More than 50% of the traffic that comes to The Muslim Blogger is from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.  While it is critical to have a readership that follows yours blog, it is equally important to get the attention of search engines.  For your blog, this means making sure you place the right keywords.  The question then is – how do you find the right keywords that will bring in traffic from online searches?

Google Keyword Tool (here)
Place in a certain keyword that is related to your blog and Google will generate related words people use when searching for something online.

Keywordfinder (here)
This site generates a shorter list of related terms.  However, it also lets you select the country to get even more relevant results

WordStream (here)
Another keyword tool site that allows you to find related terms.  In addition to that, they also offer some additional services that may interest you.

Do you have any other keyword tools that you use to get your blog noticed by search engined?  If so, share them below and Insha’Allah you will receive reward for any help you provide.

(Photo: kenleyneufeld)

As’salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatu,

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam – the questions listed below deserve our attention right now. and are worthy of a serious discussion by fellow Muslim bloggers – both the experienced and the new.  Every question on this list has the connecting thread of La I’laaha Il’lallah, but our servitude to Allah through our blogging may be expressed in different ways.

To a certain degree, you have to take yourself out of the picture to answer these questions honestly.  For just a few moments we need to forget what we like doing and think about if it is worth doing.

The first time you comment, please place a link to your blog with a brief ( <25 word) description so that others can connect your reflections with the type of content you are writing.  Here are the questions.  I look forward to a serious, mature, and respectful discussion in the comments section below.

1. Is blogging really the most productive thing I could be doing with my time?
2. How has this really increased my relationship with Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’aala)?
3. Are the posts and topics I write about really what we, as Muslims, need to focus on?
4. To what extent should we share our views?
5. Where is the line between open discussion and speaking without knowledge?
6. What practical effects should Taqwa have on our blogging?
7. Am I responsible to filter comments?
8. When does blogging become vain talk?
9. Will I be able to explain why I spent my time blogging on the Day of Judgment?

If you have any suggestions about additional questions that Muslim Blogger MUST ask themselves then please share it.

(Photo: Oberazzi)

Google Buzz is out there and spreading fast.  In the first 2 days, there were over 9 million buzzes. Participating in Google Buzz hasn’t really become much of an option for many of us – unless you turn it off (you can do this at the bottom of the Gmail page).

If nothing else, we can use Buzz to bring in more traffic to our blogs and  get the word out about our latest blog posts.  Here are 10 plugins and addons to get your WordPress blog buzzing:

Share your latest Google Buzz Feeds/Streams

Google Buzz ER
Google Buzz
Simple Buzz

Place a Buzz button in your posts

Simple Buzz Link
Google Buzz Button For WordPress
Google buzz this Button
WP Google-buzz
Buzz This
Google Buzz It
WPBuzzer

Follow Me Button

This is a picture that you can save to use on your blog (Right Click and Save As).  Edit it however you want and then upload it using either FTP or use this link to directly connect to it:  http://www.themuslimblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Buzz2.png

If you want it in your sidebar, copy and paste this code into sidebar.php wherever you want it to appear.  Make sure you replace the profile link with yours.

<a href=”http://www.google.com/profiles/YOURPROFILEHERE”><img src=”http://www.themuslimblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Buzz2.png” alt=”" title=”Buzz” width=”302″ height=”42″ /></a>

2 Extra Buttons

If you want to customize the Buzz It button yourself for whatever reason and just need a ready to use Buzz image, here are 2 that you are free to save and use on your own blog:

In any case, here’s a question for you – do you use Buzz and has it been helpful tool for you?

You’ve already seen tons of other themes at The Muslim Blogger (here, here, and here).  But, one of the most common requests I get is to find and publish some Islamic WordPress themes/templates.  Well….I found 5 of them and they are all free to use on any Muslim blog using WordPress.

If you know of any other Islamic themes or use any of the ones listed here, give a shout out in the comments section below with a link to your blog.

