Making money blogging from one’s own blog and gradually growing their passive income is a dream for many of us. However, in order to monetize our blog someday, we must plan and prepare for it now.
For many of us, maybe Blogging is just a hobby, but many of us at the same time also know blogging as a business or means to earn a livelihood; but on our own terms.
Running a blog site is like running an online business, or in better words a platform that can help initiate various businesses and streams of income.
Like other businesses, this business or platform also needs time to produce results and a positive ROI; to eventually form a full-time income.
What else does a money-making blogging platform need?
The right strategy is of most importance as it can help minimize the time and effort we put in to get where we aim to be, and the right goals include growing our target audience and with that our passive online income.
It is in our best interest to save as much time as we can by planning our content and website navigation properly and then invest the extra time we manage to save (by not making any unneccary blunders) on growing our social media presence on the right platforms and then learn to apply the best practices for each platform that can help us gain some popularity and drive more traffic to the website.
After covering the history and future of blogging in my previous articles, now I want to write on something that matters the most; which are proven ways to earn a sufficient income from this skill of blogging.
Now, what should one do about things that you are not too sure of?
Take expert advice!
Considering that her blog ranks at the top, I must say that Cassie Scroggins has done some remarkable Search Engine Optimization. Great Job, Cassie!
BTW, I really like the sound of ‘Day One.’
It may appear too good to be true but her SEO skills and how she got herself ranked at the top of SERP’s make me want to listen to her. Let’s check out the link to Cassie Scroggins website!
Really?
Again, sounds too good to be true.
I will be a very happy man.
It’s not about cents or dollars, but about knowing that you are on the right track to growing your residual and passive income; and that too from day one, which is super duper great!
Yes, Cassie, by all means, and in every way possible it is motivating.
The Moment Of Realization
What I realize is that it is crucial to plan and be prepared in advance; just as I had initially thought.
Cassie advises having some pieces of content readily available for the readers before publishing them and making the blog site live.
Other than the content for blog posts, the second most important thing needed before going live is an excellent design for your blog site; with a friendly interface and layout that offers a great user experience to your readers, and target audience.
In my previous blog, on the future of blogging, I clarified why I believe giving more time to your work is essential and why quality beats quantity.
The ‘Quality Beats Quantity’ Theory
Understanding this theory is first vital to understanding how Google or the people running Google think.
Q. Why do I love Google?
A. Because it helps me find the (relevant) information I am looking for quickly.
Q. How does Google do it?
A. By knowing me, how I think, and how I search for things on google.
Q. Why does Google do it?
A. Because Google cares for me and the experience I have while being on the search engine website looking for information, products, or services.
Q. Why does Google care about my experience?
A. Because I and a few billion like me make Google rich.
The point here is that Google cares about its users because they make Google money (a lot of cash) that advertisers pay Google to advertise their brand, product, or service to the same users.
The Google Market Share
Just take a look at the Google market share rising since 2009 from 3.23% to 63.58% in 2021
It means that Google makes money because of the 63.58% of the internet users that use it. Unless you are still looking for things on ‘Yahoo,’ you fall in that 63.58%.
The day Google stops caring for its users, these numbers will start going back in the same order.
But with that many users currently, it is clearly understood that the more traffic you can generate and retain on your website or blog site, the more revenue you will develop from an affiliate program, Google Ads, sponsored posts, and other means.
Google Has Standards
Google loves the reputation (plus the money) that it has made in these years. And to maintain its reign and reputation, it has set some standards.
By standards, I dont mean that you will require some ISO certification, but by ‘standard,’ I mean that your content must be of quality, plus your platform, which is your website, must have an excellent user-friendly design.
Website Design
I am using a free yet popular WordPress theme called Astra for my blog site. It is fully customizable and FREE. Yes, in case you missed out on the ‘free’ word because maybe it wasn’t PROMINENT enough.
Astra works fine for blogs (personal & business), portfolios, and eCommerce websites. Yes, Astra is great for eCommerce too.
Some other good things about Astra… (No, I am not an affiliate; just your well-wisher):
- Astra is mobile-friendly
- It’s compatible with all of the most popular page builders.
- This theme has built-in WooCommerce support
- It is translation ready, and you can create blogs on it in any language
- Astra is lightweight
- It comes with several colour options and Google fonts
- In WordPress live customizer, there are themes such as logo upload options available
Here’s are some FREE WordPress Blog Themes if you are interested.
The Disclaimer & The Fear
Ok, so Cassie has a disclaimer that says…
\”For the most part, it is fairly easy to get accepted to Google Adsense! I don’t know anyone who has been rejected. But there definitely are those forums of angry people who can’t seem to get in!\”
I know a lot of us would fear ending up among those \”Angry People\”. But…
Thanks, Zig…
so guys it’s your own choice now!
Trust me; if you are the ‘Forget Everything & Run’ type, then your time is now; just run away and don’t look back.
