How to Make Money Blogging: The Ultimate Guide (2024)

Take control of your financial future by discovering how to make money blogging from home!

The blogging business has boomed multiple times in the past couple of decades and continues to mature into a respectable, profitable field.

The prospect of researching and writing about your favorite subjects while sitting in your pajamas at home appeals to many of us, as well.

If you have been thinking about starting a new successful blog, you should understand the entire process from start to finish.

But, before we delve into how to make money blogging from home, let’s discuss everyone’s favorite topic: how much money you can make as a blogger.

Quick Summary

How Much Money Can You Make Blogging?

You can make over $100,000 by blogging about your favorite subject. As a result, blogging represents one of the most appealing career paths for creative self-starters.

However, reaching six figures will take time as you develop your website and expand your reach. You can speed up the process by following one of the best blogging courses I curated.

How Do Beginner Bloggers Make Money?

Beginner bloggers make money by running ads and inserting affiliate links.

Other revenue generators, like sponsored content and guest posts, will become an option once a blogger has demonstrated the creativity and skill to produce fun, informative content.

How Long Does It Take To Start Making Money as a Blogger?

A blogger can start making money in a few months.

Most bloggers must develop their content for at least over a year before they start blogging full time. However, it can take a few years to make a living from blogging.

How to Make Money from Blogging in 12 Steps

Take your first steps toward financial independence by discovering how to make money blogging.

Many talented writers never consider blogging because they remain unaware of the financial benefits and personal fulfillment that blogging offers.

Blogging presents an initial learning curve for beginners. However, it becomes easier with time, allowing you to get comfortable and focus on writing.

Successful bloggers usually run their own blogs and earn money by writing for a niche target audience.

You could create the next successful blog and earn passive income by adhering to the following 12 steps.

Step #1: Select a Niche

1. Start your blogging journey on the right foot by selecting a profitable niche to cover in your blog articles.

Choosing the seuccessful blog niche can mean the difference between making money blogging and seeing your blog as just a hobby.

So, you should spend a fair amount of time thinking about which market niche you want to attack.

Some of the things you should ask yourself before choosing a niche include:

Step #2: Create Quality Content

If content is King, then quality content is Holy Roman Emperor. If you want to connect with your audience and gain followers, your blog content must be entertaining and informative.

You need to entertain your readers to put them in a good mood and keep them on the page. The longer they stay on your web page, the more they will trust you.

You can increase that trust by providing accurate, insightful information on your blog. The more they trust you, the more likely it is that they will click your affiliate links so you can get paid.

Once you have lightened your audience’s mood and gained its trust, you must nurture the relationship by remaining authentic in your writing.

You must cultivate your personal brand by establishing an authentic, recognizable voice.

If readers can tell that multiple individuals are writing under the same name or your voice changes after getting your first taste of success, you could lose followers.

Step #3: Optimize and Advertise

Before you publish your first post, you need a blog monetization strategy. The best strategies use a mix of traditional marketing tactics and search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO requires a set of specialized digital marketing skills that helps marketers rank their blog posts onto the first page of Google results.

You can experiment with SEO yourself or hire a professional to optimize your blog content.

Check this video below to get a step-by-step guide on how to write content that ranks #1 on Google.

Some of the things you should do to leverage social media include:

Step #4: Compile an Email List

As new visitors begin to land on your main blog page, start an email list that you can use whenever you want to reach out to your readers.

If you’ve written a new guest post that makes you feel particularly proud, send out an email blast to direct your loyal following to your partner’s external webpage.

This way, you can share and trade traffic with other blogs.

You should also consider drafting a weekly or monthly newsletter.

To get visitors to sign up for your newsletter, you can offer them something in return.

Some of the most common rewards for newsletter signups include:

You can advertise your newsletter special offers by employing pop-ups that catch the reader’s eye and highlight the value of staying connected.

Step #5: Gain Credibility and Recognition

Put your name out there to gain credibility as an expert on your chosen subject. Once you do, you will enjoy increased recognition in public and on the internet.

One of the most affordable ways to earn cred and get noticed involves the use of social media. However, it can take several months or even a few years to attract the following you need to support yourself.

