Over a decade ago, I wanted to make money online, just like many others. I searched for ways to do so, and one common suggestion in many articles was blogging for profit.
I saw numerous bloggers sharing their income reports, and while I was envious, I remained skeptical about making money through blogging. Plus, I didn’t know how to create a blog or monetize it. However, since the cost of starting a blog is very low—just a few dozen dollars per year—I eventually decided to give it a try after much consideration.
If you want to learn more about the cost of starting a blog, you can read: How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog?
Without realizing it, I’ve been making money through blogging for over ten years now. To date, I’ve created more than 20 blogs, some of which I’ve sold. The remaining ones generate over a million dollars a year in income.
Having earned more than 10 million dollars through blogging, I highly recommend starting a blog if you want to make money online, work from home, or become a freelancer. Blogging for profit is a great choice.
In this article, I will explain how blogging makes money, giving you a clear understanding of how your blog can become profitable in the future.
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How much money can you make blogging?
There are countless bloggers running their blogs online. Some top bloggers earn millions of dollars annually, while others make only a few thousand, or even a few hundred dollars a year.
Blog income largely depends on several factors:
1. The niche you choose
The most significant difference between niches is their earning potential. For example, software-related blogs generally earn more than blogs focusing on physical products because physical products only generate one-time profits, while software subscriptions often provide recurring monthly income. This allows bloggers to continuously earn commissions long after a customer’s initial purchase.
Additionally, niches like health supplements often offer much higher commissions per sale than more common niches.
2. The traffic your blog can attract
Choosing a profitable niche ensures you can earn a generous commission on each sale. However, this doesn’t guarantee success. To make more money, you need to promote your blog and attract more traffic and customers.
In short, based on surveys of blog income data, the average monthly income of a blogger is between $8,000 and $15,000. Blogging is far more profitable than many other work-from-home jobs. Therefore, when new visitors arrive at my blog, I always recommend they create one or more personal blogs.
Now, follow me as we explore the different ways blogs can make money.
How To Make Money With a Blog: 9 Ways
1. Ad Networks
If you frequently visit other people’s blogs, you’ll notice that ads are displayed throughout the webpage. This is one of the most common ways blogs make money, as shown in the image below:
All you need to do is sign up for an ad network, such as Google AdSense, submit your website, get the ad code, and place it on your blog to start earning revenue.
While display advertising used to be the most popular way for blogs to make money, it has started to become outdated. More and more bloggers are abandoning this method due to three reasons:
- It affects the aesthetics of the website.
- Bloggers don’t earn much from clicks on ads.
- Many users won’t click on display ads.
However, if your blog is just starting out and you don’t have products to sell yet, joining an ad network is still a good way to monetize your blog.
Let’s use Google AdSense display ads as an example. There are two ways to earn with it:
CPM (Cost Per Mille): Earnings per 1,000 impressions of ads displayed on your blog. The average is between $1–5. If it’s a finance, insurance, or tech blog, CPM earnings can reach $10–20 or more.
CPC (Cost Per Click): Earnings per user click on an ad on your blog. The average is between $0.20–3 per click. For blogs in niches like insurance or loans, CPC can reach $5–10 per click.
2. Private Advertising
Some bloggers dislike the pay-per-impression and pay-per-click model because it affects the look of their site. However, they still want to earn from their blog. So, they sell specific ad space to businesses, usually charging a flat monthly fee instead of being paid based on clicks or impressions. The price depends on your blog’s niche and traffic, typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month.
Private ads can be a bit tricky to set up, but they allow you to maintain the look of your website and ensure a good reading experience.
Usually, if your blog has low traffic, it’s difficult to find businesses willing to advertise on your blog. Therefore, you’ll need to grow your audience before approaching companies with advertising proposals.
Keep in mind that you may need to reach out to several companies before finding a good partner. Also, ensure the ads are legal, or they could negatively impact your blog.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the main way many bloggers make money, and it accounts for a large portion of their income. For instance, about half of my blog’s income comes from affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing involves recommending products to users on behalf of merchants. For each completed sale, you earn a percentage of the sale or a fixed commission. The biggest advantage is that you don’t need to create, produce, ship products, or handle customer service.