And those who are my type, as in if you like to face and over challenges, and if easy stuff bores you; then don’t just stay but subscribe to my blog (if you haven’t already) so we remain connected; as there is a lot that we may want to learn from each other.
Now coming back to making money…
Let’s Talk Business
Let’s face it; if we want to go ahead and do this then we must give it our best shot; without compromising on anything necessary and putting in all that we have!
Here are 10 options, that we can use to make money blogging.
1. Google AdSense
How do we give our best shot?
By preparing ourselves for all challenges; we start with finding out the criteria that Google has set which would qualify us for Adsense.
Okay, so here are the Adsense Program Policies that we should read carefully and see how we can use them for our best interest.
*I had no idea I would be watching them on YouTube and then writing all those points here
Before signing up to the Adsense Account, Google advises that we watch this series of AdSense Site Approval videos.
So, here goes…
Introduction to Site Approvals
Well, I just started it, and being honest, they are not as dull as I had initially anticipated.
Google has done an excellent job explaining the whole AdSense approval procedure in this video series.
And, since I love all my readers and want you all to follow me religiously; I am just going to break down all the information here.
The video presenter Aurora Morales is an employee at Google; working in its Policy Education for Publishers department.
Below is the information that Aurora has shared in the first introduction video of this series.
Google initiated this Adsense site approval process to make the internet browsing experience safer and more beneficial for its users.
Through this approval process, Google ensures that every Adsense page:-
- Provides Quality Information
- Navigates With Ease
The Adsense site approval process helps develop and mantain a healthy ecosystem by protecting both; the User and the Advertiser.
Google has taken this step to ensure that website owners like us, don’t face problems; specially after we have started monetizing our published content.
For people doing this for the first time or for those whose websites got rejected should watch this series to learn how to get their website approved more quickly.
The Video Series contains approval guidelines systematically listed in stages that viewers can check one by one.
How does the AdSense Approval System work?
Humans and automated systems both combine to review websites that apply for AdSense.
You can check your websites current status by logging in to your AdSense account using your Gmail address; just create it in case you don’t have one already.
After logging into your Adsense account to check your site’s current status, you need to click on ‘Sites.’
Here, you can also submit a fresh site for review.
Your site will be listed as one of the two:
- ‘Needs Attention’: Meaning there is some issue that needs fixing.
- ‘Getting Ready’: This means Google is still running some checks, which can take a couple of days to weeks, depending on the site.
If your site is listed as ‘Ready,’ that means Hurray! (You are ready to go)
Just make sure that after this, as a publisher, you adhere to the Adsense Programme Policies to continue showing ads.
Throughout the video series, Aurora will educate the audience on the following topics to make their process seamless:
- Introduction to Site Approvals – We are already done with this!
- Site Ownership & Basic Checks – Next in line…
- Good and Bad Traffic
- Quality Content
- Navigation
- Site Rejections and Next Steps
- For regular updates, I advise you to join the Google Adsense YouTube Channel
2. Site Ownership & Basic Checks
In the 2nd episode of the series, Aurora talks about Site Ownership & Site Readiness.
What happens when a site ‘Needs Attention?’
(When facing difficulty going through the basic site checks)
Here are some of the critical aspects of ownership and basic site checks!
Proving Your Ownership
One of the most critical aspects of site approval is proving that you are the site owner. Google wants to ensure that it can communicate with the site to generate the advertising in situ.
Get your ID handy
Not this. Let me explain.
Adding in the HTML code that Google gives you
- Verifying yourself in Search Console
- Adding your Ads.txt file
What happens when pasting the complete code onto the HTML of your website doesn’t work?
Next Step | Ensure that your Website is Accessible!
If it has a password, then lift the password restriction so that your content can be approved.
Next | Create A Crawler Login
Once your content has been approved, you may create a crawler login to access your login-protected pages.
A crawler in Adsense determines the content of your page, which allows Google to give you relevant advertisements.
You can use your robot.txt files to give crawler access by removing the following lines.
REMOVE ‘User-agent: Mediapartners-GoogleDisallow: /’
You may read this to know more about ‘crawlers’ visiting protected pages. Or this to Troubleshoot Ad Manager crawler errors.
In case your site still does not work then just make sure it is not under construction; as websites that don’t have any content get turned down. Because when websites don’t have any content…..
\” ….then AdSense has nothing to generate relevant ads for.\”
And even when your website gets approved for Adsense, make sure to only place ads on pages with content. For more information, feel free to read the Webmaster Guidelines.
3. Good and Bad Traffic
What happens when your website is full of content, and you have even checked the webmaster guidelines?
One reason could be invalid (which is not real) traffic, and Adsense is extremely good at eliminating that. Advertisers must ensure that real people are visiting their websites.
A Real User referred to as ‘Good Traffic’ is an actual end-user who sees an ad that interests him and then clicks on it for more info while going through your website.
