REAL Honest and Effective Ways to Earn Money Blogging
If you are starting a blog and hope to actually earn money online, here are some tried and proven methods that work. The amount of money you can make will depend entirely on your ongoing efforts to publish a popular blog, expand your audience, and keep testing new money making opportunities to match your audience’s demand for good relevant information and your personal goals for your blog. With that in mind, check out these easy ways to starting earning money from blogging…
Before we get to the ways to earn money by blogging here are some tips to get you started:
Starting your first blog can seem overwhelming. What are your goals for your blog? Do you intend to add advertising, sell products or host a forum? How much space will you need? You may not know how to answer these questions yet, so let’s get some help.
You will need to arm yourself with a few tools – Don’t worry, most are FREE:
- Choose Your Blogging Platform: such as WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, Tumblr, or LiveJournal. Look at each of them and see what special design features and extras are included, how easy they are to use and what does it cost to use and maintain. You want to get the best product at a reasonable cost that can grow with your blog and future needs. Look at how these programs work and make sure you can easily navigate them and get to your goal without too much confusion.
- Blog Title:Once you choose your topic you need to research it on the internet. How many other blogs are there on the subject? Use keywords and a unique title to make sure your blog gets recognized in search engines and compares to or surpasses the competition. Sometimes a slightly different approach can make your blog fresh and new in the field. Take a look at what others are doing and make sure yours will stack up against them. Some important things to remember are:
- Choosing a blog host: A blog host is a company that for a fee can provide space on their servers to hold your blog. These hosts can provide additional services, and may even offer blogging software as well. Some of the most popular include: HostGator, BlueHost, GoDaddy and 1and1. Investigate them on your own and see which one works best for you or look up others on the internet to compare them. To get a FREE webhost, see our Number 1 recommendation.
Specialize: Focus on the 1-3 areas of expertise you have. Establish yourself.
Original Content: Always provide the most current and new material. Keep up on the latest trends, costs, features and ask people what they are looking for. Are there problems that you know how to solve that haven’t been provided yet?
Value Yourself: If you are charging for blogging make sure to calculate an hourly rate that is worthy of the work you are putting into it. It’s not just your creativity, but also time and materials. List a respectable fee for your talents and knowledge..
- Getting your Domain Name: BlueHost is a good place to start. They offer domain names and hosting services. There is also GoDaddy and many others to choose from. Develop a list of keywords you may want to use in your domain. You can check to see if your preferred domain name is available and reserve it when you are ready. Don’t just grab the first thing you see. Make sure it is something that will be easy to remember and related to your blog and shorter is better.
- Start Your Blog – Content Marketing: Now that you have the essentials out of the way it is time to start blogging and getting your name out there so you can take advantage of earning money. Keep a pencil and pad ready and jot down ideas as they come to you, so you won’t forget to include them. Introduce yourself and your blog and tell people what it is all about. Make it entertaining and inviting. Ask for comments or questions and invite people to sign up with their email addresses. This will start building your audience and reputation and most of all your mailing list. Consider offering a quick page such as 5 Things You Need to Know Today, and keep it updated. You should blog at least 3-5 times per week and make sure your content is current and relevant and interesting. Ask questions for them to answer and find out all you can about their interest in your blog. You can have fun doing this and making this work for you.
The number of people actually earning money blogging is quite large. We are often blown away by the increasing number of people we interact with on online forums and marketing arenas. Yes, it can be a daunting task in the beginning, especially if you initially know nothing about creating a website or blogging in general. But, with today’s blogging platforms, the GUIs – (Graphical User Interfaces) are far more intuitive than ever before. You can actual take just about anything you’re passionate about and create a website with a blogging platform and become an authority in the field with a little work and practice. As your authority grows, so will website traffic to your chosen blogging platform and with the right tools in place, so will the money!
Knowledge is Power and arming yourself with the right guidance is key. You can spin your wheels for day or even months without earning a single dollar or dime if you take the wrong path. We have studied most of the programs out there and the Wealthy Affiliate University is by far, the best education and training facility online. They are constantly updating their training lessons, videos and tutorials. Beyond that, there is an incredible community of like-minded professionals (like us) to ask questions and help with your learning curve. And, these individuals, like us, are using these (and more) ways to earn money blogging. Additionally, if you join Wealthy Affiliate, you can get your blogging platform, domain name and live help absolutely free. Yes, free members can earn monthly residual income without dropping a single dime. You can too! Join us! And, finally, on to the list!
7 Effective Ways to Earn Money Blogging
1. Join a Reputable Advertising Program
Google AdSense is one of many advertising programs available for bloggers to join and one of the most popular. It offers a variety of pay-per-click text, display, and video opportunities for bloggers. With a bit of work, trial and error and adjusting you can easily make money with Google AdSense.
