I'm going to be straight up with you here. Making money on the Internet is not easy (and I don't say that lightly). There are so many people out there trying to get rich quick who have been successful at making money online but in reality they were lucky. And even then their success was short-lived as they soon found themselves back where they started or worse still broke!
It's no wonder that when we hear about someone making millions of dollars within months of starting a business like this our minds immediately jump to "wow" thinking...how did he do it? What magic secret did he use that most other people haven't discovered yet? Well, let me break down for you exactly how much money I made after spending hours upon hours working on my blog every day over a period of 3 years before finally turning it into something that brought me income consistently.
If you're looking to start your own blog to promote affiliate products or services then there really isn't any hard cut off point by which you should consider yourself'successful' - there is no set amount of sales per month or number of subscribers etc., because everyone has different circumstances. However if you want to know roughly how long it will take to make money with a blog, then I'll share some figures below.
The first thing to keep in mind though is that these figures are based on me being an average blogger who spent around 2 hours/day writing articles and posting them to my WordPress site. If you plan to spend more than that than the following calculations may become inaccurate. But don't worry too much about that right now anyway, just remember that those figures aren't set in stone. They are only guidelines.
My personal experience tells me that bloggers tend to write between 1-3 posts per week depending on whether they are newbie, intermediate, or advanced writers. The reason why I base it on frequency rather than time is simply because writing takes varying amounts of time depending on the type of article you intend to create. For example, an article aimed towards beginners might take half hour while one written for experienced marketers could easily require several hours work.
Anyway, without further ado...here are the results I've achieved during my journey.
1 year = 740 days
2 years = 1458 days
3 years = 2316 days
4 years = 3564 days
5 years = 5334 days
6 years = 7320 days
7 years = 10448 days
8 years = 14460 days
9 years = 19480 days
10 years = 26280 days
11 years = 34572 days
12 years = 46104 days
13 years = 58776 days
14 years = 75264 days
15 years = 94536 days
16 years = 121728 days
17 years = 156632 days
18 years = 203184 days
19 years = 270096 days
20 years = 339968 days
21 years = 434320 days
22 years = 543024 days
23 years = 690792 days
24 years = 88584 days
25 years = 113776 days
26 years = 148160 days
27 years = 196584 days
28 years = 260496 days
29 years = 343560 days
30 years = 457088 days
31 years = 570552 days
Now I must admit that all above numbers are approximations due to various factors such as traffic levels, conversion rates, commissions earned, product prices fluctuating, advertising costs, technical issues, website downtime, etc. So please understand that these figures shouldn't be treated literally. Rather they are used to give you an idea of trends.
But again, if you're serious about becoming a professional blogger you need to realize that it doesn't happen overnight. It's a slow process. You won't see instant riches unless you win the lottery or inherit a few million bucks! That said, however, I would suggest taking baby steps each week or fortnight instead of waiting until the end of the year to look at things. This way you can track your progress better and avoid missing targets.
One of the biggest misconceptions about blogging is that anyone can make lots of money doing it. Unfortunately that's far from the truth unless you learn everything possible about search engine optimization and marketing strategies. Most newbies fall prey to false promises and unrealistic expectations. Don't feel bad if you think this happens often!
As mentioned earlier, the figures I gave you earlier are approximate averages based on a typical blogger who writes 1-3 posts per week. Now, if you read my profile you'll notice that I am a full-time writer who spends anywhere from 8-16 hours per day creating quality content. In addition to this I also research topics and conduct keyword searches, optimize websites, manage social media accounts, run paid ads, respond to comments and emails, participate in discussions via comment boxes, answer questions in forums, maintain blogs, and organize events. All of these actions add up to a lot of extra time required beyond simply writing and publishing posts.
In fact, I personally believe that it takes approximately 6 months to become a fully fledged expert in anything. Why? Because unlike professionals who receive training and education, students usually begin studying a subject without knowing enough about it to pass exams. Likewise, bloggers who wish to achieve great success with their sites have to invest a fair bit of time initially learning about SEO, PPC campaigns, social networking, and similar subjects. Once they gain sufficient knowledge and skills they can focus solely on producing high quality content.
That's not to say that you shouldn't expect to earn a six figure salary straight away either. No matter what level of expertise you possess currently you should always aim to improve your current position. After all, once you reach the top you can relax a little.
