How A Blog Makes Money: How Bloggers Earn Money Online

Learn how a blog makes money and how to grow your blog. You will be able to publish posts, get traffic, build a following, and find ways to monetize your blog.

                           Content

• • The Birdseye View
  • Step 1: Find a Niche for Your Blog
  • Step 2: Name Your Blog
  • Step 3: Sign Up With a Webhost
  • Step 4: Design Your WordPress Blog
  • Step 5: Optimize Your Blog for SEO
  • Build a Reputation
  • How Much Money Can Bloggers Earn?
  • How Long Does it Take to Make Money Blogging?
  • 10 Ideas to Make Money Blogging
  • Conclusion
  • Make Money Blogging FAQ

The Birdseye View

Starting a blog is another way to make money online. It only takes a few minutes to set up a blog. And if you’re looking for a good and affordable hosting plan, Hostinger offers a great starter plan that starts at $1.99 per month.

Once your blog is installed, the next step is to get it ready for revenue generation.

One of the most popular ways to make money from blogging is through affiliate marketing and display ads like Google AdSense. These programs allow you to earn a commission on products or services that you recommend on your blog.

To make even more money from your blog, consider selling your own products after driving high traffic to it. You can create helpful content that attracts many readers and then use those readers as leads to sell your products or services.

But before you get that far, there’s a lot of work to be done. Here are the steps you need to take before your blog is ready to operate.

Step 1: Find a Niche for Your Blog

However, you can’t make money from your blog if you don’t have one. 

Therefore, we will first talk about the steps you need to take before you can think about making money from your blog.

When you’re starting a blog, it’s crucial to think about what your focus will be. You don’t need to have a revolutionary idea–in fact, most bloggers find success by targeting a specific niche audience. However, you need to have a unique voice and perspective that sets you apart from everyone else in the space.

There are many ways to go about finding your blog’s niche.

The easiest way is to think about things you’re interested in or passionate about. What topics can you talk about for hours on end without getting bored? In what areas of life or work do you know a lot?

Once you have narrowed it down, do some research online to see how other blogs cover the same topic. Your job is to try to come up with a fresh angle that will make your blog stand out from the rest.

Do some research online to see if there are any gaps in the market for that particular topic. For example, if you’re interested in fashion, there might be a lack of fashion-related blogs focused on plus-size women.

Once you’ve figured out your blog’s niche, it’s time to come up with a name!

Step 2: Name Your Blog

Now that you have a general idea of what you want to write about, it’s time to name your blog.

It can be one of the most challenging steps, but it’s important to take the time to get it right.

When you have a list of 2 to 4 names that you are considering, ask family and friends for advice on which name they like best.

You want a name that is catchy, memorable, and easy to spell. Don’t overthink the naming process–choose something that feels right and go with it.

Sometimes it can be a good idea to think outside the box.  See how two of the biggest brands in the world have named their companies.

• Apple – A technology company named after a fruit.
• Google- It’s not even a word.

Make sure your blog name is appropriate for all audiences (no offensive words). 

Look for a .com domain. However, if your chosen domain name is not available as .com and you really want the name, see if it is available as a .net or .org domain.

Step 3: Sign Up With a Web Host

Now that you have a domain name, the next step is to sign up with a web host. Hostinger is one of the best hosts for new bloggers and offers affordable plans that include a free domain name.

Hostinger has the fastest shared hosting on the planet; even on the basic hosting package, I highly recommend them.

The first step in the setup process is to choose a blogging platform. I recommend WordPress. The setup wizard will help you take care of WordPress installation when checking out.

Start designing your blog to suit your style by installing the theme of your choice once you’ve completed the setup process.

Step 4: Design Your WordPress Blog

Now that you have your blog installed, it’s time to start thinking about the design.

It’s an essential step because the design of your blog will determine how users interact with and perceive your content.

You need to think about two aspects of WordPress blog design: the theme and the widgets.

Themes control your blog’s overall look and feel, while widgets allow you to add functionality like social media icons, contact forms, or recent post lists.

