The
Complete Guide to Making Money Through Blogging
How
to Make Money Through Blogging
On December 8, 2022, this post was last
updated.
Making money through blogging sounds like a
pipe dream. Not only do you get to work independently and bypass the 9-to-5,
but you can also blog about whatever you choose from anywhere in the world.
While it requires hard work, anyone, including beginners, can do it with the
appropriate method.
Of course, the first step is to start a
blog. Following that, you'll need to expand your blog's audience so that you
may eventually earn money from it.
This complete guide will coach you through
actionable steps on how to start a blog, expand your following, and grow your
blog, whether you're searching for a side hustle or want to make a life from
blogging. Then you'll discover the powerful tools you may utilize to convert
your website visitors into cash.
How
to make money blogging in 10 steps
Choose a profitable niche
Scale your blog content
Build a reputation
Promote and grow
Advertise within your
blog
Offer paid subscriptions
Sell merchandise
Become an affiliate
Write sponsored content
Provide consulting
services
How much can you earn by blogging?
Before we go into how to make money
blogging, let's talk about how much you can make.
How much money can you make as a newbie
blogger? Earning a full-time living as a blogger is more feasible than you
would believe. According to the finance blog Millennial Money, bloggers can
earn up to $100,000 per year after just two years of growing traffic and
followers. Bloggers can easily earn an extra $500-$2,000 per month in their
first year.
Consider the following examples from this
research of successful bloggers:
As you can see, there are numerous ways to
earn money as a blogger. Aside from the numbers, there are a few key points to
remember before you begin:
1. Anyone can earn money by blogging.
2. There are numerous ways to make money
blogging.
3. Money-making tactics used by successful
bloggers are often similar.
Let's break these ideas down further and
talk about what these methods are.
Part
1 of How to Make Money Blogging: Establish Your Online Presence
You'll need to start a blog and build a
following before you can start making money. Consider this: more traffic to
your blog = more money.
As a result, making money starts with
selecting a strategic blogging niche and spreading the word about your site.
Here's how to go about it:
01.
Choose a profitable niche
If you're just starting out with a blog,
you're undoubtedly wondering, "What should I write about?"
Before you begin writing, you must first
identify a specialty. Choose one overarching theme for your blog so that you
may focus on a specific field and attract a specific group of admirers.
When deciding on a niche, it's crucial to
start with your interests; after all, you'll be devoting a significant amount
of time and effort to this subject. But, if you're serious about generating
money blogging, you need also choose topics that people will be interested in
reading about and that will be financially sustainable in the long run.
Keeping this in mind, there are three
questions you should ask yourself while selecting a blog niche:
1. What are my passions?
2. Who is my target audience?
3. What are the profitable topics?
1.
What are my passions?
To make your blogging efforts more
sustainable in the long run, write about something you actually care about.
Consider your professional experience as
well. If you have no prior connections to your blogging specialty, you will
have a more difficult time establishing yourself as a reliable source of
information in that business.
If, on the other hand, you have professional
experience, an educational background, or connections in a specific industry,
you are already equipped to produce blog entries about those subjects and will
have an easier time gaining trust among your followers. Check out these blog
ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
2.
Who is my target audience?
Readers will flock to your site if there is
a desire to learn about your topic and you provide expertise or material that
meets an important need. Consider the types of readers you could attract based
on the topics you're interested in.
Then consider the kind of challenges
individuals experience – and the answers they seek – within those professions.
As a result, you may establish a blog centered on targeting these groups and
giving them with the answers they want.
3.
What are the profitable topics?
While you may blog about almost anything,
certain blog categories are more successful than others. Consider the sales
potential in that topic area to see whether you can earn money blogging in that
sector.
If you're starting a food blog, for example,
a post on the best kitchen appliances is a terrific way to promote affiliate
links or place adverts. If you're considering about starting a digital
marketing blog, try selling e-books or providing consulting services.
Types of blogs that make
money
Several types of blogs
can be profitable if you know how to manage them strategically, but here are
the most common:
Business and marketing
blogs
Finance blog
Health blogs
Fashion blogs
DIY and crafts blogs
Nutrition and food blogs
Lifestyle blogs
Whatever area you select, it's critical to
consider monetization from the start and set goals for earning an income from
your blog. This will guarantee that you lay a solid foundation from the
beginning.
If you're still unsure about what niche to
pursue, these blog examples might assist.
02
Scale your blog content
Now that you've decided on a specialty, it's
time to start developing content. As you begin, bear in mind that the strategy
behind your articles is just as vital as the content itself. Of course, your
articles will require a lot of writing, but they will also require a lot of
research and planning.
