So you want to make money with a blog of your own? Of course… we all do! The problem is that there is so much information out there on how to start a blog and how to make money with it, that it’s simply way too much information for an individual to consume all at one — and even worse, knowing what works and what doesn’t.
Hopefully, this article I have for you today will shed some light on this process. The truth is that there is a TON of money to be made in the world of blogging, but probably 99% of blogs out there will never make more than $1,000 in their lifetime.
Why is this? Simply because they have focused all of their efforts on “content creation” and never put in the time to research their topic or even treat their blog like a business in the first place. To make money with a blog, you need to first do the research on what your blog focus will be, how you create content to solve a problem, bring traffic to your site and then how you can monetize it along the way.
Now it doesn’t sound so easy to make money with a blog, does it?
If it was easy, then 99% of the blogs out there would be make money with a blog instead of just taking up space. The good news is that literally anyone can make money with a blog of their own if they just follow the 9-step formula that has been laid out in the make money blogging infographic. You can view the original infographic and article for many examples of each method, but I will do my best to provide you with a fast-paced high-quality summary of my own.
How to Make Money with a Blog – From Start to Business
It doesn’t matter if you already have a blog in place or you are thinking about starting one of your own today — implement all of these practices and you will find success with blog monetization.
1 Research Your Topic
This one seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised by how many people get an idea for a site, then go register a domain name and start writing content. Again… it’s not just about the content — it’s about providing value and being able to create a real business out of this. For example, if you wanted to create a blog around the concept of “basketball skills training”, you would want to make sure there is enough for you to write about, a big enough audience and also a way to monetize it.
2 Niche Down Your Topic Again
The moment you think you’ve found a clear winner, niche down again! The more you niche down, the easier it will be for you to not only rank your content in the search results but also to convert your audience into paying customers. Again, going with the “basketball skills training” niche, this is still a bit too wide range, and it would be much better to go after “jump training” instead.
3 Create Your Editorial Calendar
Another part of the pre-planning concept, you want to make sure there is enough content for you to write about… but also that you can associate a call to action for each. Plan out your content before registering your domain name and hosting, so you don’t find out you went after a bad topic a few weeks or months down the road.
4 Go Live With Your Site
This one is easy enough. Set up web hosting and grab a domain name that represents your niche topic well. Stick with a .com name if possible. If you can’t come up with a good domain name, go after a .net or .org, but don’t settle for anything outside of the big three TLDs.
5 Install WordPress and Customize Your Site
WordPress is the best content management solution out there and it powers the majority of blogs on the internet. Most web hosting services will have an easy one-click installation option so you don’t have to worry about installing the software on your own. Once everything is all set up, be sure to customize your site a bit with a high-quality WordPress theme and maybe even a logo. Don’t go nuts and spend a lot of money on your design, as it isn’t that important at this stage.
6 Create Killer Content for Your Site
This is where your blog really comes to life. You know the saying… “Content is King” — and it’s true! The content of your blog needs to be great and it needs to provide value. Focus on in-depth articles with lots of images and even videos to get your point across. It’s much better to post at 1,000-2,000 word articles per week/month than writing a low quality 500+ word article daily just to get something live. Create content that provides value and the closeout each article with a call to action for your audience to act upon. (ie: 7 Tips to Gain 3 Inches On Your Jump in 5 Weeks… then give an extra 3 tips if they click a link to another resource or join your mailing list)
7 Build Your Own Social Following
With over 2 billion users across Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others, you need to make sure your brand and blog are on social media as well. Not only will you grow a following, but you will be able to expand your blog’s reach and audience in the process. Every time a new blog post goes live, be sure to share it with your followers and also put in the time to research what others are talking about on social media and how your blog content can cater to their needs. (In the jump training niche, your content and references could go viral during the NBA season when it’s a hot topic)
8 You Must Build a Mailing List
Creating a mailing list for your blog is one of the best decisions you can make. The sad truth is that 70% of the people that visit your site are never going to come back. It’s not because your content isn’t great… it’s just that people only have so much time and everything on the internet is always changing. Build a mailing list and get people to join it by giving away something of value to them for free. (ie: 3 Exercise Videos to Increase Your Jump in the Next Two Weeks)
9 Master the Monetization Process
Once you have content on your site and people flowing through it daily, the monetization process becomes easier. Instead of relying on just banner ads, Google Adsense and affiliate marketing, you could start creating your own products as well. If your site is already the authority in its space, you could easily compile all of your best content into a PDF file and sell it to them. Your possibilities are limitless.
Content Promotion is Key
I’ve laid everything out for you on how to effectively build a profitable blog, but the one constant focus that always must be in your mind is your “Content Promotion”. Without promoting your content, your blog will simply stay on the back burner and get lost with all the other content on the internet.
SEO isn’t about content creation. It’s about content promotion. – Brian Dean of BackLinko
To build backlinks to your site, you must create valuable content that people and other sites will link to. This can be training guides, infographics, and content built around other trending topics around the world.
As a blogger and site owner, you should also be doing content outreach, such as guest blogging on other sites within your niche. This is one of the best ways to bring high-quality traffic to your site, while also branding yourself as an expert and ranking higher in the search results in the process.
