How to Start Making Money Blogging

Last Updated: February 2, 2023 References Approved

These days, blogs can be big business. Once considered to be primarily for personal or memoir writings, a well-crafted blog can attract more customers to your business or even earn money on its own! And it’s not as difficult as you may think to get started. To help you out, we’ve put together a handy list of ways you can monetize your blog and earn money.

1

Choose a profitable niche topic for your blog.

Pick something you enjoy that has the potential to make money. It’s important that you’re passionate about the focus of your blog so you can stay motivated. Do market research to see if there are people interested in the topic so you can figure out if there’s a potential to make a profit. Check out the competition by searching for similar blogs as well. The smaller your niche, the better you’ll be able to market to specific people.^{[1]
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- For example, if you’re really passionate about cycling, there are probably a bunch of blogs and sites dedicated to cycling. But if you can narrow your niche and target a specific demographic such as middle-aged women cyclists, you can carve out a corner in the market.
- You can also search for online trends by visiting Google Trends.

2

Select a hosting platform that allows you to monetize.

Set up your blog on a site that you can use to make money. Many platforms offer free versions, but you may need to purchase a premium package in order to access extra features you can use to monetize your blog, such as a shop and paid ads. Choose a site that you like the look and feel of, and that allows you to sell your goods and services. Create an account to start designing and setting up your blog.^{[2]
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- The most popular blogging platform is WordPress, but there are a bunch of other sites you can use such as Tumblr, Blogger.com, and Medium.
- Some sites may not allow you to market your products or link to outside sites.
- If you’re looking for the simplest setup, a WordPress blog may be your best bet. It’s easy to set up and there are a ton of plugins you can use to customize your page.

3

Create a short but relevant domain name.

Choose one that describes your niche or industry. A domain name is the web address of your site. While most blogging sites offer free domain names, if you want to attract more attention, make it easier for people to find you, and look more professional, you want a custom domain name. Use a domain name provider such as BlueHost, Google Sites, or HostGator and choose a name that’s short, includes relevant keywords, and reflects your site’s topic or niche.^{[3]
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- For example, if your blog is about caring for hermit crabs, you could have a domain name like “hermithome.com” or “hermitcrabcentral.com.”

4

Blog about your expertise.

Write about things you know about to earn the trust of your readers. While it’s common for people to blog about their personal lives, you can attract more visitors (a.k.a. potential customers) by offering information that they’d be willing to pay for out in the non-blogging world. If you have expertise or experience with your niche, write about it!^{[4]
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Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} Demonstrate your knowledge to your readers to earn their trust and loyalty, which can convince them to purchase goods, services, or content from you.^{[5]
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- For instance, if you’re blogging about Italian sports cars, and you have experience working on them, you could blog about how to replace a headlight or windshield wipers, which may not be common knowledge to your readers.
- On the other hand, if your blog is about mountain climbing, which you know a lot about, you wouldn’t want to write about long-distance running if you don’t have much experience with it.

5

Write content that leads people to buy things from you.

Monetize your blog by using it to market your goods and services. If you’re selling goods and services, you can write blog posts that explore common problems or topics. You can then include information about how your services can help solve those problems or are relevant to the topic.^{[6]
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Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} A compelling blog post can convince people to buy from you.^{[7]
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- For example, if you’re offering services as a personal trainer, you could write a blog post about how difficult it can be to find time to exercise as a parent and business professional. Then, you can include information about how your program can help people find the time to get fit.

6

Advertise your freelance services.

Use your blog as a tool to help you gain clients. If you have skills such as copywriting, graphic design, photography, or web design, you can blog about your services. Include a call to action by asking people interested in hiring you to email you or use the contact form of your page.^{[8]
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- For instance, you could have an “About” page on your blog that lists all of the services you can provide and how folks can get in touch with you.
- If you’re an artist, you could also include a “Portfolio” page on your site that showcases your work and includes information about how to hire you or commission a piece.

7

Share your content on social media.

Use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote your blog. Take full advantage of all of the social media platforms.^{[9]
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Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} Create pages and accounts for your blog and share your content so you can attract more visitors to your site.^{[10]
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- For example, you can share links to your blog posts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn so more people can find them.
- If you have a photography business, sites like Instagram are a great way to share some of your work and attract potential clients.

