Want to learn how to make a money blog? I did too.
The reality is that the way you build your blog, from Day 1, is critically important. It’s the difference in financial success or disaster.
Most people don’t consider blogging a viable career, more like a hobby.
But there are thousands of people who earn more with their blogs than some of the highest paying professions out there?
These people earn more than doctors, lawyers, dentists – you name it – and it all comes from typing words into a computer screen.
Learn How to Make a Money Blog:
So how’s it done? What are the secrets to these highly paid bloggers?
Well, I don’t think owners of popular blogs have time to hold your hand and walk you through the process. Unless you want to invest a lot of money in their coaching services (and these guys charge a lot because they can!).
I’m talking like over $200/hour for their services.
But you can listen to their advice (in the form of blog posts) and analyze their marketing strategies.
I suggest that you follow some of the top blogs within your niche. You can also follow popular blogging sites, the first two off the top of my head are: Copy Blogger and Boost Blog Traffic.
Take a few minutes to look for equally valuable blogs and follow them, even if you only read their free articles you will learn a lot about blogging and creating a successful website.
How Will You Make Money From Your Blog:
Creating a money blog is actually not that difficult, but it requires focus and determination.
First of all, if you want to make money then you have to sell something.
It could be your own products (eBooks, courses, services, etc) or an affiliate product (which I recommend for beginners because it’s an easier path).
But you have to make a decision. You have to decide how you will make money from your blog before you start working on it.
If you choose to sell your own product then you have to decide what you can sell, and it has to be a valuable product or service.
Build Your Blog Before You Monetize: Maybe
A lot of bloggers work on their blog for free and build up an audience before they start selling products.
Once you have a hungry audience it’s easy to sell them pretty much anything as long as your name is on it, because you have established your voice, and you’re an authority in your niche.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet.
First, we need to figure out a topic to blog about. A.K.A. a niche.
A lot of people dive right into the make money online niche. I actually don’t recommend this niche (ironic, because I’m in it) because the competition is fierce. There’s also a lot of garbage to sift through, a lot of “Gurus” that point people in the wrong direction.
I think the easiest way to determine your niche is to simply ask yourself, “What am I good at?”.
Find a Blogging Niche: What Are You Good At?
That one question will do wonders for your blogging journey.
Take sometime off to think about it. Chances are that you have a unique talent or you have spent a considerable amount of time in a particular field, more than the average person.
It doesn’t have to be some mind-blowing activity like walking on the moon. All you need is more experience than other people in something.
Have you been working out for a long-time? Do you have an impressive physique? Fitness might be your niche. That’s another competitive but lucrative niche.
Or maybe your a chef and love cooking; share your recipes, recipes are always a hit (write a book of recipes and put it on Amazon, etc). Check out this recent post to learn more tips on selling eBooks.
There are so many niches, check Amazon if you want a list of niches to choose from.
You can check out this video to see how the experts do it using Amazon..
Just remember, the easiest way to find a niche is to think about your experiences.
What activity do you have the most experience with? That could be your niche.
How to Build Blogging Momentum:
Once you’ve got your niche, it’s a matter of publishing as many articles as possible.
You want to focus on producing interesting resource-style articles. Mix in product reviews and you can generate a steady income.
The next step is to learn how to rank content for free. This requires keyword research and an understanding of “white hat” SEO skills.
This will produce free traffic that is targeted and ready to buy.
Need Help Understanding Keyword Placement and Ranking in Google? Get our FREE eBook!
Need a Blogging Education?
I did too. This can all seem quite overwhelming, especially for someone who is new to the blogging scene.
That’s why I recommend taking things one step at a time.
I recommend my favorite business training course, Wealthy Affiliate, it feeds bite sized lessons to you, making it easy for you to progress without tearing your hair out. Check it out, it’s free to give it a try, so there’s nothing to lose.
Please feel free to read my full review of Wealthy Affiliate to understand what Wealthy Affiliate offers you and your online business.
You can make money from your blog by selling products.
You’ll make more money by selling your own products. But, this can be a bit more time consuming and carry higher risk. That is; cost of creating the product, buying inventory, shipping, customer service, etc.
