Today thousands of people blogging for a living, now it's your turn! Although it takes some time, the process is not that difficult and there are many ways to do it. In this tutorial, we will show you how to make money from a blog.
How to make money blogging
1. Google AdSense
2. Sponsored content
3. Affiliate Marketing
4. Amazon affiliates
5. Digital products
6. Membership sites
7. Freelance writing
8. Tutorials
9. Podcast advertising
10. RSS Advertising
11. Draws
How to make money blogging: before you start
Pick a niche
Choose a domain name
Create your blog
Create good content
Interact with your readers
Get traffic
SEO for more organic traffic
How to make money blogging
Once you've gotten enough traffic, it's time to do the work that can really make you money!
So how do you make money from a blog? These are some of the best ways!
1. Google AdSense
Earlier, we mentioned paying for ads to get traffic; now, it's the other way around. Placing ads on your blog is a great way to earn money blogging.
Google AdSense is a PPC (pay per click) program that allows you to display ads on your blog. It is one of the most convenient methods, as Google will take care of almost everything: which ads to show, the billing process, etc. Also, you can customize what types of ads fit your blog.
Here's how to put an ad on your blog.
Sign up for Google AdSense. Fill in your information (URL, billing address, etc.)
Enter the verification code. Put it between the <head> and </head> of each page you want to show ads on. The easiest way to do this is by installing the Ad Inserter plugin. Go to Settings >> Ad Inserter and click the General Settings symbol, then go to the Header tab and paste the code there.
Wait until your account is approved. The registration process can be quick, but it takes Google up to three days to verify your account.
Start creating your ads. Once you verify your account, you will have access to the Adsense panel. Go to My Ads >> New Ad Unit and customize your ads: name, size and type of ad.
Copy and paste the code of your ad on your blog. You can do it manually by navigating to Appearance >> Widgets and adding custom HTML. Put the widget in any section and paste the code there.
Alternatively, you can make use of the Ad Inserter plugin for that. Make sure you put your ads where your audience can see them right away.
Now that the ads are on your blog, wait until you get enough clicks. Sooner or later, you will reach the minimum amount ($ 100) and you will be paid at the end of the month.
Pros:
The process is easy
No further steps are required after setup
Cons:
Bad customization and location can reduce your traffic
New blogs take a while to get paid
2. Sponsored content
If your blog has a lot of traffic, there will be sponsors who want to do business with you. It's a great way to make money blogging.
Basically, your sponsor pays you (for example, a company) to publish articles. What's in it for them? Well, article types are designed to help you get more customers, be it in the form of reviews, new product announcements, sales, etc.
So who will write the articles? That depends on your agreement with your sponsor. If you want to take responsibility for creating content, you can charge them more.
Let's take a look at these steps for using sponsored content as a way to make money from a blog.
Make an analysis report of your blog. If you expect companies to pay you, then they will expect results. Show them how well your blog is doing: pageview counts, bounce rate, etc.
Offer your services to local businesses. For those just starting out, we suggest that you create a portfolio or portfolio before taking on large corporations. Alternatively, you can find potential customers on market sponsor sites like Cooperatize and Tomoson. Make sure to match the sponsor to your niche.
Negotiate your price. You can use the report to determine your rate. Also, base the amount on your level of experience, the amount of effort and time invested in perfecting your blog design, and whether or not you are in charge of creating content.
Post sponsored content.
There are countries, such as the USA, where the law requires you to declare that you are writing a sponsored post, so take good advice on this subject according to your country. On the other hand, make sure to match the tone and style of the article with yours, this way it won't show that it is part of a paid advertisement.
That's it! The more you do it, the sooner you can face companies that are willing to pay a lot more. However, you may want to wait before publishing another sponsored post; Going overboard with this can reduce your traffic. Sponsored content is one of the most popular ways to make money blogging.
Pros:
— It is the more natural looking ad than AdSense
— You can gain credibility along the way
Cons:
— Back-to-back sponsored posts can drive away your visitors
— Deciding the price can be tricky
3. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to earn money blogging.
This method is quite similar to sponsored content. You should write an article that benefits a company that you partner with.
However, there is a slight difference: instead of the negotiated rate, you are paid through the number of clicks or sales made through affiliate links.
