Blogging started as a popular means of self-expression and communication in the digital age. However, blogging is no longer just a hobby or a means of communication; you can make money by blogging. Many earn skyrocketing income from their successful blogs and have even turned their blogs into full-time careers.
In this article, we will cover the basics of setting up a blog down to building a readership. We will also cover ways you can monetize your blog and how you can grow your readership.
Let’s get right to it and kickstart your blogging journey.
Is Blogging A Good Way To Make Money?
Blogging has high-income potential. A ProBlogger survey reveals that 9% of bloggers make between $1,000 and $10,000 per month, while 4% make over $10,000 per month. Statista also reports that digital advertising spending is projected to reach $876 billion in 2026 – opportunities for successful bloggers to monetize their blogs through advertising.
Blogging will continue to thrive and you can get a piece of that income pie. Again, it will take time and effort to build awareness and trust but blogging even from scratch is worth the effort with the sustainable income it can give you.
So how do you start making money in blogging? Consider the 4 steps in the next section.
How Do You Start An Income-Generating Blog?
In this part, we’re diving into blogging basics. Stick to this step by step process to lay down a strong base for your blog and win some dedicated monthly readers. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for some time, these core strategies will guide you to a blog that not only shines but also brings in some cash.
A. Setting Up A Blog
Start your blogging business plan by setting up your blog. You can start your blog with either WordPress or Blogger. WordPress is more flexible and customizable, while Blogger is easier to use.
Now to set up the blog, follow these 6 steps:
A.1 Choose a blogging platform
You can choose from several blogging platforms available, but you need to choose one that suits your needs. Consider factors like ease of use, customization options, pricing, and available features before settling on a platform. Ask yourself: do I start with a personal blog or do I jump right into a commercial blog?
A.2 Choose a domain name
Your domain name is your blog’s web address. It should be unique and easy to remember. You can buy a custom domain name from a domain registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Be wary of less famous domain providers so you don’t compromise domain privacy and domain authority.
A.3 Select a web hosting provider
A web host is a company that stores your blog files and makes them accessible to monthly visitors. Some blogging platforms come with built-in hosting, while others require you to purchase a hosting plan separately. Consider factors like speed, uptime, domain privacy protection, and customer support when choosing a web host.
A.4 Choose a theme
A theme is a pre-designed template that gives your blog its look and feel. Choose a blog theme that aligns with your brand and blogging niche.
A.5 Customize your blog
You can customize your blog further by adding widgets, plugins, chatbots, and marketing tools to enhance functionality.
If setting up a blogging website isn’t your cup of tea, you can always hire an expert designer to do all the heavy lifting for you. This way, you can focus on crucial aspects like researching blog topics to write about and outreach to different income streams.
A.6 Start writing and publishing content
With your blog set up, you can start creating and publishing content. Make sure that your content is valuable, engaging, and relevant to your ideal reader. Learn how to create viral content too so you get an audience boost.
B. Identifying A Blog Niche
Once your blog is set up, the next crucial step is to identify the specific topic or theme that your blog article will revolve around. It will determine your target audience, the type of blog post you create, and the ways you can monetize your blog. Choose a competitive niche that you are passionate about and you have knowledge of.
Here are 6 steps to help you identify a profitable niche for your marketing blog:
B.1 Identify your interests and passions
Start by listing down your interests to get blog post ideas. These could be anything from cooking mom blogs to lifestyle blogs, a travel blog, and finance blogs. Choose a few topics that you feel strongly about.
Writing about something you personally like will be more sustainable compared to something you know little about. You’ll be more excited to research and publish it if it’s something you’re passionate about.
B.2 Research your topics
Once you have a few niche topics in mind, research them to determine whether there is a market for them. It has to have ample monthly searches, depending on the niche, at least 500- 1,000 monthly search volume. Use Google Trends, social media, and online forums to gauge the interest level in your topics.
Take Vector, a business in the logistics niche, as an example. They wanted to create a blog post around their core service. Rather than simply handpicking what topics to write about, they went to Google Trends, typed in an offer they have, and identified the related queries for that offer. As you can notice in the image, one topic idea they can go for is “yard management system” and so they wrote content revolving around that topic.