So what do you think of these themes?  What kind of Muslim blogs do you think they can be used on?  Do you feel these themes can help to give a Muslim blog an “Islamic” feel?  Share your thoughts below and let us know if you are using any of these.

So Google Buzz just launched and I’m trying to figure out how to use it productively. Anyone care to chime in with thoughts on how Buzz can help Muslim bloggers do their jobs more successfully? Or do you think it’s something that can’t really be used effectively?

Update:  I found 2 WordPress plugins that were already made – amazing.  I don’t know how good they are.  Google Buzz ER and Simple Buzz
Update 2:  I tried out the Buzz plugins.  Simple Buzz wouldn’t get up and running.  Google Buzz ER worked fine with some tweaking but Buzzes look really weird when not taken into context.

Update 3: I found a very useful guide to Google Buzz.  Look through it to get your questions answered and learn some neat tips and tricks.  You can find the guide here.

1. How can you send people private Buzzes?
   
2. Can Buzzes be organized into categories?
   
3. How do you keep Buzzes out of our inbox?
   Set up a Gmail filter that searches for the word “Buzz” in the subject line.  In the next step, set it to Mark As Read and Skip Inbox.  That’s it.
4. Is there a way to block other people? (ANSWERED by Arif)
   Click the name of the person.  On the next screen, select “Block [name]”
   
5. Can you do a search within Buzzes?
   Once you are in the Buzzes page, the search bar up top automatically switches to “Search Buzz”.
   
6. Can you share contacts with other people?
   
7. What does “Mute this post” do?
   
8. How do I completely turn Buzz off?
   Go to the bottom of the Gmail page and click “turn off buzz”
   
9. Why and how is Buzz choosing the people that I follow? (ANSWERED by Arif)
   They automatically select the list from your contacts and people that you’ve emailed.
   
10. Who can see my comments?
    By default, all your comments are public and can be seen by anyone.
11. Is there a way to make it so that ONLY my followers can see my comments?
    
12. Your question here…

Some of these plugins make changes to the design of your blog or add tools to make the experience on your blog better for readers.  Others enhance the back-end and make the writing process and SEO functions much easier to deal with.

So what are the 11 must-have plugins for your WordPress blog?

1. Akismet - This helps to prevent spam and is unbelievably good.  It comes standard with all WordPress installs but if you don’t have it for some reason or deleted it, get it now.
   
2. All in One SEO Pack – Optimize your blog for search engines to find and index you quickly
   
3. Google XML Sitemaps – Another plugin that does an amazing job in the world of SEO
   
4. TinyMCE Advanced – 15 extra tools available to you when writing a blog post
   
5. TweetMeme Button – Make it easier to get your posts retweeted
   
6. WordPress.com Popular Posts – A simple way to get a widget with your most popular posts.  You can also customize how that list is made.
   
7. WordPress.com Stats – In addition to Google Analytics, this is a quick  way to get an update on who comes to your blog and the posts they read
   
8. PollDaddy Polls & Ratings – I use PollDaddy for polls and surveys.  They have free and paid accounts but I find that the free one does more than I need at this stage.  This plugin makes PollDaddy easier to use
   
9. WPtouch iPhone Theme – Anyone visiting your blog from an iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, WebOS, BlackBerry, or Opera Mini will see a customized version.  It runs in the background without interrupting anything so there’s no reason not to use it.
   
10. Contact Form 7 – Let your readers contact you with this plugin.  It takes a few moments to set up but once its up, it works as expected
    
11. Simple Tags – Auto-generate tags and edit your posts’ tags in batches with this.  Awesome plugin.

Do you use any of these plugins on your blog?  If so, what is your experience with them?  What other plugins do you use?

Help your fellow Muslim bloggers out.  Share with us the plugins you use to make the blogging experience a better one.

Update: One of the commenters below (Ayaz) asked about plugins for social bookmarking.  Here are links to three different social bookmarking plugins: SexyBookmarks, Sociable, and Social Bookmarks.