Here we'll explain to you how to do it:
Choose an affiliate program. There are many popular programs like ShareASale, eBay Partners, Shopify Affiliate Program, etc. Besides, you can also consider the Hostinger Affiliate Program where you get 60% commission for every sale.
Get your readers to click on your affiliate link. Write a compelling review of a product or service. The more clicks you get, the more you earn. Also, make sure to be transparent, in case it is a post by direct affiliation. Trust plays an important role in affiliate marketing.
Increase the number of email newsletter subscribers. You can reach a much wider audience by personally delivering content to their inbox. It is an effective solution to earn a lot of clicks.
Prioritize your audience. If possible, you should try the product first-hand. If you don't like it, neither will your audience. Showing off poor quality products will damage your blog's reputation.
Another thing to consider is making sure the product aligns with your niche to keep your brand intact. Also, there are useful plugins that can make the whole process a breeze, like ThristyAffiliates and AffiliateWP.
Pros:
A fixed price for commission
Many affiliate marketing programs available
Cons:
Your audience is not guaranteed to click or buy
It's difficult to grow a customer base
4. Amazon affiliates
If you want to make money blogging through affiliate marketing, try one of the most popular programs: Amazon Associates.
To make money from your blog with this program, you just have to advertise a product from your site using the affiliate link. For every purchase made through your link, you will earn commissions.
The interesting thing is how each category of product has a lot of different commission. If you plan to use Amazon Affiliates from the beginning, it is best to establish your niche based on the highest fixed rate.
Also, they have some special programs that only require a free trial registration for you to earn commission: Kindle Unlimited, Prime Pantry, Amazon FreeTime, and many more.
Follow these simple steps to start earning a commission from Amazon Associates.
Sign up for Amazon Associates. The process is free, easy and does not require a lot of time.
Set up your profile. Set your account credentials. Click on "New Customer" and enter your contact information such as name, address, phone number, how you attract visitors to your site, payment method, etc.
Get your affiliate links. After successfully creating your profile, search for a product and click "Get Link." You can make the necessary adjustments in this window: types of ads, size, color, etc.
Copy and paste the link to your blog. You can put it in your sidebar, in your articles, in the header, etc.
Amazon Affiliates is among the best affiliate programs out there. If you want to write reviews or convince people to buy, you will feel right at home.
Pros:
It has a large collection of products.
It is the most popular affiliate marketing program.
Cons:
It generates less commission than other affiliate programs.
Your earnings for a product will be zero if a customer takes more than 24 hours to buy the product.
5. Digital products
If you have a knack for entrepreneurship, why not put your own products up for sale? It's a great way to make money from your blog!
However, it is not the most convenient option. There are too many factors to handle: shipping, restocking, packaging, etc. Don't worry, because you won't have these problems if you sell digital products.
It generally requires fewer staff, you won't run out of stock, and you can ship your product in no time. What could go wrong?
In addition, there are tons of types of digital products that you can choose from, from e-books, photos, artwork, music, to software and even online courses.
So how do you sell digital products? Take a look at these steps.
Decide what to sell. Research the market to see what sells the most and at what price. At the same time, make sure it's something in your niche or something that you have extensive experience with.
Make use of the appropriate plugins. The notorious WooCommerce plugin will suit your needs.
Start selling. Show your products in an interesting format, like a list or a tutorial. Don't forget to write a great and eye-catching product description.
Follow up. Create an automatic reply after each purchase to request feedback, opinions and ratings.
Selling digital products is a quick way to make money from a hassle free blog.
However, finding the products to sell can be difficult. If you don't know how to create something, consider selling someone else's products as a reseller.
There are some merchants willing to give you a discount for selling their products, and you can increase the price, according to the condition of each merchant. However, this will not be as profitable as selling your own products.
Pros:
It is usually more profitable than other methods.
The sales process is repetitive.
Cons:
Good quality products are hard to come by.
Being a reseller doesn't make a lot of money.
6. Membership sites
Membership sites are a great way to make money blogging.
Think of Netflix: you have to pay every month if you want to keep watching their shows.
That's what membership sites are all about! Even a few sales can generate regular income for your pocket.
