How to make money blogging: The complete free guide

If you want to work from home or start a full-time career, this comprehensive guide will show you the ropes. From creating a blog to growing your audience, this is your chance to learn how to make money blogging, convert website traffic into cash, and even launch an online business. It’s not easy, but it’s doable for beginners with the right approach.

You’ll be required to produce a blog site to become a part of the blogosphere. Afterward, you’ll need to grow your audience. Whether you desire a side hustle or an occupation, this detailed guide will walk you through actionable steps on how to begin a blog site, construct your readership, and grow your blog site. Then, you’ll discover utilizing the durable devices that can help you find out how to earn money blogging, turning your internet site web traffic right into cash, and possibly beginning a company online.

Just how much money can you make blog writing?

Before we dive into the steps to earn money blogging, let’s talk about how much you can earn.

Just how much money can you make when blogging as a novice? Financing blog Millennial Money reports that after simply two years of building website traffic and subscribers to this kind of website, blog owners can make upwards of $120,000 every year. Within the first year, blog owners can make $500-$ 2,000 monthly.

Let’s check out a few examples from this research study of successful bloggers:

As you can see, you can earn a large revenue range as a blog writer. However, other than the numbers, remember these important takeaways before you begin:

1. You can generate income blogging even if you’re not an expert author.
2.  Using more than one strategy to bring in income with your blog site is feasible.
3.  Effective blog owners generate income by making use of a number of the very same strategies.

Let’s break these ideas down and recognize these techniques.

How to earn money blogging in 10 actions

Adhere to these 10 actionable actions to focus on your craft and monetize your blogging efforts:

1. Select a successful particular niche.
2.  Range your blog site material.
3.  Construct an online reputation.
4.  Advertise and expand.
5.  Promote within your blog site.
6.  Deal paid subscriptions.
7.  Sell merchandise.
8.  Come to be an associate.
9.  Write sponsored content.
10.  Provide getting in touch with solutions.

part 1: How to make money blogging: build your online presence

Before earning money, you must make an internet site, start a blog, and grow your audience. Think of it this way: More website traffic to your blog site can equal more money.

Therefore, generating income starts with picking a critical blogging niche and spreading the word about your blog. Here’s how to do it:

01. Select a successful particular niche.

If you’re starting a blog site, you’re possibly asking on your own– What should I discuss?

Before you study composing, you’ll be required to choose a niche. Select one overarching theme in a certain area for your blog to draw in a targeted team of followers.

Start with your interests when picking your particular niche– after all, you’ll commit great deals of time and effort to this topic. Yet, if you seriously want to generate income blogging, you also need to consider what topics people intend to check out and if those topics are economically sensible.

Consider Cup of Jo, for instance, a daily women’s way of life website that explores subjects like food, culture, design, traveling, connections, and parenting. Founded in 2007, the prominent blog “gets over 4 million month-to-month page sights and practically 1 million monthly unique site visitors,” according to the website. By narrowing down a certain particular niche and supplying appropriate and relatable material to the ideal target market, creator Joanna Goddard has cultivated a solid area and a deeply involved audience.

With that said in mind, ask yourself these 3 inquiries when picking a blog site niche:

• What are my passions?
•  Who is my target market?
•  Which topics are profitable?

Question 1: What are my passions?

You’ll want to blog about a subject you’re passionate about and experienced, ready to maintain your blog writing efforts for the long term.

Consider your degree of expert experience also. If you have no prior links to your particular blogging niche, you’ll find it more challenging to establish yourself as a reliable source because of the industry.

On the other hand, if you have job experience, instructional background, or links in a certain field, you can compose posts regarding those subjects and build trust amongst your readership. Please look at these blog site concepts– they’ll jumpstart your creative imagination.

Question 2: That is my target market?

Visitors will certainly flock to blogs that offer sought-after info and understanding. After you have actually selected your particular niche, think about which readers you may bring in, the problems they face and the remedies they look for. This way, you can produce and generate income from a blog that provides this group the solutions they need.

Question 3: Which subjects are profitable?