Other ways to gain credibility and recognition include:

Step #6: Offer Exclusive, Subscription-Based Content

Once you garner a large, loyal following, you can introduce premium content for paying customers.

Your true fans will purchase almost everything you offer for sale, including a premium subscription.

Some of the things you can offer paid members to build your community include:

Charging a monthly subscription fee generates a reliable income stream you can plan around when reinvesting in your blog.

Step #7: Monetize Your Content With Ads

Now that you have the web traffic flowing to your website and have established a loyal fanbase, you should capitalize on your creation by monetizing your content.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to monetize your own blog content is Google’s ad platform.

Other options include AdThrive, MediaVine, PropellerAds, and more.

When you sign up with an advertising network, you can put ads on your page.

Every time a visitor clicks, fills in a form, or makes a purchase, you get paid.

Alternatively, you can contact your favorite companies within your blogging niche and pitch them the idea of placing ads on your blogs.

While finding and negotiating your own deals will take more effort than joining an ad network, it can also lead to greater rewards.

Keep in mind that most advertising networks and many businesses require that your monthly visitors surpass a minimum threshold before they will advertise on your blog.

Step #8: Become an Affiliate Marketer

Sell your favorite products and services by adding affiliate links (links to sales pages with a unique identifier) to your blog content.

As an affiliate marketer, you will recommend the products and services of other companies in your blog posts.

To become an affiliate marketer, you can join an affiliate marketing network and sign up for one of their programs.

Then, insert affiliate links into your written content. Every time site visitors click on the link and make a purchase, you get a percentage of the sale.

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that you don’t need to manufacture a product or deliver a service. And, you don’t have to deal with logistics or unhappy customers.

You just make money blogging by pitching the offerings of others and sending readers where they need to go to buy what they want.

Step #9: Sell Merchandise

Once your blog has attracted a significant following, you can start selling merchandise in your own virtual store.

To run a more profitable blog, you can sell both physical and digital products.

Some of the most common types of merchandise that many bloggers sell include:

If you start selling your own products, you may need to maintain an inventory of physical items and deal with shipping and handling to generate income.

However, several companies help bloggers sell merchandise by printing and shipping T-shirts and e-books on demand.

Digital products allow you to make money blogging without dealing with the logistics of sending goods to customers. You can check our guide on how to start your own book blog.

Good merchandise, even hidden, soon finds buyers.

– Plautus, Roman playwright

Step #10: Gain Sponsors

As you skyrocket to blogging fame, manufacturers and retailers may approach you to create blog content for sponsored posts.

And, you should seriously consider all offers before giving responses.

Sponsored content sometimes pays better than articles you might write for an affiliate program.

It’s one of the ways to make real money blogging.

So, if you can get a company to agree to a series of articles, it can support you for months at a time.

You can also approach the companies that offer your favorite products and services and ask them if they’d like you to write a sponsored article.

Sponsorship income will serve as a welcome addition to your affiliate income.

It will allow you to expand into other forms of media, like video and podcasting.

Expanding beyond blogging platforms will lead to even more opportunities, including lucrative sponsorships.

Step #11: Expand to Vlogging or Podcasting

Vlogs and podcasts have exploded in popularity during the past decade. Many creative people who started out making money blogging have expanded into video and audio formats.

Since you already find yourself making money online, you might as well connect with your blog’s audience outside of your blogging platform.

Pick up a 4K video camera or smartphone with 4K capability and produce your first few YouTube videos.

Upload them to the popular platform and include a link to your WordPress blog in the description.

Similarly, you can create a podcast, stream the audio, and film interviews and discussions about your blogging niche.

Podcasts have become increasingly popular in recent years and the recordings represent valuable content that can earn you money for a long time to come.

Step #12: Teach Others How You Made Money Blogging

Now that you’re famous the world over and everybody sees you as an authority in your blog niche, you can begin cloning yourself by teaching others and taking a cut of their work.

Schools and other institutions may request public appearances so you can teach them how to start making money blogging.

Businesses may seek out your services as a consultant, paying you to help them with a new blog or optimize a virtual store for search engines.

Even individuals will hire you to help them create passive income from their blogs. They may provide you with guest blogging opportunities as well.

