Learning how to make money with a blog has got to be one of the best things that I have ever learned in my entire life and I don’t know where I would be without it.
Over the past 5+ years, I have learned so many ways to make money from my blog but I’ll be the first to tell you that none of it came easy.
As a matter of fact, this has got to be one of the hardest things I have learned how to do in my entire life but I seriously wouldn’t trade it for any other career out there.
In the following post, I’ll be sharing the experience that I’ve had with blogging and in particular, 7 things that I did that were crucial to my success in the online world.
If you guys have ever shown any type of interest in blogging and you have attempted to make a go of this with no luck then this post was written just for you and I encourage you to stick around and read this post in detail.
To make navigating this post a breeze I have added the following links to help you guys out.
This way you can click on the corresponding link to read more about the section you’re interested in without having to scroll through the entire post.
- Blogging Takes Time
- Pick A Topic You’re Interested In
- Consistency Is Key
- Collaborating with other bloggers
- Diversifying your content strategy
- Be authentic and real
- Provide a great user experience
- Closing Thoughts
1) Blogging Takes Time
This is something that a lot of people don’t seem to comprehend when they’re first starting out in the world of blogging.
I was actually a part of those people back 5+ years ago and this is probably one of the biggest challenges that I faced when first getting started.
Back then I was jumping from one job to the next and sometimes putting in 60+ hour weeks.
Obviously after working that many hours the last thing you feel like doing is going home and working on building your blogging business.
Right?
Well, somehow I found the time to devote enough time to this while working a J.O.B and after several months of busting my ass I was able to turn a profit and I made my very first sale.
However, it took me well over a year before I was able to make enough money to go full time online and kick my 9 to 5 job to the curb.
I actually wrote a post detailing how long it took me to earn my first $1,000 online and you can read all about it here
If you’re looking to have any type of long term success online from a blog then it’s highly imperative that you come to terms with this and be prepared to devote as much time to this as you possibly can.
Time is on your side and if you want to become successful at blogging you will find the time to make this work and devote the amount of time to this thats necessary to become successful.
2) Pick A Topic That You’re Passionate About
This truly is the key to making all of this work and if you fail to do this then your chances of making it in the blogging world is slim to none.
Have you guys ever heard the saying “Do something you love and you’ll never work another day in your life”?
This particularly holds true when it comes to blogging and making money from a website
This is due to the simple fact that if you enjoy what you’re writing about, it won’t feel like work and you’re likely to stick with it and give it all you got.
You guys wouldn’t believe the number of emails I get from people on an almost daily basis that picks a topic solely based on how much money they can make from it.
They usually have no interest in the topic and they don’t know the first thing about it but they have heard that it can be really profitable.
Well, guess what?
Any niche can be profitable if you go about it the right way and you narrow your topic of interest down to a specific sector so that you can find your targeted audience.
What are you guys passionate about?
From video games to learning how to crochet and everything in between, you can definitely find a profitable niche that you’ll thoroughly enjoy writing for day in and day out if you go with a passion or hobby of yours.
Here recently I started a second website based on my love for video games and built a blog around it. The domain name is 3 years old now but I just started working on the site about 3 months ago and I have already made a few sales.
3) Be Consistent
Another one of the many things that I struggled with when I first started out is being consistent and making sure to keep your readers interested, engaged, and continuously coming back to your site to read your latest content.
In order for you to build an audience of people who enjoy reading about what you have to say and engaging with you, it’s highly imperative that you’re writing content on a consistent basis.
Here are a few tips to get you organized and on the path to being a consistent blogger
Get yourself a whiteboard if you don’t already have one so you can list your daily, weekly, and monthly goals and write out your weekly blogging schedule.
I suggest everyone write at least 3 blog posts a week but posting every day or every other day is ideal as this speeds up the time that it takes for your website to get indexed in Google and start showing up in the search engines.
Write down the different types of content that you plan to publish for the week on your whiteboard before the week starts so that you’re on top of things and don’t fall behind.
Write down any content ideas that may pop in your head as soon as you get them as well and add these to your list of content that you plan on publishing over the next 30 days.
This is what I do and it has helped me out immensely.
Also, if I happen to be out taking a walk I always make sure I have my phone with me so that I can jot these ideas down when I’m mobile and don’t have access to my whiteboard at home.
4) Collaborate With Other Bloggers Or Brands Who Are In The Same Niche
One of the best ways to get your blog established and grow a following is by collaborating with other bloggers who share the same passion as you.
There are several ways for you to do this and here are the top 2 ways that I can think of off the top of my head
- Guest Posting
- Sponsored Posts
These are the 2 best ways that I can think of to get your name out there, spread the word, and connect with other like-minded people who have the same or similar interests as you.
For those of you who aren’t exactly sure what the 2 things that I listed above, allow me to explain them below.
Guest posting is where other bloggers in your niche will write content on your site as a guest blogger.