While you can blog about almost anything, some blog niches can make more money than others. To prepare for whether you can earn money blogging with a specific niche, take into consideration the sales possibilities in that discipline. For example, a cooking blog site could promote associate links in an article regarding the leading kitchen area appliances or market advertisement room to cooking brands. An electronic advertising blog site could market e-books or deal consulting services.

Sorts of blogs that make money

Several sorts of blog sites can be successful if you understand how to handle them tactically but below are the most common:

• Business and marketing blog sites
• Finance blog
• Health blog sites
• Style blogs
• DIY and crafts blogs
• Nutrition and food blog sites
• Lifestyle blog sites
• Travel blog sites: Just how to make money as a travel blog owner

Whichever niche you choose for your blog, think about how you’ll monetize it from the beginning and collection income objectives to build a strong foundation. If you’re still stuck on what specific niche to focus on, these blog instances can aid provide guidance.

02. Increase your blog’s content.

You can start writing for your blog now that you’ve chosen a niche. As you start, remember that the planning and study that goes into your blog posts can have an impact equal to the writing itself on its financial success. 

Besides that, you should regularly and often post new content without lowering the quality. Before you start making and sharing your content, here’s what you should know:

Pick the right blog posts.

You picked a blog area that makes sense, and now you must choose topics that make sense to write about.

The best topics do two things: they meet your audience’s wants and give them a well-thought-out solution they can use.

They focus on keywords that get a lot of searches. A keyword’s search volume is the number of times people look it up during a certain amount of time, usually one month. The more popular a keyword is, the more people have been interested in it. If your articles fully answer people’s search queries, they are likelier to rank high on their search engines. This will then bring people to your site.

Also, remember how important it is to write headlines. People are likelier to click on your blog posts if the names are interesting.

Tip: Use a handy title generator tool to write catchy headlines that get people’s attention.

Regularly write blog posts.

If you want more people to visit your site, add new information often. How often you post may depend on the size and needs of your blog. HubSpot says that you should make one to four posts a week, but bigger businesses may post an article daily or more than once a day.

On top of that, you should keep the same posting schedule. It would help if you didn’t put out a lot of articles one week and then nothing the next. Instead, you should make an editorial calendar and plan for a regular posting schedule.

Spread out the work.

When thinking about how to make money blogging, remember that you’re becoming more commercial while building your online presence. Soon, writing up to three posts a week and running your business simultaneously will be hard for you. But don’t let that slow you down. If you want to grow your blog quickly, you should get extra help when starting it. This can be done by:

• Hiring freelancers to write some of the text
• Having other blogs post articles on your site is a great way to get free content and helps the guest contributor get noticed.

No matter what you decide, ensure you have enough time to work on writing and business planning.

03. Construct your reputation

The next step to making money blogging is to become known as an expert in your field after you’ve written a lot of useful content. These suggestions will help you:

Try writing guest posts.

Start by making yourself known more online, especially on blogs. You can send guest post ideas to websites in your field. Send a link to your blog and your pitch to show you have experience in the area.

Find guest writing opportunities by checking your favourite websites to see if they accept content from outside writers. This is a list of 101 publications and sites that accept guest posts. You should contact some of them. Among them are

• Mashable
• Smashing Magazine
• CopyBlogger
• Entrepreneur.com
• New York Times Op-Ed Section
• Inc.com
• Business Insider
• Forbes Opinion Section

You can also search for their name online to see where they’re being published if you follow them on any blogs in your niche. Then, it will lead you to sites that let guest posts.

Afterwards, you can email or connect with an editor or writer to pitch an idea. You can also share your thoughts with them on Twitter if you already know them there. People who work in online marketing often use these social media sites.

Don’t give up if a publication doesn’t accept your pitch right away. Rejections are normal, even for people who have worked in printing for a long time. As you improve your marketing, people will accept your pitches. Also, the more work you print, the better your reputation will become, and the more likely a newspaper will want to publish you again.