Then, after you’ve taught your clients how to do what you do, you can offer to oversee their processes for a year or two.

Ways to Make Money Blogging

Now that you have some guidance on how to make money blogging, you can explore some of the ways to make money blogging in greater depth.

From selling ad space to guest blogging to providing blog online courses, you can tailor a monetization strategy that incorporates several revenue streams.

Discover some of the best ways to earn money blogging below.

What you do after you create your content is what truly counts.

– Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur and influencer

1. Google Adsense

Make money from your blog content as soon as possible by enabling Google AdSense on your website.

While it may not create the most lucrative revenue stream, allowing Google to place ads on your website can put money in your pocket right away.

All you have to do is open an Adsense account, enter your URL, and paste Google’s script into your website’s HTML. Google will review your request and give further instructions.

Google will compensate you on a pay-per-click (PPC) model. Every time one of your readers clicks on a Google ad, you earn a little money. And, it can add up quickly.

2. Amazon Associates

Become an Amazon Associate and recommend your favorite products in your blog posts.

As one of the most popular affiliate marketing programs, Amazon Associates allows writers to earn money by placing affiliate links in their articles.

Bloggers can sign up for the program, suggest products, and earn up a commission on sales.

Amazon Associates represents a beginner option for bloggers who work within a profitable niche. This is especially true if they know how to optimize their blog posts for search engines.

Be sure to check out our list of 19 alternatives that offer a similar but often higher paying option.

3. Website Flipping

Website flipping continues its rise in popularity as one of the best ways to make money blogging.

Like house flipping, website flipping involves buying and improving digital real estate.

You can purchase a URL, create a blog, and open up revenue channels.

Then, once you can show steady income over the course of several months, you can sell the website for many multiples of its monthly revenue.

Once you learn how to flip websites, it only takes a few sales to start feeling comfortable with the entire process.

4. Open a Job Board

Many veteran bloggers open job boards to help their target audience find employment.

Plus, companies will pay for the opportunity to advertise openings within your profitable niche market.

Your site visitors will appreciate how your blog operates as a one-stop hub for everything related to their favorite subject.

And, employers will flock to a website where they can reach potential employees with interest or expertise in their industry.

Interested bloggers can find a few different plug-ins that make it easy to add a job board to your website.

5. Host a Private Forum

See who your real fans are by hosting a private forum to cover the hottest topics in your industry.

Bloggers who have established themselves as authorities in their respective fields should create a platform for their loyal readers to interact with each other.

Also, you can answer your readers’ questions to demonstrate your expertise and make yourself seem more approachable.

Finally, you can monetize your private forum by charging a separate fee or making it part of your paid subscription launch.

6. Open an Online Store

Send your readers to your virtual store and enjoy extra revenue from merchandise sales.

Your top fans will buy everything you offer, including apparel, books, digital products, and more.

In most cases, you can open a virtual store by adding a simple plugin to your website.

Some of the most popular virtual store plugins include:

7. Add a Marketplace to Your Website

Depending on your blog’s subject matter, it may make sense to open a marketplace for your readers to exchange goods and services.

If readers flock to your blog to read about their favorite brands, why not let them buy and sell on your website?

To monetize your marketplace, you can either collect a small percentage of each sale, charge a listing fee for each item, or sell memberships that include a certain number of listings per month.

All you have to do is sit back and watch your readers transact with each other.

8. Embark on a Public Speaking Tour

Blogging can lead to many lucrative opportunities once you establish yourself.

One of the best ways to make money blogging is to accept public speaking engagements. If you can string a few of them together to create a regional tour, even better.

Don’t feel discouraged if you can’t find paying gigs right away. Accept a few unpaid appearances first and you might discover that they lead to paid ones.

Some of the forgotten benefits of public speaking within your niche industry include increased exposure, higher readership, and more merchandise sales.

9. Media.net

Successful bloggers who would like to try an AdSense alternative should take a look at media.net.

As one of the most trusted ad networks on the internet, media.net curates an expansive pool of advertisers. The company also pays better than many of its competitors.

People in the blogging business who work with media.net can place contextual, display, and native ads on their websites.