Affiliate products can bring in just as much profit and there’s zero risk.
How to Promote Affiliate Products on Your Blog:
All you have to do is learn to build a website which is super easy these days.
Then learn to produce quality content about your niche. That way you’ll be able to connect with them by ranking in places like Google and YouTube.
There are affiliate programs in pretty much every niche. There’s always something that you can find and promote for a percentage of the sale.
It all comes down to writing and marketing; two activities that can be very frustrating but also very rewarding.
It takes time to learn how to mesh all the little processes together and find your groove, Wealthy Affiliate can help with all that.
Conclusion on Learning How To Make a Money Blog?
Write about the activity that you have the most experience with and eventually sell products about that topic.
- Focus and publish articles.
- Market and network with other bloggers.
- Interact with your audience and build connections.
You work on your blog daily, and eventually, a money blog will pop up before your eyes.
You’ll feel extremely proud of your accomplishment. Just remember, it will take work and time but eventually you can manage the tough tasks through outsourcing.
It will take that initial effort, but once you learn…
- SEO and Editing.
- To market you blog content.
- And find the right outsourcing help – you can spend maybe 10 hours per week a make full-time income – IT’S AWESOME!
Thanks so much for reading this article. If you could do me a favor and share it on social media, that would be very much appreciated.
What do you think about blogging or how to make a money blog? Let us know!
Well, I have always wanted to make money online. This would basically be like a passive income stream right via blogging? I would be able to take a day or two off from working on my website and still make money, right? Because that is what I really want, because that way I can enjoy life.
Hi Ben,
That is the concept, you’ve got it down. It’s work at your pace, when you want. But I think you should read this post about How Long Does It Take To Make Money Online. I wrote this to help others, especially with picking your niche.
These are two concepts that are important for any potential blogger to consider. I think if you understand that you need to give yourself a couple months to learn by taking daily classes, you can have a more realistic picture if blogging is for you.
Honestly, this was hard for me to do, but it helps to take this like a college education, only with this you have the potential to earn while you learn.
You’re going to love when you get to this level Ben, cause you can just manage your site and have lots of time to do what you want to do. And I think that’s an improvement in one’s Quality of Life.
Cheers,
Todd
Making a money blog or simple making money online has always fascinated me. I’ve always been concerned about building such a website, but mostly how to promote and monetize it. Sounds like you have found the answer! Blogs are everywhere and are written about everything. Everyone has something they are interested so it’s easy to find a good niche.
Hi Barbara,
You know all of the posts I write are based on keyword research. I use Jaaxy Keyword Research Tool because it shows me all the metrics of what keywords and keyword phrases people are searching for online.
There are literally millions of people looking to learn how to make money online. And a blog provides a very economical and excellent way to break into the online industry.
You can learn how to put up an authoritative blog and online business using the Wealthy Affiliate Training Center and it’s totally free to check them out.
If you’re serious about learning how to make a money blog, now’s the time to make it happen.
Thanks,
Todd
Hi Tod, I like your article but I must say the 10 hours per week are light years away form me now. This is such a terribly slow progress that I am wondering if I am going to see anything from it ever. Building decent traffic is a nightmare.
This is all about big numbers. Imagine 3-4% conversion at Amazon, which is in fact a good number, you have to have thousands of visitors to make a descent income. Perhaps you are right about those 10 hours but for me this is for some very distant future.
Hi Jovo,
The problem that I imagine you’re having is the time to learn and build. Here’s a course at Wealthy Affiliate that I think you might like called 6 Weeks To Profits with a Niche Website.
Maybe your trying to get into a competitive niche like the make money online niche. That’s what I did, but by the time I realized it, I was so far into it and I was getting lots of traffic and making sales. I’m glad I stuck with it because now I make a full time income from this site alone and I work on this site 5 – 10 hours per week.
That doesn’t happen without a lot of initial time to learn, create, outsource, etc.. However, I would like to share an example of something I did that might give you some hope.