Some publications may supply you payment for your contributed content, an excellent start to making money blogging. That said, even if guest publishing doesn’t compensate you monetarily, it’s still valuable. In return, you network with others in your field, expand your audience and establish your proficiency and authority. With sufficient experience, you could land your guest column.

Guest blog writing additionally supplies links to your blog site, an essential SEO (SEO) signal. Read this post for more ideas on SEO for blog owners.

Get the help of professionals.

You may also collaborate closely with other industry leaders to solidify your reputation, increase your visibility, and cultivate an audience.

For example, you may contact the editor of a magazine you love or a popular guest writer in your sector to discuss potential collaborations. Get in touch and see if you can interview them for your blog or as a guest article. This may seem like an audacious request, but interviewees in this field frequently gladly agree to do so to boost their profile.

Also, consider promoting other bloggers in your field. Give their articles a mention on your social media postings and blog, and communicate with them on Twitter. They will probably interpret your material as a kind of reciprocation.

04. Foster and expand

The easier it is to make money from your site, the more readers it has. That is why increasing your blog’s traffic is a crucial first step in monetization.

Remember that you must always sell your work before we get into how to promote your blog. You should encourage your site from publishing your blog post until the end. Getting the word out about your blog will be as important as writing content for your growing audience.

Use these strategies to get the word out and become well-known:

Make It SEO-Friendly

To increase your website’s visibility on Google and other search engines, search engine optimization (SEO) is essential. Get your blog posts at the top of relevant search engine results pages (SERPs) if you want more visitors. If you’re starting a baking blog, for instance, you should aim to rank highly for terms like “birthday cake recipes” and “carrot cake recipes.”

Aiming to write the most informative blog posts online is a good first step, but optimizing them with strategic long tail keywords—a specific kind of keyword targeting your exact audience—is where you’ll see results.

If you’re starting out as a blogger, don’t be scared; plenty of online resources can teach you how to identify these keywords. Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs (seen below), and similar blogging tools will show you exactly which phrases to use.

Take a short, free online SEO course if you’re new to search engine optimization and keyword research. They’re well worth your time. An excellent starting point is Wix’s SEO Learning Hub.

By consulting this blog post checklist, ensure you’ve optimized your images and conducted thorough keyword research.

Make a newsletter for your blog.

You can also create an email newsletter to promote your material and attract more readers to your site. If you do this, people who stumble upon your blog will be more likely to return for more content.

However, the question remains: how can you attract readers to your newsletter? Apply these concepts:

• Make a lead magnet: Signups will increase if they get something of value in return. “Freebies” or lead magnets are simply incentives you provide to people in return for their subscription. Free e-books, guides, slide decks, online courses, and discount codes for your online business are some examples of what you may provide.

• Use opt-in forms: These boxes usually appear as pop-ups or slide-ins and invite readers to sign up. They are more likely to attract site visitors’ attention than static text because they are difficult to ignore. Making an opt-in form that invites people to sign up for your email list is one option you have. Another option is completing opt-in web forms that showcase your lead magnets and request email addresses from visitors as payment for the freebie.

• Create an email list: With an email list, you can reach your audience directly and send them your best content. Maintaining contact with your audience is essential after being amassed a mailing list. Only send a few messages or spam. Instead, establish a regular time and date to send your newsletter so people know when to expect it. 

Create an approach to social media.

A big blogging faux pas is not promoting your blog posts on social media. You may get a lot of exposure for nothing by using social media marketing and search engine optimization.

You can do a few things to promote your blog: post a link on your personal channels and think about creating a separate account only for your blog. Market your blog on Facebook by establishing a business page. You can also use Instagram and YouTube to promote your company.

Making content to accompany your articles is the next step in expanding your audience once you’ve done this. Starting with microblogging is one possibility. Create image- or infographic-heavy posts on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest (for more on how to utilize Pinterest for blogging) and include a link to an article from your blog. Similarly, you may transform your blog posts into films or shorts for YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram and then include a link to the original piece under each one.

Think beyond the box and launch a webinar or podcast.

Use a variety of inventive content forms to increase your reach even further. Share your knowledge by launching a podcast or webinar, and add instructional how-to videos to your website. Your blog’s discoverability will increase in proportion to the variety of content you produce to establish your authority in the subject.

