Could These 8 Things Be Holding You Back?

Could these 8 things be holding back your online earnings? You may not realize it, but there are plenty of things bloggers do that actually prevent them blog from making any money. Even if your goals are simple, and you just want to earn enough to make a decent living, you may be stopping your blog from making money - before you ever got started.

1. Traffic - Yep, it's true. If you lack decent traffic flow - you just won't earn. Period.

2. It's All Fluff - Even a boring blog with very little substance is capable of generating pocket change every few months - but only because disinterested readers will click on just about anything just to get away from your blog. If you're not creating interesting content, you probably won't develop a steady readership needed - or draw in the traffic to create a decent income.

3. Lacking a Basic Business Plan - If you don't know what you're selling, chances are - your readers don't either. It's not enough to just patch a blog together, throw on some fluffy articles, and slap on a few advertisements. You have to know which direction you are going with your blog, create a plan, set goals, and work towards them.

4. Undefined Goals - If you don't know where you want to go - you probably won't end up there.

5. Daily Distractions - Spending too much time on any one activity can leave you empty at the end of the day. This is why even a basic business plan can help you remember what your ultimate goals should be, and the daily activities that will help you move closer to your goals.

6. Regurgitated Information - While it's perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to be inspired by other bloggers, be careful not to repeat everything they are saying. Original content will have a better chance at raking higher in search engines, and lets your readers get a fresh perspective on the topic. 

7. Your Layout - A confusing layout can cause a visitor to immediately click away from your site. There are just some sites that boggle our eyes, and registers as "irritating" in our minds. The natural response is to leave the site - regardless of what the site is about - no matter what the content consists of - it's just too annoying to stay.

8. Lack of Trust - If your readers don't get the impression that you know your stuff - they just won't trust you. Period.