A fun and innovative way to share your own viewpoint is through blogging. Other than helping your intended readers, it is also possible to make money out of your passion by blogging through the following steps. What you will learn in this article includes tips on how to start a blog and another way of making ‘how to start a blog and make money’ money. Furthermore, the reader will be introduced to some of the most popular (and profitable) blog categories to help encourage him or her to start their own blog.
How to start a blog and make money?
The act of how to make a blog is a relatively young one. The word ‘blog’ can be defined as a web-based publication containing personal thoughts, comments, and links to other websites was first used in 1999. It functioned as a means of setting blog content apart from other web content.
The term is shortened from ‘web-log’ or ‘weblog’. A blog is defined as a site that consists of new material over time. Surely you have been to thousands of websites and blogs if you are an internet user. Websites can come in all sorts of forms and designs, and blogs are no longer strictly the online journals that they started out as. A lot of money may be made in the blogging business, whether one is running a personal or affiliate site.
Factsheet
- Blog postings are the most popular content format, with 90% of marketers adopting it to meet their content objectives – SEMrush
- As per the Hosting Tribunal, over two million blog posts are uploaded daily.
- According to Statista, there are over 32 million bloggers in the United States.
- Based on DemandMetric, businesses which blog achieve 67% more monthly leads than businesses without blogs.
A Company With Blogs Gets the Following
~55% More Viewers
~97% More Clicks
~434% More Indexed Pages
Keep reading to discover all the information on blogs you never knew you needed, such as how to start a blog and make money.
Difference Between a Website Content and a Blog
| Criteria | Blog | Website Content |
| Content Nature | Highly dynamic and regularly updated | More static and doesn’t require frequent updating |
| Tone | Informal | Formal |
| Content Type | Sharing personal views, experiences | Providing general information |
| Engagement | Direct Interaction | Low Level Interaction |
| Monetisation | Ads, Affiliate Marketing etc | Services, consultations etc |
As the above table of ‘How to start a blog and make money’ article highlights the content itself and its format are the primary distinctions between blog posts and website content. A blog piece typically contains more research than just the author’s personal perspective. On the other hand, website material adopts a more business-oriented and instructive perspective.
Finally, all blogs are called website blogs but NOT all websites can be called blogs.
What Makes a Blog Profitable?
A successful blog stands out thanks to a few unique qualities. If someone is exploring how to start a blog and make money then he must know these.
A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is essential first. Your blog should provide a unique perspective, style, or piece of content that is hard to find elsewhere. Your blog’s distinctive SEO copywriting will attract viewers and encourage them to return.
You should also strive to be solution-driven. Blogs that tackle certain issues or provide answers to important queries typically draw in a more devoted readership. Individuals are searching for resources that offer practical assistance or insights into their problems.
Ultimately, your blog needs to be up to date with the latest trends and your audience. Maintaining relevance in your area requires you to interact with new subjects and changes as they arise and to update your content regularly.
What blogs do people actually want to read?
Prior to strategising how to start a blog and make money, you must ascertain the kinds of articles that readers are truly interested in reading.
What, therefore, are the popular internet reads among people?
Food (42.8%), lifestyle (13.3%), and travel (10%) are the niches with the largest proportion of blogs with over 50,000 monthly sessions, according to RankIQ. Let’s learn more about these popular blog examples in this ‘How to start a blog and make money’ guide.
Fashion
Readers can find content about fashion obsessions, back-to-school outfits, beauty techniques, and more in these blogs. Adding sponsorships is standard procedure. Companies look for big names in their field to form brand partnerships with, offering the brand the chance to design a product uniquely in exchange for base pay and a cut of sales. It could be a worthy niche to start with if someone is looking for how to start a blog and make money.
Food
These blogs have a similar content structure to recipes that are arranged into categories. Some offer social media channels that link to the blog along with videos to go along with those recipes. You might be a good fit for food blogging if you enjoy cooking at home or dining out after understanding how to start a blog and make money. There are lots of food blogs that use innovative methods to generate revenue. Posting recipes, restaurant reviews, and dietary advice will help you develop a loyal readership.
