Interview of popular blogger Saurabh Saha of TechGYD.com
In this article we interview a very popular blogger from India, Mr.Saurabh Saha who is the founder of TechGYD.COM. Read this interview to know more about him, his ideas and opinion on several issues related to blogging and internet marketing.
You are a very popular blogger. Still as a part of formality, can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello friends, I am Saurabh Saha -- Founder of TechGYD.com, a pretty popular technology blog. I am currently pursuing graduation in Computer Science (hons.) from Delhi University. I love to browse interesting websites, trying new apps, learn new things online and share important stuff with my readers through TechGYD.
Apart from all that stuff I do online, I love to play outdoor games. Cricket is my favorite game then Basketball. Although this busy schedule doesn't gives much time but whenever I get time and weather is good, I don't miss my chance to play with my cricket team and challenge neighbor team. Among indoor games, I play carom and chess with my cousin, sister and sometimes with guest or friends who visit my house.
Academically, I love to do programming. It's a part of my hobby to do experiments with codes. I have a desire to learn web developing but my course doesn't cover much on it as it offers more on software programming like C, C++, Java, etc. neither do I have spare time to join a coaching center for that. So, I simply visit Codeacademy and learn web design and developing there.
When did you start your first blog? How many blogs and websites do you currently operate?
I started my first blog Infoincrement.com in October, 2011. That was also a technology blog but unlike TechGYD where mainly I cover software and web apps, Infoincrement has tested every things' technology. As it was just a start, I was unsure about which sub-niche in technology to consider .So, I experimented with writing hardware reviews, automobiles, smartphones, related articles, tech news, blogging topic, etc. Although these experiments messed Infoincrement totally but it made things clear in my mind and help me understand which sub-category to go with.
I found myself comfortable with writing about software and other consumer technology stuff. I can write lots of articles without getting bored in this niche. So, I launched TechGYD – a well-versed technology blog.
My main blog is TechGYD and I am trying to dedicate maximum of my time to this blog but, as I told above, I love to do experiments solely with codes. So, as per my habit, I created few web apps (like Love Calculator, PageRank Checker, Google Adsense Ban Checker, etc.).
If you don't mind can you please give our readers a brief idea about how much revenue or money you make online every month from TechGyd and other online ventures?
It has been over three years when I got my first $100 check from Google Adsense. That was my first online income and you'll laugh to hear that I used all my $100 (even more than that) to celebrate the achievement of getting my first check and that's from Google :D (that was for Infoincrement.com).
Now, after working regularly on TechGYD.COM for more than two years getting, $150 a day from Adsense has become a common experience. It surpasses $200 and even $300 sometimes. On an average, I am generating $5000/month only through Adsense and a few more thousands from some other forms of advertising.There is not any other serious online venture but yeah, I try affiliate marketing, web flipping, etc.
Are you a full-time blogger or a part-time blogger?
Blogging is my part-time hobby. I do blogging along with my regular graduation. Neither its curriculum is so easy nor my blogging work at TechGYD but still, I follow my self-made schedule which not only manages both of them comfortably but also provides me enough time to cope up with my lovable hobbies and experiments.
How did you come to know about blogging in your early years?
I always had an interest in learning new things online, trying web apps, services and other stuff. Just like most of the tech geek here, I also had an interest in learning few hacking tricks. When I started, I landed to a blog which provided interesting hacking tricks daily. After following the blog for a few days, I wondered how much time they are dedicating to their articles and Why.
So, I researched for this and hence came to know about blogging, its scope, the economic side, etc. One of my friend (Akhilesh Gupta) was already in this field so I contacted him and got even more information about this blogging world and cleared up my basics.
What made you start a blog in this niche?
While browsing the web for years, I already had enough knowledge about "technology" topic and blogging provided me with the way to share it with needy people. Also, its economic sides – the make money online things (Google Adsense, Affiliates, etc.) have escalated my passion and converted it into burning desire and hence I started my very first blog – Infoincrement.com
Do you manage the content of your blog yourself or you hire any content writers/freelancers?
