Welcome to the Blog Marketing Academy.

Join thousands of other creators, membership site owners, coaches and marketers growing their businesses on the WordPress platform.

About Blog Marketing Academy

I founded the Blog Marketing Academy in 2008. My goal was to simplify building an online business and building a profitable blog… something I had already been doing for a decade by building up and monetizing a popular technology blog.

Since then, I have created multiple training programs, worked with thousands of students, spoken at conferences, done multiple webinars and office hours and….. everything in between.

Through all that time, one of the biggest areas of confusion for my students was the tech of actually building their site. We could talk strategy all day, but in the end it came down to the nuts and bolts of actually building it. I resisted getting into that aspect of things. Frankly, I was tired of talking about tech. I had spent so long doing it already.

But around 2021, I decided to loosen up. Slowly, I began to offer services to help my students actually build the stuff we were discussing in the articles and courses. Over the next couple of years, this small move evolved into an almost complete pivot of the business.

Today, the Blog Marketing Academy remains a source of training on both business and tech. However, I no longer focus on making a majority of my revenue selling courses. The business side of the Academy has turned into a WordPress service agency… with Concierge being the primary focus.

What You’ll Find Here

Articles

Hundreds of articles covering topics such as membership sitessite buildingmarketing automationtrafficentrepreneurship, and more

DIY Training

The library of training courses containing hundreds of training videos. Plus workshops, mini-trainings and PDF reference documents in the Member Library. All available with ONEPass… and incredibly affordable one-time purchase for lifetime access.

Newsletter

The official newsletter, sent every Monday morning, is The Morning WP. Back issues are available online in the archives. We’re well over 400 issues in, so make sure to get subscribed.

Done-For-You

Through the Concierge service, I simplify site ownership by removing all of the hassle and giving you a single, personal point of contact for anything that comes up. I also offer al-la-carte technical services and you can schedule a strategy call anytime.

About David Risley (that’s me)

I’m a bit of an “old man”, in internet years. I founded a technology blog in 1998 and grew it into a six-figure, multi-author business which was found in publications like PC WorldPC Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. While it started as a college hobby, I turned that blog into a commercial success using a combination of advertising, affiliate revenue, online courses, writing and selling books and CDs, and even a membership site before it was cool.

In 2008, I founded the Blog Marketing Academy and launched my first training course for bloggers with an $80k launch. Since then, I have created multiple training programs, worked with thousands of students, spoken at conferences, and helped build a bunch of different websites. The Academy continues today in my quest to simplify online business and the tech that powers it.

I’m a big believer in keeping business human. In transparency and keeping things personal. I also believe in using modern tools to scale and serve better. 

We are based out of sunny Florida. One of my biggest passions is traveling in our RV with my wife and kids, living a balance of work and play. I’m a shorts-and-sandals guy, and I’m most at home sitting in a folding chair, in a campsite, smoking the occasional cigar.

To learn more about my background, smack the button…

Core Values

Integrity is everything.

I believe in a business standing for the values of it’s owner. Never lie. Never empower others to do something against your own values. Stand for what you think is right in all business decisions.

Power lies in simplicity.

I believe complexity is a symptom of a system breakdown. When things have gotten overly complicated, it is best to re-evaluate your approach.

Be an owner, not a renter.

I believe in building an online business platform which is “digitally sovereign”, and not dependent on a host of rented software or “big tech”.

Make business personal again.

People do business with people they feel like they know, like and trust. Not big, anonymous corporate blobs.

Be Sure To Get Subscribed

Easiest Way To Get Started…

Join thousands of other creators, membership site owners, coaches and marketers growing their businesses on the WordPress platform. The Morning WP is the exclusive newsletter of the Blog Marketing Academy… direct from David Risley (the founder). Sent on Monday mornings.

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