How to Earn Money Blogging
Blogging has changed significantly since 1994, when Justin Hall created the first blog. The simplicity of creating blogs and the low entry price have opened the door to anyone with a little bit of knowledge and a little bit of willingness to put in the work. If done properly, blogging can be profitable. In a survey performed by Technorati, it reported that while the average blogger made $6,000 per year, some fortunate bloggers topped the $200,000 mark.
Making money with blogs has become easier over the years now that blogs have become more mainstream. However, to successfully turn your blog into a money making machine you’re going to have to work hard, post often and spread you revenue potential over many different streams to bring in the kind of money that would allow you to quit your day job. After finding your niche’ and creating your blog, follow these steps to succeed in this endeavor:
1. Monetize It
a. Research the different types of monetization. Then, select the ones most appropriate to your topic. Some blogs are better suited for selling e-books, white papers or e-newsletters. Other lean toward selling specific products or simple text or image link ads. You can place image and text ads from Google AdSense and Chitika on your site, sell products through Amazon’s affiliate program and sell private ads to relevant companies.
b. Look for profitable, commercial blog networks that fit your topic. Apply for acceptance into them once you have a substantial amount of posts on your site. Networks such as FoodBuzz have hundreds or thousands of blogs that are networked together, and they provide an additional income stream through their own advertising.
c. Determine the best placements for ads on your site, whether they are banner or text ads, or a simple link to your e-book or e-newsletter subscription. Make sure that the ads are a good fit for your site. Remember not to overpower your blog with ads.
2. Get Traffic
a. Learn the techniques you need to get your blog ranked highly in the search engines, and how to write compelling text to draw a reader in. No matter how well you have monetized your blog, you will not make money unless people visit it.
b. Research and apply on-page optimization factors, such as keyword placement, and off-page optimization, such as backlinks and metatags. Enroll in a reputable program, such as The Keyword Academy, to learn the right techniques and strategies.
c. Engage in social marketing by creating a Twitter account and Facebook fan page for your blog.