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Posted: 29 Mar 2009 07:19 AM PDT

This is a guest post on growing your blog into a full blow website by Robby G from Shite I Like.com.

When many people get into blogging, they usually, not always, but more often than not, start by blogging about their daily life's activities. When they see that not too many people are interested in knowing what they're doing on a daily basis, they figure out that they need to offer some sort of incentive in order to get visitors. The incentive usually comes in some sort of advice in things they have much knowledge in. Then as they do more research on their subject and offer what they learn to their readers, their traffic grows. Now once they market some more and occasionally guest post on other blogs, many stop at just that and their blog stops growing. They make a few dollars here and there from selling ad space and from Google AdSense, but they miss the big picture.

Bigger Readership Equals More Opportunity

When you have a high number of returning visitors, you most likely have a high number of comments as well, and in effect, a high number of interested people who trust your judgement. This is what every product marketer looks to accomplish with his product. They try to get their company name to have a following of people that stick to the company's latest products. So now that you have that, what should you do with it? You need to expand. You must constantly be looking to innovate your blog. For example, as my blog grew, I incorporated a new way to get my readers to feel more connected with me. I have created a 'Question' section in my blog, which allows readers to directly ask me questions on dating advice, which I answer in post format. This lures more readers because it shows that there is a growing trust in my judgement. And there's money to be made from that trust. I'm not saying that you should try to exploit your readers, but just the opposite, give them what they want.

Transforming Your Blog into a Website

Many bloggers get stuck on just offering their readers posts when they could expand into offering them products as well. I offer my readers a free ebook, but that's just the beginning. If they find my ebook interesting, I plan to create a soft-cover book, which I will obviously sell for a certain price. Also, I have plans to offer them products that closely tie-in to my blog, such as custom made shirts, baseball caps, belt-buckles, etc. Making sure your blog has a designed logo is very important in growing your blog into a product line, because as you grow your blog into an empire of a website, you want your logo to be known and, in turn, be worth money. That is only one of many ways you can push the focus of your blog to something greater. There are many different goods and services you can offer your readers. For example, Chris Garrett offers consulting services for bloggers, some offer spots in dating bootcamps, others offer anything from clothes to wristwatches. It is important to produce and sell goods and services that are relevant to your niche and sell things that your readers will fully believe that you yourself are either a professional in, or if it's a product, they must believe that you in fact use the very product you are advertising.

The Importance of a Logo

I've seen thousands of blogs out there, some successful, others not so much, and what I was shocked to see was that many bloggers didn't even have a proper looking logo. They either kept the ones that came with their free Wordpress theme or they just had some bold and boring looking block letters representing their blog title. You have to view your logo as the face of your blog. It's not only important in making your blog look professional and presentable, but if you ever develop a product-line as I've outlined above, you will need to stamp it with a logo that people would want to see on their product. It's best to create a logo that is simple, very easy to remember, while having an original design that is relevant to your blog topic.

Sky's the Limit

When I analyze my blog, I constantly try to develop new ways I can monetize it that goes past just the basic ways of pay-per-click advertisements and even past selling affiliate products. I attempt to figure out ways not to sell someone else's product, but instead create enough buzz around my blog's name to eventually make it something known by people from around the world that is not only mentioned within the blogosphere but by everyone everywhere. This includes many difficult tasks, but since starting and maintaining a blog doesn't cost as much money as to develop a new product and blindly throw it out there for the public, you have the ability, through perseverance and hard work, to create a market for your product from nothing but your blog. Then once that market is there, all you need to do is invest some money into the product, but the return is guaranteed, because you already have yourself that developed fanbase.

In conclusion, you shouldn't view your blog as just a little journal you keep on a daily basis, but you must look at it as an empire that you must continue expanding and building. Once that readership is there, you should keep innovating and offering your readers newly developed products that are consistent with your niche.

Teamwork

Sports teach valuable lessons about working together to accomplish a goal. Teams meet daily to learn to play together, trust each other and win. All of us have probably seen a sporting event where no one worked together and the team, although talented, lost the game. Just like sports, blogging successfully requires teamwork.

Bloggers develop teamwork through inviting their readers to participate and work with them to develop targeted content relating to their topic. Teamwork also increases from networking with other bloggers on forums, leaving comments and visiting other blogs in your niche. You can also develop trust by agreeing to help or collaborate with other bloggers on your same niche. Teamwork will help to decrease the competitiveness of your niche and allow you to both succeed. Working together, bloggers can achieve more than they ever thought possible on their own. So, be open to building a team of bloggers who work and succeed online together.

Everyone has a position

In context of the team it is important to understand everyone has a position. In basketball there are guards, forwards and centers. Each position requires different skills and attributes. The blogosphere is the exact same way. Your niche competition should be viewed more as a team of bloggers looking to succeed online. So play your position. Use your unique skills and attributes to play your niche role. To do this, stick to your topic and emphasize your strengths. When you play your position well, competing with the top blogs in your topic becomes much easier.

Practice

Running track and field taught me valuable lessons about discipline and determination. It required daily efforts to improve my endurance and speed. Basketball also required constant practice to perfect my shooting and dribbling. This simple concept of practicing is essential to becoming a better athlete or blogger. Constant practice through writing content, developing relationships and customizing your blog's design will train you to better your blogging skills and find your unique talents.

The 4 keys to practicing effectively are:

Practice regularly
Evaluate your performance often
Set measurable goals
Experiment with new techniques

Everyone needs a Coach

Along with practicing, effective progression and eventual success comes from proper coaching. Great teams are prepared by great coaches, so find a mentor in your niche or topic. For me, I look to blogs like Problogger to teach me great skills, help me evaluate my performance and increase my motivation to continue blogging.

To find a good coach, I look for a few important traits:

Knowledge – The most important factor is whether they know what they are talking about. Authority and credibility are important in finding a mentor that really can help you. So, look for expertise in choosing a mentor.
Access – Ask yourself "How much time do they have to help me perfect my blogging?" I feel it is sometimes better to work with a mentor who has the time to give me precise coaching then a busy expert. This being said, I think coaching can come from multiple sources to more effectively train you. I have also found most bloggers to be extremely accessible and always willing to share their knowledge. Each coach you find will bring unique strengths and encourage important growth if you are willing to learn.

Once you have found great mentors, subscribe to their feeds or get their newsletter. You will find invaluable information from their subscriptions. Don't be afraid to follow it. Also, do not be afraid to contact them with questions through email or other social networking platforms. Avoid being pesky, but do not avoid asking others for help. If they do not have the time to address your questions, they are generally courteous enough to tell you so and then just ask someone else.

Remember, championship teams all possess the 4 attributes we have discussed in their formula for success. Your blogging will be greatly increased by following these factors too. Champions work together, know their positions, practice hard and get great coaching.