Want well-paying blogging jobs? Don't rely on the job boards.

I'm not saying never check the ads. I check them regularly. What I'm saying is don't rely on the job boards as your sole source of income. Not if you want to find the best paying work.

My best paying clients never posted an ad online. In fact, most of my clients didn't even know they needed a blogger until I told them. I pitched, I scored. If you've got the skills, you can too.

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My blogs don't have high PageRank. They don't get a tremendous amount of traffic. Yet my blogs earn me thousands of dollars every month. How? Affiliate ads. Why?

I know what my readers need.

My blog content is geared toward filling my readers' needs. So it makes sense to only display ads which also fill a need. For example, my blog geared toward beginning freelance writers exists to give writers tips on how to make money freelancing. As a freelance writer, I know new freelance writers are looking for freelance writing jobs and ways to make money writing, maybe even an occasional book on the topic. So rather than relying on Adsense ads alone, I also incorporated job ads through Indeed's publisher program, a few books on learning to freelance from Amazon's affiliate program, plus a few ebooks on writing for magazines and winning writing contests (through an independent affiliate program).

I know what my readers don't need.

I feel part of my success with affiliate programs is knowing what people don't want. Sticking with the theme of freelance writers, I know that most freelance writers aren't looking for a get rich quick scheme. Freelance writers aren't looking for ebooks on how to make thousands of dollars per day doing data entry. And most aren't looking for membership or bidding sites that charge them fees to use their services.

I know what my readers can afford to pay.

Many affiliate programs offer truly great, super useful products. But if they're out of my readers' budgets, there's no use in listing their ads on my site. That's why on my freelance writing blog I post job ads that are free, and why when I post ads for books I go through Amazon (cheaper prices, even used items). If I post an ad for something that's a little more pricey, I make sure it's for something REALLY good that's worth splurging for.

I don't recommend any affiliate product I wouldn't use myself.

I've learned that the key to affiliate marketing is only partnering with affiliate programs who offer high quality USEFUL products. I can't stand visiting blogs whose sole purpose is to recommend any junk product just to make a few bucks, and I can't imagine that others like seeing that kind of thing either. So, my affiliate marketing method is to only post links for products or services I myself have used and found to be helpful. The book and ebook recommendations on my site are all for books I myself have read and felt were worth the money. I promote Indeed's jobs because I use their search engine regularly to find my own writing jobs. Maybe I'd earn more money promoting any related program, but a) I feel that would be unethical and b) I feel more confident promoting products I can personally recommend.

A blogger's income doesn't have to be defined by pay-per-click ads. Although Adsense rakes in a good chunk of change for many bloggers, that hasn't been my experience. I've found that incorporating affiliate ads is a relatively easy way to earn extra money recommending products I'd be recommending anyway. It sure beats joining a "get paid to write a review on your blog" site, at least in my experience.

If you've used affiliate ads on your blog, I'd love to hear about your successes (or failures), tips you might have which I've no doubt missed, etc.

You've decided to become a freelance blogger. You've been scouring the web for blogging jobs. You've found a gig that sparks your interest, but should you take it?

What's the payment arrangement?

Many blogging gigs (especially for networks) offer a monthly rate plus page view bonuses. Others pay per post. Some pay in shares of ad revenue. Revenue-only pay can be zero if the blog gets little traffic. Even a low monthly rate + traffic bonus can be too little if it becomes your job to find the traffic.

Will you have to network?

If you're getting traffic bonuses, sometimes a low monthly rate is worth it. How much traffic does the blog already get? If it's your job to network to get the traffic, make sure to account for that time when making your decision.

How much work will the writing take?

Will you have to do research, or can you easily write on the topic? Is there a word count requirement, or can you write short posts?

Are you trying to establish yourself as a niche blogger?

If the low-pay gig could lead to higher paying jobs within your niche, taking the job might be worth it.

Will you enjoy it?

Blogging jobs generally require coming up with your own ideas for content on a daily basis. You'll burn out fast if you don't enjoy the topic.

Are there other perks?

Some blogging jobs will allow you a good amount of room for self-promotion. Others won't even give you a byline. Some offer free products to review, others free samples. If the offered perks are of benefit to you, it might be worth it to take the gig even if the pay isn't great.

What kind of commitment are you making?

If you're going to have to sign a contract, make sure you know what you're getting into. If the arrangement doesn't work out, can you quit in a month or are you locked in for a year? Does blogging six times a week mean you can write all six posts in one day and "drip" them to appear throughout the week, or do you actually have to log in six days a week and post something new? Get the details ironed out before you commit.

Deciding whether or not to take a blogging job can be difficult even for an experienced freelance blogger. The choice will ultimately depend on your own personal and professional goals.

If you're just considering starting your own blog, you may be wondering which of the many blog services will offer the best blogging platform for your needs. If you're new to blogging, are on a budget and/or are not tech-savvy, I recommend Blogger as the best blog platform for beginners. Here's why:

It's free, with no strings attached.

TypePad has some great features, but you'll pay for them. Their most basic level starts at $4.95 per month (after a 14 day free trial). WordPress.com is free, until you want to do things like include Adsense ads or display your blog on your own domain name. Blogger is completely free.

It's easy to use, even if you're a tech-dummy.

Blogger, in my experience, has always been the best blog platform for the tech-challenged. However, their new version makes customizing templates and rearranging widgets easier than ever before. Their XML templates allow for dragging and dropping of widgets, which means you don't have to know HTML (even a little bit) to make your blog look the way you want it.

You can show up in search results faster.

Because Blogger is now owned by Google, you'll have a powerful spider on your side. In general, when you start a new website or blog it can take weeks for the search engines to crawl the site, which means you won't appear in search engine results for a while. My Blogger-powered blogs have all shown up in search results the same day I post my first post. I have one client whose Blogger-powered blog ranks higher than his own website. I have another client whose newly created Blogger-powered blog out-ranked her already popular MySpace blog in less than a week. There is power in having Google on your side.

There are plenty of free templates available.

If you don't like the classic templates offered by Blogger, you can choose a more attractive template fairly easily. There are many tech-savvy folks online who spend a lot of time creating new Blogger templates and/or converting free templates from other platforms to work for Blogger. If you want to browse your choices for more attractive Blogger-compatible templates, I recommend the layouts at FinalSense, Isnaini and GeckoFly. For more recommendations, check out the Top 5 Free Blogger Templates listing at About Weblogs. You can also Google "free blogger templates" and browse the results.

Of course, there are also some disadvantages of using Blogger, like not being able to file your posts in traditional categories and the inability to "drip" your posts to show up on future dates. For a new blogger on a budget, though, I wholeheartedly believe the advantages of Blogger outweigh the drawbacks. Especially if you're as tech-challenged as I am, I don't think you'll regret giving Blogger a try. If you're really worried about the decision, you might want to open free accounts both with Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Play around a little bit on both and decide for yourself which is the best blogging platform for you.

Whether you're a new or seasoned blogger, I'd love to know your experience. Which platform did you use for your first blog? Any advantages or disadvantages? Which do you feel is the best blog platform for new bloggers?