I started to build out the foundation to a niche site based on my skills as an Occupational Therapist. I want this site to eventually be a authoritative site that was brand-able, so I named it TherapyBoy.com. I could have named it LiftChairsForTheElderly.com, but then I would have been somewhat limited in my content selection. But I would have gotten the Google Juice from the domain name being my keywords.
I build out 5 pages to the site and 1 post (took 1 Week/40 hours). The posts keywords that I targeted were Lift Chairs For The Elderly (click the link to see the small site and post), and of course Lift Chairs for Elderly. Both have around 1200 monthly visitors and about 120 or so competing websites that rank for those keywords.
In two days, I ranked 36 (page 4) in Google for the keywords. I then got some comments on the site and got it socially shared, etc., it now ranks on the page 3, position 22. I’ll continue to get more comments to get it on page 1. It currently gets over 280 visitors to that post alone and that post simple links to Amazon to power recliner chairs that people can purchase, and it’s making sales. Not a ton, but some.
If I continued to build out the site, increase rankings, etc., I’d continue to see increased sales.
Point being is that it doesn’t take quite as long as you think, but it does depend on your niche, your SEO skill level, and your ability to write helpful content for your niche audience.
One other story I want to share with you is this 20 y.o. WA member who made over $4,300 on his 11th month with WA’s training. It’s a cool story, especially for new students. Take a look here to read Colton’s Story…
He made over 3K the month before and was planning on over 4K the next month. It accumulates.
But I can understand if you don’t have the time. You really do need to be able to invest time and a little money in order to reap the benefits for online income for your future.
I wrote one other piece that might help you out… How Long Does It Take To Make Money Online. I think you should read it, as well explore the other links I hyperlinked in this response.
Best,
Todd
These are some really great tips. I am a blogger and I think it is an amazing career, certainly for me that is home with my kids.
I can work when I want to and be a mom when I need to. It is funny how many people think blogging is not lucrative or that it is not a real way to make money.
I do affiliate marketing, I just don’t want to be concerned with my own products and those logistics. I did have an online store for 4 years and found it so much more work (and expense) than affiliate marketing.
That’s about my experience too Lynne. I did eBay and Amazon and it was great and exciting at first, but like you, I found that the risk was just too much compared to the rewards. I still have over 200 cell phone cases that I imported that didn’t sell.
I absolutely love affiliate marketing as well and find that once you get your blog established, you get paid time and time again for the work you did once. That’s what I call working smarter.
Good to get your feedback on our blogging guide from a fellow blogger, much appreciated.
Todd
Thank you for a very interesting article- I never realized there was actually a free training program available to learn how to make money online.
That is a great idea someone had to start a program to help others with starting a online business- this wealthy affiliate sounds like a very honest and good investment for people interested in learning online business.
I will take a look at this Wealthy Affiliate program soon as I get the chance, plus share this with all my friends who also might wish to check this out also.
Thanks for your feedback and you will love Wealthy Affiliate. The program is great if your goal is make a money blog (which is one form of online business) because you have a solid proven path to follow for success.
For me, following a program kept me on track with measurable goals to complete each day. This is also great because you can see your blog change and grow and you can always improve on it as you continue the training program.
One other great thing that Wealthy Affiliate offers is weekly Webinars that hit relevant internet marketing topics, plus you can go through older webinars and pick out topics that apply to your particular online business.
Best,
Todd
This all sounds very good but can you keep doing it whilst travelling? I enjoy my travels and would like to start a profitable blog to keep me afloat while travelling, just not sure I’d find the time. I want to see the sights, explore little known areas of the world. You say that 10 hours per week is enough. Is that really correct?
Hi Nigel, good questions and let me clear up the confusion. Read this blog post to find out how much time to expect to start making money online with a niche website/blog.
In general, you better be willing to put in full time to get started, depending on your niche you may need to spend 6 months to a year working at it. But once you understand how to rank content within your niche, you can outsource several aspects to run your blog.
You first need to develop the SEO skills and get your education going. The cool thing is that once you’ve created your blog and have it established in your chosen niche, you can work 5-10 hours a week and the money rolls in.
This is where I’m at in my niche, but it took me a year before the money really started coming in. Most people would have given up, but that’s the difference in success.
