Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
The way the world is today, many people are looking for methods to pay the bills. And many are trying to build a blog to make money. But is it something that is worthwhile as a way to replace a full-time income?
Possibly. In fact, there is a lot of data that proves why it’s a good idea to set up your own website. Just bear in mind that it’s not something that will succeed overnight.
Today, I’ll go over 11 statistics that provide insight into creating a blog that makes money.
Why Blog to Make Money?
Blogging is perhaps one of the easiest things you can do as a creator online. That is as long as you have a knack for writing on a regular schedule.
A lot is involved if you want a blog to replace an annual salary. But if you can manage it, the rewards are quite plentiful…according to data, anyway.
So, why should you blog to make money in the current state of the Internet?
1. More People Buy a Product Because of a Review
In the grand scheme of things, people are often more likely to buy goods after reading a review. This is often because people trust the suggestions of bloggers and influencers over that of an advertisement.
What does this mean for a blogger? Quite a bit, actually.
One of the best ways to make money from a blog is through affiliate sales. So, if you review a product and have an affiliate link, you could easily earn a commission.
In fact, as many as 60% of shoppers will buy something after reading a thorough and well-planned blog post.
2. Content Marketing is Considered Effective
Many businesses around the world invest heavily in content marketing. That’s because it’s effective at engaging a consumer base in every industry. And 92% of marketers view content as a business asset.
If it’s good enough for big businesses for generating income, it’s good enough for a blogger. In reality, most blogs benefit from marketing content in the same fashion.
Whether you’re writing reviews, funny personal experiences, talking about the news, or anything else, you’re marketing your content to bring in money.
3. People Still Read Blogs!
Did you know that about 77% of people online read blogs on a regular basis? And these people read blogs three times more than an email. That’s a lot of reading in general.
The bit about email is quite telling, actually. Email is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to market a brand. If people are more likely to read blog posts as opposed to emails, what’s that say about blogging in general?
This isn’t to mention how blogging also gives you the opportunity to reach a much wider audience compared to an email list of recipients.
4. Social Media Shopping
About three out of four people will use social media to help along with buying stuff online. Posts on sites like Facebook and Pinterest are quite effective at getting shoppers to click and make purchases.
From a blogger’s perspective, it’s easy to incorporate social media from the blog to make money. And if you comment using the right hashtags to your target audience, it’s an effective method to get people visiting your website.
This is especially true if you share reviews of products you like or have something like an eBook to offer.
5. Organic Results Are More Prominent
When people take to the Internet to find answers, about 80% will trust organic posts over paid ads. This means people are more likely to support a blog over that of an advertisement in Google.
Google values paid advertisements above all content, which is why they’re always first. But a paid ad usually doesn’t tell you want you want to know about a product.
Remember, people want to learn more about something before throwing money at a brand. And a blogger can easily capitalize on this aspect…well, with well-written content, anyway.
6. Blogging Vastly Improves Sales Leads
Websites with more than 310 indexed pages experience nearly four times the sales leads. So, if you’re constantly creating content for your audience, there’s a much greater chance for a blog to make money in the near future.
Personally, I’ve experienced how a consistent publishing schedule helps your website overall. In fact, I’ve seen other blog posts increase in visibility the more often I create new content.
Now, I know many of you won’t have direct products to sell as a business would with a blog. But, the same principle applies even if you’re only using Adsense.
More traffic equals more income. This is also true for those of you blogging as a freelance writer looking for clients.
7. It All Starts with Google
When it comes to buying products, about 44% of people start with search engines. As I mentioned earlier, more people trust blogs than advertisements seen on TV or through banner ads on Facebook.
This is especially useful for bloggers who enjoy certain products or find value in particular services. Not only can they inspire their audiences to buy these goods, but the blog post itself can drive additional traffic from Google.
However, this also means that you need to spend more time writing for SEO if you want a blog to make money. You have to appease both humans and bots to rank well.
8. Updating Old Blog Posts is Vital
Bloggers who go back over their old content and revamp pieces are twice as likely to generate search traffic. In fact, it’s one of the things I help clients with quite often. In some cases, the traffic grew by more than 800% over the span of six months.