- Auto-Refresh
- Hidden Ads
- A Bot
- A Crawler Disguised As A Real User
- ClickJacking
- Adware
- Malware
- Cookie Stuffing
- Browser Prerendering
The list above is all a No-No!
There is absolutely no need for make or fake visitors, as it will only lead to rejection.
The secret is to Be Yourself!
Recommended Best Practices
- Submit all your pages to Google Crawler to Create a more detailed Map of your website.
- Through Google, see what trends and keywords are being looked up on Google.
- Check what queries are driving traffic to your site.
Remember that nothing will drive traffic more effectively than a website that is easy to navigate. And has great original content.
Read this if you want to know more about Invalid Traffic.
This article is to know how to Prevent Invalid Traffic.
And this to know more about Traffic Quality.
4. Quality Content
In this video, Aurora defines quality content:
- What Quality Content Looks Like?
- How does this Qualify You for Adsense Approval?
- What does Bad Content look like?
When creating ‘Tutorials’ and ‘How-To-Videos’ (like recipes) as an additional part of the Site
And when it says that your Site contains some Content of Low-Quality
A Few Things That Define Good Quality Content.
Good Quality Content:
- Provides a Unique Experience for Visitors
- Better Content, Fewer Pages
- Content Which Has An Identity
- Rich, High-Quality Content
- No Duplicate Content
Before you can start monetizing a Site, you need to make sure:
- Your content provides a unique and valuable experience for visitors.
- A site with few quality pages and content is better than a large website with Poor Content. However, it’s worth making sure that your website has enough Quality Blog Articles that Google can determine what the site is about.
- Quality & Valuable Content makes visitors spend more time on your site and return for more content.
- Compared to other sites, if you provide High Quality & Original Content compared to other sites, you are already in a good position. It is also the primary tool for managing the site over time also. Whenever necessary, make sure to keep updating your content.
- Adding new content will keep the site fresh and generate more returning visitors.
- Also, make sure that there is no duplicate content. Make sure not to repeat lengthy parts of the copy. Dont have multiple versions of the same article on your site. Or too much content linked to other pages.
Linking To Other Sites
Suppose you create your recipes and your site links to many other recipe sites, and you are putting reviews or improvement ideas. In that case, you are contributing your unique knowledge that explains what content you are putting on the platform.
Reviews or improvement ideas will help visitors check out the content and make it original to you.
You need to give substantial added value if you want to qualify for Adsense.
When you eliminate all lousy content from your site, everything will be ok.
Bad Quality Content
Bad content is a major turn-off for advertisers.
Google defines bad content as:
- Replicated Content
- Scraped Content
- Duplicate Content
Bad content is a major turn-off for advertisers. Replicated, scraped, or duplicate content doesn’t drive traffic like original content.
You need good site management to ensure the consistency of your content. Plus, it should also provide a good user experience.
Your content must be of standard. And you must know that harmful or illegal content will NEVER be approved.
For more information, you can read the Eligibility requirements for AdSense.
So, now Aurora has told us that we need to give substantial added value to our content when adding links to qualify for Adsense. And we can do that by creating a comments section, writing reviews, adding improvement ideas, or anything that would include some special knowledge from your end that would confirm it as initially yours.
The Quality of My Content
In my case, I like to talk about my thoughts or analysis on things from others that I share. For example, my first article on the history of blogging had my commentary. I narrated the whole account in my style while adding references and as many relevant images as possible. Moreover, I have said it before and again: It was fun documenting history.
Then my second blog on the future of blogging, I shared stats from 2021 and gave my analysis on each stat that I found relevant to blogging.
And in this third article, I aim to teach my audience about how to make money blogging from Adsense and other means as soon as they start publishing their blog posts.
Your goal should be to make your content and blog site an excellent resource for others. And for that, you would need to give time to administer your site to show responsibility for your work; as well as the comments you receive on your work.
Manage your comments by moderating them from settings. Furthermore, if you want more information then read on traffic.
The next thing in line is…
5. Navigation
Navigation is about how easy or difficult your website is for your visitors to navigate or get around your content.
What is Good Navigation?
Other than having great content, it is essential to:
Organize your content in a way that is easy for your users to navigate.
The layout should look inviting to help visitors quickly find what they are looking for.
Two great examples of good navigation websites are:
Here you may check out some examples of The Good, the Bad, and the Best in Website Navigation.
The key to providing a good user experience is an accessible navigation bar. Here are the main elements to consider:
1. Alignment
You must make sure that the navigational elements line up on every device. And appear consistently on different browsers.
2. Readability
Make sure that the text content of your site is easy to read.
3. Functionality
Your dropdown menus and icons should be working.
4. Accuracy
Make sure that your navigational elements advance your users to the correct content.
Please Make Sure That You:
- Find a system of categorizing and organizing that works best for your content type and your user profile. And display your work in clear and consistent logical formats.
- Remember, the user should glance at the navigational bar and know what they will find where. It needs to be that easy.
