Sammie Ellard-King
I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it.
Quickfire Roundup:
If the thought of making money while blogging has caught your fancy in 2023, let me assure you that it’s not just another flash-in-the-pan trend – it’s a golden opportunity waiting to be seized.
The world of blogging is like a treasure chest with limitless potential just waiting to be unlocked. Now, why does this venture seem so enthralling, especially for the new kids on the block? Well, it offers you the chance to transform your passions into profits, and your words into wealth.
However, before you get ahead of yourself, it’s essential to don a realistic lens. Blogging is not a magical portal to instant riches. It’s more akin to a garden that requires diligent nurturing.
Expect to devote a good 18-24 months of consistent effort, a sprinkle of creativity, and a dash of patience before your blog starts blossoming. But once it takes root, the possibilities are boundless. You’re not just building a blog; you’re cultivating a brand, an audience, and a source of income that could sustain you for years to come.
If you are looking for a new way to earn some money, you might look at the internet. The world wide web has many opportunities available to you. It’s a treasure trove of money-making possibilities.Â
Carving out your own little corner of it and turning your passion into an income stream is something many people have done before and will continue to do so after you’ve had this thought.Â
Lots of people have set up blogs before, but how exactly can you make money from blogging?
The internet is littered with blogs that have been created, posted to and then sit idle. According to a report from the New York Times, as many as 95% of all blogs created have been abandoned.Â
For a select few, they commit to the cause and really go for it They start a blog and then run with it. Turning it from a place to vent or give information into a money-making opportunity.
One of the attractions of blogging is the freedom it creates you to work when you want and from anywhere in the world. Digital nomads often frequent different countries moving around with working visas.Â
For example, Bali and Portugal encourage those with digital businesses to come to their country.
BUT – we’re here because you want to know how to start a blog and make money. Well, let’s go!
Table of Contents
What is blogging?
You might think of blogging as what it started out being. Remember when it was simply an opportunity for people to write diary-style entries?Â
Putting the world to rights and having an online journal? The world of blogging has grown beyond that.Â
Blogging still refers to self-published media online; however other areas have seen its benefits. Blogs are now incorporated into many business websites.Â
Fresh regular content, targeting certain keywords, help websites be seen by more users.Â
Sharing knowledge, discussing how services can help you and provide useful information that is being searched for are all part of blogging.Â
You might envisage a sole person behind a laptop in a local coffee shop. You do get those people running personal blogs.Â
However, you also get teams of workers in companies that own multiple blogs pushing new content too.
There are several reasons people choose to blog. It can help companies rank on search engines and gain traffic to their site. That traffic can also turn into potential leads and sales.Â
A blog can also be used to create an online community and engage with an audience. It can also show you to be an expert within an industry as you share relevant information and knowledge on a topic.Â
How to make money from blogging?
Many people ask bloggers how do you make money blogging or wonder how fast they can make money blogging.Â
Turning your own site into an income stream can be a great way to diversify how you make your money.
There are a number of different ways that you can create revenue from your blog. It’s not all instant access to money, and you aren’t going to make thousands overnight.Â
However, putting work into a website now can pay dividends further down the line. How do you fancy setting something up and producing content which pulls in traffic for years to come?
Some people may look down their nose at you when you say you have a blog, but all of that hard work and dedication can leave you to enjoy the last laugh.
How do bloggers make money?
So if you want to make money blogging, you need to know the go-to ways to do so. Not all of these ways to make an income from your blog might be for you.Â
Maybe you want to concentrate on one of them and test the waters across the board and figure out which works for you. Let’s have a look at some ideas.
Display advertisements
One of the most common ways to make money from blogging and perhaps something you have seen on websites you’ve visited is digital advertisements.Â
Having ads on your site helps you to earn an income.Â
There are a number of ways you can do this, one of which is by connecting your site to Google AdSense but there are others like Ezoic and Mediavine.Â
There are other display ad platforms that might pay you more or be more applicable to your site. Do your homework and add some ads to your pages.Â
Revenue will fluctuate based on the amounts of traffic you pull in each month but it can be a sustainable way to make money from blogging if you’re continually bringing in traffic.
Sponsored posts
Another way to make money from blogging is by having sponsored posts on your site. There are companies out there that want to tap into your audience.Â
In order to do that, they’ll pay you to have sponsored content on your site. This will usually include a link back to their website.Â
Depending on the stats of your site, you could be offered anywhere between £20 and £500+.Â
Pro tip: Make sure you don’t undervalue your website. Go in higher an negotiate down.
Remember, if someone has contacted you about hosting content on your site, they found you and see value there.
Partnerships
Another way is to partner with companies. You might have a motor vehicles blog and be contacted by an insurance company that wants to work with you on a collaboration campaign.Â
This partnership could work both ways and earn you money whilst getting this insurance company in front of your readers.Â
Always be sure that you are happy with the company that has contacted you, and do a little bit of background research before you agree to any work.Â
Affiliate marketing
There can be a lot of money to be earned through affiliate marketing. This is when publishers, like bloggers and influencers, earn a commission when promoting a product or service.Â
You’ll have specific links that then track, and when someone signs up or purchases via your links, you’ll get a flat fee or percentage of what was spent.Â
Once you have these links on your site, you can earn from them again and again.Â
This can be listed on your website but also through other spaces like email and social media too!