More importantly, you don't even have to worry about traffic. Once your audience pays for your service, they will commit to visiting your site regularly. Interesting, isn't it?
In addition, there are a wide variety of areas that you can choose for your membership blogs, such as streaming service, software subscription, premium forum, and much more.
Creating it is easy: you just need a plugin and make some adjustments, and you are all set!
Install the S2member plugin. It is a free plugin with great functionality and many customization options that allows you to create and configure a membership site.
Set up the membership site. From your dashboard, navigate to S2member -> General options. Open each tab and make any necessary adjustments.
Make sure everything is up to scratch. Through the interface of the plugin, enter email and payment methods, create the necessary pages, establish various membership levels, etc.
Keep updating your site with new content. Otherwise, your members can cancel their membership at any time.
Once you create a membership site, be sure to invest heavily in marketing. For your users, the idea of having a monthly expense can be a big commitment. You have to convince them that your service will be worth it.
Pros:
— You will receive monthly income for each sale.
— Recurring visitors will guarantee your traffic flow.
Cons:
— Creating new and premium content can be difficult.
— Marketing can be difficult.
7. Freelance writing
After blogging for a while, you may already have a portfolio large enough for people to entrust you with their writing projects. Freelance work is a great way to make money from a blog.
Additionally, there is a high demand for freelance writers - all businesses need content to maintain their digital presence. So why not offer them your best articles?
Here are the steps that can help you get started.
Collect your best writing samples. Seeing is believing. A well structured portfolio can improve your chances of being hired.
Set up a hiring page on your blog. Make yourself known to the world that is available to hire you. Include information such as your writing experience, what topics you excel at, etc.
Contact who needs your services. There are many ways to do this: post to job boards, ask a local business directly, visit and post on forums, and much more.
Negotiate and start writing. Set the price, the deadline and the other related conditions. Then do your best to produce the best quality content. Happy customers equal good money!
It's a great option, especially if you love writing. However, you cannot build a good reputation overnight. It may take a while before a high paying company notices you, and you will surely need to dedicate a lot to set your path to success.
Pros:
— The job is not very different from blogging.
— There are many ways to search for writing projects.
Cons:
— It can be difficult to earn a good reputation.
— The workload and deadlines can be overwhelming.
8. Tutorials
Enlighten your audience by sharing what you know with them. Not only is it a noble job, but you can also expand your network and even make it a work from home.
There's no better way to engage with your readers than by showing them how to solve their problems, plus, they'll pay you!
See how to start offering tutoring services on your blog.
Install the Tutor plugin. It is a definitive LMS (Learning Management System) plugin that allows you to create a tutorial site without any hassle.
Set up your tutoring site. Decide what subjects you want to teach, the price, and what forms of material you want to use. With Tutor, you can put on video lessons, quizzes, progress tracking, and much more.
Plan a curriculum. There is material for each subject and grade. Make sure this is properly planned and that it can help students get better grades in school.
Finish the setup. It is important to prepare all the courses and material before showing them to the world. Take your time and make sure everything is up to scratch.
Publish your site. Go to relevant forums and advertise your services. Consider collaborating with other tutors to teach on your site.
It can take a lot of work to prepare teaching materials. But, if your course is easy to understand and covers all the bases, students will line up to learn from you. Overall, tutoring is a great way to make money from a blog.
Pros:
— It is a good way to grow your network.
— Provide a good flow of traffic and visitors identify with your site.
Cons:
— Establishing a curriculum takes a long time.
— Only connoisseurs can.
9. Podcast advertising
If you're a better speaker than a writer, podcast advertising will suit you like a glove.
There are some advantages over the traditional way of writing. First of all, people will depend on every word they hear, without neglecting or reading quickly. Second, they will always have time to listen to a podcast, be it while cooking, commuting, etc. It is a better alternative to advertise a product.
Businesses can pay you for every 1000 people who listen to your podcast - it's called CPM (cost per million).
According to AdvertiseCast, the average CPM for podcast ads in 2019 is $ 18 for a 30-second ad and $ 25 for a 60-second ad.
Interested in advertising on podcasts? Follow the steps below.
Create your portfolio of podcasts. Make lots of cool podcasts first and use them to wow your potential customers.