- Leave no space for misguiding navigation. Your users should not be misled to missing or irrelevant pages. Or to a wrong page entirely.
- Are confident that if your link is about specific content, then that is precisely where your user should end.
In Short
All you have to do is merge and organize your content so that it is easier for the user to navigate through.
Because if your website visitor does not have a good experience at their first visit, they are not coming back!
Just ensure that the navigation of your website content is consistent and flows like water; to make it easy for the visitor to find their way out or to the home page or anywhere quickly. They should not feel lost!
FInally Episode 6
6. Site Rejections and Next Steps
Thank you, Aurora!
Well, guys, this is the final video of the series, and it explains:
- What happens when somebody’s Adsense application gets rejected?
- How are they informed?
- How are they able to identify the problems? And…
- How to troubleshoot those problems till approval?
The information that Google provides, such as guidelines, documentation, and videos, should make the whole process pretty much easy for most of us.
But in case if you face rejection even after following all guidelines and after doing everything to get your great content in proper order for your website, check the email Google has sent you.
The email will explain that your site has been reviewed and disapproved due to single or various reasons. The reasons will be mentioned very clearly and most straightforwardly.
Here are Some Top Reasons Why Sites Get Disapproved:
1. Identification Issues
Your true identity is not confirmed by the HTML code that Google gives you. It would help if you verified your ownership in Search Console or by adding your ads.txt file.
2. Bad Traffic
It could include auto-refresh, hidden ads, a bot, a crawler masquerading as a legitimate user, clickjacking, adware, malware, cookie-stuffing, or browser pre-rendering.
You need to ensure that your website only hosts good traffic, which means real users who click through something genuinely of interest.
Here is an excellent guide from Single Grain about Knowing if your website’s traffic quality is poor and how to fix it!
3. Low-Quality Content
Copy pasted or probably no content. Maybe a work in progress/ under-construction page or a coming soon page.
Nobody wants to see it; hence, nobody wants to advertise on it.
Make sure that your content is compliant with the Google Publisher Policies.
4. Replicated or Duplicate Content
Adsense will never appear on pages that have scraped other websites and sources of their information without adding any value of their own.
Remember that your content has to be of quality and properly organized for your reader making your website easy to navigate.
Crawlers Exploring Your Site
Google may have used Crawlers to explore your site and may have found issues such as typos, navigational errors, or anything that might be stopping your site from becoming operational.
You can always resubmit, and Google would be happy to check it out again.
5. Multiple Accounts
Adsense adheres to the strict policy of one account per publisher. It’s best to channel your efforts to the success of one account.
6. Previous Disabled Account
The publisher might have another account that was previously disabled due to Adsence policies violation.
It is when your site is not ready to show ads. Google couldn’t find any ad code, or the code was incomplete or malformed. In these cases, you will be rejected. And finally…
7. Templated Pages
- The ad code shows up on pages that have little or no value.
- Excessive advertising can also be a reason to get them rejected.
- There could be a templated page that you may be using which frames or mirrors content from other sources without adding the value of your own.
Well, if you look at it then it may seem a tough procedure initially but once you are able to do it by following these instructions then it won’t be that bad.
Just absorb the knowledge and you shall expel success!
So, now if you have your website ready with some content on it then apply for Google Adsense here and start making money blogging.
Back to Cassie Scroggins blog since we have quite much dealt with her Google Adsense Disclaimer.
The next suggestion Cassie has to make money blogging is…
2. Amazon Affiliates
Cassie tells us.
Bloggers who make heavy amounts of money from their blogs majorly earn through affiliate links.
We can use affiliate links from Amazon Associates and start making money from day one. Affiliate links are hyperlinks that you put on your website or within your blog post that is a reader clicks and purchases an item then you make a small commission.
She has used affiliate links of products she herself uses in one of her blog posts titled ‘What I Use To Balayage My Own Hair’ that you guys can check and know-how a pro does it.
However, she advises promoting and affiliating with items that you use only.
Amazon Sells Everything
\”Earn commission on anything that Amazon sells, and Amazon sells EVERYTHING!\”
The best thing about Amazon is that it sells everything. And anything that Amazon sells from your recommendation you get to make a commission on it.
But if you recommend just any product only to earn some commission you will very soon lose your credibility and nobody would click on your recommended links.
And if you just link to the products you actually use and love and you know your readers would love once they use them then automatically your following will grow and money will flow.
\”The best part of Amazon Associates is after they click on your link to Amazon, you can earn commission on any item purchased within a 24 hour period. Not just the item you linked to! So even though my reader clicked on a link to shampoo, I still make money when they purchase that frying pan set!\”
The Amazon Wow Factor
Ok, this part is really amazing.
Once a reader clicks your link to Amazon, then you will earn a commission on any product that the reader may purchase from Amazon within 24hrs.
I couldn’t stop myself from checking out the Amazon Affiliate Program and for you guys here are the FAQs.
And just because I love you guys here are the links mentioned within the FAQs.
