Passion to Profit: How to Earn Money Blogging
Blogging is rewarding in its own way: the joy of writing, sharing ideas, and the satisfaction from creating something meaningful. It’s an opportunity share your thoughts and connect with others. But it can also be a great way to make dosh. One big advantage is that you can create content and continue earning from it long after it’s been published. As your audience grows, these income streams can increase with it. While some of the most tried and test tactics are based around visitor traffic, there are certain other ways you can turn blogging passion into profit. Blogging is more than a hobby; for some, it’s a serious income source. How much bloggers can expect to earn will vary wildly. Glassdoor currently lists the average income for professional (i.e., salaried) bloggers in the UK at £21k-48k in 2024. The most successful bloggers in the world stand to earn sizeably more — even six-figure incomes. On the other hand, 33% of bloggers make no money at all, according to TechJury. And perhaps they’re not aiming to. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll hear it said that you can expect to earn £1 to £10 for every thousand views you get. It all depends on your topic, how engaging your content is, and exactly how you’ve decided to monetise. The most popular monetisation tool for bloggers in 2024 is Google AdSense, followed by the popular affiliate marketing platforms. However, when it comes to those truly earning the mega bucks, AdSense only ranks third. The most successful entrepreneur bloggers (blogtrepreneurs?) are 2.5 times more likely to be selling their own product or service direct rather than selling ad space. ❝The most successful entrepreneur bloggers are 2.5 times more likely to be selling their own product or service direct rather than selling ad space.❞ Blogging is big in the world of business, too. Brands that prioritise it see 13 times more ROI than brands that don’t. According to DemandMetric, companies with active blogs generate an average of 67% more leads monthly. Blogging is now the second most popular form of content marketing, second only to video, with 70% of consumers stating that they prefer blog posts to traditional ads. And according to ReportLinker, the content marketing industry is expected to grow by around £500 million over the next four years. But let’s keep it real – don’t expect to start earning big money overnight. Quality of content is still the number #1 most important success factor. When you blog about something you’re passionate about, it shows. Your enthusiasm leaps off the page, engaging your audience and keeping them coming back for more. This passion is what will sustain your blog in the long run. Whatever your reasons for getting into it, blogging is more of a marathon than a sprint. It takes time, patience, and a lot of hard work to get those views and clicks rolling in. See also: 123 Reg’s Blogging A to Z Glossary Guide. From Authors and Comments, to Widgets and WordPress, take this as your handy guide to blogging success. Top 7 Blog Monetisation Ideas 1. Affiliate marketing Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways for bloggers to earn an income. It’s all about commission from affiliate links. The idea is that you promote a product or service and earn a slice for each sale made. This method works because it allows bloggers to generate revenue by recommending products they trust and enjoy to their audience. For instance, a tech blogger might include links for the latest gadgets they’ve reviewed. When the reader clicks on the link and makes a purchase, then the blogger earns a percentage of the sale. It’s win-win as it benefits the blogger but also helps readers find products they might be interested in. Statistically, those with the highest returns tend to be focused on a small list of the most popular niches, the big 3 topics being food (42.8%), lifestyle (13.3%), and travel (10%), according to RankIQ data. Food bloggers make by far the highest median monthly income compared with the other major niches (and that’s not factoring in all the free cheese and biscuits from sponsors). Depending on the platform and product category, it’s generally possible to earn around 10%-20% in commission. Some of the most well-known affiliate programs include: ☑ Amazon Associates ☑ Ebay Partner Network ☑ Awin ☑ Commission Junction ☑ Impact ☑ ShareAsale ☑ Rakuten Advertising ☑ Shopify Affiliate Program You’ll also find WordPress plugins designed to help with affiliate links, with various tracking and management features. Some notable options include ThirstyAffiliates, Pretty Links, and AffiliateWP. These tools work to manage and track performance of affiliate links, potentially leading to better promotion and higher earnings. While there’s lots of affiliate marketing options, it’s important to keep it real. If you try to push too many products or recommend absolute tosh, readers will soon catch on and surf elsewhere. Stick to sharing products that you truly believe in and your audience is likely to stay happy and engaged. Passion and expertise should go with integrity. Know your niche. In doing so, your blog can become a trusted place for unique information and attract readers who are really interested in that topic. You may even wish to conduct research to grasp their interests, challenges, and preferences. Use this understanding to tailor your content, tone, and style. You can’t appeal to everyone, after all. 2. Sponsorship and brand partnerships Brands are always on the look out for bloggers who have a strong connection with their target audience. Teaming up together can be a great way to monetise. The idea is that you create content to showcase a product or service, earning compensation in return. It’s win-win: the brand gets exposure with your audience, while you stand to earn from that authority you’ve built up. Sponsorships and partnerships are a little different to affiliate marketing in the sense that you’re only publishing content — visitors don’t necessarily
Authority means top rankings
Trust builds trust and trust builds authority. Authority is an important factor that helps rise up the rankings, which means that, in terms of SEO, authority has a positive influence on search engine rankings. What does Authority mean? Authority refers to: the quality of a site. This can be a combination of the site’s relevance, importance, age, size. a niche site. Most authority sites are built around a particular subject and this helps them gain the status of experts in their field. Leading experts in a specific field are the ones that carry most authority because they are focused on a single subject, and don’t claim to know everything about everything. sites that rank high for a specific keyword or phrase. This means that authority sites are also popular. sites that are referred by other sites that consider them to be the most relevant in that domain or industry. Why authority sites rank higher Authority sites are highly appreciated because of the quality content that people find there. Site owners also ensure to constantly publish fresh and unique content because they know that new content will be spidered and indexed quicker by search engines. This will not only enhance authority, but also help them rank easier for specific keywords in their field. Aside from being rapidly spidered by search engines, authority sites also get links from other sites easier. Quality content gets noticed, shared and linked by other sites. If some of these sites that recommend your content are also authority sites, then the links are A list links, the best quality links one can get. They certify to the quality of the content and they recommend it to their readers. Search engines see that and it’s when they elevate the authority site to the top of the search rankings. How to achieve Authority Authority doesn’t necessarily mean having the highest page rank. It’s more about a mix of relevant, quality content that people find useful, as well as off page optimisation. Domain age is also an important factor because people often link authority to a website’s age. However, even with a domain that has been online for years, it’s still the fresh content, optimised around powerful keywords, that matters the most. If it’s not link-worthy, people won’t share it or link to it. The key to an authority site is to give people what they need, and that is well documented, unique content that they will want to share. It’s that type of quality and useful content that other authority sites would want to be associated with. To achieve that, you need to determine what the trends are in your industry and create relevant content around it so that other sites, authority ones especially, will want to pick up and promote. Once it becomes popular, your site will benefit from it by traffic increase and higher ranks. Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, are also good places to build links, as these sites already have authority which will be transferred to you instantly if the content you publish is relevant to their users. So, choose your sites carefully and ensure your target audience is there. You can also promote your content on other channels, such as directory submissions, blogs, press releases sites and more. Be an authority, not a crowd pleasure To be an authority and get all the benefits that come with that status, you should focus on a niche and demonstrate your expertise to your readers. When people deem you worthy of their time and consider you to be the go-to resource for solutions to their problems, it’s when you will win the battle for page rank.