Can newcomers actually earn money through blogging? Is it feasible to sustain oneself through blogging, or is it simply a misconception? The response to both inquiries is affirmative.
It is possible to earn a living through blogging, as it is not just a concept, but a tangible opportunity. With a basic understanding of blogging, search engine optimization, and the functioning of the Internet, anyone can initiate a blogging venture and generate income.
How Bloggers Earn Money – An Introduction for Beginners
This blog that you are currently reading serves as an actual illustration of a blog that generates income.
This guide is designed to assist you in comprehending how to earn money through blogging while preventing errors or wasting precious time on activities that will not aid you in achieving your primary objective.
It is targeted towards novices as I recall my own struggles back in 2002 when comprehending how blogging could generate income proved to be quite challenging.
It took me a few years to comprehend the complete scenario and recognize my errors, and to figure out how to rectify them and change the course.
Hopefully, this comprehensive step-by-step guide will put you in the right direction from the very beginning and give you a solid plan to follow that will generate results in the fastest possible way.
Let me make something clear before delving into the specifics.
Although it can be challenging and time-consuming, this occupation is highly fulfilling and considered among the most valuable in the world, demanding considerable effort and hard work.
The reward of building a successful blogging business is not only the money but most importantly the feeling of achievement and the satisfaction of creating a business without relying on anyone else but your own talent and strengths.
Have you ever questioned the reason behind the abundance of articles about “earning from a blog”?
Why do those who possess the knowledge of the magic formula choose to reveal it to the world rather than keeping it to themselves in order to earn additional profits?
The answer is simple. It’s the dream of every blogger to reach a point where they are making money online and then share how to start a blogging business with the rest of the World.
As we will observe later, it is also possible to earn money by utilizing affiliate marketing or selling your own products and exploiting your accomplishments.
Let’s start from the beginning. What are the common ways for bloggers to earn money on the internet and how can you replicate their success?
How To Make Money Blogging
1. Setup your own self-hosted blog
Registering a domain name and setting up a blog are now effortless with guidance and direction, making it one of the simplest steps.
To commence blogging, the necessary steps to be undertaken are as follows:
Publish your first blog post!
Begin your blogging journey with Hostinger if you haven’t yet. The wizard will guide you through the process systematically. Within half an hour, you will have your own blog hosted and WordPress installed before moving to the second stage.
Mistakes to avoid when setting up your own blog
Making mistakes as a novice blogger is common and acceptable, as long as you use them as learning opportunities and avoid making the same errors again.
When starting a blog, keep these tips in consideration.
Make sure to stay concentrated on your primary objective, which is to generate income through online methods.
Always keep in mind that your ultimate objective is to generate revenue through your blog.
I’d like to reiterate this point because I’ve learned that novice bloggers tend to focus excessively on creating the ‘ideal blog’, neglecting the fact that during the initial phases when traffic is low, no one is interested in the appearance of your site, including Google.
While website design does hold significance, it is not the foremost priority in the initial phases. Instead, focus on launching a blog and generating content to drive traffic.
From the outset, it is crucial to prioritize the tasks involved in attracting traffic (and prospective customers) and invest your efforts in them, considering the significant workload required.
It is necessary for you to possess your own domain and blog that is self-hosted.
The how to start a website guide highlights the contrast between hosting a website on a free platform like medium.com and owning a domain and a self-hosted website.
Selecting the appropriate hosting option is a crucial aspect of setting up a blog. It guarantees that your articles are safeguarded and dependable once they reach your intended audience.
Opt for the appropriate platform right from the start. Undoubtedly, a self-hosted WordPress website is the superior option.
Simplify it.
When beginning, aim to maintain simplicity and avoid overcomplicating matters to prevent becoming overwhelmed.
You have a lot to learn and as you go along, you will change your mind about many things, so save your time and energy for the more complicated tasks.
2. Start publishing great content
It’s fantastic that you have a functional website.
The moment has arrived to embark on one of the most demanding and arduous duties of blogging, namely crafting the tangible material for your blog.
So, what is great content?
While blog content can come in various forms such as images, videos, infographics, or audio, it is recommended that for optimal rankings on search engines such as Google, your content should predominantly consist of text.
As previously stated, start with simplicity in the beginning. Later on, for optimal outcomes, you may integrate text with other mediums to enhance the appeal of your content.
The characteristics of great content are as follows:
- It’s unique for your website (it’s not an exact copy of an already published post)
- It’s free of spelling and grammar mistakes
- It’s meaningful
- It’s insightful
- It’s unbiased
- It’s something that helps people do/understand/learn something
- It’s easy to read
You need not fret if the list mentioned above seems perplexing at present, as your comprehension will improve as you gain more experience.
