We know that having a website or a blog is fashionable. It is nothing new. Many people do it intending to earn extra income, even making a living from it. But doing it is not as “quick and easy” as many promises. Through this post, we will tell you how to achieve it.
Is it possible to earn money with a blog?
The answer is short and simple: yes, you can. How to do it requires a more extensive explanation. First of all, you have to end the myth spread throughout the web that ensures that you can accomplish it in a very short time. Maybe there is someone who has worked this way, but the common blogger waits months or years before reaching the first income.
Earning money with a blog requires effort, dedication, and, above all, perseverance. Some people start writing, and after a few months, they stop publishing content as others take it as a hobby and then realize that they have the opportunity to obtain economic benefits and take advantage of it.
It is also correct that there are people who know how to get a good performance from one or more blogs and live off it. There are different methods that any blogger can try, and here we will talk about them. But first things first. Before, it would be best if you start your blog and then monetize it.
How to establish a free blog and earn money?
Having a blog is identical to having an online space where you can talk about what you like and what you know. More and more people are experimenting with this medium, and you can be one of them.
Whether your intention for the future is to monetize it or not, starting a blog from scratch requires dedication. Some platforms consent you to do it for free. However, this has its pros and cons.
The advantages, in part, are obvious. You do not require to make an initial investment to have an Internet presence, and you can start creating your personal brand. Also, most of these platforms are simple to use and do not require technical knowledge.
On the other hand, being free, they also have their limitations. For instance, you will not be able to sell advertising on them. Storage space, add-ons, and customization are limited. To this, we must add that the web positioning of these sites in search engines also has its restrictions.
Before embarking on the adventure of having your own blog, you must define the following aspects:
The better you define these points, the more likely your blog will be successful. From there, you can get to work.
Objectives of the blog. What do you want to succeed with it?
- Define what type of blog you want: thematic, professional, corporate, or personal.
- Choose the theme. It has to be something that you are passionate about or that you have a lot of knowledge about.
- Define the characteristics of your buyer persona. It will be the audience to which you will direct your posts.
Let’s know then the free platforms where you can host your blog.
Five free platforms for your blog.
1. Blogger
It is the most in use platform for this purpose. It belongs to Google and, as such, has many advantages. Among them, we can associate with other brand products. You can even monetize the blog through Google AdSense. It has a template designer in which you can customize them easily and without technical knowledge.
2. WordPress.com
This platform is among the most popular to start in this world. It’s straightforward. Templates are easy to install and configure. It is SEO friendly. It has scalable plans so that whenever you want, you can have your accommodation.
Your blog will be a subdomain, but you can change it by hiring one of their plans. You can pay for your custom domain right there or with another company. And if you are going to migrate to WordPress.org, it is simple and very safe.
Besides, it has a forum where you can answer your questions, and on the web, you will find a lot of data about this platform.
3. Wix
It is in full growth and has an intuitive system that allows you to design your templates without many complications. It supports the HTML language and has customer support at any time of the day.
Its free version has its limitations, but you can expand them by joining the Premium version.
4. Websitebuilder.com
It is also an easy tool to handle. It allows you to build a free website or blog in a few minutes.
You can select from hundreds of accessible templates, and it has an editor with which it is possible to modify the appearance with just “drag and drop.”
5. Site123
If you are seeking the simplest and fastest way to publish your blog, this may be your option. At least that’s what many bloggers think. It is intuitive, and you will have a site compatible with any device thanks to its responsive design.
These are five of the platforms that allow you to publish a free blog, but there are many others. Remember that this alternative is convenient for you to start, but if you want something more professional and without limits to put it to generate income, you will have to pay.
Tools to create a profitable blog.
First of all, WordPress is the content manager that we recommend making a creative blog. The point here is that many choose to create a free blog, something you can go with if you don’t have a lot of budget at first. But in case all you want is to make money with it from minute 1, you must invest in a paid one.
After you have chosen the niche, there are two crucial steps:
The domain: Before deciding on a name, check if it is available on Namechk or GoDaddy and then buy it from the domain provider with the best price.
Hosting: there is an infinite number of hosting providers and with thousands of offers, so here you should spend more time deciding which one best suits your needs.
From our point of view, when choosing a hosting, it is important that in addition to the price, you look at what it includes, such as its speed and performance, technical support, or that it supports several programming languages.
How can you monetize your blog?
With no uncertainty, there are many techniques in which you can put your blog to generate income for you. Offer professional services, sell advertising, create info products, and ask for donations, among many others.
There are also platforms to earn money, in which you have access to advertisers and influencers. Whichever technique you decide on, you must develop a strategy to work on.
1. CPC Ads
It consists of having spaces to sell Cost per Click (CPC) advertising. Every time a user clicks on certain ads, you will earn a percentage of money.
Among the tools to do this, we have Google AdSense. Once you join, the platform analyzes your blog and, according to its content, chooses the ads it will show. So you have no control over what your audience will see.
For this strategy to work, you must have high traffic.
2. Affiliate Marketing
It is similar to the prior one, but in this case, the user must execute an action for you to earn money. First, you partner with another company that offers products or services on the Internet.
On your blog, you place special links that direct traffic to a landing page of the company with which you associated. If the user executes the action that the advertiser wants, you earn a percentage.
Convincing the client through this method is more complicated than in CPC, but the income is higher. It would be best if you choose advertisers that may interest your niche. For example, if you have a travel blog, you should advertise a travel agency than a shoe sale.
3. Own advertisers
Continuing with the theme of advertising, you can reserve spaces within your blog to advertise to your clients. To advertise in this way, you have to gain authority within your niche and show customers the benefits of advertising with you.
4. Offer services
Use your blog to foster your knowledge and get clients. If you are skillful in the subject you are writing about, offer it to your readers.
To get as many clienteles as possible, you have to build trust in your audience. Get seen and post testimonials from people satisfied with your work.
5. Sell info-products
Create and advertise your info products on your blog. From e-books to online courses, any of them can generate good income.
The earnings you make with e-books, for example, are converted into passive income. They do not require a large investment, and by automating the sale, they will generate economic benefits long after their launch.
Depending on the type of info product, you can earn more or less money. Online courses usually produce good returns. But yet again, you have to rank yourself as a professional in order to get your audience interested.
6. Publish sponsored post
It is one of the most delicate ways to make money with a blog. If you’re not careful when writing them, you put your credibility as a blogger at stake. Sponsored posts are articles that the author writes for a brand and publishes it on his blog.
If you have positioned yourself well as an author, the brands may go directly to you and make a proposal.
7. Donations
Another technique to make money with your blog is to ask your readers for it. Although it is hard to believe it works. You just have to place a Paypal button and ask them to contribute with you if they liked the content.
Nor should you assume that all readers are going to donate. But some do, especially those who are your regular readers.
Ten reasons to have a blog today.
Are these reasons enough for you? In conclusion, if you are reading this article, it is because you want to know how to build a blog and start earning real money. However, here are ten additional reasons so that your doubts (if you have them) disappear completely.
1. It is affordable for everyone.
Anybody with an Internet connection can have their own blog. It is not compulsory to have special knowledge or to make a huge outlay.
Considering the enormous possibilities that blogging provides, it is possibly the cheapest hobby out there.
2. You can make it your main source of income.
Many people started their blog for entertainment, and now it has become their main source of income. Although it is not that simple at all, it is perfectly possible with work and dedication.
3. It is the ideal tool to get contacts.
We all know the importance of meeting and relating to the greatest number of people in any business.
A blog allows you the same, meet hundreds of people who move in the same sector, and who are related to your tastes and interests. The possibility of building relationships with people in the same niche has enormous potential.
Collaboration and mutual help can bring you multiple benefits in your online projects. In addition, the Internet offers the possibility of meeting people anywhere in the world and making friends that you would never have imagined having.
4. It will help you grow your business.
If you have a business, a blog is an ideal tool to give it added value, since it will allow you to have updated information about your products and services and better serve your customers.
Also, it will give you the possibility to increase your client portfolio exponentially. Tools associated with a blog, such as email marketing, can be a very powerful ally.
5. It can be your best cover letter.
A blog can open up a really important range of job opportunities for you. We could say that a blog can become your best resume. If you are an expert in something and you show it truthfully in your articles, offers of all kinds may start to rain on you.
Besides, when you prove your worth in some matter through a blog, your readers and followers will be much more susceptible when it comes to buying products or services that you want to sell yourself.
6. It will help you write and communicate better.
Writing regularly on a blog is something that will help you enormously when it comes to knowing how to argue your ideas and knowledge and, therefore, to express yourself much better. It will also “force” you to vastly improve such important aspects as your spelling.
Apart from improving the quality of your articles and having a more serious and professional blog, this learning can help you jump into other fields, such as writing a book.
7. It will make you more disciplined and constant.
Turning a blog into a reference site is something that takes a lot of work, patience, and dedication. Blogging is a hobby (or a job) that allows you to cultivate and improve these three qualities.
Having to write regularly, interact with your followers, create content, help your readers, respond to comments, etc., will make you a more disciplined, efficient, and productive person.
8. A blog gives you freedom of movement.
The moral thing about blogging is that it is something that you can do anytime and anywhere. You only need a workstation and an Internet connection. It means that, by managing your time well, you can enjoy your hobbies, family, etc., with greater freedom.
One of the things that those who live off their blog appreciate the most is the fact that they are not bound to any schedule. You choose the when, how, and where, and that is priceless.
9. It can help you promote your hobbies.
We all have hobbies. Playing sports, writing, fishing, playing games, cooking, doing business, etc. A blog gives you the possibility to publicize these hobbies and take advantage of it.
10. It will make you earn extra money.
As we have mentioned in point two, many people have turned their blog into their main source of income, although this is not easy to achieve. What is much more feasible is to turn a blog into a way to get the extra money that complements your usual salary.
CONCLUSION:
As you can see, there are infinite strategies to monetize a blog. But without a doubt, following some orderly steps is key for your project to work and be profitable. There is no use starting to create an affiliate strategy if you have just opened your blog and have no traffic.
So, don’t start the house from the roof and start building community and building loyalty. From here, and taking into account all these ideas on how to create a blog to earn money online, you can start generating some benefits. Then, you will have to keep setting goals and measure results to keep growing.
To Read more, click here.
