How to Customize Your Blog Template on Blogger.com

Create a User Account and Start Your Own Blog

1. Start by going to the Blogger.com home page (see the Resources section below).

2. Register if you are a new user by providing an email address, username and password to create an account.

3. Choose a title and address for your blog. Remember that your address is part of the URL that readers have to type in the address bar to get to your blog.

4. Select an initial template design to start a blog. Blogger.com offers numerous templates so you can start blogging right away. You can choose from simple patterns and colors, as well as more elaborate designs.

Change the Settings and Format of your Blog

5. Choose the 'Customize' link on your blog home page.

6. Change the page elements, fonts and colors or pick a new template.

7. Selecting the 'Page Elements' option allows you to edit your blog template using Blogger.com's drag-and-drop editing tools. Change the look of your blog template by moving headers and editing virtually every aspect of your blog's appearance.

8. Add a page element to your blog. You can add a list, ads, a logo, pictures or any Java or HTML script with pre-designed elements toyour template.

Customize Your Blog with More Advanced Techniques

9. Use your own knowledge of HTML to customize your blog. Advanced users can download a template to their own files or can use HTML codes to edit their blog template directly.

10. Consider selecting add-ons from third-party sites. There are many services you can use to add a hit counter or quiz to your blog.

11. Create widgets for your blog. Blogger.com also allows users to create original widgets to add to their blog home pages.

How to Make Money Online by Advertising

1. Google Adsense. This is just one example of the many ways you can advertise online. Google adsense allows you to put code in your website, blog, etc and start making money. The way google adsense works is whatever topic you are talking about, the ad that is placed on your website compliments it. For example, if you have a website that has lots of details about a fishing excursion you have recently went on, then the ads will probably be for boat websites, fishing gear, and things of that nature.

2. Also if you run a very established website, or even if you do not, some companies will pay you to place their link on your website. Many websites can make hundreds, or even thousands a month, just for having a link to another website on their webpage. So even if you have google adsense and no one is clicking, you are still guaranteed the money that the other websites are offering you. A good idea is to check with local businesses or there are many great places to find people wanting to rent space on your website online.

3. Even the emails you send out to your subscribers can make you money, and lots of it. This is another place to place ads and if you have a large amount of people on your mailing list, you can really receive a large amount a money for merely sending an email. That is why it is a good idea to start adding more and more people to your mailing list. The more you add people, the more amount of money you will make. By making money from ads online, one might not even have to have a job besides running their website.

How to Create a Free Blog and Make Money With It

1. Select a platform for your blog. Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr are free websites that provide the Web hosting and software needed to start a blog. Alternatively, Drupal, Joomla and WordPress.org are platforms that you can use to start a blog on your own Web server. Although usage of these platforms is free, you will need to pay to register a domain name and start an account with a Web hosting provider.

2. Choose an advertising provider or an affiliate partner to monetize your blog. For example, you can add Google AdSense to a blog and begin earning money with little effort. Some free blog providers may have limitations that you must abide by when displaying advertisements. WordPress.com does not allow AdSense advertisements in free blogs. To display the advertisements of your choice on WordPress.com, you must upgrade your account or sign up for Ad Control. Ad Control gives you half of the revenue earned from advertisements, with the other half going to WordPress.

3. Establish a niche or theme for your blog. If your goal is for readers to click advertisements or buy products, select a theme that a person interested in buying products may search for. For example, someone interested in buying a new video card may search for a blog about computer hardware reviews. You can potentially earn money from a blog with any theme, but you may find it difficult to earn money from a blog that is not product-focused.

4. Add content to your blog to begin building a reader base. Readers look for content that can't be found elsewhere. Avoid reposting content that you find on other sites and create posts that are fresh and original. Original content results from conducting extensive research or selecting article topics that you have extensive knowledge about.

5. Optimize your content to help people find it in search engines. It helps to think of one main keyword phrase for each article that you write. For example, 'make money online' is a keyword phrase that may be relevant for an article about earning money from blogging. The most important keyword phrase in your article should be in the article's title and within the content. Search engines will use the text of your article to determine its topic. Your text must contain the words that people use when searching for that type of article.