2. Advertising Affiliate Programs
Many companies offer programs that allow you to apply to be an affiliate of that company and earn money. Amazon Associates is one of the most popular and easiest for bloggers to use. Once you get your blog up and running and are getting some visitors (Traffic) you may want to look into this as a way to earn money. These are like online market places for advertisers. So do some research and see which ones appeal to you and fit in with your blog. There are different ways to earn money, but basically you need your visitors to click a link on your site for information or to make a purchase from your blog. You can tailor your ad to fit your target area of interest.
3. Affiliate Advertising Networks
A number of affiliate advertising networks link online advertisers with publishers like bloggers. Commission Junction is one of the most popular. Before you plunge in, make sure the company and its sponsors are reputable and that their products are something you would buy yourself. The pricing should range from $10 to $500 in range that is reasonable for the product and will earn you money. Your commission ideally should be 20% or more and they should pay once a month in a secure method such as PayPal or by check. Ensure they have an adequate tracking system for you to see where your sales and interest come from and also offer good customer service in the event of technical problems. Shop around the different networks to see which be a suitable fit for your blog.
The profit margins with Commission Junction may not seem that robust to you. And, we have certainly made larger margins, but CJ has an incredibly well-known presence being affiliated with some major brand names. If you’re seeking larger margins, perhaps digital products would be your forte’. If this is the case, check out our Clickbank University review. Clickbank specializes in digitally delivered products such as eBooks, audio and video. Obviously, digitally downloaded products have much less overhead and the profit margins are as high as 70%. But, typically selling these types of products can be a bit more work.
4. Sell Your Own Ad Space
You can sell space on your website to advertisers, but your blog must be popular with a large audience to make this work and earn enough money. However sites like BuySellAds.com link bloggers with online advertisers to make selling your ad space easier. You can use Text or Banner Ads and tap into Pay Per Click options depending on your preference. You can also sell items on your blog and services will work to help you create custom items for you to sell through your blog.
5. Get Paid for Posts and Reviews
Writing posts or product reviews on your own blog in exchange for pay is another way to earn money. Many Web sites link online publishers, like bloggers with companies and individuals who want their products and/or services reviewed or discussed online. Make sure you understand how to safely publish on your blog, so you don’t negatively affect your blog’s traffic. Make good use of your SEO and key words to reach the right audience.
6. Sell Products
Several Web sites that make it very easy for bloggers to host their own online stores to sell custom or stock merchandise and make money doing it! CafePress, Zazzle and Printfection are among the most popular sites to create an online store. As always look at their programs to make sure they fit in with your blog and check how they will do business with you. Some bloggers include a Donation button on their sites to ask readers to help support the blog. This is a personal decision.
7. Become a Professional Blogger
If you write well and can work on your own you could work from home as a professional blogger! There are lots of places to find paid blogger jobs so be choosy and make sure it will fit in with your personal choices and ideas. The pay can vary so pick the one that meets your needs. You might also want to consider joining a blogging network. Many of these will pay per post for specific subjects. One way to get started is to register as a Guest Blogger and make your name and subject matter visible. Take a look at the different options and see if this could work for your blog.
A couple of fantastic sites Freelancers and Professional Bloggers frequent to build out there portfolio:
- Guru.com
- Elance.com (Now Upwork)
- Outsource.com
Additionally, you can create unique and engaging blogging articles and post them here:
- Business2Community.com
- AllBusiness.com
- SmallBizTrends.com
- Business.com
- SmallBizLabs.com
These are all free and accept article submissions from bloggers. They can greatly help you create yourself as an authority. Some of the higher-end blogs WILL ask for references in the form of prior writing. Again, think of this as building your professional portfolio or resume. Subsequently, you can begin charging for your professional blogging services. I have met pro bloggers earning some serious money online simply writing for others. They charge anywhere from $5 to $600 for a single article. There are likely some very influential bloggers out there earning even more per article for their professional blogging services.
The important point here is to be true to your own blog and your own goals. Look for opportunities that represent the kind of image you want to portray and have a solid reputation. Now that you have some basic guidelines, it is time to do some good research and get started. You can earn money as a blogger and establish a presence. Look at current bloggers sites and see what makes them stand out and find your own niche. Develop a specialty that you are well-versed in and have experience or tons of knowledge. Your blog should be just as valuable and noteworthy as any of your competitors.
There is a lot of research on the internet that will help you develop the kind of blog you want and hopefully that audiences are waiting for. Don’t be afraid to try a new twist on a current or old topic. We have done each of the items listed here and they are proven to work and helped us earning some extra income. Of course, there are many other ways to earn money blogging, but these are the easiest and least complicated methods. Check out my Wealthy Affiliate website.
