The internet has changed the economy forever. More and more, people are turning to remote, location-independent work. And more and more, people are turning to blogs and websites to make a living and live life on their own terms.
Since 2008, the Blog Marketing Academy has been here. Showing the way to make it realistically happen. Cutting through the BS and hype.
The Blog Marketing Academy is, in essence, a business school for blog owners. It is designed for bloggers, course creators, consultants, coaches... even small business owners. The goal is to build a blog which SELLS.
I've had students from all kinds of niches, including natural health, personal development, business, forex trading. Even chemistry tutoring, piano tuning and playing blues guitar - in German (not kidding... his name is Christoph).
If your intention is to build a blog which forms the foundation of a real business, then that's what the Academy is all about. If you want to drive new leads and sales using content marketing, that's what we do here. If you want to use your blog to automate and scale a coaching or service business... yep, we do that, too.
Who Is Behind This Site?

That'd be me. My name is David Risley.
I founded a technology blog in 1998 and grew it into a six-figure, multi-author publication which was found in media like PC World, PC Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. I turned that site 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.
After 10 years in that niche, I founded the Blog Marketing Academy. Since 2008, I have worked with thousands of students on their blogs and membership sites, in every niche you could think of. All of this has now been brought to THE LAB, the training and support platform of the Blog Marketing Academy.
Not to toot my own horn, but my unique combination of both a tech & marketing background gives me a unique ability to not only help people with growing their business, but also untangling the technology and making their site work for them.
I'm not all business, though. I'm an avid lover of RV travel and I love to travel with my wife and 2 kids in our 36-foot motorhome. I love that I can run my business from anywhere... and when I'm not in my home office in Florida, you'll probably find me sitting in a folding chair, in a campsite somewhere... maybe smoking a cigar.
If you're curious about my back story, click here to read my personal story. Plus, some seriously weird facts about your's truly. 😉
How To Get Started
I create blog posts, workshops, training courses and much more. But, if all I did was create content and throw it out there, it would do nothing but add to the information overload and overwhelm already common with people trying to build online businesses.
So, I have created a map. I call it... The Online Business Roadmap.

You can download your copy for free. In fact, you can get access to our Vault where many other documents, templates and worksheets are also available for you. All of this is available when you create your FREE Starter membership in THE LAB.
A Community For Blog Owners Like You
Create your account below. Easy peasy.
How Can I Best Help You Today?
I've been creating guides on this site for awhile now. Many of them are thousands of words long. Here are some things I hand-picked to give you a taste and help you jump in...
Getting Started Right
Blog Launch Plan: How To Launch Your Brand New Blog From Scratch, In 14 Steps (Updated For 2020)
Thrive Themes Review: The No-BS, Fair Analysis Of The Cost And How It Compares (2020)
Online Business Startup Costs: How Much Should You Expect To Spend To Start A Money-Making Blog?
Reality Check: A Blog Is Not A Business
Why So Many Bloggers Recommend Bluehost or Hostgator Hosting (And Why I Don’t)
Ultimate Guide To Choosing Your Niche: Finding A Good Market For You
Building An Awesome Blog
Perfect About Page Formula: Create A Conversion-Focused About Page With This Template (UPDATED)
How To Do A Blog Content Audit (Without Nasty Spreadsheets). My Custom System For Managing Content In WordPress.
How To Create A ‘Contact Us’ Page That Invites Conversions And Generates Sales
Anatomy Of The Perfect Blog Post: A Complete Guide To Ideal Blog Post Structure And Formatting
Branding 101: How To Brand Yourself, Your Business or Your Blog
The 6 Core Pages Of Your Blog – And How To Tweak Them To 2X Your Conversions
Blog Layouts: Is YOUR Blog Designed According To These Conversion Blueprints?
58+ Headline Formulas: The Ultimate Non-Copywriter’s Guide To Writing Headlines That Get The Clicks (UPDATED)
Getting More Traffic
The Ultimate Guide To Search Engine Optimization For Bloggers (Updated For 2020)
The Redwood Strategy: How To Get Massive Traffic To Your Blog With Strategic Repurposing (UPDATED)
10 Best Practices To Actually Make Twitter Work To Boost Your Site Traffic
Content Marketing Strategy: Plan Your Content Calendar In Advance (Plus Template + Worksheet)
Traffic Generation: The Ultimate Guide To Building Your Blog Traffic, Predictably And Reliably
Ultimate Blog Promotion Guide: 10 Smartest Things You Can Do to Promote Your New Blog (UPDATED)
Building Your Email List
How To Increase Your Email Open Rates And Get Your Emails Delivered
What If You Emailed Your List Every Day? (A Different Look At Email Frequency)
Ultimate Guide To Building An Email List: List Building That Works And Makes You Money
7 Things You Can Do In Less Than A Few Hours to Grow Your List More Effectively
How To Increase Your Blog’s Optin Rate Without Creating Any New Content
7 Effective Lead Magnet Ideas To Build Your List (That Aren’t “Ebooks”)
Making Money
Membership Sites: 6 Reasons Why You Should Turn Your Blog Into A Membership Site To Make Money
Membership Site Examples: Get Some Ideas From These 10 Membership Sites
Pricing Strategy: The Non-Marketer’s Guide To Figuring Out What To Charge For Your Digital Products
Conversion Triggers: 15 Psychological Buttons To Help You Get More Customers, More Opt-ins, And Higher Click/Open Rates
Blog Monetization: The Exact Business Model To Make Money Blogging (2020)
How To Sell Without Selling: Making Money Without Being A Pushy Salesman
How To Get Social Proof When You Don’t Have Any Testimonials
Blog Monetization Case Study – Increasing Revenue From A Fashion Blog Turned Mommy Blog
Your Next Step...
As you've seen, I have a lot here at the Blog Marketing Academy to help you reach your goals. I've been at this a long time now, so I guess I better. 😉
The next logical step for you is to create your free membership in our training & support portal: THE LAB. Get access to some of our free resources. Set up your free profile and introduce yourself to the community.
In your corner,
David Risley