Yes, absolutely. As previously stated, it depends entirely on what niche market you choose to target. Personally I tried selling weight loss supplements and diet pills, health guides, exercise equipment, beauty items, books, eBooks, membership programs, coaching services, and more but ultimately I chose to concentrate on helping others succeed with fitness and nutrition since I knew that was my true passion.
However, if you decide to stick with one particular topic, you should never underestimate its potential to bring in significant revenue. Just imagine if you had chosen a popular topic such as golfing tips, dog grooming advice, travel destinations, home decorating ideas, relationship problems, etc. Then imagine earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year from the comfort of your own chair. That's called passive income and it's very common among successful entrepreneurs.
Well, it took me two years to grow my blog to the stage where it became profitable. During that time I learnt how to properly monetize my site using AdSense, Amazon Associates, Google AdWords, Affiliate Marketing, referral links, email promotions, giveaways, contests, etc. These were all tactics I learned along the way.
And yes, I actually lost money during those early stages - a LOT of money! But I didn't quit. Instead I kept researching ways to increase conversions, find unique ways to drive targeted traffic, discover methods of improving rankings, produce interesting videos, build strong relationships with readers, test adverts, and so forth. When it comes to building a sustainable business model, failure is part of the game.
What I mean by this is that you cannot afford to lose heart. Despite setbacks there are plenty opportunities everywhere for smart bloggers to pick up valuable information that helps them learn how to overcome obstacles and eventually turn their blogs into thriving businesses.
For instance, if you stumble across a useful guide or technique somewhere else on the web, don't ignore it. Read it thoroughly and implement whatever works best. Always try to maximize your efforts whenever you can and never stop learning. Remember, nobody ever got anywhere without putting in the sweat equity.
Remember also that there are no shortcuts when it comes to growing big profits quickly. You must treat your blog seriously from Day One and follow closely proven systems for success. If you don't put in effort then you obviously won't reap rewards. Even the richest businessmen have to work tirelessly behind the scenes. Otherwise, how can they possibly expand into new territories? How can they generate more wealth? Where would they come up with the funding needed to continue expanding their empire?
To summarize, I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts. My goal was to help newcomers navigate the murky waters of the world wide Web and hopefully provide inspiration for budding authors.
Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more helpful resources coming soon.
I've been blogging for over 4 years now, and have learned many things along the way. One of those lessons is that making money blogging isn't easy -- but sometimes it's really possible! Here are some tips on how to quickly start earning big bucks with your online business...
Note: This article was written in 2014. It contains affiliate links (which means I'll earn commissions if you buy anything via these links). Also note this post will contain mentions to "advertisers," which may or may not be affiliated with any particular product/service.
In short, don't get too caught up in looking at advertisers as your only source of income. You should also look into other ways to monetize your site, such as sponsored posts, advertising sales, etc.
Also keep in mind that there are no guarantees when it comes to making money with blogs. If you're just starting out, expect financial struggles until you build an audience and establish yourself as an authority figure.
So without further ado, let me share my top secret strategy on how to start making money fast with your new blog.
If you want to know how to make money blogging fast, simply follow one simple step-by-step process. First off, focus all of your energy onto building traffic. Once people visit your website, they need content to read. Don't worry about writing articles right away because once you develop an established following, you won't even need to write content anymore since most readers will find everything they need within your archives.
Once you have lots of quality backlinks pointing to your main domain, search engines will rank your page higher in the SERPs and more visitors will see them. However, before you can achieve high rankings, you must create unique, valuable content that attracts attention. The next thing you need to do is optimize your site so it gets indexed by Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and others.
To summarize, here are the key steps to success:
Build Traffic - Attract Readers To Your Blog With Content & Backlinks
Optimize Site For Search Engines
Make Money From Ads And Sponsored Posts
Now let's dive into each point above.
1) Build Traffic - Attract Visitors To Your Blog With Quality Content & High PageRank Links.
The best way to attract readers to your blog is to provide good, original content regularly throughout the week. Make sure you add value by providing helpful information related to topics that interest your target market. In addition, try using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote your blog posts. Social media marketing has become essential nowadays.
2) Optimize Site For Search Engines.