In addition to access to media.net Marketplace access, you’ll get detailed, transparent performance reports.

10. Affiliate Marketing

For beginners who wonder how to make money blogging, affiliate marketing is a worthwhile opportunity.

When you become an affiliate marketer, one affiliate link can make your entire quarter if you perform the proper keyword research and commit to SEO best practices.

After you join an affiliate program, you can post a link to your affiliate blog post in Facebook groups, on Twitter, or on other social media outlets.

To round out your digital marketing strategy, you can also link to your affiliate blog posts in the description of your YouTube videos.

11. Email Marketing

Re-pitch all of your past customers and cold leads at the same time with email marketing.

All bloggers need to start compiling an email list as soon as they launch their blogs.

That way, they can get in contact with people who have shown interest in their niche whenever they want.

Once you have a sizable email list, you should set up an account with one of the email marketing platforms.

Then, send out an email blast to everyone that has ever given you their email address.

If you want, you can also add affiliate links to your email to increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaign.

12. Write an Ebook

Immortalize yourself by writing a compelling eBook about your market niche.

An eBook works as a great way to promote your blog, merchandise, and other offerings. Plus, it represents one more way to connect with your audience.

One of the best parts about writing your first eBook is that you can promote it on your blog at no cost.

You can even estimate how many of your readers will buy your eBook based on your average daily visits.

If you find that you don’t have the time to write an eBook, you should consider whether it makes sense to compile some of your blog posts into a full text.

13. Teach Online Courses

As one of the preeminent experts in your field, you have a lot of knowledge to bestow upon your most avid readers. So, why not monetize your reputation by teaching online courses?

You’ve written the blogs, made the videos, and explained the basics to everyone who would listen. Now, you can go beyond the fundamentals to teach advanced techniques, strategies, and tactics.

You can offer recorded classes for a set amount and teach live classes for a premium.

That way, your customers get to select an option and you still get to learn from your students whenever you teach a live class.

Add the recorded classes to a blog course and present it to the public. It will serve as a reliable source of income, even while you sleep.

14. One-On-One Coaching

Some of your more successful readers may approach you for one-on-one coaching in writing, SEO, or your shared interest.

You should almost always consider it.

Your time is valuable, and you have spent a lot of it building your blogging empire.

At this point, you probably have some idea of how much your time is worth per hour.

For one-on-one coaching, you should triple that amount and negotiate down from there.

Coaching also represents a great way to network.

Anyone who can afford your time probably has a lot of high-value friends that could become your customers.

15. Purchase Content With Private Label Rights

When your blogging business matures, you may wish to start automating some of your processes.

While your blog is running well, you should find ways to make things more efficient and save money.

Purchasing the private label rights (PLR) to pre-made content serves as a great way to expand your content without performing all of the research, writing, and editing.

Keep in mind that you need to substantially alter PLR content to avoid legal issues.

However, you can save a lot of time by purchasing PLR content and rewriting, editing, and adding to it.

16. Sell Digital Goods

Aside from eBooks, you can sell a bunch of other digital goods to your readers.

Visitors who feel passionate about your market niche would love to own a little piece of your creativity.

Mint a non-fungible token (NFT) and sell it to the highest bidder. Fans love to own one-of-a-kind digital items because it sets them apart.

17. Collaborate With Other Influencers

When you join forces with other influencers, all of you become more creative, productive, and powerful. Few reasons exist to refuse to work with your peers.

Collaborating with other bloggers is a form of cross-pollination that will help your blog business bloom.

By teaming up with another personality, you gain access to that person’s audience. It represents an opportunity that you shouldn’t take lightly.

One short-term project could lead to thousands of new readers and hundreds of new customers.

18. Write Paid Reviews

Bloggers have differing opinions about writing paid reviews for retailers and service providers.

Some writers have no issue drafting a positive review as long as it contains a disclaimer.

Others write reviews begrudgingly because reviews pay well and rank highly on Google.

The rest mistakenly refuse to consider it.

One of the perks of writing reviews is that you will receive plenty of free products to test out.

You should consider making a video of the product, its operation, and any results.

Feel free to reach out to your favorite brands to pitch a review.