Sports
Surprisingly, there are blogs on almost all types of sports that you can imagine, even about squash! If you often write and you are a fan of sports then it is time to consider this as your perfect match. Sports blogs are mostly written for the avid fans of certain games who desire to keep up with other information they have been able to miss. When you decide to start your own sports blog after knowing how to start a blog and make money, you can opt to blog about practically any of the sporting events or stick strictly to a particular type of sporting event.
Travel
If you fancy travelling and documenting experiences it is good to research how to start a blog and make money through travel blogging. Blogs that contain information on travelling are quite soothing, as are the scenes of beautiful places. However, there are many competitors in the sector, you can still target a niche market, for example, by choosing to work in rather exotic places or taking into account the kind of travellers. Another way through which you can also monetise your travel writing is by partnering with tourism boards and travel agencies. For instance, Nomadic Matt provides advice on how to travel on a tight budget by supplying information on low-cost lodging, travel cards, insurance, and more.
Lifestyle
Among all blog kinds, lifestyle blogs are arguably the most versatile. These blogs, which are aptly called, are about individual lives. They discuss the blogger’s hobbies, favourite places to dine and buy, etc. Consider these blogs to be influencers’ websites.
Many of them actively leverage their blog to get more followers and raise their own popularity among the audience. Companies often type in the influencer’s website/blogging site to look up their information and reach out to them with partnership invitations.
If you are eager to reveal more of your life to friends and families or if you wish to be an influencer, this type of blog might suit you best. Surf the net for how to start a blog and make money by writing lifestyle blog examples.
With special ad formats like sponsored posts, native ads, and affiliate links, a lifestyle blog can be turned into a successful and profitable venture.
Parenting
Parenting blogs typically provide relatable experiences and offer information that parents and expectant parents can benefit from. If you want to convert your content into other media, including videos, these blogs might be a useful resource. To stay current with their material and reach new audiences, several parenting websites have expanded into YouTube channels.
There are countless options for product purchases that come with being a parent, thus the revenue potential is virtually endless. So do research on how to start a blog and make money through parenting.
What Are the Main Ways Blogs Make Money?
If you are searching for how to start a blog and make money, you are in the right place! Allow us to explain in greater detail how such blogging platforms generate their revenues.
Advertising
One of the simplest and most widely used forms of monetization is the showing of display advertisements from advertising networks like Google AdSense. This ‘How to start a blog and make money’ strategy works particularly well for well-known blogs with high monthly traffic. By using advertisements, blogs can make money from impressions and clicks on the adverts.
Affiliate marketing
In exchange for promoting goods or services in their writing, bloggers might get paid a small commission for each sale or action that is produced. All you need to do to start earning money from affiliate links is locate a business that provides an affiliate program, register for it, and begin incorporating the links into your blog posts.
Sponsored Post
Collaborating directly with brands to produce content that advertises their goods or services is another method to make money from your site. These sponsored pieces may be in the form of blog article mentions, reviews, or tutorials.
How to Monetise Your Blog on a Budget
These approaches are helpful for anyone looking for how to monetise a blog or how to start a blog and make money.
Selling digital products and services
Try maintaining an online store in addition to your blog. A lot of bloggers produce and market digital goods, such as templates, e-books, and online courses. They either retain a sizable amount of the sales as profit or offer special freebies to members to their email. Some producers even provide niche-specific services like web design, coaching, consulting, and freelance writing.
Subscription models
Offering subscription memberships is an additional concept of how to start a blog and make money. By using this approach, readers can access community forums, premium information, or special resources by paying a regular charge.
Donations
Have you ever seen a tiny “tips” button in the sidebar or header of a blog? Several bloggers use various online marketplaces where fans can make tiny voluntary contributions to support their favourite creators.
Google Adsense
It is among the best ways to monetise a blog. Google costs the advertiser each time a user clicks on an advertisement. Plus, you’ll receive 68% of the earnings. It’s also simple to sign up for! After receiving Google’s approval, all you need to do is upload the code to your blog.
One common query that arises here is – If Google Adsense is so simple to use, why don’t all novice bloggers advertise their ads?
An excessive amount of advertisements on your blog may turn away potential readers. This does not negate the benefits of using Google Adsense. Instead, hold off till your blog receives steady visitors.