- Learn more about how the Associate’s program works.
- Read more on how to qualify for this program.
- Check out the Amazon Influencer Program.
- Learn more about how to earn in this program.
- Sign up for the program here.
- Learn more about how to sign up for the program.
Google Adsense Vs. Amazon Associates
With Amazon Associates, you may not earn every day like you would with Google Adsense. However. you can make more money from one affiliate product sold than you may from Google Adsense in a whole week at this stage.
Amazon Associates is a super easy program to get into, and one of the best ways to make money blogging.
You can easily join the program through the link here. Once you join they will send you a confirmation email. All you need is a website that is active and content. Even one blog post would do.
Now that’s super awesome.
Some other Ways To Monetize from Day One by Cassie:
Affiliate for eBooks or Online Courses that you really like and sell them from your blog site. According to Cassie many creators and online authors allow that in their affiliate programs.
Create your own products. Physical or Digital Products such as eBooks. You can sell them from your website or an online store. You can even use an Etsy store as Cassie does.
Web Traffic
The last thing she tells us in her blog is that we should focus on traffic.
So, let’s just summarize that part as well.
Cassie tells us that after we have activated Google Adsense and have enrolled ourselves in the Amazon Associate program then for blog monetization we just have to add affiliate links within our blog post and totally focus on bringing more and more traffic.
As traffic will impact all the different revenue streams. The Adsense earnings starting from cents will reach dollars as we grow traffic on the website. The more visitors there are the more chances of earning from each affiliate link. With more visitors, the value of your Ad space will also see a rise.
Thanks, Cassie Scroggins for the valuable tips. My next article will be on TRAFFIC!
Moving Forward:
Open Income Streams And Grow Traffic On Your Blog
Back to Google to find more expert advice.
Ok, so the next guy in line is my personal favourite internet marketer of all time, The Neil Patel (That ‘The’ is on purpose as Neil has made himself into a brand.)
I like the guy because I find him to be really helpful and encouraging. And he is the man because of whom I have my blog site now. Stay Blessed Man!
Let’s check what Neil has to say about how to make money blogging.
So, he shares 8 ways to monetize your blog even if you have fewer visitors.
According to Neil if you have 10000 unique visitors every month then it is comparatively easy to create a nice revenue stream with blogging.
But it is really challenging if u have under 1000 visitors per day.
Just like us human beings blogs also take time to grow. And just like we can’t compare an infant to a fully grown adult, in the same way, we cant compare an old blog with a fresh one.
Just know something clearly now: Making Money Blogging Takes Time!
Let me list down the 8 things that Neil has mentioned and summarize them for you. However, my advice is that after you are done reading this do read his complete guide also. Just like I am doing right now.
- Offer Coaching Services to Motivated Clients
- Become an In-Demand Freelance Blogger
- Create and Sell Online Courses
- Write and Make Money from Kindle Books
- Make Money From Private Label Rights
- Create a High-Converting Funnel and Recommend Products
- Partner with Influencers in Product Creation/Launch
- Launch a Virtual Summit
3. Offer Coaching
One way to make money online is by selling coaching. Neil considers it as one of the fastest ways to make money from a blog.
Neil mentions some stats but I would rather do my own fresh research.
Every Month 1.5 Million Searches For Coaching
A teacher for new entrepreneurs & an online business mentor, Luisa Zhou tells us:
1.5 million monthly searches are made by individuals & businesses looking for coaches – iPEC
The estimated global revenue for 2019 crossed 2.8 Billion Dollars – 2020 ICF Global Coaching Study Executive Summary
According to these stats, the estimated global total revenue from coaching saw an increase of 21% since 2015. In 2019 this revenue was standing at $2.849 billion U.S. dollars.
The International Coach Federation (ICF); the largest resource worldwide for (business and personal) coaches states:
\”On average, clients reported paying an hourly rate of $171 USD and a total for the engagement of $4,353 USD. \”
\”The vast majority (86%) of those able to provide figures to calculate company ROI indicated that their company had at least made their investment back. In fact, almost one fifth (19%) indicated an ROI of at least 50 (5000%) times the initial investment while a further 28% saw an ROI of 10 to 49 times the investment. The median company return is 700% indicating that typically a company can expect a return of 7 times the initial investment. \”
\”Almost all (96%) clients indicated that they would repeat the coaching experience \”
The above stats make it clear that people are inclined towards self and professional development. And for that, they are willing to pay a decent price. And the majority are happy with their decision and see a return of at least their investment plus awesome ROIs. Plus, they will be taking more pieces of training in the future.
International Coaching Federation has also stated these 3 Trends that will Shape the Future of Coaching that you must check out if you are already considering selling online courses to initiate an added income stream on your blog.
