid layouts that hurt people eyes.  Secondly, make sure your layout is easy to navigate.  People want to easily be able to browse through older blog posts, find your drop button (if you have one), tell what is ads, and find different pages on your website/blog.  Again, browse blogs and see what works.  You might notice that columns are the easiest and most popular format.

3) Advertisement placement is also another important feature of your website or blog.  First rule: Do NOT place a full-page ad in which people have to click “ignore” just to see your page.  Not only is this rude, most people won’t bother with wasting time trying to get to your page.  Second, don’t overwhelm your content with advertisements.  Some advertisement is probably necessary.  But don’t have more than ¼ of your page (at the very top) as advertisements.

Now that we’ve got the basics of what an Alexa ranking is and why it is important to know your own, we’ll go through how to set it up. 

*The home page of the Alexa site is: http://www.alexa.com/
*You’ll need to set up an account with Alexa.  This is an easy process, though, like many sites, you will have to verify your e-mail address.  
*Once you have an account, go to “For Site Owners” tab on the top of the page.  
*There will be four sections: Manage Your Site, Widgets, Advertise on Alexa, and Developer Tools.
*Under “manage your site”, click on “claim your site”.  Copy and paste (or type) your web address in the box, and then hit the button “claim your site.”  
*It will then give you two ways to verify your site- either by adding a file to the root directory or adding a meta tag to the home page.  I suggest adding a meta tag, as I found it easier, but it is up to you.  
*After you have uploaded the file or tag, click the button that says “Verify my text file” (if you added a file to root directory) or “Verify my meta tag” (if you added a meta tag).
*After Alexa confirms your site and verified that it is yours, you can now view your Alexa rank.  
*To add the Alexa rank widget to your site (which I suggest), use the Widgets section under the “For Site Owners” tab.  

What is an Alexa Ranking?

First, what is an alexa ranking?  It is a ranking based on traffic to your site compared with traffic to other sites.  That is the simple explanation.  They use data from people who have an Alexa toolbar and “other, diverse traffic data sources” to come up with the ranking for your page.  (For a more detailed explanation, please visit the Alexa page directly: http://www.alexa.com/help/traffic-learn-more.)

Alexa rankings are a bit counter-intuitive.  Unlike Google page rank, where you want a higher number, with Alexa you want a LOWER number.  For example, a site with a rank of 89,887 is receiving a lot more quality traffic than a site with a rank of 2,345,678.  Alexa says a site with a rank of less than 100,000 is reliable.  You can find different numbers and opinions all over the internet.  And for those of you who are interested, I’m not quite under 100,00 yet…my rank is at the bottom of my page on all my sites. 

For those just starting out, DO NOT PANIC if your rank is horrible.  For a new website with all new content and no links in, your ranking is going to be horrible.  It will improve, provided you do the things that make a good site.  Publish often.  Publish accurate information.  Keep your site organized (aka- delete junk links people may leave).  Find and use reputable blog directories. 

I've signed up for blog directories, and I know there are good and bad ones out there.  The bad ones involve putting in all of your information, and having it disappear.  Or having your blog still be pending after six months. 

So, as part of this site, I'll occasionally be reviewing different blog directories.  One of my favorites is Link Referral.  I like it because you can raise your position in the lists by visiting and/or reviewing other sites.  The basic membership is free, and that is what I have. 

NOTE: I AM NOT GETTING PAID TO PROMOTE THIS SITE!

As always, if you have had an experience, good or bad, with a particular directory, let me know!  Or if you know of a great directory, also let me know! 

You can join by either the ad below or by this link: Link Referral

I just received my February payment from Adgitize!  Again, even with spending $14 a month advertising, I made a profit.  WooHoo!  Plus, I got additional traffic to my blog. 

I can't say it enough times- you have to try out Adgitize!

TB6NCQU7Y8SM (ignore the code...I need it to verify my blog ownership with a directory). 

Okay, you've got a blog set-up.  But how to make income from it?  I'll be writing a series of articles on how to "perfect" your blog.  These articles will also be posted under the "blogging income" page on this website. 

First of all, your blog needs a niche.  You'll notice as your start submitting your blog to directories that they will constantly be asking for the category.  This isn't just needed for filling out forms.  People are going to start visiting your blog looking for specific information.  There is NO LIMIT on niches.  Trust me on this...I've seen blogs on everything from pets to current events to shaving.  Yes, you read that right.  Shaving. 

The first rule of writing is to write what you know.  If you're a health and fitness guru, capitalize on that knowledge.  If political-obsessed, write about that.  If you make an income online (as I do), you can write about that. 

Step 1- Define your niche.  Make a list of topics that can be covered under this.  For example, if you've got a health and fitness blog- you can write about the following: diet tips, healthy food, ways to work healthy food into your diet, specific exercises, interval training, etc., etc.  The list is endless. 

Step 2- Adjust your blog title to reflect what you're writing about.  A cute title may be that, cute...but if it doesn't express what you're writing about, you will lose a little bit of traffic. 

Step 3- Start writing.  It's always a good idea to get a good ten posts up before you start driving traffic to your blog.  After you write a few posts, you'll get the hang of writing quick, to the point posts and may decide to change the direction of your blog.