There are quite a few benefits that both you and the guest blogger will gain and this usually involves gaining a quality backlink from a high authority site as well as an increase in traffic as well.
However, you need to make sure these come from a reliable source and the blog you’re looking to collaborate with is legit.
Before accepting any requests to do a guest post I would do some in depth research on them to make sure this isn’t just some low quality spammy website looking to get a backlink from you.
Another great way for you to build your authority and establish yourself as a blogger is by accepting sponsored posts on your site.
A sponsored post is where other brands and advertisers will pay you a predetermined amount of money to post an article on your site.
The content should be relevant to the overall theme of your site and be of utmost quality to be considered for a chance to be featured on your site.
Just here recently, I started accepting these types of posts and I have already noticed that my traffic has gone up along with many other added benefits.
Not to mention that I have earned nearly $300 from this in under 1 month so its a win-win for everyone.
5) Diversify Your Content
They say the variety is the spice of life and I couldn’t agree more especially when it comes to running your own blog and writing interesting engaging and thought provoking content in the online world.
Nobody likes to read the same type of content over and over again and thats why it’s so important for you to mix things up and keep your readers guessing about what you’re going to publish next.
If you happen to visit my website on a regular basis then you know that I publish a variety of different types of content on my sites all the time and I do this for several reasons which I’ll be listing for you guys below.
- Keeps your audience engaged and wondering what you’ll post next
- Gives you a break from writing the same type of content week in and week out
- Help establish your site as an authority and rank for a variety of different types of content
- Will help your site evolve and allow you to take things to the next level and beyond
Depending on the type of niche you are involved with will determine the types of content you could publish on your site but here are a few things that I can think of off the top of my head.
- How to posts
- Product Reviews
- Motivational posts
- List Posts
These are just a few of the ways that I personally diversify my content and I would highly recommend that you guys do the same to keep your audience coming back to hear more about what you have to say.
6) Be Authentic, Genuine, & Show Your True Self
Be authentic and keep it real with your audience. Make a personal connection with them and share stories with them that they can likely relate too.
Maintaining your reader’s attention and keeping them engaged should be your #1 priority as a blogger as once they lose interest and bounce you may never see or hear from them ever again.
Be open and honest and frequently ask your audience what their thoughts are on whatever you happen to be writing about in the article.
Thats what blogging is all about anyway!!
Connecting with your audience and sharing your personal experiences with them is one of the best ways for you to gain their trust and build a long-lasting relationship with them.
If you’re writing a how-to article and you’re explaining how to do something, walk them through the same steps that you followed and show them exactly how you were able to achieve this.
Also, ask if they have any questions afterward and offer your help and assistance if they should have any other questions or need a hand getting started.
7) Provide An Overall Great User Experience
Providing your visitors with a great user experience will not only help you maintain your visitors and keep them on your site longer, it will also help increase your rankings in Google.
Running a successful blog is all about helping people solve a particular problem and find a solution so it’s highly imperative that they can navigate your site with ease and find the information they’re looking for fairly easily.
Listed below are a few ways that you can improve their user experience
- Properly categorize your content by using categories
- Add your most important and most helpful content to your main menu
- Use jump links so people can jump to specific sections without having to scroll
- Use internal linking to link to other pieces of relevant content
These are just a few of the things I can think of that will enable your visitors to navigate your site better and keep them engaged and able to find what they’re looking for rather quickly.
The easier it is for your visitors to navigate your site and find what they’re looking for the more likely they will be to recommend it to a friend or family member and likely make a return visit to see what else they can learn from you.
If you follow these tips that I’ve shared with you guys above, your chances of retaining visitors and gaining new ones is looking great and your chances of being a successful blogger have just tripled.
My Closing Thoughts
Learning how to be a successful blogger can take years or more for you to perfect this skill and learn everything you need to do to earn a great living doing this.
I have been doing this for over 5 years now and to this day I’m still learning something new all the time and expanding my knowledge.
I earn a pretty decent living and I’m constantly looking for additional ways to grow my income through blogging and as I continue to learn new and exciting ways to earn money with your blog I’ll be sharing with you guys on this website.
The place that has shown me how to build multiple websites based on a hobby or passion of mine and learn how to get paid to write about these hobbies through blogging is Wealthy Affiliate.
If you’re serious about learning the proper way to build a business online and learn how to get paid to write about your hobbies and interests then I would highly recommend that you check them out for yourself and see what they can do for you.
They make it easy and affordable for you to get started by offering their free starter membership which provides you with everything you need to get up and running.
I really hope this detailed blog post has given you some insight into the 7 things that I have done to be a more successful blogger and how you can replicate these to create your own success story.
Still, have questions or would like to add to this post with your own suggestions?
I would love to hear all about them in the comments below.
I look forward to hearing from you guys and I’ll see you in my next post.
~Scott~