Demand for Coaching Services Will Increase
\”Back in 2019, the estimated market size of the coaching industry in the U.S. was $15 billion USD. If the predictions are correct, with the average yearly growth rate of 6.7%, the value can grow to $20 billion USD in just three years.\”
Great Work Opportunities In Niche Sectors
\”For example, retirement coaches enjoy a surge in popularity as more baby boomers reach the age when they want to maximize their life after retirement. The very same example applies to other niche sectors, such as weight loss coaching, nutrition coaching, financial coaching, and others.\”
Organizations will Require Coaches to Be Confirmed As Qualified.
\”Your experience will play a particularly important role in the years to come because of the greater complexity of the challenges that individuals and organizations face. It is expected that there will be a higher demand for experienced professionals who can keep up with new industry trends, news, and knowledge.\”
And at the time Niel wrote these tips Murissa Shalapata, The Wanderfull Traveler was charging $397 for a single one-to-one intensive blogging session.
And now as of September 22nd 2021, she is charging $500.
Offering coaching or online courses to eager clients can bring in money regardless of when you started blogging or how much experience you’ve gained in that time.
Your readers will invariably face difficulties in life. Your role as a coach is to assist people in managing their challenges and responding positively rather than becoming frustrated and giving up.
People are usually found interested in developing new skills or improving specific areas, so becoming a coach in your industry can help you earn extra money.
How can you promote your coaching services business using your blog?
Begin by creating useful and engaging content on topics that are important to your clients and prospects. Here is an example by Neil.
Just know that coaching is a business, and it is vital to have a compelling value proposition as the market for coaching services is already saturated.
4. In-Demand Freelance Blogging
Why just start a blog? When you can start a full-time blogging business.
Being a blogger, you already have everything it takes to be an in-demand freelance blogger.
Brands are desperate for bloggers with relevant skill sets, and working as a freelance blogger can completely change your financial situation.
After looking at some stats from DDIY, I somewhat conclude the following.
a) Freelancing is Definitely Worth It!
There are 1.1 Billion Freelancers in the world today and they love being just that. I say this because 75% of them refuse all other kinds of work.
While 55% of them are freelancing without quitting their full-time job.
b) More People Are Becoming Freelancers
In 2014, the share of full-time freelance writers was at 17% which grew to 28% in 2019. Out of which 68% of writers have been working independently, for less than 5 years; meaning we all have a chance.
Then, a majority (68%) find their freelancing jobs online, which saw a rise of 41% during April & June 2020; because of COVID-19.
c) Quality Does Not Come Cheap
While 48% of the freelancers are paid a fixed amount, 29% are those who charge an hourly rate. This means that if you are really good at what you do you get to be in that 29% and charge a premium rate.
Plus you get referrals. Over 33% of freelancers get their jobs from referrals.
d) Freelancing is Better Than A Job
Many (60%) freelancers are claiming to be making more money than they did at their last job. And price range for these jobs ranges between $5 to $10,000.
Plus 75% of the freelancers have claimed that their wage remained stable during the pandemic.
And if you look at the pie charts in the Content Marketing Institute B2C Content Marketing Annual Report you will see the spending brands were making on content marketing pre-pandemic.
- 29% didn’t have a budget for content marketing in 2020
- 3% spend $1,000,000 or more
- 3% spent $750,000 to under $1,000,000
- 4% spent $500,000 to under $750,000
- 21% spent $100,000 to under $500,000
- 41% Less than a $100,000
After and in response to Pandemic
50% did not make any changes to their content marketing budget. 33% decreased it. While 17% increased their budget.
e) There Are Ample Job Opportunities Freelancing
There are 31 million users on freelancer.com, which is a platform currently offering 19000 jobs. While Fiverr has over 7 million users which include a workforce of content writers, graphic designers, and web developers.
f) Freelance Writers Are A ‘Thing’
Freelance writing can make you decent money. At an average of $24 per hour (on Upwork) to $63 an hour if you fall in the 90th percentile category.
Besides, if you Copywrite then you can even earn up to $250 an hour.
There Are Too Many Free Lance Writers Already
I know. But you can always have what others don’t. If you can possess the skills of WordPress, SEO & keyword research, social media, and how to be persuasive (without being annoying) then you can be an in-demand blogger.
Without even having your own blog site you can market your freelance blog services on high-traffic blogs by just doing a guest posting. And once you have a few satisfied clients then you will automatically start getting referrals.
5. Create and Sell Online Courses
AT first, I thought coaching and courses would be similar but now I guess they are not.
Coaching Vs. Online Courses
Let me just put down the differences as well similarities. According to an all-in-one knowledge businesses scaling platform Kajabi:
\”With an online course, you’ll create all of the content and any assessments first. Students will often work independently, at their own pace, and you can have numerous students at any given time. You can create the content once and continue to offer the course indefinitely.
With coaching, you’ll work with one person or a cohort of people. These often take place in real-time, periodically scheduled sessions. You may have a fixed number of students and you may take a more active role with them.
Both can be interactive, virtual, and either for a fixed amount of time or go on indefinitely. You can customize the details of your course or program to help craft the student experience you want to impart. \”
A great way to advance your blogging career is to create an online course. Rather than writing for everyone, you build a platform that only sends your best content to your loyal readers and customers.