It would help if you gave this stuff away for free at the beginning to get people to your blog and build your audience, but you can always start charging for it after you’ve established your credibility. This is something to consider when plotting a way to monetize your site.

Part 2: Monetizing Your Content for Profitable Blogging

How to make money off of a blog is a natural question to ask once you’ve established your online presence and developed a solid content strategy.

To monetize your blog, you must invest in website optimization tools and explore opportunities such as affiliate programs and business collaborations. I have a few suggestions:

• Digital seminars and classes
• Place ads on your blog
• Subscriptions may be purchased.
• Promote and sell products
• Insert connections to affiliate programs
• Create advertising material
• Offering advisory services
• Print and digital books
• Webinars 
• Engagements in public speaking
• Professional advice
• Personal assistance

Now that your blog is set up for success, the following are some strategies for generating revenue with it:

05. Place advertisements on your blog

You can generate income through blogging by including Google AdSense advertisements in your blog posts.

To clarify, what is Google AdSense? The application enables the placement of advertising spaces on a website. Google then populates those spaces with advertisements pertinent to your blog and site visitors. You generate revenue when users click or view your advertisements.

The average cost per click (CPC) for Google Ads in the United States, according to Wordstream, ranges from $1 to $2 when factors in the CPCs of various business types and keywords. 

This well-known and profitable advertising program enables bloggers to monetize the traffic they receive on their websites. By utilizing the advertising network, users can select their desired ad sizes, shapes, and placements. This enables them to optimize their content for views while ensuring visitors have a seamless perusing experience.

If you choose this path, increase your earnings by employing the following strategies:

• Produce superior content: No matter how motivated you are to monetize your blog, content quality should always take precedence. Visible content garners attention. Furthermore, increased traffic transforms your blog into a valuable platform for advertisers. 
• Identify lucrative keywords: While conducting keyword research for your blog posts, remain vigilant for transactional terms that could attract advertisers’ attention. These encompass keywords such as “How to take professional photographs” or “The best DSLR cameras” that have the potential to generate sales.
• Select ad dimensions and style: Consider how advertisements will appear in contrast to your blog’s colour scheme or background. Social Stream and similar tools are excellent options for customizing the appearance of your advertisements.
• A/B test your ad placement: Ad space is not created equal when generating revenue through advertisements. The performance of an advertisement can vary based on its placement, such as at the top, bottom, or side of a webpage. Perform A/B tests to determine which ad spaces receive the most clicks, and use the results to guide your future ad placement.

Additionally, an ads.txt file can be appended to a blog. Although Google AdSense is the preeminent ad provider, you have the flexibility to connect with other providers via ads.txt.

Alternative tools for monetizing a blog include AdThrive, Mediavine, and Amazon Display Ads, to name a few. 

06. Provide subscriptions for a fee

Another method of generating income from blogging is establishing and selling online subscriptions that grant devoted readers access to exclusive material.

Undoubtedly, some of your blog’s content should be accessible without charge; readers will desire to peruse it before purchasing. However, giveaways can be supplemented with in-depth posts that provide subscribers exclusive insights for which they would pay.

We request that your readers subscribe so they can continue reading each exclusive post after being given a sneak peek.

An analogous yet marginally distinct strategy entails implementing paid memberships on your website. Members can be incentivized with a range of benefits, such as complimentary blog content, downloadable resources, and access to webinars.

07. Market products, e-books and even more

One more revenue-creating alternative is offering products directly via your blog site. To do this, you can open an online store and sell items related to your blog’s particular niche or personal brand name.

Remember that you do not simply need to offer physical products. Many bloggers opt to market electronic products, too.

Right here are some options to obtain conceptualizing for the kinds of things you can offer:

• Electronic books
• Online courses/Vlog
• Webinars and digital occasions or meet-ups
• T-shirts, sticker labels and goods with your blog site logo design
• Handmade crafts and other products
• Printables
• Workshops

For instance, if you began a physical fitness blog site, you may offer well-known sports equipment. If you’ve started a travelling blog site, you could attempt marketing digital travelling guides for download.

