Imagine sitting at your desk in the morning, typing away and making a great living while everyone else is fighting traffic. Read on to find out how to be a blogger and earn money from the comfort of home.
If it all sounds too good to be true, it’s not. I started my first blog in 2017 after seeing a Pinterest Pin about making money blogging and honestly, I really did wonder if it was actually a thing.
The success rate for a full-time income isn’t great if you’re not familiar with the business of blogging, but with a good game plan, bringing in another income from blogging is well within your reach.
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First thing to realize is that regardless of what amazing blogging course you buy or how much you invest in the beginning, anyone who claims to teach you how to be a blogger and earn money within a short period of time is lying.
Blogging can be really lucrative but it often takes at least 6 months to year before you make any real money.
Here are some things to bear in mind when you are starting out:
How to be a blogger and earn money
Choosing Your Subject Matter
There are 2 basic choices:
You can write about what interests you, or
write about something that you know is popular and profitable.
It’s certainly a lot easier and more enjoyable to write about something you’re passionate about, but, depending on your passions, there might not be a lot of outside interest or money in it.
The trick is finding that elusive topic that is interesting to you and popular with a relatively large potential audience.
A good plan is to write a list of everything you have an interest in. If you have particular knowledge or skills in an area that others with your interest don’t always have, that’s even better.
Reflect on your topics and do some research.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Blog Topic
Are there plenty of potential readers who would be interested in your topic?
Many bloggers swear by niching down their topics. This means becoming a specialist in a very narrow topic for example, hardwood flooring or Gluten free cooking.
The trick is to not go too narrow. You need to make sure there are enough potential readers who are doing internet searches for your chosen topic.
There is no point in spending hours writing about a topic if only 3 people (including your mum and your gran) are going to actually be interested in what you have to say.
Do people spend money on products in that field?
Will you be able to make money recommending products to your readers via sites like Amazon or niche affiliates?
Is there a need for education? Could you create a course around your chosen subject and sell it to readers?
Can you bring value – something unique – to this audience?
Rehashing the same content only goes so far. Can you provide a unique insight, new information or a different take from what’s already out there?
If you can answer “Yes” to the questions above, then you have a winner!
Strengthen Your Writing
One of the most important things about blogging is the written word. It’s actually amazing how many people want to learn how to be a blogger and earn money without giving a single thought to the fact that they will have to actually spend time crafting blog posts.
While you’re not penning the next War and Peace, it’s important to be interesting, and no amount of marketing will make up for poor writing.
In the past, you could get away with poor content, but Google is getting smarter all the time, and there’s simply too much competition to be successful with anything less than decent writing.
Don’t be afraid to take a writing class at the local college if you think that would be of assistance to you.
There is always the option of hiring someone else to do the writing for you, but that can get expensive quickly. This is especially true at the beginning, as it can take some time to start generating enough income for both you and the writers.
Select a Domain, Hosting, and a Blogging Platform
Below you will find the basics on how to be a blogger and earn money but for an in depth step by step guide, I recommend you check out my tutorial on how to start a blog that makes money.
Domain Name
Your domain name is the name of your site that starts with www. You can purchase a domain name from Namecheap or other popular registrars for about $10-20 per year. Do look for a .com where possible, regardless of where you live.
You’ll also need to find a place to host your website, which you can do for usually less than $5 per month for at least the first year.
Hosting
If you are a new blogger, I recommend either Bluehost or Hostpapa. I have used both of these companies for various blogs and the experience has been similar. Check out their current pricing to see which one works best for you.
I’ve contacted customer service via chat a few times and been connected within seconds and my problem has always been resolved.
TIP: Always buy your domain from a regular domain registrar, separate from the company you use for your hosting. Most hosts will offer you a free domain name when you sign up for hosting but I’ve found it easier to go separate.
This way, you’re free to change hosting at any time by just pointing your domain to your new hosting company. It makes life easier if you change your mind or want to try a new place.
Check out Hostpapa Hosting here
Click here to visit Bluehost
Choosing a Blogging Platform
In terms of a blogging platform, I’d recommend WordPress.org. It’s so well-supported, with so many excellent free and premium themes and plugins, that it’s hard to recommend anything else.
WordPress is easy to use and with a little work, you can really make it look great. Plus, the WordPress software itself is free.
You can download it at WordPress.org but most hosts (including the two I mentioned above) will have it ready for you to launch once you start hosting.
There are a lot of forums dedicated to using WordPress and you can always get the help you need in getting started and maintaining your WordPress blog.
6 Ways To Make Money With Your Blog
Don’t be bashful about setting up your site in a way that optimizes your opportunities to get paid! Here are the most popular ways to be a blogger and earn money from your site.
Create your own information product
Could you make a video, eBook, or audio to sell to your readers? Digital information products can be very easy to make and have a high profit margin. All the tools you need are available online for free.
Offer services or consulting
Offer your readers the chance to work with you one-on-one to get your advice or your service.
Build a list
Get an account with a popular autoresponder service, like Sendfox, so you can enable your interested readers to opt in to your newsletter.
The autoresponder service provides the software for them to opt in and for you to contact them by email on a regular basis. This way, you can build more rapport with your readers and make more money.
Sell other related products as an affiliate
In every topic you can imagine, there are products related to yours that you can sell for a commission.
Find some of these related products online and look for their details on becoming an affiliate.
For these products, you can post ads on your website, write about them in your blog posts, or talk about them in your newsletter.
Sell ad space on your website
Product owners in your field are always looking for more places to market their products. Offer space on your website for their ads and charge a monthly fee.
Or sign up for programs like Google Adsense and let their ads appear on your site. You could get paid by advertisers simply by bringing visitors to your site.
Flip Your Website
Sell your website and start another. Any site with a lot of traffic can be sold for a considerable amount of money. Once you’ve built it up, you can always sell it if that appeals to you.
Wondering how much your site is worth? The general rule of thumb is 10x the annual income of the site.
Tips For Blogging Success
Create a Posting Schedule
If the other bloggers in your field post daily, then posting weekly will make it difficult for you to compete. Some topics lend themselves to more frequent posting than others.
One post a week is the absolute minimum; 3-5 times a week would be better. Ideally, it’s more effective to publish your posts on a set schedule so your regular readers know when to expect your new posts.
Keep in mind that you can pre-blog. Most of the popular blogging platforms will allow you to preload your posts, and then they’ll be published at the time and date that you’ve specified.
Having a set posting schedule will also keep you honest and current with your writing. It’s easier to say to yourself, “I’ll just do it tomorrow” if you don’t have 2,000 people waiting for your next post on Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
Promote, Promote, Promote
You can have excellent content, but if no one can find you, it’s all pointless.
Try these easy ideas to get started with promoting your blog:
- Add your blog address to your email signature.
- Ask for links to your blog from other bloggers/websites
- Start a Facebook or other social media page about your blog.
- Post on related forums and include your blog address in your signature and profile.
- Create a press release and submit it online. It might sound funny to have a press release, but they can get you listed in Google news. You might even find that your press release ranks higher in the search engine results than your domain name.
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