There are thousands of free and paid themes available for you to choose from on the WordPress platform. Before installing or activating them, you can preview themes by clicking on “Preview” in the Details column next to any theme.

When choosing a theme for your WordPress blog, it’s vital to pick one in sync with your blog niche that fits your style.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, install and activate it by clicking on “Install & Activate” in the Themes section of the Dashboard sidebar menu.

Step 5: Optimize Your Blog for SEO

It is crucial to optimize it for search engine ranking (SEO) to make the most of your blog. You can do that in various ways, one of the easiest methods is using WordPress plugins (if you use WordPress)

One such plugin is Yoast SEO, which will give you step-by-step advice on how to improve your blog’s SEO. It will suggest improvements for your blog based on your keywords, so do your research before selecting them.

It’s also good to have a keyword tool to help you pick the right keywords for your blog posts.

Keyword tools can be an expensive monthly expense if you choose the best-known ones like Semrush or Ahrefs.

I recommend Keywords Everywhere, which has an affordable price, you can search for 100,000 keywords for only $ 10

Your blog is now ready for content and revenue generation.

Build a Reputation

One of the best ways to build a foundation for your blog is by building a reputation as an authority in your field.

When people know that you’re an expert, they’re more likely to trust you and be willing to buy the products you recommend.

You can start building a reputation by engaging with readers in the comments section, and responding when people ask questions about monetization strategies or advertising options for their blogs.

You can also promote your blog on social media, send emails to other influencers, write sponsored content and offer consulting services.

The key is to create strategic and helpful content in your field so that people will see you as an authority.

Once you have established yourself as an authority, it is much easier to make money because more people will buy through your affiliate links.

How Much Money Can Bloggers Earn?

There is no one answer to this question since the amount of money a blogger can earn varies greatly depending on their niche, content, and monetization strategies.

The average full-time income for a professional blogger is approximately $4,000 per month. However, it is possible to make much more than that with effort and perseverance. It is not uncommon for successful bloggers to make upwards of $30,000 per month.

In addition, there are some marketplaces where bloggers can sell their blogs for six-figure sums. Flippa is the most popular site for this type of transaction, and the price tags start at well over $100,000.

While bloggers have many ways to make money, the most lucrative method is monetizing their content.

It could mean displaying ads on their site, selling products or services through email marketing, or charging for guest posts. Ultimately, how much a blogger earns depends on how effectively they can monetize their blog.

However, some bloggers try to maintain a core principle or ethics code.

For example, some bloggers refuse to accept paid posts from brands that do not align with their values – which ultimately limits earning potential in the short term.

How Long Does it Take to Make Money Blogging?

Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

Making money with a blog takes time, effort, and dedication. It can be a slow process to start making an income from your blog, but if you are patient and put in the work, you will be successful.

There are a few things that you can do to speed up the process of making money from your blog.

Promote your content. Don’t just sit and wait for traffic sent your way by the search engines, use every opportunity to link back to your content.

You can promote your content on social media sites like Medium, Twitter, Pinterest, Quora, etc.

Additionally, focus on creating high-quality content that is relevant to your audience. And finally, don’t wait too long to launch your blog- the longer you wait, the more competition you will face.

Mushfiq left his job in April 2021 to focus on blogging full-time. Within a year of being established, the blog was able to generate significant revenue- despite only being one year old at the time.

It shows that if you are willing to put in the hard work required for success as a blogger, you can make money online.

10 Ideas to Make Money Blogging

There are several ways to turn your blog into a moneymaker. The best way to make money from your blog depends on the niche, content formats, and relationships with readers. 

It takes some creativity and hard work to find the right money-making strategies that will work best for your blog.

Here are ten ideas to monetize your blog.

Build an Email List

One of the best ways to make money blogging is to build an email list.

Email marketing has existed since 1978 and is the oldest online marketing system. Despite its age, it is still one of the most lucrative ways to make money online.

Several studies show that email marketing generates approximately $40 for every $1 invested. Everyone involved in internet marketing has heard the phrase “the money is in the list” now you know why.

An email list allows you to reach your followers in one place- their inbox. It’s a great way to keep them up-to-date on new blog posts, products, and services.