You can also read this article to know if you should sell an online course and if it can be a passive business for you.
Here once again out of all the love I have for my readers and followers (current & future) here is a list for you of various platforms where you can create your courses.
Online Course Platform Categories (Courtesy of Learning Revolution)
- Standalone Course Platforms (Great for solo edupreneurs, small businesses)
- All-In-One Course Platforms (Run your Web site and course site together)
- WordPress Course Options (For those who want to keep it all in WordPress)
- Marketplace Course Platforms (Get a pre-made market to sell courses online)
- Video Course Platforms (If your main focus is on selling videos)
- Small Business-Extended Enterprise (For more complex needs)
- Moodle Plug-Ins/Add-Ons (Make Moodle into a selling machine)
Keep in mind that the market for online courses is constantly changing. Marketers and technical instructors have flocked to sites like Udemy, Teachable, and Course Merchant. And there will be more platforms in the future.
According to FindStack, The value of the eLearning market has grown 900% since 2000 and is expected to reach $320 billion by 2025.
The best part is that according to Niel as a blogger, you can create an online course as simple as ‘how to use Google Docs?’
A real-life example that Niel mentions is Joseph Michael Nicoletti created an online course that helps novelists write their novel with Scrivener and he makes between $20,000 – $30,000 per month.
6. Write & Sell Kindle Books
Since we are already writing blogs so why not write some eBooks?
Amazon has an e-book self-publishing platform called Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP that we can use to publish our eBooks.
According to Statista, 191 Million eBooks were sold just in the United States in 2020.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the eBook market is expected to reach USD 23.12 billion by 2026.
If you are wondering about the average size of an eBook then according to Elite Authors.
\”The average Kindle book size is about 300 pages, or 75,000 words of text, and the average Kindle e-book file size is 2.6 MB. But that’s not exactly a one-size-fits-all answer. The size of your Kindle book will depend on the genre you write in and how many words (or images!) you need to achieve your vision. Let’s figure out what size your Kindle book should be.\”
The best thing is that you can promote your eBook from your blog. You can offer discounts to site visitors on the book as a promotional campaign plus you can give out free copies in exchange for an honest review.
From your own blog, you can launch, promote and sell your eBooks to your site visitors and earn money. However, many bloggers don’t even write the eBook themselves. They outsource it and they focus on marketing and selling it.
From $350 to $2500 per Month
One such example that Niel has is Arman Assadi.
A super-smart marketer who got his first book written for around $350 to $375 and paid $25 more for cover design. Then he marketed it so well that as for now, he makes $2,500 per month by publishing Kindle books that are not written by him.
To know more about Kindle Publishing I would recommend you guys read the following:
How to Make Money with Kindle Direct Publishing
7. Use PLR Products
Private label rights are a way to sell or buy intellectual property, such as pre-written content to market as your own, without worrying about any legal implications.
Before the Google Panda Algorithms hit Content Marketers in February 2011, PLR Products were quite popular and many bloggers and marketers used them for creating content for their websites.
According to Neil, as Marketers, we can benefit in 50 different ways from PLR products. However, we cannot use them as they are because duplicate content is a serious violation of Google’s terms and policies, and using PLR in their original form can get us penalized.
The best way is…. you edit it and make it at least 65% original.
Once you understand the PLR usage rights you will know how to repackage and profit from them.
Product creation from scratch will require a lot of skills, time, and effort. Whereas PLR is ready for use after some tweaking. The good thing about them is that mostly PLR content has been based on profitable niche keywords and knowledge that the target audience is looking for.
I know I am going to use them, but only in the best ways possible. And in case you guys would want to do it also then here are two websites IDplr & indigitalworks that you can check out.
Types of Content You Can Create with PLR Products
Some great content you can create with PLR includes:
7a) Lead Magnets
Use Private Label Rights to build your list and grow subscribers. Use PLR for ebooks, reports, or various giveaways to entice your visitors and have them sign up for your newsletter and emailing list.
7b) Newsletter
Use PLR to create your newsletter as well.
7c) Mini-Email Courses
Use PLR for creating mini-courses that you send through email after some days or weeks.
7d) Affiliate Marketing
If you are making mini-email courses then it would be great if you could include affiliate links within your email or even PLR content and sell some products and make commissions too. Or even write some blogs with PLR and insert some affiliate links; giving more focus to affiliate sales and earning commissions.
7e) Online Courses
Create and sell online courses to make money blogging. Use PLR products and edit their content to create your own.
7f) Reports
Create reports using PLR. Reports are mostly short documents in PDF form that gives details on a certain topic. You can publish the PLR report with your name to sell it or even just use it as a lead magnet; to get subscribers.
Or just hand it over for free added as a value-added offer with a paid product deal.