Furthermore, you will want to regularly and
frequently post fresh material without sacrificing quality. Here's what you
should know before you start developing and growing your content:
Select the appropriate subjects
Just as you chose a strategic blog focus,
you should also choose strategic writing subjects. The finest themes must have
two objectives:
They address your target audience's
requirements and provide them with a smart, actionable answer.
They focus on keywords with large search
volumes - a figure that reflects how many people look for a certain term or
topic within a given time period (typically one month). The notion here is that
the greater the keyword volume, the greater the interest in that issue. When
your articles give comprehensive answers to people's search queries, they are
more likely to rank on search engines, bringing visitors to your site (more on that later in Step 4).
Writing headlines is also a vital phase that
should not be overlooked. Make sure that all of your blog subjects have catchy
titles. The more appealing your blog names are, the more likely it is that
visitors will click through to read the content.
Consistent
posting
To achieve your primary aim of increasing
site traffic, you must provide new material on a regular basis. Aim to produce
at least 3 to 4 new content every week to increase organic traffic.
You should also post on a regular basis.
Don't post a large number of articles one week just to have nothing published
the next. Instead, set ahead of time an editorial calendar and a regular
publishing schedule. This will show Google that you have a healthy, active
blog.
Workload
distribution
When thinking about how to earn money
blogging, keep in mind that you're not just developing your online presence;
you're also honing your entrepreneurial abilities. You'll quickly find that
writing up to three pieces every week, on top of business management, is a lot
to handle.
Still, don't let it deter you. Consider
hiring additional support when you begin your blog so that you can swiftly
scale your material. You can do this by:
• Outsource certain material to freelancers
so that you can easily scale your content.
• Making your blog available for other
bloggers to write content on your site (a great free option for you that also
gives publicity to the guest contributor).
Whatever technique you select, the main line
is that you manage your workload such that you can focus on both company
planning and writing.
03.
Establish a reputation
The next stage in making money blogging is
to position yourself as an authority in your subject once you've published a
huge number of strategic material. These pointers will assist you:
Consider guest posting.
Begin by broadening your internet presence,
particularly in the writing and blogging communities. You may contact online
sites in your niche and propose guest post ideas. Remember to include a link to
your blog with your pitch as proof of your experience in the industry.
Browse your favorite magazines to see
whether they publish content from outside authors to locate guest blogging
possibilities. Some magazines that allow guest authors are listed below, along
with links to their Contact Us or Contributor pages:
Entrepreneur.com
New York Times Op-Ed
Section
Inc.com
Business Insider
Forbes Opinion Section
Alternatively, if you follow any blogs in
your industry, you can do a Google search for their name and check where
they're being published. This will direct you to sites that welcome guest
material.
You may then pitch an idea to a writer or
editor by email or LinkedIn. You may pitch them ideas on Twitter if you already
have a relationship with them. These are two of the most popular social media
sites among professionals, and they're frequently an efficient approach to
reach individuals in the field of online writing.
Don't get disheartened if your proposals are
rejected immediately away. That is a totally common situation for many people,
and your pitches will be accepted as your outreach attempts improve.
Furthermore, the more information you post, the greater your reputation - and
the simpler it will be for you to get published in the future.
If you're lucky, certain newspapers may
compensate you for your contributions. When it comes to generating money
blogging, this is already a solid start. However, even if guest writing does
not pay you monetarily, it is a terrific way to network with others in your
profession and begin expanding your following. With enough experience, you
might be able to land your own guest column.
Guest writing also has the advantage of
supplying backlinks to your own blog, which improves your SEO. This is
significant since it increases your site's visibility on search engines such as
Google, sending visitors to it. More SEO advice for bloggers may be found in this
post.
Collaborate with experts
Working closely with other experts in your
area is another approach to boost your credibility. This will increase your
visibility and help you grow an audience.
Begin by contacting pros in your blogging
field, such as a successful guest writer you follow or the editor of your
favorite newspaper. Inquire whether you may do an interview with them as a
guest post or for publishing on your own site. While this may appear to be a
daring request, persons in this position are generally delighted to conduct
interviews since it boosts their visibility.
Similarly, you may encourage other bloggers
in your field. Mention their articles in your social media postings and blog,
and interact with them on Twitter. They'll probably start reading your stuff
and return the favor.
04.
Expand and promote
You already know that the more people who
read your blog, the simpler it will be for you to make money from it. As a
result, increasing your website traffic is a vital step toward producing money
from your blog.
