If you want to make money blogging, it all starts with a great, profitable topic. If you don't get the niche of your blog right from the beginning, everything else you do is just a waste of time. Sounds, dramatic, but it's true.

But really, finding a profitable blogging topic is not all that hard. You only need a niche that has two characteristics:

There must be lots of people interested in the blog topic and there must be people ALREADY spending money in the niche. That's it. If there is a lot of interest and a lot of money being spent, all you need to do to have a profitable blog is tap into the existing income.

But that is where the problem starts.

There are so many blogs and so many bloggers that there really are no untapped niches that live up to the two necessary requirements of a profitable blog topic. While discovering a profitable niche is still the first step, you have to take your blogging plan further and figure out how you are going to distinguish yourself from your competition.

Every profitable blog starts with a great idea in a profitable niche. But success of the blog is determined by how well you differentiate yourself from the other bloggers in your niche. And if you are a newcomer to the niche, you have to do what the established blogger is already doing, but in a more impressive and valuable way.

The days of becoming a successful blogger making a full time income for a few minutes of work are long gone. Now you must have a plan if you want your blog to raise in the ranks and be recognized as an authority. And you must be willing to do more than your competition.

Here are some ideas to make your blog successful and profitable after you've identified a profitable niche to blog about.

1 Have A Plan

Just having a plan sets you apart from the majority of your competition. A lot of bloggers still don't even blog about one specific topic. Their blogs are all over the place talking about whatever comes to mind. So, forget about them having any kind of plan or goals.

2 Create A Publishing Schedule

Coming up with great content is a challenge. And frankly, it is impossible to come up with fantastic posts every day. So, you need to have a publishing schedule that keeps you on track, but is relaxed enough to be accomplished.

I suggest making a publishing schedule that consists of a combination of short utility posts, longer featured posts and posts designed to recommend or sell products. This mix keeps regular posts being made to your blog without the pressure to come up with all the content yourselves.

3 Use All The Tools At Your Disposal

There are a lot of software programs designed to make blogging easier and more effective. And here is the good news... most bloggers don't use them! If you are one of the bloggers in your niche using software to help you create a fantastic blog, you can set yourself apart from the competition.

4 Promote Your Blog

A lot of bloggers just post to their blog and that's it. They sit back and wait for their post to be indexed by the search engines and the traffic to flow in. And a lot of time, they just keep waiting with little or no traffic to show for it.

So, if you are promoting your blog, going to where your potential readers are and drawing them into your blog, you can quickly take over the top spot in your niche.

Finding a profitable blog topic is easy. Just look for niches of high interest with a lot of money being spent. But remember, the competition is growing every day. Be prepared to do more, faster and more effective than other bloggers in you niche and you will take how a lion's share of the profits.