Before you can make money blogging, you need to consider a few things. Some of these things are more concrete, like a website host, but others are things like patience.
Read on to learn what goes into starting a blog with the intention of making money from it.
But first, this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy to learn more.
A Profitable Niche
If you want to make money blogging, it’s vital that you choose a profitable niche for your blog. I believe that passion is the first thing you should consider, but it’s not the only thing that matters.
You could love something or have a lot of experience in a niche. But if there’s no way to make money from it, you should reconsider starting a blog in that industry.
Ideally, you’d combine your passion with something profitable. That way, you can still enjoy working your blog, which will come in handy in the beginning before you start to make money.
A Good Blog Host
Next, you’ll want to choose a good website host so that you can set up your blog. I’ve used SiteGround for my various blogs since 2016, and I love them.
They aren’t the cheapest host out there, but they’re still pretty affordable. And spending a bit more to work with them is worth it because a lot of cheaper hosts have technical problems and/or poor customer support.
You’ll also want to buy a domain name for your blog, and many hosts let you buy a domain with your hosting. The name could be your name, or you could come up with something more specific based on the niche you selected earlier.
Unique Content
Once you’re ready to launch your blog and start posting, you need to make sure your content is unique. The easiest way to do this is to write the articles yourself using your own experience.
That’s why choosing a niche you love is so important. But if you have the money, you can also pay other writers to create the content for your blog.
Creating content from scratch can help you attract readers to your website. If you can get traffic, you can then get either ad impressions and clicks or affiliate link clicks and sales.
A Monetization Strategy
Speaking of ads and affiliate links, you should consider how you want to make money blogging. Ads and affiliate links are two of the most popular options, and they’re easy to get started with.
I love both, and I’ve combined them on my two other existing blogs. When this blog gets a bit older, I’ll start placing display ads on it, but I already use affiliate marketing.
You can also sell your own services or create digital or physical products. Once you build your audience, you can even do brand deals or sponsorships where a company pays you to advertise within a piece of your content.
The nice thing about blogging is that you can combine all of those monetization options. You get to do what works for you based on your niche and your schedule.
A Content Calendar
Another important part of making money blogging is to have a content calendar. Determine how much content you can consistently create each week.
Then, you can decide if you want to post once a week, twice a week, or more or less. In the beginning, consistency is crucial, so it’s okay if you don’t post every day.
Just make sure that you choose a schedule you come up with. Then, you can start filling that calendar with blog post ideas, and you can get to writing.
A Marketing Plan
You should also come up with a marketing plan to help get people to your blog. Without traffic, it won’t matter what else you do because you won’t make money blogging.
Social media is one of the best ways to get your blog in front of other people. Consider platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, or even Instagram.
I prefer to use Pinterest because it’s easy and doesn’t take a lot of time. However, Instagram is useful for building a community and eventually getting people to buy what you have to sell.
Lots of Patience
Most blogs won’t turn a profit or even make any revenue in the first year. If you really want to make money blogging, you need to stick with it for at least 12 months.
You need to consistently publish new content and share it on social media. It takes a while for people to recognize you or your blog’s name and even more time to trust you.
And if you use SEO, it can take just as long before search engines start showing your content. If you stick with it, you should start to see some results.
But even then, it can take way longer than a year before you start to replace your current income from a job or freelancing. If you’re patient, you can keep going and eventually reach your goals.
Can Anyone Make Money Blogging?
It’s possible that anyone could make money from a blog. However, you have to put in a lot of unpaid work upfront to set your blog up for success.
Not everyone is willing to do that, so a lot of people may quit before they start to see results.
How Much Money Can You Make From Blogging?
You could make anywhere from $0 to six figures or even seven figures a year. It all depends on the age of your blog, the ways in which you’ve monetized it, and your niche.
Do You Need to Spend Money to Make Money?
You really should invest in your own domain and hosting to get your blog to make money. A free blog could make money, but it looks better to have a professional blog.
Of course, if you don’t like writing, you’ll have to pay writers to create the content as well.
Final Thoughts
If you want to make money blogging, you need to do some planning. That way, you can choose a blog topic that has a decent potential to make a profit.
Planning can also help you decide what monetization methods to use for your blog.
Do you need money now? Consider freelance blogging, at least until your blog gets off the ground.