This is where the Muslim blogger (that’s all of us) differs from others.  Let’s get straight to the questions of how to pick a topic and niche (audience) for your blog.

Discover Your Passions

Take a few moments to list all the things you are passionate about.  Don’t stop to think about each one at first – just take 60-120 seconds and keep writing.  Later on we will go back and filter it out but, for now, don’t underestimate the importance of this step.  This will help you organize your thoughts, provide you a more comprehensive list of your interests, and set you up for the next step.

Remember that your readers will know whether or not you are actually passionate about your topic; it will be reflected in your writing.

Start filtering

Look through the list you just created and begin crossing off the ones that you merely enjoy reading or learning about.  What should be left are topics that you are knowledgeable about – topics that you are willing to put in time to research about.  The list should also be narrowed down to a topic you see yourself writing about for (at least) the next few years.

When you start your blog, you are automatically placing yourself as an “expert” in that field.  It is not necessary for you in fact to be an expert in the field.  However,  whatever topic you decide to move forward with should be one that you have a certain degree of experience in.  People won’t expect you to know all there is to know about the topic, but they will expect you to provide some sort of valuable content they can’t find elsewhere.

Connect your topic with the Day of Judgment

There is, of course, a line between writing about something you are passionate about and a topic that may be completely useless.  I’m not talking about whether or not the topic is popular.  This is about us standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment and being asked about how we used our time.

In one way or another, your blog has to connect with worshipping Allah and spreading the message of Islam.  Here are some quick ideas for topics that might not seem directly related to the deen and how we can “Islamicize” them:

Technology
How can we use the latest technology for street dawah?
A list of ways Islamic schools can use computers to enhance their education
Inform parents how to monitor the websites their children are visiting

Productivity
How can Muslims continue worshipping Allah properly during exam time?
What are the different methods that people use to memorize Qur’an?
Share examples of how the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions used their time

Culture
How can we embrace culture without compromising our deen in any way?
Discuss the various cultures throughout Islamic history
Connect the emphasis on good manners in Islam with cultural etiquette

That’s just a few examples of posts for different topics.  Of course, it may not be that simple with all our posts or even the majority.  However, at no time should we forget that our intentions, our writing, and all the time we spent on our blog will be asked about on the Day of Judgment – and we better have answer….for our own sake.

How much time can you dedicate to your blog?

Calculate the approximate amount of time you can afford to put into your blog.  If you don’t have much time to dedicate, don’t pick a topic that requires constant updating (like cell phones for example).  No matter how much you love the topic or how much content you can write, if you can’t keep up with the other competing blogs then your readers will just go somewhere else.

Keep in mind that blogging is a lot more than writing.  You’ll want to take into consideration the time it takes to:

• Edit your posts, participate in the comments section,
• Research and learn more about your topic,
• Connecting with other Muslim bloggers in some way, and taking the
• Time to follow-up with the back-end data (Google Analytics, advertising stats, affiliate programs, etc…)

All of these elements are key to starting and running a successful blog.  The last one on the list varies depending on how much you are tracking.  Many of us are not keeping track of the data simply to check how much money was made from ads or the number of people visiting.  If you use Google Analytics you’ll want to take some time to make lists of your most popular posts, the types of visitors that are coming, search terms that people are using to get to your site from search engines, and other important pieces of information.  If you use AdSense, you’ll want to find out which ad sizes are making the most and where they are placed.

So take all of these factors into consideration when you are figuring out how much time you have available for blogging.

Research your peers (a.k.a your competition)

Spend some time searching for other bloggers (Muslim or non-Muslim) who share your passion and interest in the topic.  Subscribe to their RSS feed, sign-up for their newsletter, read up on what they have to say about the topic, and participate in the discussions if you can.