B.3 Consider your expertise
To turn blog traffic into money, choose a competitive niche that you have some expertise in so it’s easier to create blog content and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
By the end of your content make your expertise known. Add a short author bio to reinforce the readers’ confidence and move them to action, trusting your expertise in the industry.
B.4 Determine your target audience
Think about who you’re writing for and tap into their interests and needs. Writing what you love is great, but if it doesn’t click with your readers, the organic traffic will be slim. Make sure they love and find value in it too.
B.5 Analyze your competition
Look at other successful blogs in your niche and analyze what they are doing well and what areas they may be lacking in. This will help you identify opportunities to set an edge yourself and offer something unique to your readers.
Look at popular blogs. Identify what you can apply to your blog and what you can do better.
B.6 Choose a niche
Based on your interests and expertise, choose a niche that has a market demand and offers opportunities to set an edge.
Keep in mind, your niche isn’t set in stone. As your passions shift and your know-how expands, and as you get a clearer picture of your readers and what they’re after, your focus can change too. Stay adaptable and open to evolving alongside your blog and brand.
C. Creating Valuable Content
Crafting worthwhile content means your blog post should be more than just words—it should be insightful, captivating, and genuinely helpful.
Your readers are on the hunt for solutions or answers to their burning questions. Make sure your content hits the mark. Plus, a well-written, easy-to-digest, and visually pleasing piece always keeps readers hooked.
Start by understanding your target audience and their needs. This will help you create relevant and helpful content. Conduct surveys or use analytics tools to gain insights about your target audience’s concerns. Once you identify this, you will create content that addresses their pain points and provides them with applicable and actionable information.
When creating content, be sure to use a conversational tone. Avoid using technical jargon or complex language that may confuse your readers. Use short paragraphs, create subheadings, and include bullet points to break up your content so it’s not an overwhelming wall of text for the reader.
Use visuals: images, infographics, and videos to make your content more engaging and easy to consume. Be sure to optimize your visuals for web viewing, keeping in mind the importance of page load speed.
Lastly, publish your blogs consistently. This builds a loyal following as you work on establishing yourself as an authority in your niche.
Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. Make sure that each piece of content you publish isn’t full of fluff but of relatable and actionable information your readers can apply.
D. Building A Readership
Building a readership involves promoting your blog post using social media, email marketing, and guest posting. This will turn a once decent traffic flow to something more profitable.
Alongside your blogging traffic, you can also grow your email subscribers. You can send them email newsletters to nurture leads and turn them into potential clients. Keep your emails as interesting as your blog content so your subscriber per month count continues to increase.
Respond to your readers’ comments and feedback to create rapport and a community around your blog. With it, you’ll increase your blog’s visibility and reach so you monetize your blog later on.
After setting up your blog, it’s time to turn it into a money-making machine. Let’s consider 6 ways you can make an income from your blog.
6 Proven Ways To Monetize Your Blog
Blogging can be a profitable venture. Here are 6 popular monetization strategies for blog:
1. Advertising
You can display ads on your blog post and earn money based on the number of clicks or impressions. Google AdSense is a popular platform for displaying ads on a blog. But be cautious with ads. Too many Google ads can turn off your readers and affect your blog’s credibility.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Be an affiliate marketer to promote a product or service and earn a commission for any sales made through your unique affiliate link. Choose affiliate products related to your niche and earn affiliate income for every purchase made through your link. You can also run affiliate ads.
Be an Amazon Affiliate or try the ShareASale affiliate programs. You can also explore another affiliate network more relevant to your niche. Other than learning blogging strategies, when delving into affiliate marketing, learn affiliate marketing techniques and build affiliate relationships too.
3. Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are content created in collaboration with a brand or company. You’ll get paid for creating a post that promotes a product or service. Sponsored posts have good income potential but you need to disclose any sponsored content to your readers so they don’t feel deceived.
While you can promote 1 brand in 1 blog, you can also leverage review list types of posts for sponsored content so you can promote competitors too. Here’s an excellent accounting software review blog sample you can look at.
As long as you have a big readership, brands will pay up to get the number 1 spot on your list. With this, you can name your price. You can make the number 1 spot the most expensive spot and lower the costs as you go down the review list.