For example, I run a review blog about delay sprays. I share my experiences with different brands of delay sprays, and I include Amazon affiliate links in my posts. When users purchase through my Amazon affiliate link, I earn a 10% commission, as shown in the image below.
Affiliate marketing typically involves promoting products for merchants and earning commission based on fixed rates or percentages of sales. Here’s an example:
EUKhost offers a 65% commission. So, if you sell a $100 product, you’ll earn $65.
InterServer offers a fixed $100 commission per sale, regardless of whether the sale is worth $10 or $1,000.
For many bloggers, affiliate marketing is their most important revenue stream. But remember:
Don’t promote a product just because it offers a high commission. Doing so can severely damage your reputation and influence. Only promote products you’ve used and genuinely like.
Read more → How to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?
4. Sponsored Posts
Many sponsors are willing to pay you to review their products on your blog. This helps them gain brand exposure and boost sales.
You can reach out to brands you like and ask if they’re interested in sponsoring a review on your blog in exchange for compensation.
Your responsibility is to use the sponsor’s product and write an honest review, sharing both the strengths and weaknesses.
Remember, it’s essential to be honest in sharing the pros and cons of the product to help readers make informed decisions. Don’t just highlight the positives because you were paid by the sponsor. Doing so will make your readers lose trust in you, and they’ll leave.
A good blogger values their relationship with their readers above all else because the income from your blog comes from your readers.
5. Physical Products
If you have access to good product sources, creating a blog and selling products is a great option. In fact, all major brands have websites selling their products, and as individual bloggers, we can do the same.
Even if you don’t have products of your own, you can still create a blog and sell physical products. When an order is placed, you can order the product on platforms like Amazon, and the merchant will ship it to the customer for you. This is known as dropshipping.
However, not many bloggers choose this method because selling physical products involves a longer and more complicated process. Most bloggers prefer simpler ways to earn money, such as affiliate marketing, which allows them to earn commissions by promoting products without dealing with the sales process, even if it means slightly lower profits.
6. Services
If you are an expert in a particular field or have extensive experience, you can sell services through your blog.
For example, I’m skilled in SEO and writing, so I offer website optimization services and content writing services through my blog. This is another source of income for my blog.
Providing services to clients is a high-income, low-cost way to make money from your blog and can apply to various industries.
Services you can sell through your blog include consulting, graphic design, SEO, freelance writing, virtual assistance, and more.
Additionally, you can use tools like Acuity and Calendly to save time on scheduling and payments, making your services more efficient.
7. Online Courses
In recent years, more and more people are willing to invest in online learning, so for many bloggers, selling online courses has become their primary source of income. It’s also a method I highly recommend.
Online courses, unlike physical products, have no production costs, can be sold repeatedly, and don’t require logistics.
I have a friend who is a school teacher and primarily teaches French. A few years ago, at my suggestion, he created a blog where he shares French learning tips and sells his own French courses. His blog now generates over $500,000 a year from course sales.
Depending on your niche, display ads and affiliate marketing might be good monetization strategies. But creating online course products is easier and more profitable than most bloggers imagine.
8. E-Books
I have created over a dozen blogs, with their main sources of income coming from display ads, affiliate marketing, and selling e-books. My blogs generate over $20,000 a month from e-book sales alone.
While e-books and online courses are both digital products, not everyone is skilled at or comfortable with teaching. Creating an e-book is much easier, and any blogger can write one by sharing their experiences in a book format.
Over the past few years, I’ve written several e-books, with bestsellers like 30-Day Blogging Success Guide and Pinterest Traffic Masterclass. Many readers have achieved significant success on their blogs and Pinterest after studying my e-books. If you haven’t read these yet, I highly recommend them to help you succeed in making money from your blog quickly.
9. Premium Content or Memberships
Your blog can also make money by offering subscription services, allowing readers to buy memberships to access exclusive content.
Some content can remain free to give readers a taste of your blog. Then, you can offer more in-depth paid content, such as tips or advice tailored to full-time moms.
You can also provide a preview of each exclusive post to spark interest and encourage subscriptions. Additionally, offer paid memberships where members can enjoy benefits like online courses and downloadable resources.
How long does it take to make money blogging?
