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Did you know you can turn a simple blog into a great home business? Others have done it, and you can too. But wishing and hoping for success won't bring in the money; in this article we discuss five tips which will.

1. Create a Plan for the Blog, and Set Goals

Start with a plan. If you've already tried blogging and failed, you failed because you didn't plan both your content and your marketing before you created the blog.

Your plan can be brief, but it should contain:

* Your goals for the blog, with milestones at six months, one year, and two years;
* Your budget;
* The time you have available to blog;
* Your marketing plan.

Does this sound like too much work? Remember that you're creating a business. If you set your blog on a proper business footing from the beginning, not only will you make a profit from your blogging, you can also sell your blog if you wish.

2. Choose a Topic You're Passionate About, and which is Profitable

What would you really love to blog about?

Here's a clue: what do you discuss with friends? Do you talk about golf, makeup and beauty tips, home prices and your mortgage...? You'll spend a lot of time thinking about your blog, and creating the content. If you're lukewarm about the blog's topic, your blog will die from your lack of inspiration.

Competition in a niche shouldn't faze you. In fact lots of competition is a sign that the niche is profitable.

Other signs that a niche is profitable include: lots of advertising, many affiliate products, and big companies in the niche.

3. Research Other Blogs in the Niche - Do Something Different

Once you've decided on a niche, check out other blogs covering the same topic.

What can you focus on in your blog that's a little bit different? For example, there are many "food" blogs, how could you create a blog that's unique to you? Could you combine food and another area, perhaps? Something like... "fast and easy fat-free home cooking for busy working moms" - this blog could combine three or even four areas: recipes, dieting, parenting, and time management.

4. Build Content and Traffic - Create a Community

Three years ago, it was enough to create a blog. Traffic arrived of its own accord. That's no longer the case. Blogging has become super competitive, but don't let this scare you.

All it means is that you'll need to focus on marketing your blog, as well as on creating content.

In your plan for your blog, outline some ways you could get traffic: commenting on other blogs, writing articles for other blogs and sites, advertising - your marketing options are limitless.

You need to create community, too. Encourage comments, and interact with your blog's visitors.

5. Create Content and Market Your Blog Every Day

In the first few months of blogging, you should create content and market your blog every day. This not only builds up a presence in the search engines, so that you start getting a constant flow of traffic, but also creates the foundation of your business.

You can make money blogging. Discover how with pro blogger and copywriter Angela Booth. She'll teach you how to blog the right way, so your blog is profitable from the start, with her bestseller, "Blogging for Dollars" at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html

Angela's blogging ebook package has a companion blog, the Blogging for Dollars Blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ which keeps you up to date with what's happening in the world of professional blogging.