Learn SEO techniques to help boost your blog's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPS). There are tons of free tools available that will teach you how to use keywords effectively. Choose two or three relevant keyword phrases per post, and include them somewhere in your title tag, description meta tags, and URL. These elements are critical to boosting ranking positions.
3) Make Money From AdSense Advertising.
AdSense ads allow webmasters to display contextual advertisements based upon user activity on their websites. Simply put, whenever someone clicks on your ad, you receive credit towards paying Google for displaying their advertisement. Since Google owns nearly 90% of the entire global PPC market, having a high level of trust and credibility is crucial for generating revenue. Therefore, it's recommended to link your blog directly into your AdSense account.
4) Get Paid Through Sponsored Posting Programs.
Sponsoring programs offer bloggers opportunities to earn extra income while getting exposure for their work. Most platforms feature hundreds of companies willing to pay professional writers to review products, report news, or give expert advice.
5) Can You Really Start Making Money Fast By Writing Only 1 Article Per Month?
Yes, absolutely! While it might seem difficult to produce consistent quality content every day, eventually you'll realize that quality content creation doesn't require hours spent slaving away on your computer. When done correctly, creating great content is quick and painless. All you have to do is research relevant info, gather ideas, and then write accordingly. Trust me, producing fresh content daily becomes second nature after time goes by.
6) How Do People Actually Earn Money Online? What Is Their Strategy?
You probably already know that bloggers who consistently update their blog with interesting, useful, and entertaining content gain popularity among their audiences. But did you know that some popular bloggers actually generate millions of dollars in annual revenue? That's true. Even though it took hard work and persistence to reach this stage, it's definitely worth it. So what separates successful internet marketers from everyone else? Well, it mostly boils down to effective strategies that drive targeted traffic to their sites.
7) Why Are Some Affiliates Better Than Others At Generating Revenue On A Daily Basis?
It's important to understand that affiliates aren't necessarily better than regular users at creating passive streams of income. Yes, they can potentially profit faster due to commission percentages, but they still rely heavily on driving traffic. Without adequate promotion efforts, affiliate earnings usually drop significantly.
8) Should I Be Using An Autoresponder Or Email Marketing System Like Mailchimp & ConvertKit?
While autoresponders certainly have their place, email marketing systems are extremely convenient and powerful. They allow you to automate repetitive tasks, track leads, collect data, and send emails automatically at pre-defined intervals. As far as choosing between mail chimp and convertkit, both services are excellent. Personally, I prefer ConvertKit due to its ease of use and intuitive interface design.
9) Where Can I Find Good Information Regarding Building My Own List Of Subscribers?
There are several resources where you can learn about list-building tactics. A few examples include Warrior Forum, Rich Snippet Academy [No Longer Available], Internet Business Booster Radio Show [No longer available].
10) Which Type Of Products Will Help Me Create Passive Income?
One common mistake is thinking that affiliate marketing alone makes enough cash to sustain a lifestyle. Unfortunately, this is false. Unless you invest additional effort and resources, it would be impossible to attain sustained monthly profits anywhere close to six figures. Luckily, there are ways around this problem.
For example, selling physical products allows you to sell items that consumers desire. Plus, you can easily scale up production costs and pass savings onto customers. Another option is becoming an Amazon FBA seller. Basically, you ship inventory directly from warehouses owned by Amazon, rather than keeping stock yourself. Finally, consider publishing digital products on iTunes, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. Then, distribute them as eBooks or PDFs.
11) What Does It Take To Become An Authorized Seller On eBay & Other Marketplaces?
Selling on eBay requires little investment beyond setting up shop on the platform. Sellers typically sign up for PayPal accounts, set up listings, and upload photos. Many times sellers choose to skip listing fees by opting instead to accept payments via Square Cash.
12) What Are The Best Methods For Selling Digital Items Online?
Digital goods are sold exclusively on auction sites like eBay, Gumroad, and Etsy. Nowadays, almost anyone can publish their wares on popular marketplaces like these. However, it's important to differentiate yourself by offering exceptional customer service. Otherwise, buyers could end up being disappointed with poor shipping performance or lost orders.
13) What Kind Of Software Would Help Me Stay Organized?
Many people think that staying organized solely involves organizing desktops, filing papers, or placing files wherever they feel comfortable. Although these methods certainly play a part, organization skills extend well past mundane chores. Being able to prioritize tasks effectively helps prevent overwhelm and frustration. For instance, if you tend to procrastinate during certain activities, scheduling time dedicated to said task(s) beforehand can save you hours later.