Look at Minimalist Baker, a personal blog site turned online store and a food lover’s place for lots. Founded in 2012 by Dana Shultz, the blog site’s foundation is based on the requirements of 10 ingredients or less, one bowl and thirty minutes (or much less) to prepare. Shultz authored an effective publication, Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking, with a big internet community, has over 2 million fans on Instagram and a full-scale merchandise line marketing cooking blends, kitchen area basics, kitchen things and even digital photography and lights equipment. It’s an outstanding example of a blog generating income by supplying worth via retailing and online dishes and workshops.

08. Come to be an associate

When we look at how much money bloggers earn, it’s important to remember. Their expense records reveal that nearly all leading blog owners use affiliate advertising as a money-making technique. And forever factor: affiliate marketing is a relatively very easy resource for easy earnings.

Associate advertising and marketing means you earn money blogging by advertising other individuals’ items. This includes including affiliate links to various products and services within your articles, your site, or your social network accounts. When your site visitors click those web links and make a purchase, you’ll make a payment from the sale.

To find brand names to accompany you as an associate, do your marketing research and surf the web for affiliate advertising programs that connect you with various products or businesses. A few one of the most preferred programs consist of the following:

CJ Associate: Connect with extensively identified brands and make compensations by promoting their products.

• ShareASale: Construct successful partnerships with brand names across a range of sectors.

• Amazon Associates: Advertise products sold on Amazon and gain as much as 10% in associate payments.

• Clickbank: Explore a variety of e-commerce tools and a worldwide affiliate industry and gain access to sustainability and education.

• Affiliate Marketing: this is a reliable technique for professional and personal blogs, so try to check out a few different systems to find what works best for you.

09. Write sponsored web content

As your blog expands, businesses might approach you with sponsorship chances. The company will compensate you for every article you create that markets their products to your audience. Commonly, these gigs feature added advantages, like free products from the company for you to assess.

These articles take the type of product evaluations or other demos of how you use a firm’s service or products. A great method is to advise products you count on to preserve your viewers’ trust fund. In addition, search for partnerships that enable you to create a collection of funded posts over time. This ensures a repeating resource of revenue.

To find these opportunities, you do not need to linger for firms to locate you. Contact the leading organizations in your field and inquire about sponsorship options. Make certain to clarify why the brand name would benefit from the partnership. As an example, tell them about your number of monthly visitors and what they stand to get from reaching your target market.

10. Provide consulting services.

An additional way to generate income blogging involves utilizing all the expertise you’ve gained as a professional blog writer. Using your blog as a profile, supply your know-how as a service and advertise yourself as a trainer or consultant.

Relying on your area, you can either work with individuals or function as a specialist (see how to start a consulting blog site) for companies. Many types of blogs, from marketing to nourishment and interior design, are an all-natural tipping rock to a full-fledged consulting service. For example, you might build on your blogging experience to become a digital advertising specialist or a food coach.

First, offer solutions to individual customers and attract them with unique bundles and discounts. You can likewise branch off into team solutions, such as seminars and public speaking occasions, webinars and on-the-internet programs. If individuals discover that your blog supplies truly valuable understandings, they’ll likely spend for guidance tailored to their requirements.

What length of time does it require to make money blogging?

The time it takes to start earning money blogging varies, depending on many variables: the niche you remain in, the high quality of your web content, and your marketing initiatives. It takes approximately 20 months to begin earning money with a blog. Nevertheless, many bloggers’ incomes rather, and some never make money.

Here are some of the factors that can influence how long it requires to begin generating income blogging:

The specific niche you’re in. Some niches are more affordable than others, and it might take longer to begin making money in a competitive particular niche. Niches including style, financing and travel currently have many well-established blogs, making it tough to stand apart from the group. If you want an affordable specific niche, you’ll need to produce extraordinary content and be much more active in advertising your blog to get discovered. Sometimes, earning money to blog with a much less affordable niche is much easier.

