Image Credit: Kristina B via flickr
Trying to figure out how to make money with a blog but don’t know where to begin? Getting started is easy once you know what you are doing.
Is it possible to make money with a blog? Yes! Thousands of bloggers across the world are raking in cash from their websites. The making money online community continues to grow daily.
This guide does not guarantee that you’ll become rich, but it’ll help put you in the right direction. All you have to do is follow the steps and put in the work.
Before we get started, you will need a website. You can use any site builder you like.
Done building your website? Let’s get started!
Building and Writing Your Content
Writing and creating content will be crucial going forward. Content will help you rank in search engines and gain readers. Without content, your site will not receive visitors. There’s no way past this. No content = no views!
Ideally, you’ll want to begin your website with a few simple pages including an about (or about me) page. It’s better to write around 500 words in these pages. This will be a general outline of your site. Don’t forget to add these pages to your main menu once finished.
When writing content, be sure to use proper formatting and grammar. You should break up long posts into several short paragraphs. Most readers on the internet skim over blog posts nowadays, so adding bite-sized content and images into your posts will help keep readers on your site. Nobody likes a “big wall of text.”
How to Improve Your Content?
You can improve your content by practicing and writing more posts! For additional practice, you can also post in forums and social media, engage in guest blogging, comment on other blogs, and write short stories. Continue to work on your writing daily. Your content will eventually become more natural over time as you practice.
Posting Frequency
Depending on your niche, it’s around 1-3 posts per week. There’s little evidence that suggests frequent posting will significantly boost your search engine rankings. However, sticking to a consistent posting schedule will ensure you are producing plenty of content which will increase your authority in search engines.
Length of Posts
You should aim for around 500-2000+ words as a general rule of thumb. It does not matter how long your posts are if your content is interesting and engaging. It is also going to depend on the type of website you own. Some can get away with minimal post length while others may need to be longer to convey all of their ideas. You can also check out competing sites that are ranking high in Google and study their content length for ideas.
This wraps up step one. There’s not much else but continuing to fill up your site with more content. Many people and companies are going to offer the “secret” shortcut to quick and easy traffic, but there’s no shortcut around creating content.
Finding Traffic
Once you are done creating content, gaining traffic will be your next step. Traffic can come from search engines, social media, paid advertising, and forums.
How to Rank in Search Engines
Search engines work by ranking your website based on certain “keywords” in your content. Let’s say you are trying to sell a pair of Nike shoes and write a detailed review of the latest release. If someone performs a Google search for “Nike shoes” and Google fetches a blog with that particular keyword, then that website could end up receiving traffic.
One downside with search engines is the fact that they make it tough for beginners to gain traffic. There could be thousands of pages ranking above you for that same term. For this reason, it could take months before your website starts seeing search engine traffic. Don’t let this discourage you. Just continue posting excellent content, and the search engines will finally come your way. “If you build it, they will come.”
How to Get Traffic from Social Media?
Social media has become increasingly popular over the years. Even the biggest brands are now using it for their marketing efforts. When starting out with promoting your brand on social media, it’s better to use just one network and learning the ins and outs of it before moving onto the next. This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed. You should also make the effort to post more than just a link to your blog in social media posts. This is going to help build your social presence and gain followers.
Is Paid Advertising Worth It?
Paid advertising is an excellent way to get your website noticed in a short amount of time, but it does come with certain drawbacks. Most advertising networks will operate on a CPC (cost per click) basis. The cost can be up to $5 or more per click depending on the type of blog you are running. If you are new to the blogging world, then you probably won’t be able to make a return on your investment. This is mainly due to the lack of content and lack of anything to sell or monetize.
First, it’s better to stick with organic (free) traffic for now and slowly move up into the paid advertising world once your site starts generating revenue. If you have the money, then it may be worth promoting your new site with advertisements. Just make sure people will be interested in your content before spending money on it.
A few older methods of gaining traffic include posting in forums with your blog link in your signature and submitting your blog to directories. These methods have decreased in popularity over the years and for good reason. Search engines are putting less emphasis on backlinks (links to your site from other websites) due to people attempting to game the system. Not all backlinks are bad, but they are no longer a guaranteed way to gain traffic fast. It might be worth submitting your blog to a few older and well-organized directories.
Guest blogging is still a great way to bring readers over to your site. Guest blogging consists of reaching out to fellow bloggers and offering to write content for their website. They’ll usually allow you to add a link to your site which will bring in traffic. This is something you should consider, especially if you are new and just starting out.
Monetizing Your Website
Most beginners opt to use Adsense when beginning their website. Adsense works by placing images and links in your site (via generated codes) and pays you every time someone clicks on one of the ads. The average payment per click is usually around one through five cents.
When starting out, don’t rush to place ads and affiliate links all over your site. This will not matter early on since you won’t have many readers anyway. Try to write a decent amount of content and gain visitors first. You can proceed to monetize your site once you have a decent audience.
Writing Out Your Goals and Finding Reasons to Complete Them
Building a blog and finding readers is not easy. It can take months, and sometimes even years, before a website starts gaining enough traffic for monetization. Traffic does not come overnight (unless you manage to hit the jackpot), so you will need to stay consistent in your blogging endeavor.
Blogging is not as easy as it may appear. There will come times when you will not feel motivated and may even want to quit. This can be solved by setting realistic and helpful goals.
When setting goals, do not go for the typical “I want to be a millionaire in 3 months.” Write out realistic goals and keep it simple. You are also going to want more than one or two primary goals. You need to have a bunch of smaller goals to help reach the big goals.
For example, what sounds better?
1. My goal is to build a large blog
2. My goal is to establish a loyal following, earn revenue, quit my job, live a better life, and improve my health
Most people would have probably chosen number two. Having reasons to complete your primary goal is going to help keep you motivated in the long run. Once your goals are written out, all you need to do is complete them.
Look at every small goal you complete as a big win because all of these goals will add up into your one big goal/dream.
Here’s an example template you can follow and modify to your liking.
Week 1 goals: Create a blog, build my first pages, create an about me, find a great theme, and figure out my primary monetization method
Week 2 goals: Write two blog posts and implement my monetization method
Week 3 goals: Write two more blog posts, continue to study up on making money online, and improve my site layout
Week 4 goals: Open up social media page for my blog, write two more blog posts, and post on social media
And so on…
I would also recommend setting a few long-term goals. Keep them realistic, but you can go a little overboard for extra motivation. These goals could include things like the amount of money you would like to earn, major things you want to accomplish, traffic milestones, and improving your lifestyle.
Finding Training
It is necessary to continue educating yourself on your niche and online marketing methods as you continue to progress. Imagine how much you can learn if you set aside one or two hours each day for studying your niche.
You can find a lot of articles on the internet. In this case, you do not have to pay for educational materials. Besides, sometimes they are more useful than paid courses.
Closing
There is a lot of work and knowledge that has to be put into building a website, let alone making money off it. Don’t be discouraged if you are feeling confused or lost. You will be able to push past your goals as long as you keep moving forward and don’t give up.
Nicholas H. Parker is a business coach. Besides, he likes writing. So he prefers to spend his spare time working for the top essay writing service. In this case, he has an opportunity to share his experience with others.
