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Author info: This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

There is a huge difference between blogging and simply running a static website, not realizing that would be one of the biggest mistakes you could ever make. Blogging takes the visitor-webmaster relationship to a whole new level, not taking advantage of that would simply be a shame.

How Do You Treat Your Readers?

As a blogger, seeing each and every reader as a close friend and acting accordingly is definitely a must. It’s important that you see beyond conversion rates, it’s important that you build a solid relationship with the person behind each internet connection.

Treat them with respect and the results can and will be more than worth it. Don’t, and it’s only a matter of time until an inevitable reality check will make you wish that you had been wiser. In the end, a reader who doesn’t feel respected will simply leave or, in other words, if you don’t respect your readers, you can rest assured that there are more than a few competitors who will gladly take over.

Being Self-Absorbed is Not the Way to Go!

If you think that it’s all about “you”, then I am afraid that your approach is 100% wrong. No, being a blogger is not about how you can make money, it’s all about how you can provide value to your readers. Money and everything else comes afterwards.

Visitors don’t drop by because they want you to make money, they drop by because they are interested in quality information. Take yourself as an example, how many websites do you visit because you want the webmaster to make money? I am convinced that the answer is more than clear. Yes, the websites you follow on a regular basis are most likely making money, but that’s because they provide value to each reader.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, as a blogger, you always have to come first, because that is definitely not the way to go. Sure, you may think that writing quality articles is hard and that publishing them on a regular basis is even harder but, no matter what perspective you were to see things from, you have to understand that:

Readers Come First

If you publish quality content on a regular basis, visitors will gladly drop by on a regular basis. If you don’t then they will simply stop, that’s the way things stand. Yes, you can make a lot of money as a blogger but you have to understand that, if you want that to happen, catering to the needs of your readers first is the only way to go.

Sure, it won’t exactly be a piece of cake, but the results can and will definitely prove to be more than worth it if you do your job right. If you are interested in reaping the rewards, having the right attitude is always a must and, in the end, searching for the easy way out will get you nowhere. What about you, what’s your attitude as a blogger? Who comes first?

Best wishes,

Alan Johnson

Author info: This guest post was written by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

After I’ve covered the top 5 reasons why you may currently not be earning a living online, it’s only natural that I refer to a few changes which can help you turn things around. And here they are, 5 of the most important changes which can and will help you earn a living online:

1) Be Optimistic

If you start out by seeing everything in a negative manner then that’s exactly how things will stand. Be optimistic, be confident in your ability to approach the market with a quality product, in your ability to make a certain resource worth following on a regular basis, in your ability to take things to the next level and earn a living online.

2) Always Be Ready to Learn

Drop the “I’m perfect, I don’t need your advice” attitude. No, you are not perfect and yes, you always have something to learn. If you have an open mind and are always willing to accept new ideas, even if they may be different to yours then you might just be on the right track and this attitude might just help you get one step closer to your goal of earning a living online.

3) Give It 110%

Always give it your best and always try to improve. That is an attitude which will definitely prove to be more than worth it in the long run. Just how committed to reaching your goal of earning a living online are you?

Sure, you may talk about your intentions, but are you able to also practice what you preach? If you are genuinely interested in earning a living online, you have to understand that it will not be a piece of cake. Just as with anything else, you have to be willing to work in order to obtain the results you know you deserve, that’s simply the way things stand.

4) Provide Value on a Regular Basis

Everyone is excited about a certain project initially, but how will you handle things once you inevitably start to lose momentum? If you are interested in being successful in the long run, providing value is not enough, you have to do it on a regular basis.

A few great articles, for example, will not be enough, not by a long shot. If you want visitors to drop by each day, you have to give them a valid reason to do that. Would you visit daily if a certain website only publishes an article once a month? Of course not, since you would only have a valid reason to only visit once a month. And guess what: that’s the same way your visitors see things.

5) Become More Flexible

If you currently think that blindly sticking with certain ideas is the way to go then I’m afraid that an inevitable reality check will change that. If something is not working out for you, don’t be afraid to implement changes, don’t be afraid to act, as you would be the only one losing out as a result of such an attitude. Become more flexible and you will definitely not regret it.

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

Author info: This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, who teaches you how to Become More Productive Through 7-Day Challenges over at TheRatingBlog.com.

You may have come across quite a few of my guest posts here on AdesBlog or on one of the over 10 great resources where I contribute and may be wondering how on Earth I manage to get so much work done. Ades was actually wondering the same thing, has suggested that I share my experience through this week’s guest post and I was glad to accept the invitation.

Let me get straight to the point: most people aren’t productive and, if you don’t want that to be the case with you as well, you need to do be willing to do the things which seem “impossible” to most folks.

It’s actually a coincidence that Ades has suggested this topic right when I am in the middle of an article series which helps my readers become more productive through 7-day challenges over at my blog. I have listed 9 changes which, if implemented, can and will do wonders as far as your personal productivity level is concerned.

You basically need to get rid of habits which make you waste time and replace them with new ones which are actually worth it. There’s nothing more dangerous than routine: you get used to a certain useless task and let it turn into a habit. But guess what: every minute adds up and the results can be shocking.