The key to successful email marketing is creating loyalty with targeted and helpful messages.

Make it easy for visitors to sign up through a pop-up box that will appear when they visit your blog.

You can also encourage your followers to sign up when they visit your blog by including a link or banner at the top or bottom of each post.

Your blog should appeal to your audience, so be sure to post relevant and engaging content.

You can also build an audience by engaging on social media and promoting your content in a way that is relevant to your followers.

“Lead magnets” are another way to build subscribers, which are helpful because they offer valuable content in exchange for contact information like an email address and name.

Offering incentives like “lead magnets” to visitors will increase the likelihood that they will subscribe to your email list and return for more content or purchases.

Finally, promote products and services related to your niche to your subscriber list.

Write Sponsored Product Reviews.

Sponsored content is another common way for bloggers to make money. Brands will often pay bloggers to write articles or produce videos about their products or services. This type of advertising can be very lucrative for high-traffic blogs.

Businesses often pay bloggers to publish reviews of their products, which can help nudge customers into purchases. This tactic gets murky when the FTC fines companies for providing free or discounted goods in exchange for positive reviews.

The FTC has a new set of guidelines emphasizing disclosure, honesty, and transparency. Bloggers need to disclose when a company sponsors a review to comply with these rules.

Share the good and the bad to help readers decide whether they should purchase the item. When reviewing something, try to be as honest as possible – after all, that’s what your readers expect from you.

Sell Advertising Placements

Bloggers have a variety of ways to make money from their sites, and selling advertising placements is one of the most common.

Advertisers are typically willing to pay more for ad space on a high-traffic website than on a low-traffic one. If you can generate a lot of traffic to your blog, you can charge more for advertising slots.

Display ads are the most lucrative sales channel for many bloggers. These are banner or text ads placed directly on your blog and usually rotate every few seconds. 

There are a few different ways that you can sell advertising on your blog.

You can use an advertising network to take care of everything and give you a massive cut. For example, Google AdSense is an advertising network that connects advertisers with publishers.

You can also work closely with individual companies. They may be interested in having their ads featured on your site because it will reach a larger and more targeted audience than other traditional marketing channels.

Join Affiliate Programs

One way bloggers can generate revenue is through affiliate marketing.

It involves partnering with other businesses and earning a commission on sales generated by you.

Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative source of income for bloggers if they have a large audience reach.

It’s easy to get started with affiliate marketing. You can earn a commission on selling physical items such as electronics, jewelry, CBD oil, etc., or digital products like ebooks, software, or online courses by joining an affiliate program.

Most premium affiliate networks will not accept you as an affiliate if you don’t have a professional-looking blog/ website.

Many affiliate programs are available for bloggers in almost all niches.

Offer Services

One great way to make money from your blog is to offer services. It can be in consulting, teaching, or even freelancing.

Building your audience could lead to consulting opportunities. Authority is a huge draw for potential clients, as demonstrated by the mention of consulting above.

When you have a service-based business, it’s quick and easy to make money online. You can promote yourself through your blog and social media platforms to help book new clients and grow your business. 

Sell Digital Products

Another way to make money from blogging is by selling digital products such as ebooks or online courses. You can sell these products through your website or online marketplaces like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Udemy, Clickbank, Paykickstart, etc.

Digital products are a scalable way to make money because they’re easy and don’t require manufacturing or shipping costs.

You can sell digital products via blogs, and an infinite number of them can be created, making the process easier to manage.

Digital products can be

• Software
• Online courses
• Ebooks
• Workbooks
• Printables

A blog’s monetization strategy should include digital products.

Sell Physical Products

Bloggers can also make money by selling physical products such as clothing, accessories, home decor products, and print-on-demand items.

Selling physical products through print-on-demand can help make blogging more fun and profitable because this business model has no excess inventory or high upfront costs.

Services like Printful and Printify will help you start selling physical merchandise on your blog in minutes.

There are many other ways to make money blogging, like starting an online store or selling branded items through social media.

For example, Blogger Emily Weiss blogged about beauty tips and then founded a company that became a billion-dollar brand.

