There are millions of blogs on the internet, and some of them are incredibly successful. However, the vast majority of blogs out there are primarily run as a hobby and make minimal amounts of money. There’s nothing wrong with blogging as a hobby, an online journey, or as a writing exercise. However, if you want to make money blogging, you have to put some effort in.
Settle on a Niche
The first thing when you start any business is to work out a plan and a product. The same is true for running a blog. You need to decide on a niche and stick to it. Ideally, your niche should be something that you’re interested in and something that you can write about from a place of authority.
Not every niche is created equal. Some are more profitable than others, which means that, if you want to make money from your blog, you might need to select a niche that you know will be successful.
This is where part of the difference between a hobby blog and a business blog becomes obvious. If you’re just writing for yourself, then you have more freedom. However, if you’re writing as a career, then you will need to consider your audience. You can run a successful blog by writing about something more obscure, but it does take more work.
Improving Traffic
The key to making money from your blog is to make sure that you get plenty of people to visit and read your content. If someone likes your blog, then they’re more likely to come back and read more of your posts.
However, the first step is to get people on your blog in the first place. You can use SEO (search engine optimization) tactics to encourage visitors. SEO is a way to make your website more visible to search engines, so people are more likely to find it when they search for something. Keywords and backlinks connect your blog to the rest of the internet, making your website more relevant to search engines.
Affiliate Marketing
Once you have people reading your blog, you can already make a passive income by using advertisements on your website. The more people who can see the adverts, the more money you can make just from visitors. This won’t make a great deal of money, but every little helps.
Another way to make money on your blog is by using affiliate marketing. If someone buys a product or service by clicking a link on your website, then you can make a little bit of money. This can add up.
Quality Writing
Once you have people on your website, then you want them to ideally keep coming back for more. The best way to do this is to write engaging, useful content that people find entertaining. Your tone does depend on your niche, but it’s best to remind your readers that you are human so that they can connect with you.
Finally, make sure that your blog also includes high end stock photos so that it’s more than just text on a blank screen. Images break up content and make it more attractive and professional-looking.