The top quality of your web content. You’re more likely to monetize your blog site if you’re composing good content. Individuals will likely review your articles and remain on your blog site. Your content should be well-written, informative, interesting, and relevant to your audience’s interest rate. If you need clarification on whether your content fulfils those criteria, ask for responses from pals, family or other bloggers.

Your advertising efforts. Promoting your blog site and driving website traffic to it is a wonderful way to generate income. There are several means to advertise your blog site, such as social media sites, e-mail advertising and visitor blog writing. Likewise, You need to see that your blog is very easy to locate on the internet search engine. This implies using appropriate search phrases in your blog posts and maximizing your site for SEO.

Earn money by creating a blog.

Composing a blog isn’t simply a hobby; it can also be a method to earn money, generate revenue and live on your terms. As you have seen, you can turn your website’s web traffic into cash in various ways. Follow these suggestions to grow your target market, develop your online reputation and make your web content lucrative. With high-quality content, company smarts, and professional money-making tools, you’ll be well on your way to earning revenue from your blog site. To obtain your beginning, use blog layouts and then look at how to generate income from a blog site as part of our Blog writing online course.

Idea: Before creating your Blog, see our guide on how much it sets you back to start a blog to approximate your anticipated costs.

Factors to begin a blog.

Here are some reasons to begin a blog site:

Share your ideas with the world. If you have something to claim, a blog site is a great means to get it available. You can cover anything that intrigues you, from personal experiences to professional knowledge.

Get in touch with others who share your rate of interest. Blogging helps you get in touch with people from throughout the globe who share your rate of interest. You can build connections with various other bloggers, viewers and prospective partners.

Learn brand-new points. The process of writing and researching for your blog site can assist you in discovering new things about yourself and the globe around you. You can likewise gain from other blog writers by reading their articles and participating in discussions.

Generate income. While it’s challenging to earn money from blogging, it’s feasible. There are a variety of means to monetize your Blog, such as advertising, affiliate marketing, and marketing services or products.

Build your brand. If you have an organization or want to develop as an expert in your field, blogging can be a great way to construct your brand name. By continually sharing premium web content, you can attract an audience and develop yourself as an idea leader.

Have an innovative outlet. Blogging can be a terrific way to express your creativity and share your perspective with the world. You can try different composing styles and formats and utilize multimedia to improve your posts.

Make a distinction. If you’re passionate about a certain cause, blogging can effectively increase recognition and make a difference on the planet. You can use your blog site to inform others, advocate for adjustment and inspire others to do something about it.

Can you still make money from blogging?

While some could say blogging’s golden era more, blogging is still profitable and a sensible means to make money. The key lies in adapting to the brand-new landscape.

The bright side is that blogging remains a powerful tool for building a target market and developing competence. As Wix’s Blog site Growth and Search Engine Optimization Outreach Specialist, Ophyr Hanan, explains, “Blogging includes worth to existing and prospective individuals by giving them with reliable, credible details that will help them throughout their user journey and interaction with your products/services.” Individuals still consume material online; high-quality blog sites can bring in dedicated visitors. Monetization choices from blogging have not disappeared – they’ve progressed beyond slapping banner advertisements almost everywhere.

Competition is fierce, so standing apart needs a laser-focused specific niche, first-class content and energetic target market engagement. Counting solely on online search engine website traffic isn’t sufficient. Social media promotion, email advertising, marketing, and area building are all important to help you develop your online visibility. It would help to discover numerous revenue streams to see that you haven’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Below are some vital pointers to generating income from blogging this year:

• Discover your niche and end up being an authority. Deep knowledge and beneficial understandings in a certain location attract dedicated readers.
• Concentrate on top-quality web content. Well-researched, engaging and interesting writing constructs trust and keeps readers returning.
• Embrace numerous monetization strategies. Explore various choices and locate what benefits your target market and niche.
• Build your neighborhood. Foster interaction through comments, social networks and email checklists.

Remain adaptable and maintain understanding. The digital landscape progresses, so be prepared to adjust your strategies as necessary.

FAQ on How to Earn Money Blogging