In a healthy way, Insha’Allah, the blogs that you find are your direct competition.  Find out what topics they are not covering that deserve to be written about.  Connect with them and help each other to become better, more knowledgeable bloggers.   Competition doesn’t mean bashing or avoiding linking to their blogs.  As Muslim bloggers, we are always looking for the best interest of our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.  As the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“None of you can truly be said to believe until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.” (Bukhari)

Picking a niche

Once you’ve found your topic, the next step is to pick a specific audience that you want to write to.  For The Muslim Blogger, I selected to write specifically to the Muslim blogging community.  However, you may choose to write towards Muslim youth or maybe just anyone that has an interest in your topic.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that your blog must be a way to spread the message of Islam for the reasons that will be discussed below.  So if your blog is about business management and it is not geared to Muslims exclusively, don’t leave out words like Insha’Allah or Alhamdulillah.  Rather, use them like any Muslim should and provide a page that defines/explains Islamic terminology.  If there is a relevant hadith or ayah you can place in your blog post, use it.

Teach people that whatever the topic is, Allah’s religion has a position:

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion” (Al-Maidah:3)

Of course, we still need to recognize and stay within the limits of our knowledge when including ahadaith or ayat- but as Allah tells us Ibrahim said in the Qur’an:

“And who is better in speech than the one who calls to Allah, and does what is just and right, and says ‘Verily, I am of those who have surrendered themselves to Allah’”? (Fussilat:33)

Follow the series:
Blogging 101 [Intro]: The Complete Guide to Muslim Blogging
Blogging 101 [Part 1]: Starting in the Right Direction: Pray Istikhaara
Blogging 101 [Part 2]: Selecting a Topic and Niche
Blogging 101 [Part 3]: Coming Soon…

It’s easy to get caught up in picking a domain name, a webhost, a blogging platform(WordPress, Blogger), the template, and all the other factors that come into play when launching a blog.  More often than not, however, we forget to turn to Allah to ask Him about the decisions we want to make.

There is a specific du’a the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) taught us to say before making any decisions; this is called istikhaara.Turning to Allah through istikhaara is a crucial step that cannot be left out.  It’s a step that should be there before switching templates, picking a topic, or any other single decision that you may make.  If you aren’t familiar with it, you can learn how istikhaara works here.

With the right intention, this du’a will do one of two things:
1) Make the blog the exact thing you need to come closer to Allah
2) Push you in the opposite direction towards something more beneficial for you.

Never forgot that Allah is Al-Hakim (the Most-Wise) and that we are His slaves and servants.  We are turning to Allah to make us from those who have an understanding of the Qur’an/Sunnah and how we can apply it to our blogs.

So what is the first step to becoming a successful Muslim blogger?  Pray istikhaara about starting a blog.

Follow the series:
Blogging 101 [Intro]: The Complete Guide to Muslim Blogging
Blogging 101 [Part 1]: Starting in the Right Direction: Pray Istikhaara
Blogging 101 [Part 2]: Selecting a Topic and Niche
Blogging 101 [Part 3]: Coming Soon…

Being a Muslim must have a direct impact on our blogs.  At no single moment should we ever forget who we are: the slaves and servants of Allah.  As Muslims, we must find out how to become successful bloggers while fulfilling our purpose in life.  That is the question The Muslim Blogger tries to answer so that, Insha’Allah, our efforts to serve Allah will not go to waste.

Blogging 101: The Complete Guide to Muslim Blogging is a series that will cover everything you need to know to get your blog started and keep it going.

Each post in the series, Insha’Allah, will be practical and easy to implement on your own blog.  Here are just a few of the topics you will learn about:

• Starting your own blog
• How to write compelling posts
• The best tips to get more traffic
• Ways to keep your readers engaged
• Where to find the best themes
• And so much more

It’s important for every Muslim blogger to follow this series of posts and contribute by commenting, offering to write a guest post, or getting the word out on your own blogs and social networks.

One thing I ask from everyone though is to please contact me if you find that I have said or indirectly encouraged anything that may displease Allah.   I ask Allah to make all of us have the most pure of intentions in our hearts, to use our skills for His sake in the correct way, and to make this series beneficial to all of us.