The question of how long it takes to make money from blogging is one that many new bloggers ask, as many hope their blog can quickly start generating income.
The time it takes to make money from blogging depends on various factors, such as the niche you choose, the quality of your content, and your marketing strategy. One of the most important factors is how quickly and from where your blog attracts traffic.
If your blog doesn’t have any visitors, even if you’ve been running it for 1, 3, or 5 years, you won’t make any money.
However, if your blog is only one week old with just a few posts, but you’ve promoted it on social media and quickly attracted readers, your blog can immediately start generating income. Therefore, the speed at which your blog makes money is directly related to how quickly you can attract visitors.
If you’re relying on traffic from search engines like Google or Yahoo, it generally takes at least six months for a blog to start making money. However, if you’re able to generate traffic through social media, the time it takes to make money can be much shorter.
I recommend that new bloggers use Pinterest to attract traffic and visitors. I believe Pinterest is the simplest and easiest social media platform to drive traffic to blogs. Any Pinterest beginner can quickly succeed after some basic learning. That’s why I recommend you purchase my eBook, “Pinterest Traffic Masterclass,” which will help you succeed on Pinterest and with your blog in just one week.
Can I earn a living by monetizing a blog?
Absolutely, and more and more people are joining the ranks of bloggers. Whether you’re a university student, a full-time mom, or an office worker, you can find a niche that suits you and start earning money by creating a blog. Nearly all freelancers have their own blogs.
Through the nine blog monetization methods mentioned above, you can easily turn your blog traffic into cash.
Of course, besides making money, there are several other reasons why you should start your own blog:
Build connections with like-minded people: Exchanging ideas with others can help you grow in your industry.
Learn new knowledge: The process of writing and researching for your blog can help you better understand yourself and the world around you.
Build a brand: If you own a business or are an expert in a particular field, starting a blog can help you build your personal or company brand and enhance your influence in the industry.
Help others succeed: By sharing your experience in the industry through a blog, you can help others achieve success in the field, and they can, in turn, bring you substantial returns.
How to make money blogging FAQ
How do beginner bloggers make money?
Beginner blogs typically have low traffic, so they can start making money through display ads or affiliate marketing. Once the blog has gained a certain level of traffic, they can also start earning more through sponsored posts or selling digital products.
Can bloggers make a lot of money?
Absolutely. As a blogger, the income potential is huge. Whether you want to earn $100,000 a year or a million dollars, starting your own blog can help you achieve those goals. However, if you want your blog to bring in higher income, you’ll need to spend more time writing content, optimizing for search engines, and promoting on social media.
How do bloggers get paid?
Whether through display ads, affiliate marketing, or sponsored posts, common ways bloggers make money involve advertisers or affiliate platforms directly paying cash into our bank or PayPal accounts.
How do I choose a profitable niche for my blog?
I suggest choosing a niche based on your hobbies, industry expertise, or life skills rather than selecting a niche that seems to make more money.
For example, if you’re a full-time mom, you may not have a professional specialty, but you can choose a niche based on your life skills, such as parenting tips, frugal living, home decor, organizing, gardening, illustration, or art.
Since your blog will need to produce a large amount of content to attract an audience, if you pick a niche you’re not skilled in or have no experience in, it will be difficult to write high-quality content to attract your readers.
Can my blog make money in one month?
In theory, it’s entirely possible. It depends on how quickly your blog gets traffic.
If I were to create a new blog right now, I could make money within two weeks. In those two weeks, I would write at least 20 high-quality posts for the blog and use Pinterest to post a large number of pins to attract traffic. Once the blog starts getting traffic, it can start making money.
How long should my blog posts be?
There is no required length for blog posts. However, if you want your posts to rank better on search engines and get more traffic, your posts may need to be a certain length. You can search for the keywords on Google, check the length of the top 10 ranking pages, and take an average of those lengths.
How often should I publish blog posts?
There are no strict rules. If you have plenty of free time, you can publish a post every day. If you have less time, you can publish once a week.
When updating your blog content, make sure to maintain a consistent frequency. For example, publishing a post every 2-3 days will let your readers know your blog’s update schedule. Avoid posting several articles in a few days and then not updating for weeks. This approach could cause you to lose readers, as they may think your blog is no longer active.