Check out the best affiliate marketing companies.
Selling digital products
Another way to make money from blogging is to use your site to sell digital products. You might have an idea for an eBook or are fantastic at creating flat-lay photography.Â
Creating digital products means that once you’ve made them, they can be sold as many times as you wish. This could mean an extra £10, £25, or even £100+ a day from your website.Â
Digital products also include printables, online courses, webinars, membership sites and workbooks. Set them up, promote them to your audience and earn your cash.
As an example with Up the Gains we have two main digital products which are our ebook and household budgeting spreadsheet.
Email marketing
Not everyone will visit your blog on a regular basis. This is where collating contact details and reaching out to potential visitors and buyers in their own inboxes can be stellar.Â
When users join an email list, you can then target new products and even offer discounts to them.Â
Getting people to sign up is relatively easy by offering a freebie or welcome discount in exchange for their email addresses.Â
You can then connect with your audience, engaging with them between visits to your site.Â
Freelancing
You might get people reading your blog and wanting you to write for them. Perhaps they like the tone of voice in your writing or want you to write something using your expertise for their site.Â
You could even get approached by companies to speak at events or be on a panel at a conference.Â
These gigs are usually paid, and you should know your worth and sidestep anything that is done for ‘exposure’ or free.Â
Getting yourself a regular writing job alongside adding content to your own site can help you pay the bills. Â
How to set up a blog?
There are a number of things you must first do when you set up your own blog. One of the most important is choosing a name.Â
You might have thought of the perfect name for your site, and then you find out someone else got there before you.Â
Try to think out of the box and settle on something that shows a little bit of what your site is all about. If the site title doesn’t match the content there, users will be confused.
After the name, you need the domain name. This could be a .com or a .co.uk. Maybe you go with something slightly different such as .club.Â
Pro tip: Always get the .com if it’s available this helps with global reach rather than country specific.
Domain names cost different amounts, and whilst you might get a cheap deal for the first year, check what the renewal price will be after that.
You will also need your website to be hosted. There are many companies that will do this for you, some of which have better customer service reviews than others.Â
Find a company that you are happy with to take on this important task for you. Make sure you are happy with the price you’ll be paying for this too.
How to pick a niche?
Choosing a niche is important.Â
What exactly are you going to be writing about? What content will you be creating for your audience?Â
You can choose a general lifestyle blog which basically means you can encompass anything into the mix. However, some people drill down into a specific niche that will only appeal to certain people.Â
Your knowledge of a subject could lead you to become a primary voice in this field.Â
Your blog could become the go-to destination for people looking into this. A one-stop shop for all the information they need on a certain topic.Â
It’s important to look at what other people are doing and how they tailor their subject to the chosen niche. If you want to save money daily, you could look at Thriftychap.Â
For photography inspiration, Feature Shoot could be a great site. For travel and global adventures, Alex In Wanderland. Find the perfect niche for what you want to write about.
How to promote your blog?
Once your website is set up, you need to promote it. Using social media sites can be a great way to start the promotion campaign of your site.Â
Sharing links to your posts on Twitter with relevant hashtags can be a great way to get some eyes on your well-crafted words.Â
Join Facebook groups, connect with other bloggers and use Instagram to share links in Stories. There are lots of free ways to utilise social media for the benefit of your blog.
You’ll also need to look at what works and what doesn’t work on your site. The development of your site is paramount.Â
You can invest time in those things that work and stop wasting time on things that don’t. Without constant development, your site is stagnant.
How much money can you make from blogging?
Different bloggers make different amounts, and of course, some have larger overheads than others. This brings a wide range of profits to the blogger table.Â
On average, though, bloggers make just over $37k a year. How does that sound to you? How does it compare to your current role?Â
Could you take a step away from full-time employment and work on your own site to make money from blogging?
Variables that can bring that amount up and down include how long the blogger has been a blogger, the traffic coming to the site, what they are writing about and the size of their total audience.Â
It can also come down to the opportunities that come to them.Â
Some bloggers might be approached with low offers for sponsored content but then bag themselves a great partnership or campaign.Â
It can change week to week, month to month and year to year.
How long does it take to make money blogging?
Blogging in most cases is not something you make money with immediately.Â
On average you can expect to start making some decent money if you are posting once per week after about 12-18 months but in some niches, this can take even longer.
Your most sustainable source of traffic is via search engines like Google. To bring in consistent organic traffic from Google you need to master at least the basics of SEO which is also known as search engine automation.
The days of stuffing an article with keywords and expecting it to rank are long gone. Google takes its time to learn your content and assess it’s quality. It will then start to rank it over time.Â
Research by popular SEO and keyword research platform Ahrefs found that the majority of pages on page 1 of Google (which is where you want to be to get traffic is 2 years plus.Â
But, fear not it’s not all doom and gloom there are literally thousands of keywords available in every niche in the world still to this day. Some of them you can rank on Google with much faster than 2 years.Â
Tools like RankIQ help show you how difficult it is to rank and most importantly how long it expects you to rank.Â
Like all keyword research tools available on the market they all have their own metrics from the data they pull from Google so it’s important to use them but don’t believe they are gospel.