Most people only say that they want to become more productive, but when it comes to taking things to the next level, they quickly drop the idea. I’ve recently had an offline contact complain about the fact that he never seems to have enough time for anything. I asked him what he wanted to do about it.

He mentioned all sorts of complicated time management methods he has heard about and I interrupted him. “How much time do you spend watching TV?”, I asked, and received “about 2 hours each day” as a response, after which he was silent for a moment, having realized what he had just said. Isn’t it interesting how the person in question complains about lack of time, yet always seems to find 2 hours to waste in front of the tube?

That, my friend, is a clear example of something you need to do differently if you are serious about being productive. Are you facing a similar issue? Does it seem that you cannot find time for anything these days? If so, then are you willing to stop watching TV or drop a similar habit? If the answer to my last question is “no”, then I am afraid that, in your case, there is a huge misunderstanding: you only want to be productive, you’re not actually willing to become productive.

Only a few people actually are and, as a result, only a few people become truly successful. Don’t search for all sorts of complicated approaches when the answer is right in front of you. Dropping habits such as the one I’ve mentioned may seem impossible if you have let routine get the best of you, but down the road, you will definitely look back and congratulate yourself. Are you willing to take things to the next level?

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

Author info: This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

So you want to be successful? You want to get on top and stay there, don’t you? But what about when you reach that point, will you give back or will you forget all about how it was when starting out?

Let’s face it: as an online entrepreneur, you will have to deal with people. And, given the fact that there is a lot of competition everywhere nowadays, you need all of the help you can get. Even if you think that you can succeed as a one man show, things don’t exactly have the habit of happening that way. No matter how good you are at what you’re doing, no matter how confident you are in yourself, you will reach a point when you will need a hand. Humans are not perfect and, I’m sorry to burst your bubble there, you are only human.

But what is your attitude towards others? Do you lend a hand when you are asked for help or do you simply turn your back on other people? Always be careful how you treat people because everything can backfire, it’s all a matter of having the right attitude. You can’t expect others to be at your disposal whenever you need help, yet turn your back when others need something from you.

No one is expecting you to be perfect, but helping out whenever you can is always a must and the way you treat others will, in the end, determine the way others will treat you. You can’t always expect to receive and never give back, any person with a little bit of common sense should realize that.

Most people, once they become successful, end up forgetting about how it was when they started out, they somehow think that the fact that they have reached a certain status makes them better than everyone else. When you’re blinded by success, it’s easy to forget that you were once in a position where you needed help as well.

In the long run, such an attitude will get you nowhere because sure, you might be successful, it may seem that everything is working out just the way you planned, but you never know what the future holds, you never know when you will be in a position where you need help and once that happens, you will definitely regret your attitude towards the people you could have helped, you will know what it feels like.

Being successful is all about understanding that we are all humans and that helping others whenever you can is a must as well. That’s why asking yourself the “do I give back”? question every now and then will help you keep your feet on the ground. Always be grateful for what you have, always appreciate every victory but never forget about the people who have helped you achieve a certain status and, at least out of respect for them, don’t hesitate to give back whenever you can. Do you give back?

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

Author info: This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

So you want to be successful as an online entrepreneur, but how committed to reaching your goals are you? A lot of people brag about their goals and the confidence they have in themselves, yet are not willing to take any kind of risks. Is that attitude going to get them anywhere?

Of course not, and the reasons are more than obvious. Take any successful person, analyze his or her life story and you will notice that each and every one of them have been in a position where taking risks was in order and guess what, that’s exactly what they did.

Competition is fierce nowadays and you can never get on top if you play it too safe. If you are serious about maximizing results then taking risks is definitely a must. I’m not referring to foolish risks and I’m clearly not expecting you to put everything on the line when the chances of things working out in your favor are slim to none. Taking calculated risks is the name of the game.

In the end, it’s all about risk vs. reward. Let’s take an example and assume that you have a $10k advertising budget and are running a PayPerClick campaign where, for every $100 you invest, you receive $120 in sales. Assuming that a close online contact who has promoted a similar product tells you about an advertising opportunity (an ad spot on a website which costs $1000 per month) thanks to which he has experienced better conversions ($200 worth of sales for every $100 invested), what would you do?

Conservative entrepreneurs would most likely stay away, since they have no past experience as far as advertising on that website is concerned, even if the person who has shared the information is trustworthy. A wise one, however, would analyze the risk vs. reward ratio, and here’s how things stand:

With his current PayPerClick campaign, he is earning $20 worth of profits for every $100 invested, while he could be earning 5 times more in terms of profits if the advertising opportunity mentioned by the close online contact works out (being a wise entrepreneur also means that you accept the fact that things might not work out as planned). The $1k represents 10% of his advertising budget, and, based on his information, he could be earning 5 times more in terms of profits. Definitely a risk vs. reward ratio worth taking advantage of because he wouldn’t be putting his entire budget at risk, while the conversions the online contact has experienced are definitely tempting.