Let it be known that you offer podcast ads. Share the news to the public, ask your listeners to share it too, etc.
Make some direct offers. If you are sure of your number of listeners, you can contact some companies to see if they want to advertise on your podcasts.
Credibility plays an integral role in podcast ads, which is why quality is a must!
However, quality podcasting requires you to have excellent sound editing skills and good quality equipment, which is not cheap.
Therefore, if you want to make money from a blog through podcasts, you must decide if you do not mind investing in this method.
Pros:
— It is a better medium for advertising.
— People can listen to podcasts anywhere and anytime.
Cons:
— It requires technical skills.
— Good equipment can be expensive.
10. RSS Advertising
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication - bloggers use it to distribute their content to readers by subscription.
If you subscribe to a lot of blogs, you can keep in touch with their latest posts while using an RSS reader. It's convenient, right?
The interesting thing is that RSS also allows you to make money with a blog by placing ads. It is similar to Google AdSense, where you get paid for each click made.
Follow these instructions to earn money through RSS advertising.
Show your RSS buttons on your blog. This can help you gain more subscribers. The more you have, the more likely you are to get a lot of clicks.
Choose the source of your ads. You can choose to use third-party adware such as Yahoo! Publisher network or use your affiliate marketing program ads.
Insert the ad codes in your feed. Normally, you will need to modify the main files to place your ads. That's where the RSS Footer plugin comes in. It has a function where you can put an HTML code in the RSS footer.
Ready! After this all you need to do is keep publishing the content that, along with the ads, will be delivered to each subscriber. A very easy way to earn money with your blog!
However, there are not many people who use RSS these days. Therefore, getting subscribers can be tricky.
Pros:
— It is easy to configure.
— It allows you to reach a wider audience.
Cons:
— RSS has declined in popularity.
— Getting subscribers takes time.
11. Draws
You know what they say: the best things in life are free! Give your audience some goodies and they will start marching towards your blog.
Giveaways (also called giveaways) are based on getting people to do things for your blog, be it promoting your blog, subscribing to your email newsletters, etc., in exchange for a free article.
The best time for this is the holidays, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, for example. Use these events as a theme, choose a suitable prize, set some rules and announce the giveaway on your social networks. After that, all that is left to do is choose the winner. Pretty easy, right?
Pro tip: use plugins related to giveaways! There are some useful ones like Simple Giveaways and Gleam.
However, providing the prize will cost you. Consider these factors to maximize the traffic you'll get from your gifts:
Only give away things related to your niche: You don't want to confuse your audience. Why would you give a free game console on your food blog?
Courage is King: Make sure it's worth the effort. Cheap things will not generate much interest.
Don't make too many rules: Some audiences can lose interest once they see a long list of what they need to do to get something in return.
Advertising, advertising, advertising !: Since your blog is new, you may not have many readers yet. You have to go very far to announce the contest. Use appropriate hashtags, share the giveaway on forums and contest directories, ask your friends to help you advertise it, etc.
The sweepstakes is a sure way to gain traffic at incredible speed. Also, it opens up a way to interact more with your audience.
However, there is no way to prevent them from leaving after participating. You need to make sure that doesn't happen - follow up, create great content, interact more with them, etc.
How to make money blogging: before you start
If you're just starting out, you'll need to take a couple of steps back to familiarize yourself with some of the basics.
Pick a niche
Having a niche means that your blog will focus on a specific topic rather than multiple topics. You may wonder why this step is necessary. If people come across your blog through search engines or find it because of shared interests, they will stay on your blog for the content.
So don't try to write about everything, as that will only drive traffic away.
This way, your audience knows what to expect from you and will continue to visit your site. They may even be tempted to share your post on their social media, which gives your traffic a boost!
If you're not sure which niche suits you best, these tips might help you:
Pick a niche you love to write about - you'll be less likely to run out of ideas when it comes to your passion.
Know your audience well: Setting the right tone and diction will help you engage your readers.
Make sure there is a large enough market for your niche: choose the one that a topic that most people are searching for so that your blog can remain active in the long term.
A suitable niche will help you make money from a blog faster.
Choose a domain name
In addition to the niche, a domain name will also define the identity of your blog.