Alternatively, you can also find platforms specifically dedicated to connecting writers with businesses that would like a review written for them.

19. Offer a Paid Newsletter

Enrich your readers’ lives with a thoughtful newsletter each month.

Lots of bloggers add value to their brands by serving up the latest news in a subscription-only newsletter.

However, you could monetize a free newsletter with affiliate links, as well.

The main point is to keep your audience engaged, deliver meaningful content to their inboxes, and enhance your brand.

Maybe you want to feature a new product.

Or, perhaps you want to demonstrate a new technique.

Just make sure that you demonstrate your expertise, provide honest takes on your chosen subject matter, and send out a call to action that gets your readers moving.

20. Accept Donations

Lots of bloggers supplement their incomes with donations from grateful readers.

If you help someone make a million dollars, find a spouse, or otherwise achieve their dreams, why wouldn’t they reward you?

Some of the platforms you can use to accept donations include:

Don’t feel ashamed to accept donations.

Many web visitors would love to send money your way but don’t feel like buying anything.

Give them an outlet for that so they can feel good about themselves and reward your hard work at the same time.

Benefits of Making Money with a Blog

Reap the rewards of a writer’s lifestyle once you start making enough money from your blog to support yourself.

In many ways, a blogger’s life seems like the ideal situation.

You get to set your own hours. You don’t have a boss breathing down your neck. And, you get paid based on your performance.

Let’s explore some of the perks that accompany a career in blogging below.

You Get Paid Based on Your Performance

One of the most rewarding things about blogging is that you get paid based on how well you write and what you know about SEO.

Your earning potential as a blogger remains uncapped.

If you write the next viral article, you can make enough money to retire if you utilize all the monetization strategies at your disposal.

In short, the harder you work and the more talent you display, the more you can expect to get paid.

You’re Your Own Boss

A lot of bloggers agree that the best thing about blogging for money is that you get to be your own boss.

That means you can set your own schedule, take breaks when you want, and go on vacation without permission.

You are responsible for your own successes and failures.

For most people, that responsibility serves as a major motivational force.

You Get More Opportunities

Blogging leads to a lot of new opportunities for networking and employment.

In fact, seasoned bloggers receive many employment offers without ever having applied to a job listing.

Other times, you might get invited to private events where you can meet potential clients and employers.

After a year of blogging, you’ll be surprised with how many offers come your way just by putting yourself out there.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Do Bloggers Get Paid?

Bloggers get paid in various ways, including sponsored articles, affiliate links, and advertisements.

Amazon Associates remains one of the most robust affiliate programs.

Google’s AdSense still serves as the most popular online ad network.

How Many Views Do You Need to Make Money on a Blog?

To make money on a blog, you need several thousand views per month.

When you hit 1,000 views per month, you can expect to make between $15 to $30 in PPC advertising, based on average clickthrough rates.

Add in your affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, merchandise sales, and other revenue generators, and you can live comfortably on 10,000 views per month in most places on Earth.

What Type of Blog Is Most Popular?

Lifestyle blogs remain the most popular type of blogs on the internet.

They have hundreds of millions of readers and can become very profitable.

However, breaking into an already impacted market can prove difficult for many.

If you wish to create a lifestyle blog, you must have something new to say in order to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Discover Money-Making Tips and Tricks at the Affiliate Lab

Are you looking for ways to take your own blog to the next level? Uncover even more ways to generate revenue from your blog at The Affiliate Lab!

As soon as you enter The Affiliate Lab, you’ll encounter fellow bloggers and receive tips on how to make money blogging.

You’ll also gain access to valuable resources that you can use to improve your blog and bring in even more money.

Now that you have a general sense of how to create and monetize a blog, join The Affiliate Lab to give yourself the best chance at success.

Article by

Matt Diggity

Matt is the founder of Diggity Marketing, LeadSpring, The Search Initiative, The Affiliate Lab, and the Chiang Mai SEO Conference. He actually does SEO too.

Want to rank easier, higher and faster?

Sign up and join 100,000+ other subscribers and get SEO test results sent straight to your inbox.

Register

"One of the most effective SEOs I've ever met"- Cyrus Sheppard

As Seen On...