Now I can travel and each day, 24/7, I’m making money online. I wish you the same success Nigel. If you need help getting started, check out my #1 Recommended Program.
Cheers,
Todd
A good site you’ve created here and a great example of how to make a money blog. It is easy to navigate and has lots of good informational content. It goes right to the heart of the subject matter and is very concise. If a person knows nothing about recognizing scams and about making money they certainly will by the time they finish browsing the site. Good Job.
Hi John, thanks for your feedback on this post and my site. I think you just got to get lost in something and try to accurately describe whatever your blog is about.
Focusing on creating helpful content is the best advice I was ever given and I think this really makes the difference in creating a blog that brings in the bacon.
Cheers,
Todd
Great Post here! I am hoping to start my blogging career soon and I hope to have the same success that you have had! It does take work but I am willing to give what it takes! I also thought about the making money online niche but I see your point on competitiveness. Ill keep thinking.
Thanks Matt for your feedback. Good call on avoiding the make money online niche. It’s not impossible to break into, and really, if you’re using low competition keywords to rank your blog content, you can break into any niche.
I say this time and time again, but go with something you love, even a hobby or something based on your profession. If it’s something you really enjoy, this will show through in your content and you’ll find much more success.
This is really the key for how to make a money blog by picking a niche you love.
Thanks,
Todd
Wow, that is a staggering amount of money! I wonder how much the Huffington Post makes? Huffington sold it to AOL for 300 million! And she never when paid her bloggers, all she offered was recognition , or a way to get your name out there! So if she can pull off $300 million z surly we can do something too?!
Hey Ben,
You won’t believe how much some sites can make. But when you realize that a site is providing online information that generates traffic 24 hours a day 7 days a weak, the picture becomes clearer.
If the site is massive and has a team of content writers writing keyword based posts, then the amount of traffic that can be generated is 1,000’s of visitors per day, hour, etc.
I’ve got a friend that set up a site based on telling people the meaning of their names in a variety of Asian languages. He spotted this niche and put up a site that looks super basic and has the search bar and results in 30 languages or so. It took him that initial work, but now his traffic is massive.
He does no affiliate marketing, just Google Adsense, and he makes over 4K/mo and does absolutely nothing. Well, he travels and comes up with other sites.
But yeah, the power of learning how to make a money blog is incredible. I think the easiest and lest expensive method is what I’ve outlined here. This will give you the basics to get started on the right path to success.
How large you grow your money blog is up to you.
Thanks,
Todd
Hey hey Todd,
Hope you’re not bored of me yet :D, I love your articles and have been following you for a while now. I even subscribed to your newsletter, I hope to one day grow my blog to your level.
I love blogging and I never actually thought of this as a career when I was young. Sometimes when I’m bored of sitting at home on my computer, I go to the library, to the coffee shop, or even to the beach to work on my articles.
That freedom of working at your own pleasure is gold! Awesome work by the way, I wish I had come across this article much sooner when I first started online, I wouldn’t have spent 2 years getting scammed by MLMs :/
Hi Riaz,
How cool and what a kind compliment. I love hearing your comments about our posts and I’m glad they have helped.
Making money off of your blog is super cool. I too think of it more as a hobby anymore. But for those that are serious and want to know how to make a money blog, you can get started right here.
It’s the training program that I wish I would have discovered 7 years ago instead of 2.
Best,
Todd
Hi Todd, this a great site you have here!
I work hard on my website – SEO, content, comments, ect, but I am really struggling to get organic traffic.
I think when people see very little reward for their efforts – that’s when they quit.
That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to have a community like Wealthy Affiliate to back you up – both in a practical and motivational sense.
Great article and helpful content on how to make a money blog,
Dan.
Thanks Dan for your kind feedback on my site – much appreciated. And you are absolutely correct. People who are new to blogging or online business want to be able to put some content (based on low comp keywords) and get frustrated to not see direct results from their efforts.
This is why I campare putting up a blog or online business to going to college. If you forget about the money and work for 6 months like your trying to complete college courses, you see plenty of results. But if you think that after a month, you’ll see major traffic – think again.