That’s because of how important it is to revamp older pieces. Not only does it keep your content fresh and current with today’s information, but it makes Google happy.
In fact, many experts will attest to how much of a factor updating old blog posts make in terms of indexed pages in Google and improving impression rates.
9. WordPress (a blogging platform) Reigns Supreme
Approximately one-third of the Internet is powered by WordPress. The system also has the widest market share of all content management systems online. And at its core, it’s a blogging platform.
There are three vastly influential reasons why WordPress runs a large chunk of the Internet: it’s free, easy to use, and can become anything you need.
Companies found the value of regular blogging more than a decade ago. And WordPress is one of the best systems to use whether you have a large corporation or are a sole freelancer.
10. Consistent Publishing Posts Matters
Bloggers who create content on a daily basis get five times the visitors as those who only publish once per week. This is somewhat of an obvious statistic but one that demonstrates the importance of consistency.
When you research and produce a piece of content every day for your target audience, you’re going to appear more often in search results. This is because you’re offering more answers than someone who doesn’t.
So, if you’re capable of sustaining a constant flow of content, it’s much easier for the blog to make money over time.
11. How You Write Content Matters
About 39% of people state how “wordy” or poorly-planned content is one of the biggest irritations for blog posts. And yes, the overall appearance of the site matters as well.
This is one of the biggest reasons why I tell my writers to “stay away from fluff.” Filler content is merely there to expand the word count and offers nothing of value to a reader.
The best thing you can do to help a blog make money is to make sure that every sentence counts. And stay away from redundant phrasing. It reads horribly and creates a disconnect of the content for the visitor.
It’s Not Simple for a Blog to Make Money
Sure, some of these blogging statistics may look pretty impressive. However, most don’t go into the overall work that’s involved to create those amazing pieces.
For one thing, it’s common for bloggers to take up to six hours creating a blog post every day. For someone like me, who has daily private clients, six hours is just too long to spend on any one single project.
But for many, the end result is a website that brings in up to $10,000 per month! Just keep in mind that it can take several years of constant writing to get to that point, though.
Blogging isn’t something you’ll succeed in overnight. It takes time to build momentum before a blog can make money to the point of replacing a full-time income.
This is especially true if you put in a lot of effort to make sure you’re delivering the best information you can to your readers.
Simple Ways to Make Money from Your Blog
Because the Internet is what it is, there are a multitude of ways you can monetize a website. For the most part, it all comes down to your goals and what you offer.
Keep in mind that not every platform for making money is going to be effective for every blogger. Some people will have a far different experience than others when it comes to certain methods.
So, what are some of the most common ways to monetize a blog?
- Ad Revenue
One of the most common methods is adding something like Google Adsense. It doesn’t pay a lot, but it can deliver a constant trickle to your bank account. - Affiliate Marketing
Adding affiliates to your site helps you earn a bigger slice of the commission. However, you’ll need to find products and services your audience wants to buy. - Your Own Digital Goods
Selling eBooks is another popular method online. If you can write one that is attractive to readers, you can cut out the middle man and make more money for your efforts. - Adding Donation Platforms
I’ve made a bit of money with systems like Buy Me a Coffee. It gives people a way to support their favorite creators. Plus, you can add more to the experience with subscriber benefits.
The trick is to find something that works best for you and optimize the experience. But, you won’t really know what that is until you invest some time exploring what each one entails.
Personally, I’d love to do more reviews for affiliated products, if I could get more time to myself.
Now, I didn’t add podcasts and YouTube videos to monetize a blog because they are, in essence, their own platforms. Podcasts and videos are excellent methods for marketing your blog, however.
Do You Have a Great Idea for Your Blog?
Creating a great blog starts with an amazing idea. I know, coming up with something new is very difficult today as millions of websites already exist for your niche. So, it’ll take work to get your blog to make money.
But, adding your own personal view, personality, and style can easily separate your content from similar websites on the Internet.
Just like how people have their favorite movie star or musical group, they can have a favorite blogger as well.
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