If you’re trying to supplement your income and you enjoy writing, blogging may be the answer. Click here for seven tips on how to start a profitable blog.
So, you want to start a blog.
And make some money from it too.
Awesome! You aren’t alone though. In fact, there are currently 152 million blogs on the internet.
That’s a helluva lot of blogs. However, of all them out there, studies have shown that the majority of blogs make less than $3.50 per day. Probably not the sort of figure you had in mind for yours, right?!
Clearly, there’s more to running a profitable blog than people think.
Never fear though, it’s definitely possible! Indeed, for all the struggling blogs online, there are others that make hundreds of thousands of dollars each month with an absolute minimum of work.
How’s it done? How can you make some serious money from your new blog? We wanted to help.
Keep reading for seven essential tips on how to start a profitable blog.
How to Start a Profitable Blog: 7 Must-Know Tips
Check out the following pieces of advice for you to start a blog that’ll make you money!
Have a Clear Plan of Action
Profitable blogging rule number 1: you can’t just create a blog, start writing, and expect it to make you money.
Instead, it takes serious work. Expect it to take a year or so to start turning a reasonable profit!
And you need to treat your blog as a business from the very beginning. That starts with having a plan. You should begin the process with a clear trajectory. Decide on a theme you want to write about.
You could go abroad, with themes such as travel and fitness. Or you could choose something niches, such as the best credit cards, or homeopathic remedies for back pain. It can be anything!
Then set yourself goals and create a timeline for yourself. What’s going to happen, and when?
Having clear targets and expectations will help guide you along the path ahead.
Educate Yourself About Blogging
You have a plan. Now you need to get learning!
There’s a lot more to creating a successful blog than just writing. You need to know about keywords, domain authority, search engine optimization, social media, marketing, advertising and more! It takes time to master these things. But do some research beforehand to help guide your process.
In fact, this learning will help inform your blogging business plan.
It’s important to learn the ins and outs of blogging. But don’t get bogged down in it all. As we’ve said, there’s a lot to know. It can feel overwhelming at times.
Remember to take action on what you learn!
Write Awesome Content
Your blog isn’t a blog without content!
You need to get writing! This is the fun part, but it’s also one of the most important components of running a profitable blog. Simply, your content needs to be exceptional! For a blog to be a success, people have to want to read it. Without engaging, remarkable writing, that’s unlikely to happen.
Great writing is the foundation of a successful blog. Almost everything else is secondary.
Indeed, from advertising to affiliate marketing, most methods of monetizing your blog rely on people reading (and enjoying!) your content!
Drive Traffic to Your Blog
Writing is one thing. People reading what you write is another altogether!
It’s impossible to make good money from your blog without having people reading it. Traffic gives your site value. With it, you can earn money from advertising and begin to earn affiliate income.
There are different ways to drive traffic to your site. Google search and social media will be your best allies in this endeavor!
Be sure to read up on search engine optimization (SEO) and keywords when doing your research. They’re crucial to gaining serious numbers of eyes on your blog.
Build a Community and Send a Newsletter
You should aim to create a community around your blog.
Aim to build a loyal community of fans who love hearing from you. Put an opt-in form on your site, where people can sign up to hear from you. A newsletter’s a prime weapon in your blog’s money-making arsenal.
As you build your audience and community, start sending newsletters to inform tell them what you’re up to. People who trust you will be more willing to buy your products and accept your recommendations for things they need.
Leverage Social Media
Social media’s gonna be a big help to your blog.
Set yourself up on all the usual ones: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest…
Don’t spread yourself too thin though. You’ll quickly realize how time-consuming social media can be! Focus your attention on those that have the best impact on your blog.
A well-honed social media strategy will help you drive traffic, share your blog posts and develop community. All of which are essential for making money!
Diversify Your Income Streams
There are many ways to earn an income from a blog.
We’ve mentioned a few already: advertising, affiliate marketing, selling products (like an e-book or travel guide). There are others too though, such as sponsored posts (where people pay to write a piece for your blog) and paid posts (where you get paid for writing for someone else’s site).
Make sure you diversify your income streams. Simply, don’t rely on just one way of making money.
As you grow, you should come to use all of them! That way you can guarantee a flow of income, even if one stream dries up.
Time to Get Blogging!
There you have it: seven essential tips for how to start a profitable blog!
There are millions of blog online. But only a fraction of them actually makes any money. It’s absolutely possible though. If that’s your goal, then with time, effort and the right approach you’ll get there.
Be sure to start the process with a clear business plan. From there, try to educate yourself on the different aspects of blogging. Then get writing! Write exceptional content to ensure people will want to come back to your blog over and over again.
Now you need to start driving traffic to your site. After all, why go to the trouble of writing if no one’s gonna read it? Use the traffic to build a community around your blog. Finally, leverage social media and diversify your income streams to give yourself the best chance of turning a profit!
Do all that and you’ll be on your way to a successful, money-making blog in no time. Good luck!
Want more info on blogging? Check out all of our blogging posts. Or feel free to contact us with specific questions too!