7g) eBooks
Well, I guess it means that we can use PLR to Write & Sell Kindle Books. That is really awesome. So, we can sell PLR eBooks as they are, edit them or even add more content to them. You can even have multiple eBooks, shorter in size to form like an eBook series with each one inducing your followers to read the others. Or you can use shorter eBooks and combine their content to make a more comprehensive book to offer it at a price that is attractive compared to buying the same information in multiple books.
7h) Your Own Unique Product
Use PLR content from multiple products to make a unique product of your own. There is no quicker way to create digital products. You can literally be done with creating your own product with hours and have it ready for sale and download. You can even create files in PDF Format and submit them to a document-sharing site.
Besides these amazing uses of PLR content, you can even use PLR to create videos, audio, and even physical products like a book.
8. Create a High-Converting Funnel & Recommend Products
What happens after someone subscribes to your email list?
You follow up. The importance of follow-up and relationship-building should not be ignored.
Most leads convert from following up only. It would be best if you made a constant effort to turn prospects into paying customers. It will help if you build a connection with them to make your sale when the time comes eventually. Till then, keep pitching them every few days or weeks using email marketing procedures.
Your relationship with your future customer initiates when they get to know about your company or business. You then channel your prospect towards conversion through a sales funnel while using your content to provide excellent value to your readers and prospects throughout.
When you raise awareness about your primary business, you start building a relationship. You then guide your prospects through a funnel, providing tremendous value at each stage with your content.
9. Collaborate with Influencers in Product Creation/Launches
Leveraging influencers may turn out to be your best ever strategy.
If you really want to impact your audience then you should build relationships with influencers and use their influence to create & inaugurate your product.
According to a Harvard Business Review, the main reason for a product launch to fail is that even though companies put in a low of effort in designing and producing products; they don’t put in the necessary effort to market them.
Here are some key benefits of using Influencer Marketing.
9a. Establishes Trust Quickly
Influencers already have a credible relationship of trust developed with their followers. Because of which their content and advice are also respected and taken seriously by them.
After knowing who influences your target audience most; it is best to share the content of the influencer to quickly grab the attention of their audience.
9b. Enhances Brand Recognition
Influencer marketing can significantly enhance your online presence, reach, and positioning. Social Media users will get to learn more about your brand and the services you provide.
The key to maximizing your influencer strategy and ensuring a win-win for both parties is the provision of valuable content that adds to the Influencer’s social media presence.
9c. Strengthens Your Content Strategy
Sharing content from influencers can help you fill in the gaps in your content calendar.
It works great when you’ve run out of content ideas or need some high-grade content to share on your social media pages.
9d. Reaches Your Target Audience Effectively
One of the best advantages is that you don’t have to spend additional money on locating your target audience. The influencer already has it and thanks to them, your content reaches those who are already interested in your niche.
9e. Offers Incredible Value
Delivering content that solves problems, educates, and inspires your target audience is the foundation of inbound marketing. Since influencers are already aware of the needs of their audience it will be easier for us to use their content and provide value to the same audience quickly.
9f. Establishes Successful Partnerships
Connecting and engaging with influencers can lead to greater things in the future. We can team up to do live events or other things.
Influencer marketing is growing faster than digital ads, according to Forbes. Here are some resources that may guide you better about using influencers and influencer marketing for a successful product launch.
10. Launch a Virtual Summit
Launching virtual summits is an excellent way to monetize your site and make money blogging. Summits can work out great to connect and build relationships with influences; who as discussed can get you credibility, outreach, and engagement.
Some advantages of an Online Summit include:
Wider Audience
The more affiliates and speakers you are able to gather up in your online summit, the bigger reach you’ll get.
Inviting your already existing audience to your summit won’t increase their number. But if there are several other speakers and they all invite their audiences then you imagine where your reach will go.
Make Money Multiple Ways
You can sell ‘All-Access Pass’ to allow attendees lifetime permission to the sessions. Then you can use an order bump product to sell as an ‘add-on’ to buyers of your summit All-Access Pass. (This could be an existing product or one you created specifically for your summit to go along with your All-Access Pass.)
Other popular ways to make money from online summits include options such as making upsells to your ‘all access pass’ buyers, through affiliate commissions, selling (existing) online courses or coaching services, sponsorships, as well as selling physical or digital products.
Conclusion
So, in this article, I have shared with you guys 10 different ways to monetize your blog fast and early using Adsense, affiliate programs, online courses, and summits.
One thing is for sure that having a monetization plan for your blog site is equally important to creating content. Quality content requires time, money, and effort. Your passion may get you started but to sustain you will need a full-time income from your efforts.
Do let me know which method do you find best to monetize and make money blogging. If you have already used one or more of these tips then please share with the rest of us how they worked out and what was your experience like.
If you have any questions in regards to what I have shared with you guys then please ask them in the comments section below. And subscribe to my blog (if you haven’t already) to get updated with the latest tips, trends, tools and resources that will you achieve better results with your digital marketing initiatives.