Selecting a topic for your blog: Tips and guidelines.
Starting your blog can be either a simple or a difficult task.
At this stage, the crucial factor is selecting a specific area in which you can establish yourself as an expert. One common error of novice bloggers in a highly competitive blogosphere is launching a blog without attempting to offer something unique or unexpected.
Suppose you have an interest in fashion; rather than merging ordinary fashion topics, why not merge your passion for clothing with your caring personality for the planet by writing about eco-friendly designers on your blog?
Discovering a subject for your new blog is most effectively achieved through the following methods:
- Look at other blogs – This should be your first port of call. What’s already successful? And more importantly, what’s missing? Find the gaps in the market.
- Use Google – What are people searching for? Use Google suggested searches and autocomplete to discover what people are looking for. If they’re searching for it, that shows there’s a demand.
- Search forums for common FAQs – When people can’t find answers to their questions, they go to forums. What are they asking? What do they need advice on? This will show what people are interested in and what there’s a lack of available information on.
- Track current trends – What topics are in the media right now? It’s good to pick a topic with longevity, but if you can piggyback on a trend early on, you can quickly establish yourself as an expert on it before anyone else. Searching #journorequest on Twitter shows what kind of themes journalists are currently reporting on.
- Think about different types of content – Could you do tutorials/how-to guides? Reviews? Interviews? Lists? It might not be what you write about, but how you write which sets you apart.
- Identify your own interests and passions – While all of the above are important, there’s no point in blogging about something you have zero interest in. You’ll quickly get bored and people will spot your lack of enthusiasm. Write about something you really, truly care about.
How to increase your blog traffic
Where can you find readers after creating your website, developing an impressive blog topic, and publishing your initial posts?
Merely waiting for individuals to stumble upon your blog and begin reading it is unrealistic. You must actively advertise it!
Discover below the most effective and effortless methods to attract a larger audience to your blog:
Promote your blog on social media
As with any business nowadays, you’re not likely to get noticed if you don’t have social media accounts.
We recommend setting up pages/accounts for your blog on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and even LinkedIn (you’re essentially your own business anyway, right?). Design these accounts in a similar colour scheme/theme to your blog so your brand is consistent and easily recognisable.
Utilize them for sharing latest articles and label other bloggers/influencers/companies who can disseminate your content and enhance its outreach.
One option to increase your blog’s audience is to try paid advertising, or you could hold a contest to gain more likes. After obtaining followers, maintain their interest by regularly posting content – not just for new blog entries.
Connect with other bloggers
Introduce yourself to bloggers who write about the same subjects as you. Even if you are considered as a rival, you may be amazed by the encouraging nature of the blogger community.
A lot of bloggers include a ‘links’ page on their website where they link to their fellow bloggers in the community. In exchange, those bloggers link back to their site. This can greatly improve your blog’s SEO (which refers to your blog’s visibility in Google searches).
By interacting with fellow bloggers and promoting their posts, it’s probable that they will reciprocate the gesture. It’s also possible to collaborate with them on certain projects!
Respond to news stories on your blog
Engage in ‘newsjacking’ when a news about your niche emerges. This can be an effective way to gain substantial publicity.
Suppose you write a blog post on affordable cooking for students, watch out for updates on the latest Student Money Survey. Though students typically shell out £116 each month on food, you can suggest ways to save money while enjoying nutritious meals.
One can express their opinion on social media using appropriate hashtags, participate in conversations and contact journalists to offer their viewpoint.
If you’re really great at owning your niche, journalists might even come to you.
Create viral content
Producing content that goes viral can expand your audience and consequently boost your readership.
Generating viral content can prove to be a challenge; however, accessing contentious or trending topics that fall within your niche blogging industry is crucial. It usually requires implementing newsjacking, which was mentioned earlier.
Since you specialize in this area, you will possess the enthusiasm, strong viewpoints, and extensive knowledge needed to communicate an opinion that will interest, spread, and spark discussion among readers.
The biggest challenges when monetising a blog
Hard work and a few challenges are necessary for anything worthwhile to be achieved.
Be under no illusion that blog monetisation takes time. Many bloggers only make pennies from monetising their blog each month – and this is after having worked on their blogs for a while.
In order to generate a full-time income from blogging, it is essential to diversify your income streams and obtain revenue from various sources. The process of monetizing a blog is time-consuming and heavily dependent on the amount of traffic you receive. Advertisers are more inclined to work with blogs that have a significant readership.