I do know people who have made their first sales in a month, but to really get traction and have Google recognize your blog, you need to be consistently adding helpful content based on low comp keywords.
I’ve ran this site just shy of 2 years and really don’t have a ton of content (I think like 135 posts or so) and I get 500 to 1,000 organic visitors per day. But I have some posts that bring in over 5K visitors to my site per month.
It does take time, consistency, and striving to help your niche audience. Having Wealthy Affiliate’s support really does help to keep you motivated, but I like the fact that I stuck to day to day lessons that kept me producing content for my blog.
One post that might inspire fellow bloggers and online business owners out there was that I paid 10 dollars for a 1,000 word blog post from a fiverr writter. I did all the SEO and marketed it and got nothing for the first 4 months. I forgot about the article and one day when I was checking my google analytics realized that I was getting over 500 visitors/mo to my site. Looked up the rankings and it was position 4 or 5 in Google, page one.
So what WA teaches works well, you just got to keep at it when you first begin trying to make a money blog.
Thanks,
Todd
Making money with a blog is a great idea. I’m still new at this game so I didn’t really considering reading deep into other successful bloggers.
I’ve been more focused on creating contents which is important when you just got started on this journey. But now I’m starting to get more curious about other successful online marketers.
I only know a few but never really looked into what made them so successful. But it’s amazing to hear some of these people earning up to 100,000 a month. Thank you providing some names. I’m about to check out copyblogger first.
Hi Joon,
It’s good to look at successful marketers in your niche. This is one of the first things that Wealthy Affiliate encourages you to do. Not to copy them, but to see what techniques they use. And it’s helpful to see other sites and how the structure there content.
But you are 100% correct, when you’re trying to learn how to make a money blog, the first step is producing lots of helpful content for your niche.
You should also follow a training system that not only teaches you, but inspires you to do more than you originally thought you could, and for that, check out my #1 rated training program.
Thanks and best of luck to you with your money blog,
Todd
Hi Todd, i took your advice and started a blog a couple of months back and it making money here and there but i am aware it is not an overnight thing, but i got to the point where i have found another writer so started outsourcing 🙂 love your articles they really get me thinking 🙂
That’s great to here Gino. It does take a little time to learn how to make money with your blog, but it’s good to hear that you’re outsourcing.
If you can find a good writer and you do the editing and SEO, you find a lot of success with this approach. This frees up a good amount of your time to market your posts and get the post to rank quicker.
I’ve done the same thing and it has worked like a charm. One post I paid a Fiverr writer to write cost me $10 dollars for 1,000 words (click here if you’d like to read it). I did the SEO, added some photos, made sure I had my keywords in the right place and done. The post currently gets close to 500 unique views per month and brings in some advertising dollars and affiliate commissions. So it’s paid for itself and continues to make money.
Now that’s how you make a money blog. Good to hear your doing well Gino and making commissions. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off in time.
Thanks for your feedback on our articles as well, much appreciated.
Todd
In my mind, there are really 4 main steps to making money from a blog:
1) Decide on a niche that you are interested in.
2) Do keyword research to find low competition keywords.
3) Write great content for those keywords.
4) Link to related products as an affiliate.
Of course, each one of those steps can be vastly expanded further into many smaller steps, but those are the main key things. What do you think?
Hey Marcus,
I think you’ve got the key ingredients nailed down to know how to make a money blog. I would also go with setting up an email marketing campaign as soon as you get some steady traffic.
As you continue to build targeted campaigns through your weekly posts, the traffic will grow, the affiliate sales will grow, email listings grow, and you can start to sell advertising.
But you’ve got it, by focusing on a niche you’re interested in, creating quality content based on helping your niche, and some easy to learn SEO skills, you’ll be all set.
Cheers,
Todd
Great advice here!
I agree that you can make a pretty good living just by branding yourself as a reputable blogger.
It really pays to love what you are blogging about as well, something you’re passionate about or enjoy studying even.
How long have you been blogging?
You sure have it down and how did you get started?
I signed up for your updates, keep the articles coming!
Shawn>>
Hi Shawn,
I started blogging in May 2014 while living in Medellin, Colombia. It’s been a fun process putting websites marketing campaigns, and niche based blog posts together and learning SEO.