Before we go into how to advertise your
blog, bear in mind that promoting your work is a constant process. You should
advertise your site with all other actions from the minute you create your
blog. Even as your following rises, promoting your site will be just as
important to its success as blogging itself.
Here are some ideas for getting the word out
and increasing your popularity:
SEO
optimization
As previously said, SEO is crucial for
having your website listed on Google. One of the easiest methods to get
visitors to find your blog is to create content that ranks on the first page of
organic search results for relevant searches. For example, if you're starting a
baking site, you'll want to rank high for terms like "birthday cake
recipes" and "carrot cake recipes."
While this may appear scary, identifying
these keywords is really relatively straightforward for novices to understand,
especially with the aid of specific keyword research tools. These blogging
tools, which include Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs (shown below), and
others, advise you to the phrases you should include.
If you're new to SEO and keyword research,
it's worth your time to take a fast online SEO course, many of which are free.
Moz's Beginner's Guide to SEO is a wonderful place to start.
You can also use this blog post checklist to
ensure that you've covered all of the SEO basics, from keyword research to
image optimization and more.
Produce
a newsletter.
Making an email newsletter to promote your
content is another approach to generate visitors to your site and earn money as
a consequence. This will ensure that visitors to your site return to read
subsequent entries.
But how can you encourage people to sign up
for your email to begin with? Here are several examples:
• Create lead magnets: When people are
provided something worthwhile in return for their email address, they are far
more likely to sign up. Lead magnets, sometimes known as "freebies,"
are simply incentives that you provide in return for a subscription. You may
include a free e-book or guide, a complimentary slide deck or online course, or
a promo code for your online store in your offerings.
• Create opt-in forms: Opt-in boxes are
often pop-ups or slide-ins that invite readers to subscribe. They tend to
capture the attention of site visitors more than static text since they are
difficult to ignore. You may design an opt-in form that directs visitors to
subscribe to your emails. Another
option is to create opt-in forms that showcase your lead magnets and request
visitors' email addresses in return for the free gift.
Create
a social media plan.
You'd be making a big blogging error if you
didn't promote your posts on social networking. Social media marketing, like
SEO, is an excellent free method of increasing awareness.
You should not only provide a link to your
blog on your personal channels, but you should also think about building
distinct social media profiles for your blog. Create a Facebook business page
to promote your blog there, as well as dedicated company profiles on Instagram
and YouTube.
After that, expand your audience even more
by creating material to support your articles. Create Instagram and Pinterest
posts that include photos or infographics, and then link back to your blog
articles inside the posts. Similarly, you may repurpose your blog content into
YouTube videos and then provide a link to the corresponding post beneath each
video.
Get
inventive.
Increase your reach even farther by
utilizing a variety of unique content forms. Share your knowledge by
establishing a podcast or hosting a webinar. The more diverse your material is
to represent yourself as an authority in your industry, the more likely it is
that others will discover your blog.
While you should first provide this content
for free to establish your following and generate traffic to your blog, you may
later begin charging as an extra source of cash. Remember this when you
consider ways to monetize your site.
Part
2 of how to earn money blogging: Monetize your content
After you've established a solid content
strategy and a developing online presence, you're undoubtedly asking how to
monetize a blog.
To begin earning money from your blog, you should
use tools to improve your website as well as resources such as firm
partnerships and affiliate networks. Here are some suggestions:
• Place advertisements on your blog.
• Provide paid subscriptions
• Market merchandise
• Include affiliate links
• Produce sponsored content
• Offer consultation services
Now that you've set up your blog for
success, here's how to make money with the strategies described above:
05.
Advertise on your blog.
One option to make money blogging is to
include Google AdSense advertising in your blog entries, which will produce
cash.
What is Google AdSense, exactly? It is an
application that allows you to add advertisements on your website. Google then
fills those areas with relevant adverts to your blog and site visitors. When
those advertisements are viewed or clicked, you receive money.
This is a popular and lucrative advertising
scheme that allows bloggers to monetize their website visitors. You have
complete control over ad sizes, shapes, and placement, allowing you to maximize
for clicks while providing visitors with a non-intrusive browsing experience.
If you choose this path, there are a few
strategies you may use to increase your earnings:
• Produce high-quality material: Even if
your objective is to generate money with your blog, you should always
prioritize content quality. You'll receive traffic if your material is good.
And as your site grows in popularity, it becomes more appealing to marketers.
• Find profitable keywords: When conducting
keyword research for your blog entries, keep an eye out for transactional terms
that may be of interest to advertisers. These include terms like "Best
DSLR cameras" or "How to shoot great images," which might lead
to a sale.