Once you’ve built up authority within a niche, you can expect to start ranking for things much more quicker. But blogs are like fine wine they get better with age in the first couple of years, and then you can keep them ranking by updating them with new or more relevant content.
How to make money blogging for beginners?
Making money through blogging as a beginner requires patience, dedication, and a strategic approach. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
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Choose a Niche: Pick a topic you are passionate about. Make sure there is an audience for this niche and that it has monetization potential.
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Set Up Your Blog: Choose a blogging platform, get a domain name, and set up web hosting. WordPress is a popular choice for its customization options.
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Create Valuable Content: Write high-quality, informative posts. Focus on solving problems or providing unique insights. Aim for consistency in publishing content.
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Build an Audience: Promote your blog through social media, forums, and by commenting on other blogs. Consider using SEO strategies to make your blog more visible on search engines.
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Monetise with Affiliate Marketing or ads: Sign up for affiliate programs that are relevant to your niche. Include affiliate links in your posts, and earn commissions when your readers make purchases through those links. Or you can place ads on your site using Google Adsense and once you have traffic Mediavine or Raptive.
Resources
So many people give up in the first year of blogging but there are so many studies that show that’s when it really takes off.Â
Check out a YouTube channel called Income School who document the entire beginners journey. They show you how you everything you need to become a top quality blogger.
We’ve probably binged about 10 hours worth of their content as they cover literally everything. Another great YouTuber in the space is Adam Enfroy who gets a tonne of views and has a 7-figure blog himself.Â
I would also check out some podcasts like Niche Pursuits and Niche Website Builders that are fantastic insight into the blogging and website building communities.
Blogs that make money - real money!
There are many successful blogs around the world, earning thousands of pounds from simply being online.
John Lee Dumas owns eofire.com and, in January 2022, had a net profit of $188,484 for the month. The niche of the website is entrepreneurship, online business & podcasting.
Michele Gardner has a Frugal lifestyle and savings blog called makingsenseofcents.com. The net income in December 2017 was $113,276.66.
Food photography and cooking blog pinchofyum.com from Lindsay Ostrom had a monthly net income of $66,693.05 in November 2016.
These examples show that there are plenty of opportunities in many different blogging niches to make money and turn an idea into a success. If you want to find more blogs that make money then simply google the top blogs in your chosen niche.
These income figures might motivate you to buy your first domain and get that site hosted, but remember, there is a lot of hard work and elbow grease going on behind the scenes.
Is blogging worth it?
YES! Blogging is still relevant and a fantastic way to make money online even in 2022 and we believe for many years to come.Â
You are at the mercy of major companies like Google if you rely on it as your only source of income so it’s also worth considering running a blog alongside strong social media channels and/or a YouTube channel.Â
For example on YouTube you can turn your blog posts into videos where you break down the post in presentation format showing live examples.Â
Another way to get a wider audience is through podcasting and the blog we mentioned earlier eofire.com makes 80% of his revenue from podcast sponsorship alongside his blog.
What kind of blog can make money?
The honest answer is pretty much anything you can think of. We’ve seen sites that are focused on roofboxs for cars that go camping bring in thousands of views each month and generate a more than decent income.Â
The key is to find something you are passionate about and won’t ever get bored of writing about that way you’ll enjoy posting blogs on a topic you love.
If you’re wondering how often you need to write blogs then there is no wrong or right answer to this.Â
That being said, there are studies that show to really start generating some traffic and authority online you need a minimum of 50 blog posts.Â
From looking around online we’ve found that most websites say 100 blog posts is the number they aim for and then they go back and edit those.Â
The answer to this totally depends on the niche you pick because if I made a website that was solely about dirt trucks for example I would be pigeon holed into written content only about that.Â
If you widened your niche and covered all trucks or all vehicles even you will have a lot more topics to write about.Â
The trick is not to go too wide but leave yourself room to grow.
Do you want to make money blogging?
Now you know how bloggers make money from their sites. How do you fancy doing it?Â
You don’t have to give up your full-time career to embark on a mission to become a successful blogger. However, once you start, you don’t know where it will take you.
All those people we mentioned as successful bloggers started in the same position as you. They bought the domain, made a logo and published that first bit of content.Â
Maybe you could create a blog to go alongside your current career path and demonstrate what you know.Â
This could be a constant if you move from company to company up the ladder. Maybe you have a passion for a specific hobby and would love to share that in a creative way.
Round Up
A blog can be a great outlet for downtime, as well as used in business. The fact you can potentially make money from blogging is a massive bonus. Who knows where a blog could take you? All you have to do is begin.
Even if it generates you some side hustle income then that could be considered a success.Â
All it takes is some research, good writing, somewhere to put it like your own website and some basic SEO (search engine optimisation) to generate a decent amount of traffic.
Up the Gains is a personal finance website but for us to bring in traffic we have to use our blog to discuss topics and help others find the answers they need. Have you got what it takes?
We love to hear from you so if you have any questions about starting a blog then we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