A great way to choose a domain name is to make sure it lines up with the niche of your choice. For example, if you start a blog about fashion, you want a name that sends a clear message like www.midiariofashion.com.
Also, a domain name that contains the most searched keywords will help your blog rank better in search engines.
Make sure to invest some time and effort in choosing a domain name. If you are having trouble with this, you can use the available domain name generators for suggestions.
Create your blog
Once your mind is focused on a niche and a domain name, it's time to create a blog that becomes a money-making machine.
You need two things for this: web hosting and a blogging platform.
There are a few types of accommodation to choose from. If you are just starting a blog, we recommend that you use our Premium shared hosting as it is the most beginner friendly. Also, you will get a free domain if you buy it for a period of 12 months.
As for the blogging platform, WordPress is the best way to go. It is the most popular CMS (Content Management System). While it has a somewhat steep learning curve, it offers the most functionality.
For more details, read our detailed guide on how to create a blog.
Create good content
Now that you have created your blog, the next step will be to fill it with good content. To keep your readers interested, you must maintain both the quality and quantity of blog posts.
We know it can be daunting. That is why we have a list of what you can do to achieve the above.
Seek inspiration: find out what works for your competition and try creating a more knowledgeable post.
Find out which format works best: for example, try creating a post like "How to do something in X minutes." Engaging titles and well-structured content is very important.
Structure your writing correctly: don't make grammatical mistakes, align your subheadings and paragraphs, don't write long sentences, etc.
Use visual aids that are easy on the eyes - Images and videos can easily attract more readers.
Always check: check your writing or find another pair of eyes that can spot any mistakes.
Additionally, you can also read more about blog ideas.
Interact with your readers
In the end, it will be up to your readers to decide whether your blog is worth another visit or not.
That's what you should be focusing on: make your readers feel welcome!
First, make them more active by adding a call to action to your posts. For example, invite the audience to leave a comment. It will give you the opportunity to interact with them by responding to their comments or solving the problems they have.
Another way to do it is by making opinion articles. Some of your readers may disagree with your point of view, but that will generate an open discussion, which will open a great opportunity for public participation.
Get traffic
The more traffic you have, the faster you can make money with your blog. Many bloggers have organized some working methods to attract more readers. Follow these methods to get more traffic so you can start making money as soon as possible.
SEO for more organic traffic
We have mentioned the term SEO several times, but what exactly is it? Search engine optimization is a practice used to make your website appear at the top of search engine results pages.
Google has its own algorithm that selects which site deserves to be at the top of the list. Although no one knows exactly how it works, there are some factors that can help you better rank your articles.
Site performance: how fast your site loads, if its images are properly optimized, etc.
Content quality: the length of your article, the length of each sentence and paragraph, etc.
Keyword distribution: the density of keywords, that you use the most searched keyword, etc.
Site structure: having a properly structured site can help crawlers find all the information on your blog, especially if you have a sitemap.
Linking: when there are many relevant sites that link to your blog, the search engines will take this as a good sign and will use this to make the decision to put your blog on the list.
conclusion
These were some of the many ways you can earn money blogging. So which of them do you like the most?
Remember, each has its own pros and cons to consider.
Google AdSense - Not difficult to set up, although it may take a while to get paid.
Sponsored content: can be combined with your own content, so it may not look like ads. Just don't overuse this method to avoid driving away your traffic.
Affiliate Marketing - Compared to sponsored content, affiliate marketing offers you a flat fee. But it does not guarantee that the person will buy the product.
Amazon Affiliates: It has a wide variety of products, but it has lower fees than other affiliates.
Digital Products - You'll never run out of stock, but it's hard to create good digital products.
Membership Sites: Even a sale can earn you money periodically, but creating new content takes a lot of work.
Freelance Writing - Easy to compile a portfolio, but turnaround times can be overwhelming.
Tutoring: gives you the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and grow your network. However, compiling the materials for each subject is not easy.
Podcast Advertising: This is a reliable method of serving ads, but it requires expensive equipment and good editing skills.
RSS advertising: you can reach a wider audience. Although, there are not many who still use RSS these days.
Now that you know how to make money with a blog, it's time for you to give it a try. We hope our guide is enough to motivate you.
Happy blogging!