Unique Selling Proposition
Currently, there are over 600 million blogs present online and a blog visitor spends half a minute, 52 seconds exactly, reading an article. Therefore, you just have to be different if you wish to embrace blogging and have your blog developed into a successful venture.
A unique selling proposition can help you with this. Your blog stands out from the crowd with a USP. When compared to other blogs, why should someone read yours? The travel blog of The Broke Backpacker is a fantastic example of a USP. They show readers how to travel for less than $10 per day in their USP.
The Broke Backpacker differentiates itself from other travel blogs since it discusses travelling on a very limited budget, something that most don’t cover. Additionally, they cater to anyone looking to vacation on a tight budget.
How do you find your own USP? Focus on a specific niche for your blog post after understanding how to start a blog and make money. You might start a daily workout blog for college students instead of a fitness blog for people of all ages. Despite being specific in scope, this topic touches a lot of individuals.
How to Find a Profitable Blog Niche
While understanding how to start a blog and make money one should decide about a blog niche. For this, consider the following three questions.
What interests do I have?
Who is the target audience?
Which topics yield profits?
They will help guide you on how to start a blog and make money. Let’s understand them individually.
What interests do I have?
If you want to continue blogging in the long run, you should write about something you’re aware of and passionate about. Take into account your degree of work experience as well. It will be more difficult for you to become recognised as a reliable source in your blogging field if you have no past connections to that business.
On the other hand, you can create blog entries about those topics and gain your readers’ trust if you have professional expertise, a certain educational background, or connections in that sector.
Who is the target audience?
Blogs that offer insightful and in-demand content will attract a large number of readers. Consider the kinds of readers you could draw, the issues they might be facing, and the answers they are looking for once you’ve chosen your speciality. In this manner, you can start and profit from a blog that gives this group the solutions they require.
Which topics yield profits?
Though you may write a blog on almost anything, certain blog categories are more lucrative than others. Take a look at the sales prospects in that niche to see whether blogging in that niche can be profitable. For example, a blog about cooking may sell ad space to culinary firms or promote affiliate links in a post about the best kitchen gadgets. A blog specialising in digital marketing may sell e-books or provide advisory services.
How to start a blog and make money: Stepwise Approach For Every Blogger
Select a Profitable Niche
The first question new bloggers have on their mind is what bloggers blog about or what should you blog about.
Before you begin to write, there is always a need to choose a niche. Choose a single overarching theme for your blog in a specific industry to draw in a specific audience.
Speaking of the niche selection process, it is recommended to select your areas of interest as you will be working closely with this topic. But if you want to consider making money out of this blog, you should also think about whether people will be interested in this topic and if that topic will be profitable. One can create an active community and an incredibly engaged readership by focusing on a certain niche while providing pertinent and related information to the appropriate audience.
Scale your content
Now that you have selected your blog’s niche, it’s about time that you start writing for it. So before you begin it is important for you to know that investing some time in your research and planning of your posts will go as far as actually writing the post itself in preparing your blog for a great financial future.
Additionally, you should constantly and regularly publish new material without sacrificing its quality. When you begin producing and growing your content, keep the following in mind.
- Select the right blog topics
- Make the content in a structured format
- Post blog content on a regular basis
Create a reputation
The next stage to earning money from your blog is to position yourself as an authority in your industry after you’ve produced a significant amount of well-written content. To begin with, increase your internet visibility, especially in the blogosphere. You can submit guest post ideas to websites that are relevant to your niche. Don’t forget to include a link to your blog in your pitch to demonstrate your experience in the industry.
As an alternative, you can look at bloggers in your niche online and check where they are getting published if you follow any of them. That will direct you to websites that welcome guest posts.
Work with Experts
In order to get attention, build an audience, and establish credibility, you can also collaborate closely with other experts in your industry. Speak with experts in your blogging field, such as the editor of your preferred magazine or a guest writer you admire for success. Request permission to interview them for a guest post or to be published on your own site.
You can also cross-promote other bloggers in your field. Mention their articles in your blog posts and social media updates, and converse with them on Twitter. They’ll probably start reading your stuff in return.