8

Offer memberships that come with premium content.

Give people access to exclusive articles and products. In addition to your free content that everyone can see, you can offer memberships that folks can pay for. Write more in-depth posts and offer specials and giveaways to make it worth their while. Blog sites like WordPress and Medium allow you to set content as “Premium” so only paid subscribers can view them.^{[11]
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- For example, you could offer free articles that end with something like, “For a more in-depth analysis, become a member to unlock more articles!”
- Other sites, like Patreon, allow you to offer exclusive content to your members as well.
- With monthly subscribers, your blog can earn you regular income!

9

Sell merchandise through your blog.

Add a shop page to your site to make it easy for people to purchase. Sell your products directly to people through your blog. You can also sell service packages or online courses. You could even sell branded merch like coffee cups and shirts. Set up a shop page on your blog site so people can start buying from you!^{[12]
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- For instance, if you’re a graphic designer, you could sell logo design packages that people can purchase to have a custom-designed image made for them.
- Sites like WordPress and Wix have shop pages you can add to your site, but you may need to have a premium account in order to do it.

10

Create a business directory.

Ask relevant businesses to sign up for a fee. If you blog about products or services but you don’t actually sell them, you can use your blog as a sort of online advertising page. Add a business directory page to your site and reach out to businesses that may be interested in joining the directory for a fee so you can make money simply by providing links to their business for visitors to your site.^{[13]
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- For instance, if you’re blogging about local fashion trends, you could have a business directory of stores and shops that offer some of the clothing items and accessories you blog about.

11

Sell ad space on your site.

Earn money every time people visit your page. Online ads work by renting out space on your site to advertisers and you earn money based on the number of views that your page gets. While you don’t want to completely clutter your page with banner ads, a few ads on your site can provide some supplemental income, especially if you get a bunch of views.^{[14]
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- For instance, if you’re a food blogger, you could have ads on some of your recipe posts.
- One of the simplest ways to advertise on your site is to either enable advertising through your host.
- You can also add ads to your site using Google AdSense.^{[15]
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  Research source} You can visit the site here: https://www.google.com/adsense/start/.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I start monetizing the blog I just made?

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Melissa Rodriguez is a Marketing and Advertising Specialist and the Founder of Social Media Relations out of Los Angeles, California. With over 5 years of experience, she specializes in branding, content production, social media marketing, and public relations. Melissa holds BS degrees in Global Perspectives and Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University.

Melissa Rodriguez

Marketing & Advertising Specialist

Expert Answer

I wouldn't rush right into monetization. Take the time to really focus on your craft and build the blog up to create your audience. It's going to be exceptionally hard to monetize a platform like a blog if you people can't tell you're passionate about the content you're creating.
Question

How do I figure out if my audience likes my content?

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Melissa Rodriguez is a Marketing and Advertising Specialist and the Founder of Social Media Relations out of Los Angeles, California. With over 5 years of experience, she specializes in branding, content production, social media marketing, and public relations. Melissa holds BS degrees in Global Perspectives and Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University.

Melissa Rodriguez

Marketing & Advertising Specialist

Expert Answer

Solicit feedback from them! You can do this with optional surveys, or just put up a comment section and allow people to share what's on their mind. If you give the reader a space to share, they'll provide you with all of the feedback you'll need.
Question

What is SEO? Do I need SEO to run my blog?

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Melissa Rodriguez is a Marketing and Advertising Specialist and the Founder of Social Media Relations out of Los Angeles, California. With over 5 years of experience, she specializes in branding, content production, social media marketing, and public relations. Melissa holds BS degrees in Global Perspectives and Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University.

Melissa Rodriguez

Marketing & Advertising Specialist

Expert Answer

SEO stands for search engine optimization. Basically, it's your website's ability to pop up higher in search results given certain keywords, phrases, and coding variables. You don't need to worry about it if you're just running a blog for fun, but it's definitely something you want to explore if you want to make money on your blog.

Warnings

Be careful including your personal or financial information on your blog. You may want to use a contact form page so people don’t have your personal email address.

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