• Select ad type and size While conducting
keyword research for your blog entries, keep an eye out for transactional
phrases that advertisers could be interested in. These include terms that might
possibly result in a sale, such as "Best DSLR cameras" or "How
to Take Professional Photos.color "log's scheme, but contrast effectively
with the backdrop. Tools like Bannersnack are excellent for altering the style
of your advertising.
• You may also include an ads.txt file in
your blog. While Google AdSense is the most popular, employing ads.txt allows
you to connect with ad sources other than Google.
06.
Provide paid subscriptions
A second way to make money blogging is to
create and sell membership plans. This allows devoted readers to purchase
access to special material.
Of course, part of your content should stay
free; after all, viewers will want to peruse your site before deciding whether
or not to purchase. However, you can augment the freebies with in-depth pieces
that provide members with rare insights worth paying for.
To stimulate your readers' curiosity,
provide a sneak peek of each unique piece before asking them to subscribe to
continue reading.
Offering paid memberships to your site is a
similar, but slightly different, approach. Members can be rewarded with a range
of benefits, such as access to webinars, downloadable resources, and free blog
articles.
07.
Sell products, e-books, and other items.
Selling things directly through their
website is another successful alternative. You may accomplish this by creating
an online store that directs people to your items. This enables you to sell
things associated with your blog specialty or personal brand.
Remember that your items don't have to be
real; many bloggers offer digital stuff as well.
Here are some examples of products you could
sell:
• E-books
• Online classes
• Webinars and online events
• T-shirts, stickers, and other products
bearing your blog's logo
• Handcrafted crafts and other items
For example, if you operate a fitness blog,
you may offer branded sports equipment. If you've begun a travel blog,
08.
Become a partner
Remember when we looked at how much money
bloggers make? According to their spending reports, virtually all top bloggers
employ affiliate marketing as part of their monetization plan. There's a reason
for this: affiliate marketing is a pretty simple way to generate passive money.
Affiliate marketing entails earning money
through blogging by advertising the products of others. This entails including
affiliate links to various items or services in your postings, on your website,
or on your social media profiles. When visitors to your site click on those
links and make a purchase, you will receive a commission from the sale.
Search the web for affiliate marketing
programs that may connect you with various items or companies to find brands to
collaborate with as an affiliate. Among the most popular programs are:
• CJ Affiliate: Work with well-known
businesses to promote their goods and earn commissions.
• ShareASale: Create profitable
collaborations with businesses from a range of industries.
• Amazon Associates: Promote Amazon items
and earn up to 10% in affiliate commissions.
Affiliate marketing is a successful
technique for both professional and personal blogs, so experiment with a few
different platforms to discover the one that works best for you.
09.
Produce sponsored content.
As your blog increases in popularity, you
may be approached by firms interested in sponsoring you. As you are effectively
advertising their items to your audience, the corporation will reimburse you
for each article you publish. These assignments frequently come with additional
incentives, such as complimentary things from the firm to evaluate.
These postings are often product reviews or
examples of how you use a company's products or services. It's a good idea to
promote things you actually believe in to keep your readers' confidence. Look
for agreements that would allow you to build a series of sponsored articles
over a long period of time.
You don't have to wait for firms to come to
you to uncover these chances. Take the effort to contact the leading
organizations in your sector and inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Make
it a point to explain why the cooperation would benefit the brand. For example,
tell them how many monthly visits you have and what they stand to gain by
reaching out to your audience.
10.
Provide consultation services
The final strategy to make money blogging is
to put all of your knowledge as a professional blogger to use. Using your blog
as a portfolio, offer your skills as a service and sell yourself as a coach or
consultant.
Depending on your specialty, you may work
with people or as a consultant for businesses. Many other sorts of blogs, from
marketing to nutrition and design, are a logical stepping stone to establishing
a full-fledged consulting firm. You might, for example, use your blogging
knowledge to become a digital marketing consultant or a dietary coach.
To begin, consider giving specific clients
services and enticing them with special bundles and discounts. You may also
provide group services such as conferences and public speaking events, as well
as webinars and online courses. If people find your blog to be really useful,
chances are they'll be willing to pay for one-on-one guidance that is precisely
targeted to their requirements.
Make money by starting a blog.
Writing a blog is more than just a pastime;
it's also a means to generate money and live on your own terms. As you can see,
there are several methods to transform your website visitors into revenue.
Follow these guidelines to expand your audience, improve your reputation, and
make your material profitable. With a mix of outstanding content, business
acumen, and professional monetization solutions, you'll be well on your way to
generating cash from your blog. To get started, check out the How to Monetize a
Blog section of our Blogging online course.