Start a Blog Website - Step 4

Time to make money with your blog

This is where the fun starts, probably what you have been waiting for – To Make Money from your Blog. There are many different ways to generate an income from blogging and I am going to explain each one today.

Before we begin, did you start your blog yet?

If you are still considering it, please start, you will not look back with regret. If you use my Blog Start-up Tutorial to create your own website you will save lots of costs straight up too.

A Free website domain name on Bluehost when you buy 12 months of hosting for only $3.95 per month, a great bargain.

This only available through my start-up tutorial for the offer I negotiated.

And to use the tips provided below you need to make sure that your website is self-hosted, if it is not you cannot monetise it to generate an income. That is why we avoided the free web hosting plans. It allows you more freedom to choose advertising that can make you look more professional too.

WorkFit-S Sit-Stand Workstation,Dual LCD Monitors, White

Blog Income Sources

Many people like yourself are interested in blogging to make a living but are unsure as to how or where that income comes from.

You receive blogging income from several different sources:

Affiliate Marketing – you sign up to be an affiliate for a company and when people use their services or products from the link you provide you get a commission of the sale. Like the Bluehost link I provided you yesterday.
Advertising – Some companies will pay you a monthly fee to place advertising on your website offering their products. You get paid just for having the add there.
Google AdSense, if you allow places like Google AdSense to display sidebar (or in-line) advertising on your site then you will receive a commission for each ad that is clicked on from their many thousands of companies.
If you have your own products to sell, you can add an ecommerce page to your website and sell direct to the public. Only your own products though, you need licensing to compete with eBay, lol.
Write for other people either freelance writing or ghost writing blogs

You will be surprised as to the number of businesses and blogging networks out there who are looking to pay you for things on blogs like yours.

That is one reason having a Niche is so important, if you are consistent with one topic, then you become appealing to an advertiser with their products or services related to your Niche.

Usually you will get paid via PayPal or sometimes from a check in the mail.

Expectations for new bloggers

The Internet is ever growing and there are many people choosing to leave, retire or stop for other reasons. There is always room for new bloggers to make their mark. And it is a big internet – room for you to make money with your blog.

People have reported back to me the successes they have had from writing blogs online. You can achieve this too. Some who are motivated are making 10 times more than I ever will, others are making less. It comes down to how much effort you want to put into your blog.

The internet world is a huge place and with the Corona Virus affecting us all, more and more people are moving to the online world. I live in a small country town and thankfully my family are all safe and unaffected by the virus. But still many around me have gone

Every blogger will earn an income online in slightly different ways. Once you find what works best for you, promote it more and more. Also, there are other ways now to make an income and more new ways being designed, it will keep expanding and we can all expand with it including all the new bloggers.

How long does it take to make money with a blog?

The answer depends entirely on you, there is no specific time or date. When I first started to make money back in 2004 through a type of blog, I was only able to make about $100 per month for the first few months. This is Not a get rich quick business, it takes time and effort. Most of the bloggers I know took at least 6 months before they could earn enough money to report.

A few of course were in the right place with the right blog sites and became millionaires within a few months. Most though if they stick it out will be earning enough to quit your day job within a year.

One lady who inspired me was able to pay off her house, buy a luxury yacht and travel the world, blogging all the way and uploading at the next port. I personally just wanted to be comfortable, I own my home, no debts, and I can take a holiday anytime I want to.

Unfortunately, there are also some bloggers who aren’t making any money. They either just were not into it or they were not willing to adapt when their blog was not working. You have to be willing to modify your blog with the times, keep them up-to-date (even the old ones) and keep producing new material if you want to succeed.

However, if you are serious about it, you can achieve anything you set your mind too. The money you can make will start flowing and for a few of those blogging, the jackpot will strike you lucky for that random blog that everyone wanted to know about at that exact moment. It is up to you, you can do it!

Ways to make money with a blog?

There are several ways (some listed above) which are:

Affiliate marketing
Blog sponsorship
Display advertising
eBooks
Staff Writing
Product Selling for selected companies (Amazon)

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate income is the best way to earn a passive income. Once it is set up you just promote your blog and watch the income roll in. In 2004 I was earning a small (tiny) affiliate income from the projects I was a part of, but now I am making a substantial living just off this type of passive income. A great way to make money with your blog affiliates.

What is Affiliate marketing? It is when you place a link on your website or within your blog post and encourage people to click on the link to buy a product or service provided by someone else. They agree to give you a commission if you promote their product.

This is great because, if there is something that you love then your readers probably do too. You simply review the item in one (or more) of your blogs and others will possibly buy the product based on your recommendation. Usually it is also related to your Niche as well.

The best part is that once you have set up the affiliate link within your blog, it will continue to generate income for you years down the track. You just need to check in occasionally to update the details or pricing and verify it is still active. Nothing worse than a dead link 404 error.

This is passive income which means you can earn money while you sleep!

Top Tips for Affiliate Marketing:

Write a Tutorial on how to use the product advertised by the affiliate. Readers feel more connected with you and the product if they feel your teaching them personally why they need this.
Use a simplified link so that it looks cleaner. You can get one from the Plugins area – there are a few to choose from. Some email programs will not link to long names.
Contact the Affiliate company and form a relationship with them, letting them know the effort you are putting in to their products. Sometimes they will send you discounts to pass on or coupons or raise your commission! Bonus!
Don’t be afraid to ask for a higher commission if your link is doing well. The worst that can happen is they say No. They might say Yes.
Make sure your review is honest. If you find a flaw, mention it. If it does not fit your situation perfectly, it still might be great for your reader. Honesty will connect you with your reader and they will click though anyway because they now know what to expect. Or they will buy the next item you review. Build Trust.
Provide a link to a page of recommendations. Previous products or sites you have reviewed that benefited others may still have value to your new readers. Also you can promote your own paid products here.
Most of all – Join Affiliate programs. Some you can become affiliated with right now are: Amazon, Commission Junction, or Share Sales.

Make Money with Display advertising in your Blog

This is when you place an advertisement on your blog somewhere or in the sidebar. Then, when someone clicks though on the advertisement, you receive a very small payment. Overtime this adds up to a small income.

This is a passive way to make a living as all you do is place the code on your site. The more page views you receive, the higher your income from the advertiser(s) will be.

AdSense is one of the most popular. Other sites are Media.Net, BlogHer, AdThrive and there are more.

So, what is AdSense? AdSense is an advertising network within Google. Website owners place advertisements on their websites. These ads are picked out by Google, and you place a container to the size you want on your website which Google populates. Then you are then paid per-click and per-impression.

eBook Sales

If you are an expert in an area or have something to share that you know others will read, then an eBook may be something you are interested in writing. It is a simple process and can become quite profitable for some. In fact a few bloggers are making over ten thousand dollars each month from the sales of a good eBook (or few).

Make Money blog writing for other Bloggers

Another avenue your blog can be used for is in the world of freelance writing. You can staff write for others by having an area on your website where others can find your work and hire you. You need a website to promote yourself and show examples of your work.

Staff writers set their own price based on their experience and demand. Usually it can be around $25 per article but it is up to you. Some bloggers in this area are making literally thousands of dollars per month from freelance writing for others.

That is just an overview for some of the best ways to generate an income from your blog. There are other options that I will expand on in future blogs. Things such as selling your own products direct. Or selling by consignment or Dropship. There are great ways to generate income when you own your own website.