Niche Blogging For Profit

 
Link lists are an invaluable resource for the professional blogger. While the content of your blog will be the most important thing to your readers link lists can improve your ranking, create a lasting and profitable network, maximize advertising space, and save you from a nasty case of Writer’s Block.

What Is A Link List?

There are several types of link lists. One of the most common (and profitable) types used on blogs is the Blogroll; a list of related blogs that you think will be interesting to your readers. Usually you will make an arraignment with other blog owners for inclusion into their Blogrolls for a link in yours. This will create the much-desired backlinks while building up your network with other bloggers in your field. By having your blog included in other Blogrolls, you can reasonable expect traffic to come from those sites. A Linkroll is similar to a Blogroll except that it lists links to websites instead of blogs.

Another type of profitable link list is what I’ve named the “Faves” list. This list contains links, preferably affiliate or sales, to a number of your favorite things. The things could be books, stores, songs, articles, anything you like and think your readers will too. It is best if you stick to items related to your niche. Although you may like poetry books, you shouldn’t try to sell them on a blog about knitting – unless the poems are about knitting too!

Link Lists Used In Blog Posts

The above-mentioned link lists are usually located off to the side of the blog posts in the area aptly named the ‘sidebar’. Link lists can also be used within blog posts. In fact, using lists when posting is one of the easiest and quickest ways to offer quality information to your readers. Additionally, studies have shown that readers prefer posts that are divided into bulleted lists because they are easier on both the brain and the eye.

So what are you supposed to list? Depending on the niche blog you own it can be just about anything. You can list the same types of things you would put in the sidebar only with brief or detailed descriptions. For example you could list your favorite article directories for submitting articles and next to each link (use affiliate links whenever possible) you could explain what you like about the directory. You can go further and explain submission guidelines, average time before being published, and any other tidbits that you think would be useful to your readers.

Another good idea for a link list within a post is the famous “Archive” post. On a day you can’t think of anything else to write about, you can list previous posts to catch up your new readers on the information they may have overlooked. This won’t be a viable option for a blog that is just starting out but hopefully you won’t experience Writer’s Block until you’re a few months into it.

By using link lists correctly, you can fluff out your blog and give our readers loads of easy to absorb information. You also have the opportunity to sell products through affiliate links within the lists. Other blogs owners will appreciate being included in your link lists because it calls attention to their blog as well. Finally, it will save you aggravation on those days when nothing else is coming to mind. Happy Link Listing!