A foolish risk, for example, would have been investing over 50% of his budget based on some information he has read online, from a source which can’t really be trusted. But in this case, the risk vs. reward ratio was good enough in order to justify a calculated risk on his or her part.

As an online entrepreneur, you will be confronted with all sorts of similar scenarios and, while foolishly putting everything on the line is out of the questions, taking calculated risks is a must if you are serious about maximizing results.

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

This guest post was written by Alan Johnson, who suggests 123 Ways to Increase Your Productivity and Manage Time Like the Pros over at TheRatingBlog.com

As a webmaster, making the most out of your time is a must and blogging makes no exception. There is definitely more to running a blog than just publishing content on a regular basis, there will be a lot of things you need to be on top of so that asking yourself the “am I a productive blogger” question every once in a while will prove to be a decision you will not regret.

Is blogging really that demanding in terms of time? Of course not, being a blogger can be as easy as it gets: you can set up a free blog in a matter of minutes and there you have it. But if you want to be a successful blogger, if you want other people, aside from family members and friends to visit your blog, that’s when it gets tricky. You can write brilliant blog posts and it will do you no good if other people don’t know about your resource.

You need to place your blog on the map, you need to let other people know that you’re out there, you need to give it 110% if you are serious about your long-term success as a blogger, and this will require time on your part.

How to promote your blog? The possibilities are endless and the only limit is your own imagination. From PayPerClick and SEO to commenting on other blogs, being a guest blogger or buying ads on similar resource, the sky is the limit as far as blog promotion methods are concerned.

Optimizing your website, planning your PPC/advertising campaigns, commenting on other blogs, being a guest blogger and, most importantly, publishing quality content on a regular basis, it can be overwhelming if you do not manage your time accordingly.

The day only has 24 hours and making the most out of them is the name of the game. And if you add your other projects and your family (the most important responsibility of all) to the equation, it’s quite obvious that handling everything is next to impossible without being productive.

Is being productive all about getting more things done? Of course not, never make that mistake, being productive is all about getting the right things done, it’s all about having the right priorities. Without a clear set of priorities and solid goals, the only thing time management will end up doing for you will be helping you go down the wrong path at a faster pace.

You should always make sure that you are working towards reaching the right goals to begin with. Do you like being a blogger, do you enjoy what you’re doing? Where do you see yourself as a blogger a few years from now? What are your short and long-term goals? Of course, getting more things done is also important, but you shouldn’t even look into this before answering the previously-mentioned questions.

Alright then, have you set the right goals for yourself as a person? What about as a blogger? If that is the case, then yes, it’s time to look into getting more things done as well.

How many hours are you spending online and not doing anything productive? How many of the websites you are following could you do without? What would happen if you were to waste less time online? How could you put that time to better use as a blogger? How often do you post? Do you write your articles in advance? These are just a few of the questions which need to be answered in order to determine how productive you currently are and in order to start working towards improving things.

What about you, what is your status at this point? Are you a productive blogger?

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

Author info: This guest post was written by Alan Johnson. He teaches you how to build a profitable website in 10 days over at TheRatingBlog.com

Are you interested in achieving worthwhile results as an online entrepreneur? Are you interested in getting on top and staying there? Then, my friend, making sure that your project is built on a solid foundation to begin with is simply a must.

Let’s assume that you did your share of brainstorming and have come up with an idea you consider great. The natural reaction in such cases is getting started right away. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, we are all humans and such a reaction is perfectly understandable. That doesn’t mean that you should let it get the best of you.

Due to the fact that they are eager to get started right away, most webmasters end up neglecting the building blocks of a successful website and, there’s no doubt about it, this approach will come back
to haunt them down the road. You should never let the initial excitement keep you from analyzing things objectively if you are serious about long-term success.

So you have an idea which you think has excellent potential? That’s an important first step, but rushing into something is never a wise decision. Everything should start with a solid business model and
solid goals. How will you be providing value through your website? How do you plan on approaching your market? What do you want to achieve with this project in the long run? These are just a few of the
important questions you should be asking yourself before even thinking about publishing a website.

Alright then, now that you have a business plan and your goals as a foundation, it’s time to get started. From content to design, you should make sure that you do everything right before launching your
website. You may want to get started right away and feel tempted to just write some content for the sake of it and set things in motion. Never make that mistake. Creating quality content is definitely a
must, and doing it in advance is always recommended. Of course, you shouldn’t create content for the next century and use that as an excuse for not getting started, but you should always have something
set aside just in case. After all, you don’t want to be taken by surprise in case you will not have time or inspiration in order to create content at a certain point, do you?

You have a solid business plan and goals, a working website and content, now what? Since you are ready to get started, you can do just that and now it’s time to give it 110% in order to promote your website and let the world know about it. Having a great resource is indeed extremely important, but achieving worthwhile results without promoting it is next to impossible. After your website is live, it is extremely important that you always find the right balance between publishing quality content on a regular basis and website promotion.

From business plan and goals to content and promotion, the building blocks of a successful website should never be neglected if you are serious about long-term success. What about you? Are you paying enough attention to each and every one of them?

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson