Many people have started blogs to make money online. Some of them are successful, some not so much. So how much money does a blog make? The truth is, it’s hard to say because many factors come into play when determining how much you’ll be able to earn from blogging. For example, it could depend on how often you post content, how good your content is, how large the audience following your blog is, and more! In this article, we will explore 6 ways that can help increase your earnings as a blogger!

How much does a blog make?

It is easy to make $500 or more per month blogging. You can do it for the first year, but you can make more money in years 2 and beyond. However, not everyone can do that. Many variables affect how much money you will make.

It is hard to say how much a blog makes because many factors come into play when determining how much you’ll earn from blogging. For example, it could depend on how often you post content, how good your content is, how large the audience following your blog is, and more.

How do blogs make money?

There are many ways a blog can make money. The following are ways you can make money with your blog:

Ad publishers

You can make money straight away with a new blog by joining AdSense. It may not be much, but $5 is still money.

The problem with plastering ads all over your content is that it makes your site look like it’s been run over by a hurricane.

Have you been to sites that the first thing you see is a banner ad? Followed by a video ad that follows you as you scroll down the page? Then banners in the body and the sidebar? YIKES!

Did it make you feel like closing the browser or click the back button and go to another site for answers?

When more and more people “bounce” from your site, this tells Google that the blog post doesn’t deserve to be on page 1 and will drop your ranking.

It’s easy to make money by joining ad publishers such as Adsense. But, it turns your site into a pigsty and makes it slow. Site speed matters nowadays for SEO.

And SEO is vital if you want people to visit your blog without spending much capital.

What you can do is choose an ad publisher that does not clutter your site with hundreds of ads.

You can also limit how many ads you want to show in your blog posts. I know you make more money if you have more ads showing. But that’s short-term thinking.

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is what I prefer to monetize my blog. Or use it in conjunction with ads.

What is affiliate marketing? People who own a product or service sell for commission other people’s products and services. For example, companies like Amazon, Walmart pay you commissions on how much revenue you generate through ads shown on your site or links that readers click.

It’s how I make money every month with this blog. Nowadays, it had become very easy to set up an affiliate program without spending too much time coding stuff like before when all the tech was new (that could take weeks). For example, Amazon will give you an HTML code or link you can embed into your site with a simple click of a button.

Amazon is not the only product you can promote. Many others yield better commission.

Many prefer selling other people’s products in exchange for a commission. There’s no customer service involved, no inventory, just less headache.

Some examples are Smart Blogger. They make more than $100,000 per year by promoting affiliate products. Most of that money is from recommending products that they love, like Siteground or Elementor.

There is also John Lee Dumas of EOFire, who made $710,835 in affiliate income. 

Digital Photography School has reportedly made over $500,000 in Amazon Associates commissions from promoting photography equipment.

Talks

Do you follow, listen, watch any motivational speakers or any leaders in certain categories? I do. And I know they make a ton when it comes to speaking gigs. How do I know? Well, anyone who follows them knows.

If your blog becomes famous, you might get invitations to speak at conferences. These can be good for your business. I haven’t made a dime from speaking gigs. Some make 10,000 dollars minimum per speech with opportunities for more money when people buy products after the conference.

Selling your services

There is much demand for content writers. Especially if you know how to write copy. Copywriting is more geared towards selling.

I know plenty in the health niche that pays copywriters thousands of dollars to write fantastic copy to sell weight-loss products. The weight loss space is lucrative, and there is a significant demand for copywriters.

If you’re not much for selling or writing, but know how to take product photos, then sell that.

If you are a designer, photographer, programmer, or a person who does services for people online instead of in person, you might want to consider this income stream from day one. Then, all you need is a contact form for people to reach out to you.

Selling your product

I rely on affiliate marketing to make money on this blog. And I am thinking of incorporating ads as another revenue stream in the future.

I don’t want to sell products on making money blogging or any course as I want to provide as much as I can to the readers.

You see, if you have to sell information, it’s hard to share something freely, right? So that makes it hard to create content.

However, others make good money selling courses on how to start a blog. Take Income School {link}for example. The last time I checked, their course cost $400. And they do a fine job sharing plenty of tips without losing sales.

With my other website, I do sell my products. But, it’s not information that you can get with a quick search on the internet.

The downside to selling your product is that you have to take care of inventory, and customer service can take a lot of your time.

The upside is that you have your brand. And, brands can make money in so many many many lucrative ways. Great brands can stand the test of time and economic downturns.

Sponsored content

I get hit up a lot by bloggers or marketers to write for us in our blog. But, once I tell them that it will be marked as sponsored and no-follow link, they stop.

You see, most bloggers want some link juice to their blog or their clients’ blog. However, Google hates this shady practice. Therefore I don’t recommend it.

Conclusion

A blog is not just a blog. Million-dollar bloggers view their blogs as platforms. They use it to test out new ideas and then make money in different ways.

You can make more money if you have more ways to make money. You should get creative with how you are making money on your blog. The more experience you get, the easier it will be to find other ways to make money on your blog. Your blog can become a profitable business that fits your lifestyle over time.

I have made money from my blog in many different ways. Some of these ideas are specific to blogging about money, but most can be used for any topic. For example, if a brand wants to advertise on your site or buy a sponsored blog post, you can make more money by selling them a package deal.

If you want to be a millionaire blogger, then I have good news. It gets easier after your first year. You can also make more money after that first year of work.

Over to you. What are some strategies for making money with blogs? If you’re a successful blogger, what’s your best piece of advice for someone starting their blog?