It has grown bigger, more popular, more complex but TechGYD is still my personal blog. I manage all its content on my own. Yeah, few months ago I started accepting guest articles on my blog (there are over 100 guest article submissions by over 60 different guest authors worldwide) but after looking towards the quality of their content, reading readers' response, calculating the time spent, I found it disagreeable. So, I dropped the concept.
Thanks to my sister Ms. Alka Saha who came to help me with adding content on TechGYD. It has been over six months since she is working with me on my blog and in the meantime, she has posted even more articles than me, all of which qualifies both the technological need and high-quality content requirement of TechGYD.
Which methods do you use to monetize your blog? Which is your favourite?
Google Adsense and sponsorship are all I use to make money from TechGYD. Among them, sponsorship is my favourite. It includes writing sponsored articles, organizing giveaways, doing brand's promotion through the email newsletter and our social media networks.
I found Adsense ads compromises website's appearance. If placed at best locations, they disturb reading experience, and if placed sideways, their performance degrades down. In contrast with them, sponsored content neither affects website's design nor disturbs reading behaviour. We accept sponsored deals relevant to our niche so even if it is sponsored content, it is loved by readers which is not the case with Adsense ad banners.
Dealing with companies/startups directly and helping them in building their online reputation and increasing brand's awareness is always a more satisfying task them selling ad space. Sometimes, they organize competitions on our blog, giveaway free goodies, discount offers, etc. that help readers to enjoy freebies, hot discount online and brand's promotions go along the way, which is a nice thing.
It is extremely difficult for new bloggers to get Adsense account approved. In your opinion, what would be the best alternative to Adsense?
I think Google Adsense has become more liberal in providing Adsense account to their publishers, in comparison to the time when I applied and got my Adsense account. You just need to qualify the basic needs:
• Get a standard name (domain name), put high-quality theme.
• Create authority pages – About, Privacy Policy and Contact Pages
• Add your site to Google Webmasters, submit Sitemap. Put Google Analytics' code to your blog
• Decide a niche and write 15-20 high-quality articles (original, well optimized, informational, max. 2-3 articles daily) on it ~ each of around 500 words.
• Wait till your articles get indexed to Google search engine.
• Apply for Adsense.
I found BuySellAds the best alternative for Adsense. You'll have full control over your ad inventories here, you can rotate ads (even with AdSense) and you are paid on CPM basis. So even if readers don't click your ads, they contribute to ad impressions which get monetized here.
BuySellAds provides various options to sell inventories – you can provide text ads, ad banners, text links, in-feed ad banners and sponsored tweets at the marketplace.
Which are the blogs and websites that you follow regularly?
To stay updated with the latest in technology, I follow TechCrunch, Engadget, CNET and Google News. To keep up with the latest SEO tactics, I stay tuned with SEJ, MattCutts.com, Search Engine Land, QuickSprout and MOZ. I am the regular member at DigitalPoint forum and WarriorForum. Some other blog/websites that I visit very frequently are: HowToGeek, Gizmodo and Hongkiat.com
Can you share some apps which you use on a daily basis?
Well, Dropbox is a must because it syncs my important files, research data, topic ideas, reports, checklist etc. Evernote is also an important app. I use it to create notes quickly. I use Buffer App to schedule social media updates for my blog and other interesting stories as it can automatically post to Facebook Profile/Page, Twitter, Google+ Page and LinkedIn Profile/Group/Company page.
For keyword research, I use SemRush and Seobook Keyword Tool. I have official Facebook and Twitter apps installed in my smartphone to stay updated with these social networks and interact with friends/fans here.
What is your daily schedule to maintain and manage your online blogs? How many hours do you spend daily online?
Schedule solely depends on my college's schedule. What time I come back to home (I don't do blogging in college). In college days, I spend 2-3 hours while on weekends; I dedicate 6-8 hours on my blog.
Do you have any role models or mentors? If yes, please tell something about them.
Well, Yes! When I started blogging journey, I researched for best bloggers and found Amit Agarwal as the best Indian blogger. Also, he deals with customer technology which is the same niche as that of mine. So, he became my role model and I wanted to make TechGYD as much success as Digital Inspiration is now.