Follow the series:
Blogging 101 [Intro]: The Complete Guide to Muslim Blogging
Blogging 101 [Part 1]: Starting in the Right Direction: Pray Istikhaara
Blogging 101 [Part 2]: Selecting a Topic and Niche
Blogging 101 [Part 3]: Coming Soon…

Insha’Allah, by the end of this post you will know how to create, market, promote, and sell an eBook online. This untapped potential is beginning to catch on, so read on and learn how to benefit others through your work.

Recently, ProductiveMuslim put together an awesome eBook about the Qur’an and Ramadan.  I highly recommend you download it – it’s free, beneficial, and was a collaborative work by a group of blogs (including Muslim Youth Musings). It’s no longer a weird idea to read a book on the computer or on your Kindle.  This is something that needs to be utilized to get our information out there.

Here are some ways to for Muslim bloggers to create eBooks and make money selling them:

Gather Your Most Popular Posts

You don’t have to write a brand new book to produce a beneficial product.  Gather together your top 10 posts and edit them to fit an eBook format.  From there you just add a cover, an introduction, and a table of contents.

The benefit of this is that it allows you to repackage the best material you have and present it to your readers – thereby freeing them of having to search your site for the content they are looking for.

Get Your Book on the Kindle

If you haven’t already participated in this, do it now.  Publishing your book on the Amazon Kindle could potentially introduce your ideas to thousands upon thousands of new readers.  As a matter of fact, you can even simply publish your blog’s RSS feed. Oh yea, and it’s 100% free.

Publish Your eBook
Publish Your Blog

Use E-junkie As An Affiliate Platform

Muslim eBooks deserve to be propagated as widely as possible – assuming they are legit and within the framework of the Qur’an and Sunnah.  In addition to marketing the eBook on your own site, why not sign-up for an affiliate program?  This way your book reaches more people and other bloggers can make money.

Head over to E-junkie to get your eBooks digitally distributed.  If you do publish one, let us know here at The Muslim Blogger and I can write a post about Muslim eBooks available for free, purchase, or resale E-junkie Affiliate Program

Get the Word Out On Your Blog

This is clearly a given since you want to sell or promote your own eBook.  But, marketing should not be limited to a blog post that is pushed down when your latest piece is published.

Make the eBook visible and tell your readers why they should buy it.  Simply trying to push your eBook by saying “Buy this eBook today” won’t do.  It’s a business transaction and the better it is marketed, the better it will sell Insha’Allah.

Pray Istikhaara

Your blog may be full of wonderful advice but that doesn’t mean you should use your time and efforts to publish an eBook without first praying istikhaara.   Turn to Allah (swt) and do your best to utilize your time in the most efficient and beneficial way.  If your blog covers topics of deen make sure you have your facts straight, the ahadith verified, and that the post as a whole is in line with two Ayat we recite at least 17 time a day:

Keep us on the right path. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray. (Al-Fatihah: 6-7)

Bonus: Give It Away For Free

Giving away a free eBook can also make you money. One of the best ways to attract and keep readers is by offering them content they want. It also builds your credibility – which places you in a better position to market and sell a product in the future.

At the same time, the information you are handing out for free can result in a much greater reward on the Day of Judgment. The eBook you wrote might help others to grow in their deen or inspire people to do good – the more people who have access to this, the better. Whether you decide to sell or give for free, be sure to purify your intention in hope that Allah (swt) will accept our actions and forgives our shortcomings and transgressions. As Allah (swt) tells us in the Qur’an:

And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds this is a reminder to the mindful. (Hud:114)

If you’d like to have a better understanding, you can read the tafsir of this Ayah by Ibn Kathir.

——

If you have any more advice on publishing an eBook or how to make money from this digital format, please comment below.  You’re also more than welcome to contact me if you need help preparing an eBook and/or are ready to have your eBook published.

On a side note, is anyone else as excited as I am about the possible upcoming launch of the Apple iTablet/iSlate?

(Photo: BMeunier)