An excellent review entry includes an image of the brand, a star rating, a brief description, and a link to the brand.
4. Selling Products Or Services
If you have a product or service that relates to your niche, you can sell it through your blog. It could be anything, from an eBook to physical products. You can even offer writing as one of your freelance services to get freelance clients. You can also offer consulting services. They are some of the best ways to earn from blogging, but it definitely demands a lot of effort.
But remember that with consulting gigs, you first need to prove your expertise and be able to show results. This might come as a later business model for your blogging business, for now, focus on growing your blog to make part of your portfolio for future freelance writing and consulting services.
5. Creating Digital Products
eBooks, online courses, and printables can be an effective way to monetize your blog. You can create blogging courses or sell a digital product related to your niche. Digital products need some upfront time and effort, but they can offer a steady passive income as time goes on.
6. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding involves asking your readers to donate money to your blog or project. Usually, bloggers go the crowdfunding route when they’re keen on launching a specific project or product. It can be a solid way to bring in some cash, but you’ll need a loyal and engaged audience plus a pretty compelling reason for them to chip in.
Leveraging one or several of these monetization methods can definitely make your blog a money-making machine. Keep in mind that monetization should not come at the expense of your readers. Make sure to always prioritize creating valuable content and engaging with your readers.
Now that you know how to create your blog and how you can make money blogging, let’s now consider how you can grow your readership so you can build a huge audience to generate revenue.
7 Tested Methods To Grow Your Blog
Growing your blog is an ongoing process that requires effort. Here are 6 effective ways to grow your blog:
I. Networking With Other Bloggers
Connecting with fellow bloggers broadens your audience and foster relationships within your niche. How about touching base on social media platforms, dropping comments on their blogs, or even catching up at blogging events? Teaming up with them not only lets you create valuable content but also offers a chance to promote each other’s blogs.
II. Engaging With Your Audience
Reply to their comments to draw their opinions out and learn more about their interests and preferences, things you can leverage when creating content. Nudge your readers to converse amongst themselves, be it in the comment section or on social media.
III. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your blog post for organic search engines. This involves using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and building backlinks to your blog so you can increase your blog’s visibility and attract more blog traffic.
IV. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing involves boosting your blog on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your blog posts on social media, engage with your followers, and jump in relevant groups and discussions.
V. Guest Posting
Guest posting involves writing posts for other blogs in your niche. It opens doors to a fresh audience, helps you score some backlinks to your blog, and positions you as a go-to expert in your field. When guest posting, make sure to provide valuable content and include a link to your blog.
VI. Analyzing Your Blog’s Performance
Checking out how your blog’s doing lets you see the hits and misses. Using Google Analytics, you can see how many people are stopping by, sticking around, or doing what you want them to. With that info, you can adjust things to make your blog post better and get more readers in the mix.
Remember, growing your blog isn’t an overnight thing—it takes some elbow grease. But the payoff? Totally worth it. Just concentrate on whipping up relevant and actionable content, chatting with your readers, and spreading the word on different platforms, and you’ll be on your way to running a money-making blog.
All this work can take up a lot of your time that’s better spent on outreach efforts. While these are crucial aspects, it’s better to delegate this to an expert content assistant so you can focus on the decision-making aspects of your blogging business. Make sure to prepare a detailed list of interview questions to hire the most qualified and the most appropriate fit.
But don’t stop there. Take these next 5 strategies in mind as you work on growing your blog and start making money in blogging.
Conclusion
When starting a blog, make sure to choose a niche you’re an expert in and monetize your blog through various methods.
In the end, never stop learning and always aim to give your readers valuable content. Build that strong readership, and you might just be pocketing a cool $10,000/month as a full-time blogger.
Want to learn more about blogging and the world of tech? Check out Nerdbot to stay up to date with what’s trending in the online world, elements you can leverage to keep making money online.
Author Bio
Burkhard Berger is the founder of Novum™. He helps innovative B2B companies implement revenue-driven SEO strategies to scale their organic traffic to 1,000,000+ visitors per month. Curious about what your true traffic potential is?