As I researched deep in Blogosphere, I found many others gems here like Neil Patel from QuickSprout, MakeUseOf Founder Aibek Esengulov, Hongkiat.com Founder Hongkiat Lim very influential.
So, I am following all of them, observing them, implementing their tactics while mixing my own experiments and tricks along the way.
Many bloggers and freelancers make a decent amount of money online but fail to invest in it the right instruments. What investment tips would you like to give all people who make money online?
It depends on the type of brand you have online and the level of success you have aimed for it. However, they are few services that almost every online brand will find useful –
• Buffer App for Business
• MaxCDN – The Fastest Content Delivery Network
• Fiverr – The $5 Service Marketplace
• SemRush – Keyword Analysis & Research Tool
• MailChimp – Newsletter Subscription Service
What do you think about the future of blogging? Do you think it will continue to be a profitable business in the long run?
This is a very common question people ask me. They are always surprised as 'what do bloggers do?', 'How much money they can earn?' 'Is this profession secure?', etc. They think a lot of people have their own blogs on the internet but they are not as successful as they hardly earn any money from their blog.
In my view, the future of blogging is quite inspirational and lucrative too. It is a field where you earn money and learn new things every day. You are your own boss and people start knowing you online. You get an identity being yourself. Thousands of people are connecting to internet every day and this means your scope is not limited, it is increasing daily. When I came to blogging, making money was not my objective. I had a passion for learning so many things that go over the internet but if you have the passion for money then believe it you can make a lot of money through blogging. You will have to do serious blogging for that but you will still have peace in your mind as you do not have any manager above to give you deadlines.
The amount of money that I make today is much more than I think I could ever get working as a Software Engineer in any company.
Besides, I have learnt a lot of new things in these 3 years. To all those who think they can become a blogger, I want to say that just trust your dreams. We put nothing at stake just our hard work, you won't lose anything there is always win. You only need a good start.
Many recent graduates think of blogging as a method to get rich overnight and take it up as a career without any experience. As a result, they fail miserably. What would be your advice to them?
Due to so much scam about "make money online", it's common for newbies and distant viewers to get dazzled about earning online and think that it's an overnight task to build a thousand dollars business online. I want to tell them – Blogging is another serious business thing.
Yeah, blogging has few advantages over the real-life business like –
• You don't need a big investment – you can start with zero and start investing when you start earning.
• You can start alone.
• You don't need to get its license, separate office, etc.
• No import/export of goods
.. but thinking of it as treasure is foolish.
Blogging doesn't need any special experience until or unless you opt a niche that demands your expertise in any field (For example, programming niche blogs). Most of the interesting niche can be opted by doing few research and learning a few things about that niche.
Follow your passion. Choose a niche on which you actually have interest and you can write hundreds of article upon it. You will have ups-downs but if you stay in continuation, you'll have success multiple times higher than you can have in real-world business at the same amount of hard work.
What are your future plans? Are you planning to start any new blogs or online ventures?
I have a lot of expectations with TechGYD. Blogging is running along with my studies. I want to make TechGYD so much success that after doing post-graduation, I will be able to opt to blog as a full-time career.
Till now, I didn't plan any other online venture. However, I am learning new skills like web developing, affiliate marketing, web flipping and keep trying things with these skills. If I will be able to create another successful business using these of my skills, I will definitely go with it but TechGYD will always be my main focus.
Would like to give any advice to our readers who are planning to start their own blog/website?
Among all "make money online" ways, blogging is the most trusted and stable way. It is an independent business. Unlike jobs, you will not have any deadlines or Boss over you to keep ordering and scolding you. You are your own boss here. You have enough time to give your friends, families, hobbies and new projects.
You don't need to rent an office, hire employees, start with a big budget. Your hard work is the only investment here. It's a win-win business where you don't lose anything – just learn and grow. So, if you have a passion to share your knowledge with the whole world and if you want to make your strong online presence while generating the satisfied amount of money, blogging is a business worth trying.
Thanks a lot, Saurabh for spending your valuable time in answering all the question. Techulator team wishes you all the best for your future ventures!
Interested in reading more about professional bloggers from India? Check out this interview with Tony John, the one of the first bloggers from India.