Promote The Content
You will find it easier to make money from your blog the more readers it has. In the essence of our ‘How to start a blog and make money’ article, driving traffic to the website is an effective way to kick-start the monetisation process in a blog.
Optimise
As you may know, the position of your website in Internet search tools, such as Google, depends on the concept known as search engine optimisation. Produce content that stands on the first page of the organic search if you wish people to locate your site for the requisite search terms. In order to do this, you need not only to try to write the most educational blog posts on the internet, but you should also optimise these pieces by utilising long tail keywords strategically—a particular kind of term that focuses on the target audience.
Social Media
We will highlight another terrible blunder in this ‘How to start a blog and make money’ article. It relates to not being consistent with the promotion of your blog posts on social media platforms.
In addition to posting links to your blog on your own channels, you ought also to think about making specific social media profiles just for your blog. To advertise your blog on Facebook, as well as on YouTube and Instagram, consider setting up a business profile on Facebook.
Podcasts
Use various innovative content forms to increase your reach further. Include educational how-to videos on your website and create a podcast or webinar to discuss your thoughts. People are more likely to find your blog if you produce a wide variety of content to position yourself as an expert in your subject.
Monetise
You’ll undoubtedly be curious about how to monetarily support a blog after developing a solid content strategy and expanding your internet profile. You should use tools to improve your website and resources like affiliate programs and company collaborations if you want to start earning money from your blog. Here are some suggestions.
- Online courses and workshops
- Incorporating affiliate marketing links
- Webinars
- Speaking gigs
- Freelance services
Advertising in The Blog
You can optimise for clicks while giving visitors a non-intrusive browsing experience by selecting the sizes, shapes, and placement of your ads as you see fit through the advertising network.
You can increase your income by using the following tips.
Make high-quality content
The quality of your material should always come first, even if your main goal is to monetise your site.
Find the right keywords
Look for transactional terms while conducting keyword research for your blog content, since these could be of interest to advertisers.
Select the ad style and size
Think about how the adverts will complement or clash with the background or colour style of your blog.
A/B test your ad placement
To determine which ad spaces are most clicked, do A/B testing. Then, utilise the results to make future ad placement decisions.
Sell Physical+Digital Goods
One more way to generate income is by selling goods directly through your blog. You can accomplish this by starting an online store and selling goods associated with your personal brand or blog niche. Remember that you are not limited to selling tangible goods. A lot of bloggers also choose to offer digital products. To help you come up with ideas for the kinds of products you can sell, consider the following.
- Vlog
- E-books
- Printables
- Workshops
- Virtual events or meet-ups
- Handmade crafts and other goods
- T-shirts and merchandise with your blog logo
Provide consulting services
Using all of the expertise you’ve acquired as a professional blogger is another approach to monetise your site. Promote yourself as a coach or consultant, provide your own skills as a service, and use your blog as a portfolio.
When you get clarity on how to start a blog and make money, you may work as a consultant for businesses or with individuals, depending on your line of employment. Numerous blog genres, such as marketing, nutrition, and interior design, are a good starting point for developing a full-fledged consulting business. For example, you may use your blogging background to advance into the position of food coach or consultant for digital marketing.
Final Tips on How to Start a Blog and Make Money
Be Original
Be true to your readers and to yourself at all times. Building trust is essential for financial success.
Show Patience
It takes time to establish a profitable blog. Remain steadfast and don’t give up.
Interact With Readers
Respond to emails, engage on social media, and reply to comments. This cultivates a readership that is loyal.
Keep On Learning
Look for ways to get better at everything, whether it’s a book on content strategy or an SEO course related to how to start a blog and make money.
All these learning tips and strategies of how to start a blog and make money article should be practised and implemented for best results.
Conclusion
Writing blogs is an excellent habit. But in order to make it a profitable venture, you’ll have to grasp the subtleties of blog writing. After we’ve covered the essentials of how to start a blog and make money, we hope you’ve gained some useful insight. Examine each blog niche on our list in detail, then choose the one that most closely relates to your interests. You will eventually see financial success if you effectively monetize your blog.
For more information on how to start a blog and make money and related topics, connect with Collectcent today!