Or blogger Richard Belton has been blogging about maple syrup for 8 years, building an audience and earning Amazon commissions. So don’t be afraid to get creative with how you monetize your blog content!

You can make money blogging in other ways than just through advertising revenue.

One blogger switched his monetization strategy by starting a Shopify store. This new revenue stream allowed him to reduce reliance on Amazon ads and increase profits.

To make money from your blog involves a lot of writing, posting on social media, and maintaining relationships—but it’s definitely worth it! So weigh the pros and cons before deciding if this is the right option.

Create a Membership Community

Another way to make money blogging is through membership programs, which charge users a monthly fee to access exclusive content or services.

Memberships are a great way to generate income from your blog. Membership tiers give members discounts for paying yearly instead of monthly and provide revenue for your blog.

You can offer a membership for an agreed-upon price, charge more per month after a specific time, or even have different membership levels with additional benefits.

The key is to make it worth the members while joining your community and being active on your site. You may not get much money at first, but it’s possible to collect recurring revenue from your site-based forum memberships over time.

Monetize YouTube Videos

If you’re looking for ways to make money through your blog, then it’s crucial to think about monetizing your YouTube channel.

YouTube channel + blog is an excellent mix; they can help each other.

Link from your YouTube channel to your blog and vice versa. Here are a few methods that can help you generate revenue from your videos:

1) Sell advertising space on your videos.

2) Participate in the YouTube Partner program.

3) Place affiliate links in your video descriptions.

4) Use Google AdSense to serve ads on your videos.

5) Sell digital products or services related to your niche.

6) Offer consulting services or run workshops based on your expertise.

7) Create merchandising products related to your brand or niche.

8 ) License footage of you speaking at conferences or other events.

It’s important to say that you do not need a YouTube channel to succeed with your blog, but it’s a good idea to have one.

Produce a Podcast and Get a Sponsor

Podcasting is a great way to reach new listeners. According to Edison Research, 53% of podcast listeners will search online for more information about the podcast after hearing it.

It presents an excellent opportunity for businesses and bloggers to connect with potential customers or clients.

Podcasts are not just time filler on morning commutes; they also have the potential to spark conversations and increase brand awareness.

However, you need to invest in production value to make money through podcasts. It includes high-quality audio equipment and editing software and hiring someone who can help you put together a professional-sounding show.

Once your podcast is recorded, syndicate it to streaming platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

You can also embed episodes on your website or blog. Reach out to brands in your niche with sponsorship opportunities and sell ad space on your show.

Podcasting doesn’t have to be expensive – there are plenty of ways to monetize your content without breaking the bank.

It takes time to build a relationship with an audience, but it’s worth it in the long run.

If you’re consistent with your publishing schedule and produce valuable content, people will eventually start listening, leading to new opportunities for your business.

You can use podcasting as another way of making money through blogging, so consider giving it a try!

Conclusion

Blogging to build credibility can lead to money-making opportunities. Blogging has helped many well-known bloggers make money, and it’s a way that you can make some extra cash.

To make money blogging, you need to put in the time. Bloggers cannot just “put up their site and let it sit there” for a spike in income.

Investing a lot of time in managing your blog is critical if you want to grow it into something successful.

You need to create quality content and not just post links to other sites or articles.

Building relationships with sponsors, affiliates, and other bloggers will help increase your blog’s traffic.

Be sure to build relationships with potential readers by posting on forums and other blogs.

Making money blogging FAQ

How do bloggers make money?

There are several ways that bloggers can earn an income. The most common methods include selling products or services, displaying advertising, and participating in affiliate marketing programs.

Can I make a living blogging?

Yes, many bloggers can support themselves through their blogs. However, it may take some time to earn significant revenue from blogging.

What should I do first if I want to start making money from my blog?

The easiest way to generate revenue from your blog is through affiliate marketing. Later, you can then add other sources of income, such as selling info products and advertisements.

Do I need an LLC to run a successful blog?

There is no legal requirement for forming an LLC when running a blog. However, depending on your business model and the types of opportunities you plan on taking advantage of with other bloggers, you may find it advantageous to form an LLC for liability protection purposes.