Web logs at their core are simply online message forums with the most recent message postings at the top of the page. Blogging has erupted in popularity in the last 10 years, and blogs focus literally on anything (and everything) someone (or anyone) has an opinion on. Blogs often serve as types of 'sounding boards' for opinions and updated information, but they can also be online diaries and simple mediums for message posting. Blogs can be created quickly and easily and many sites such as Blogger.com allow users to create web logs for free.

But how does any of this tie in to online profits? Well, one of the key aspects of blogs is that they are updated often. As such, search engines love to spider blogs. They also love the way information is organized on blogs, so blogs can quickly become quality search engine spider food. This translates to traffic, and if you're smart enough to stuff your blog with links to your primary site, you can convert that traffic into sales.

Each time you update your blog, go to Pingomatic.com or Pingoat.com and enter your information. These sites send that info to search engines and let them know that your blog has been updated. Then... the spiders crawl in. As I said, the more search engines are indexing your site, the more traffic you can potentially reap. If you aren't pointing that traffic to another site, you could make money directly from your blog with AdSense ads. Blogger.com and many others allow you to set up AdSense with a simple click. It is also easy to blend the ads in to the color scheme of your blog. Moving forward from that point, each click is cash.

The key to creating a successful blog is to create content that people are interested in. You can accomplish that by acting as a medium for people to voice their opinions & share information, or you could post your own information. Frequent updates, valuable content, timeless content, and helpful content will all siphon new visitors and retain recurrent visitors. Blog popularity usually erupts through word-of-mouth, so bear that in mind. When people are talking about it, people always want to see what all the commotion is about. After thinking about your human visitors, though, think about the robotic ones. Be sure to stay on topic and have keyword rich entries if you want search engine spiders to visit often.

Blogs are a fascinatingly simple, quick, and cheap way to create revenue online. There is essentially no risk involved and there is no overhead, apart from hosting. You can simply set up a free blog, put AdSense on it, and post whatever you want. If you follow the guidelines above, you will soon be on your way to residual income.

Cameron Ashwood is an Associate Partner at Madison & Monroe, the most trusted guide to home business and online money-making information. Start generating income online now at: http://www.madisonandmonroe.org