Make Money From Blogging |
(Or Show Me The Money!)

How do I make money from blogging?  This is one of the questions I receive on a consistent basis so I think we should spend a little time discussing this topic!  

So you want ot make money from blogging, but you aren't sure where to start???

Well (as with any business), you need to start at the beginning by identify a business idea that is a good "fit" for you personally and something you're passionate about to carry you over the peaks and valleys of building a business!! 

Yes, if you want to make money from blogging, it's very important to treat your Blog like a business!

I know, I know, those of you who frequent my web site hear me say this often!   But starting at the beginning with an idea you're interested in and treating it like a business from the start will provide you with the keys to the "Blogging Kingdom"!   

Blogging or building a website is hard work, there is a dramatic learning curve (for many of us!), you'll face disappointments along the way, and it definitely isn't a get rich quick scheme! 

Creating a "Buzz" to Build Traffic

To make money from blogging, it's important to recognize you'll need to create a "buzz" and build-up the number of visitors per day, known as Traffic, to your blog!  

Traffic is the number one requirement to creating a viable online business!!

So why is this?  As with all businesses, you need to develop a relationship with a large amount of individuals who are interested in what you have to say.  Generally speaking a good rule of thumb is sales and advertising is a numbers game! 

100 Visitors x .01 (success rate) = 1 Sale

This mathematical equation is usually pretty consistent.   Over time, you may be able to outperform this statistic, but it's good to start using this information to plan your business and sales.   So if you only have a dozen visitors, the chances of making a sale become very limited!  Keep this in mind as you work on your business plan. 

In order to build your traffic, start by engaging your visitors, creating a "buzz", and keep them coming back to your site for more quality information.  As your traffic develops, you'll identify different ways you can make money from blogging. 

7 Ways to Make Money From Blogging

Below are 7 different ways to make money using your blog and/or website.  In addition, there are multiple variations to each of these approaches.  And, of course, new ways are being developed and crafted as the internet continues to mature.   These are a good starting place when planning your online business.

1.  Google Adsense

As you begin to attract quality visitors to your blog, you can offer space on your page(s) for advertisers to place their advertising.  One big player in this arena is Google Adsense which is used by over 2 million website publishers. 

Google may be a good choice due to the quality advertisers which use this type of advertising.  Google sells advertising to millions of firms throughout the world and places relevant ads on your site at no cost to you or your business. 

Using Google Adsense requires minimal work on your part to set-up and can be the initial step to make money with blogging. 

Note:   Of course Google is not the only search engine who sells advertising. You can also work with Yahoo!, Bing, and others to reach your target audience!  

2.  Sell Advertising

In addition to Google, you can work directly with advertisers in your specific niche (e.g. hotels for a travel niche) to place an advertisement or article about their business on your site. In exchange for space on your blog, you receive payment for the ad placed on your site. 

You'll want to determine the best way to handle payment, how much you'll charge, and the how long you'll have the ad on your site.   This can provide some very consistent income if your advertisers are happy with the exposure they are receiving from your site! 

3.  Create & Sell Hard Goods/Products

This is a terrific method for those of you who already have a storefront or business.  You already have hard products you sell.  Or maybe you have a hobby or make craft items which you wish to sell.  Your blog can be an extension of your business to help you get more exposure for your products.

You can discuss how you obtain your products, why they are better than others on the market, or just the "cool factor" of owning your specific merchandise!  :)

Your blog can be the business or it can be an addition to your business.  

Blogging Opportunities Why Content Creators Make Hard Goods O.K. so today's bloggers are reaching new levels of success. How are they doing this??   Another way bloggers make money from blogging includes the introduction of their own hard physical products to their line-up or goods/services they offer -- and why not??? Bloggers are generally experts in their field, they engage with their readers on a consistent basis, and they identify products which are missing in the market which will solve problems in their niche.   Also, there can be much higher profit margins in your own physical products than in selling advertising or doing affiliate marketing for other companies.   It's definitely a perfect match -- if you're starting your starting your own Blog, make sure to consider this type of monetization plan.   Beware that it definitely is a longer lead time to bring physical products to the market place and they need to be "ground truth" along the way to determine if they are viable and will sell.   "Beyond Blogging:  Why Content Creators Are Making Mugs, Sweaters, and Moisturizer"

4.  Create & Sell E-Goods

Today I think most of us have purchased e-goods from a variety of sources -- this could be e-books, webinars on topics of interest, videos, audio information, etc.  

We are an instantaneous bunch in the new global economy.   We want our information FAST!!   And that's just what we get when we buy e-goods.  If you're in the information business, this can be a great way to help your customers get the information they need quickly and easily.

Your customers will love the ability to get the information they need on their desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or just over the telephone in a one-on-one consultation!  

5.  Accept Donations

If you're acting as a non-profit and providing your readership with public announcement types of information, you can ask for and accept donations to support your site and make money from blogging to keep your site paying the bills incurred in order to provide the quality information to your readers.

Just place a Donations button on your blog and let folks know you're a not-for-profit site.   I've seen a few websites do this who are actually for-profit sites. It's unclear to me how that works, but you can always give it a try and let me know if it works!  

6.  Affiliate Marketing

So what is affiliate marketing? See an in-depth discussion of this topic here!  It's a favorite of many in the online world.     

Read more about Affiliate Marketing here.  

7.   Create a Membership Site

Here's one of my favorites!  Think about developing your own membership site where your customers join a like-minded group of individuals to participate in the information being provided to them.

Blogging Trends

This might be a networking group, a service you provide, a cloud back-up site, or other site where they receive continuous benefits.  

By creating a membership site, this can provide a more consistent income instead of depending upon the continuous sale of products (which may need to change frequently!).  

Again, it's important to emphasize in order to make money from blogging it is going to take time, work, and determination!

I have utilized the Solo Build It products to learn the tools required to build my website, starting with the "end" in mind so that I'm treating my blog like a business from the beginning, learning how to create quality content and a solid website, along with the specific approaches to required to organically increase traffic.  These tools have helped thousands of others build their blogs successfully and can help you.  If you'd like more about how I approached this, take a look here!   

There are also other ways to approach setting up your blog with Wordpress and there is a terrific tool called bizexpress which provides similar tools to Solo Build It.   Check out bizexpress here! 

Business Ideas . . .

Best Online Home Business . . .

Make Money From Blogging back to Start A Blog . . .