How to Insert Adsense PHP Code Into the Wordpress Advertising Manager

1. Log in to your Wordpress admin control panel. Click 'Plugins,' then 'Add New.' If you are using Wordpress version 2.5 or earlier, enter 'AdSense Manager' into the search box and click 'Search Plugins.' If you are using a later version of Wordpress, search for 'Advertising Manager,' which is an updated version, although Adsense Manager may also work on your version should Advertising Manager not install correctly for some reason.

2. Locate the plugin you searched for in the results list, then click 'Install Now.' Wait a few seconds as the plugin installs, then click 'Activate Plugin.'

3. Click 'Settings' from the main menu bar, then click 'Advertising Manager.' Click 'Manage Ad Units,' then 'Create New Ad.' Paste your Google Adsense code for the ad unit you want to insert into the box titled 'AdSense Slots & Other Networks,' then click the 'Import to New Ad Unit.'

4. Edit the settings for this ad unit. On the left, you can choose where you want the ad unit to appear, and on which sections of the site, such as the main index page, single posts or archive pages. On the right, you can add HTML code before and after the unit -- for example, to give the ad unit a colored border, float it to the left or right, or place it in its own paragraph.

5. Click 'Save changes' when you're done. Repeat this process for all your Adsense units.

How to Add an Expanding Banner in Google Ad Manager

1. Open and log into the DoubleClick dashboard for your account. If you want to create a new campaign with the banner, click 'New Ad Unit.' If you want to change a current banner, click the ad and click 'Edit.'

2. Click the 'Browse' button in the New Creative section. Select your animated file, such as a Flash banner or GIF image that expands in the ad space. Click 'OK.' Type the click-through URL and click 'Save.'

3. Type the cost-per-click information in the next window. The cost is what you charge customers when a user clicks the ad. In the Price Priority text box, give a priority for the banner. If you get paid more for this banner, set it with a value of 1 so it will show more often.

4. Click 'Save' again to save the settings. Open the URL that contains the banner ad to verify that the ad expands and runs properly in the ad space.

How to Set Up a Blog

1. Choose a blog hosting site such as Blogger. Most blog sites are free and are very easy to use.

2. Come up with a unique name for your blog. Think of something that sums up what you will be writing about on your blog. The blog website will tell you whether your name is available or not.

3. Think of a theme for your blog. You can write about personal issues, create poetry and short stories, deliver opinions or a combination of all of these topics.

4. Write in your blog frequently. You do not have to update it every hour or even every day, but try to update it at least a few times a week. Blogging is a tool that can relieve stress and may improve creativity.

5. Post the link to your blog on your website. Send it to friends or keep it private if you do not want anyone to read the content. Linking your blog to a potential employer is helpful way to get them to understand your writing style.

How to Start a Search Engine Website With Proxy Sites

Buy Website Hosting

1. Buy website hosting for your search engine. Choose a reputable company so that you can be sure your site won't experience a great deal of downtime. HostGator, BlueHost, and GoDaddy all have hosting services that have good reputations in the industry. Shared hosting is fine to start, though you may want to upgrade later.

2. Select a domain name for your search engine. Purchase it through the domain registrar of your choice. GoDaddy, NameCheap, and 1and1 are some popular registrars that are considered reliable.

3. Obtain the nameservers of your hosting company. Then, return to your domain name registrar and change the existing nameservers on your search engine domain to your host's nameservers.

4. Add your domain name to your hosting account. Now, you can build your search engine on the domain name.

5. Upload your PHP proxy script to the main root folder of your domain on your host.

6. Open up Internet Explorer or Firefox and type in your domain name into the address bar. If the PHP script is working properly, you will see your search engine website on the screen.

7. Test your search engine by performing a search. If everything is working properly, you are up and running and can begin to advertise your search engine however you prefer.