14) What Happens After Someone Purchases Something From Me Via EBay?
After receiving payment electronically, merchants often ask whether they should deduct sales taxes. Generally speaking, states charge tax rates ranging from 8%-21%. Merchants can either request the buyer to complete a U.S. Sales Tax Form 8501, or send the form to the buyer themselves via snailmail. Either method works fine. Just remember to factor sales tax into final prices.
15) What Exactly Is CPA Network Marketing?
CPA stands for Cost Per Acquisition, which refers to compensation earned per lead generated. Essentially, CPA networks compensate members primarily based on number of qualified prospects they bring into the fold.
16) What Are The Benefits Of Becoming A Distributor Instead Of An Affiliate?
As mentioned earlier, affiliates usually depend largely on promoting other brands' products. Hence, they often struggle to make sustainable incomes. Conversely, distributors enjoy larger royalty checks and increased control over pricing decisions.
17) What Is MLM Recruiting?
MLM recruiting occurs when network marketers approach potential clients outside of existing relationships. Typically, recruiters seek to introduce interested parties to various businesses or individuals seeking to fulfill needs similar to theirs.
18) Who Is The Main Person Responsible For Creating Leads?
Lead generation happens when a person searches for something online and ends up clicking on an enticing ad. Usually, leads come from paid sources known as Pay Per Click campaigns.
In this article we will talk about how long it takes to make 100 dollars per month with your online business as a writer or content creator that is published on the internet. If you are not already familiar with me or know anything at all about making money online then read on! This guide was written for those of you who want an idea of how quickly they could be earning from their blog if they put some effort into it but don't quite understand where to start.
This post includes everything you need to get started including ideas for topics, templates, plugins, etc... You'll also see exactly what steps need to taken to build up your audience so you can eventually promote affiliate products without ever getting stuck in advertising sales. All these things combined help you learn how to make more than $100k per year with your blog and/or YouTube channel. I will break down each section below and provide examples along the way so you can follow along.
Note: These numbers may change over time due to inflation, market trends, competition changes, etc.. However, this information should give you a good general estimate of how many months it would take to make $100 monthly when starting out. Also note, these figures assume no outside income other than Google AdSense revenue which has been known to fluctuate wildly based upon many factors such as page views, clickthrough rates, conversion rates, niche selection, ad placement, etc...
Also keep in mind that even though most bloggers try to focus solely on passive income streams (affiliate marketing) there's nothing wrong with promoting one product at a time if that's something you enjoy doing. In fact, having multiple sources of residual income helps ensure financial stability because it prevents any catastrophic failures like losing your job. It's important to remember that the only person holding you back is yourself. So stop waiting around and hit publish now!
Let's get started!
Most people have heard "it depends" before, but let me ask you this... How much CAN someone reasonably expect to make per month with a new website or blog? There are countless variables that affect this answer, but here are just a few of them.
- Niche Selection - What kind of topic(s) do you choose? Do you pick a popular subject matter or something relatively unknown? The latter requires lots of research and work since you won't be able to capitalize off the traffic until enough people find you first. On top of that, you must prove your expertise within your chosen field. For example, if you're writing about gardening, consider picking another area of interest such as landscaping. Or you might decide to write about pets instead. Just be sure that whatever niche you select doesn't become saturated too quickly. Once everyone else jumps on board, it becomes very difficult to compete unless you offer better quality content.
- Traffic - Getting visitors to your site is critical to generating income, especially if you plan on using ads to generate cash flow. But how many people actually end up visiting your site vs. clicking away after reading your headline once? That number alone determines whether or not your efforts were successful. Keep track of visitor counts, bounce rate percentages, social media shares, newsletter optins, email subscribers, comments, likes, shares, retweets, clicks, impressions, conversions, video views, live chat sessions, etc.... And always look for ways to improve your stats.
As mentioned above, you cannot rely exclusively on relying on advertising to drive traffic. A well designed website is essential. Don't worry, building a killer looking website isn't rocket science either. Wordpress themes come cheap nowadays and you can easily use free ones available online. Even professional web design firms typically charge less than $1000 for websites built specifically for clients. Plus, you can literally save hundreds by designing your own theme from scratch rather than paying WordPress every time you update your blog.