Thanks for your feedback as well. I was such a slow writer when I first started out, but it’s a skill like anything else, it can be learned with practice.
Glad to hear you signed up for our newsletter as well, check out the upcoming training videos and you too can nail down the process of how to make a money blog as well, it’s surprisingly easy if you take the time to get properly educated.
Best,
Todd
Hi Todd,
A lot of people that i know in my university would like to learn how to make a money blog – it’s a great idea and i know many people who have become successful doing this within a year of working at it. Some now are making $400 to $500 a day. It almost make me wonder why am i going to college when I can learn and make money by blogging.
i have to say always a great read, i am looking to improve my blog, and seeing there are 2 websites dedicated to helping me with this i feel much better now (copy blogger and boost blog traffic, you have really given me extra motivation after this post,
thanks Todd,
always a great help
Hey Gino,
Good points about going to college. I’ve done some research on the subject and it doesn’t always make the most sense unless you’re specializing in a career that requires a specific degree.
But if you’re into chasing a passion and following your dreams, an online blog can turn into a money blog with the right training. And the cost of the education is super economical (less than a dollar/day).
I used the training course referenced in this post, The Wealthy Afiliate Training Center, and I’m loving my money blog. I made $641.50 today and $511 of that was made while I was sleeping. How fun is that.
It can happen with the right attitude, education, and work ethic. And it’s awesome when the traffic and online sales start rolling in.
If you want to learn how to make a money blog, get the right help at WA.
Cheers,
Todd
Hey Todd,
Some great information that would help someone to start their own business. I like the way you encourage them by saying it’s not too difficult, it’s true to a point, but to someone without any experience online this would still be pretty daunting.
I think that’s where your online training program, Wealthy Affiliate, comes in to really guide people through the process of setting up their site, choosing a niche and writing content.
Choosing a hobby or a subject you are knowledgeable about is probably easier than the make money online niche that we both do. As a matter of fact, I wish your blog was around when I started.
Thanks for another great post,
Peter
Hey Peter,
I wish my blog was around 6 years ago too when I started traveling S. America. Learning how to make a money blog back then with the help of Wealthy Affiliate would have put me so much farther in my online career. But I’m pretty happy with the results that I have achieved thus far.
I agree Peter, having a cool online resource like WA is awesome. It’s what any online entrepreneur needs. If you work online, you can benefit from working with WA, guaranteed.
The free cloud hosting for up to 25 sites pays for itself. You could charge 5-10 local websites 30USD/mo just for the premium cloud hosting. Plus the weekly webinars always give out new online marketing information.
You want to learn to rank content, drive traffic, convert traffic to sales, then Wealthy Affiliate is the best source out there.
But for those just starting out online, Wealthy Affiliate provides a pretty incredible resource. They’re easily the best way to go for structure, support and guidance.
Good to hear from you Peter, always a pleasure.
Awesome post on how to make a money blog Todd 🙂
I must admit it is a lot easier than most people think as I have been writing my own blog over the last 18 months!
I have to agree with you, it does take some focus and determination!
You can’t just treat it as a hobby and do it when you feel like it, and there are some skills to learn if you want to do it the RIGHT way.
I agree with you about Wealthy Affiliate, the training program you recommend.
If you want to really create a make money blog this is the first place I would start with!
Great post, really enjoyed it 🙂
~John
Thanks John and good advice. I think that’s one of the coolest thing that WA offers. As you start with the Online Entrepreneurs course you will have daily tasks and a big part of those tasks are writing relevant content to about your niche.
But Wealthy Affiliate takes it a step further by teaching you to write useful content that allows you to connect with your niche audience. Plus they go over video marketing and teach you how to rank videos in places like YouTube as well.
One of the better pieces of advice I got from the WA community was to try to stick to a blogging calendar, so that you post consistently. This is also helpful with search engines like Google coming back to check your site for updated comments and content and this improves your rankings more quickly.
It’s a lot of fun when you learn how to make a money blog, and it runs 24/7 so you make money when your sleeping, that’s my favorite part.
Cheers,
Todd