Once you've got a decent amount of targeted readers interested in your posts, it's time to move onto the second part of our equation: converting those readers into leads & customers. Let's say you attracted 2,000 unique visitors to your blog last week. Now you want to convert 1% of them into buyers. Here's how that works out mathematically.
2,000 x 0.01 = 200 potential customers
200 divided by 12 = 17 actual customers
If you can turn 5% of your entire list into happy customers, you'd be bringing home roughly $170 per day in net profits ($17 x 7). Not bad considering you did virtually no promotion whatsoever. Of course, if you can increase your conversion rate to 10%, you would bring home nearly double that amount ($340)! Again, assuming all other metrics remain constant. Obviously, the higher percentage you achieve, the greater amount of profit you can produce.
So how do you accomplish this goal of driving tons of traffic while turning a high percent of them into loyal customer base? Well, for starters, you can optimize SEO strategies, create lead magnets, brand yourself, position yourself as an authority figure, grow relationships with others, network offline, etc...
Now let's compare how long it took to make $100 versus how long it would take to make $1,000. As far as overall earnings for both scenarios, they are pretty comparable.
Making $100 per month: 3 weeks total
Making $1,000 per month: 4 months total
Obviously, it takes significantly longer to reach $1,000 compared to $100. Why? Because it takes significant more resources to generate that level of income. At least initially, a blogger needs to devote considerable hours toward creating valuable content, optimizing SEO, networking, branding themselves, growing relationships, positioning oneself as an expert, etc... Whereas, the same amount of hard work focused entirely on producing $100 worth of value can yield results almost immediately.
To really maximize your chances of success, however, the majority of your time should be spent on attracting highly qualified prospects via various mediums. After all, the best resource anyone can possibly offer is their own knowledge, experience, and personality.
One quick tip: Always spend 80% of your time working towards increasing your bottom line. Only 20% of the time should be dedicated to administrative tasks. Otherwise, why bother being productive at all?
Building a profitable blog starts with selecting a strong niche that offers plenty of room for growth. With that said, there are thousands of niches you can explore that have endless possibilities depending upon your interests and passions. Most importantly, choose a niche that provides room for you to thrive and develop further. Remember, you shouldn't feel pressured to fill your blog full of advertisements and promotions right away. Take your time and analyze the competition carefully. Find out what type of material gets shared the most often, what types of questions tend to arise the most frequently, etc... Then, formulate your own strategy to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
The next thing you need to determine is how big of a budget you can dedicate to running your blog. Unfortunately, the size of your budget directly affects the speed of your progress. More expensive tools require more maintenance, upkeep, and support throughout the life cycle of your blog. Therefore, it makes sense to stick with cheaper options that require minimal investment upfront.
For instance, hosting costs typically range anywhere between $3-$10 per month. HostGator is consistently ranked among the highest rated hosts out there. They provide reliable service at affordable prices. Topping it off, they also allow unlimited bandwidth usage meaning you aren't restricted to certain amounts of space. Another option is a self-hosted platform called Squarespace. Signing up is simple and straightforward. Best yet, they offer unlimited storage space! Lastly, BlueHost is another great choice. Their pricing structure is slightly different but still reasonable given the services offered.
Next comes choosing a domain name. While your main concern should be finding a.com address, there are several reasons to avoid buying domains with dashes or hyphens included. First of all, it increases your difficulty in coming up with memorable keyword phrases later on. Second, search engines usually ignore short URLs resulting in lower rankings. Thirdly, people simply prefer typing names with underscores or periods included. Fourthly, you run the risk of accidentally infringing trademarks owned by larger companies. Fifthly, it looks unprofessional. Sixthly, your URL might clash with other sites in the future. Seventhly, it causes confusion. Eighthly, it hurts credibility. Ninthly, nobody wants to deal with a company named dashdot.net. Tenthly, it's annoying. Finally, it can cause security issues.
After deciding on a domain name, register it for as little as possible. Registering a.com is generally considered safer and easier. Avoid registering your domain under a subdomain (.yourblogname.com) whenever possible. Doing so means you lose control over redirects, privacy, and analytics. Instead, buy the exact match version (.com) and host it yourself. Since you pay annually, registration fees are extremely low.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.