How to Make Money From Blogging

Want to earn money from home by doing something you love? Blogging can be an incredibly rewarding way to make an income online. In this post, I'll share seven proven strategies for how to make money blogging in 2023.

Whether you're just starting out or have a high authority site, monetizing your blog is easier than ever. The best part? You don't need millions of visitors to start cashing checks. Even a small but engaged audience can help you earn your first $1,000+ month blogging.

7 Ways to Make Money From Blogging

Write About Topics With a High CPC

CPC stands for "cost per click" and refers to how much advertisers are willing to pay per click on ads related to certain topics. Writing about high CPC topics means there is good money to be made from putting Google AdSense ads on your site.

Some topics that tend to have higher CPC rates are finance, insurance, loans, law, and business. Think of expensive products or services people research online before buying. If someone clicks an ad on your "best term life insurance" article, the advertiser may pay $50 or more!

But a high CPC alone won't make you rich. You need to actually monetize your site to earn some revenue. Which brings us to our next few points on how to monetize your blog through different money-making strategies...

Run Ads

Displaying ads on your site is one of the simplest ways to make money blogging. The main types of ads are:

Display ads: Banner ads that appear inline within your content.
Banner ads: Graphical ad units that span the width of a page.
Pop-up ads: Ads that open in a new window over your content.

Display and banner ads tend to be the most profitable and least intrusive. Pop-ups can earn well but are unpopular with visitors.

However, you don't want to overwhelm your site with ads or it will turn off readers. Keep these best practices in mind:

Limit ads to 3-4 per page
Vary ad sizes and styles
Place ads naturally within content
Disclose affiliate links

A balance of useful content and non-intrusive ads is ideal for earning.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves earning a commission when you promote a company's products or services on your blog. When a reader clicks your affiliate link and completes a desired action like a purchase, you get paid.

For more information, consider reading: How to Start Affiliate Marketing

Promoting relevant affiliate products is one of the most popular ways to monetize a blog, as the user experience doesn’t get affected negatively. In fact it adds value for readers by recommending products and services you genuinely trust.

Done right, affiliate marketing can be a significant source of recurring revenue from your blog that continues earning with minimal added effort on your part.

Offer a Freelancing Service

One way to make money blogging is to offer your expertise as a freelance service to readers. This could involve anything related to your blog's niche such as logo design, SEO services, E-commerce, and more.

The great thing about freelancing directly for your audience is that you already know what they’re looking for. It allows you to monetize your knowledge beyond just blog content.

Other benefits of freelancing include:

Establishing yourself as an authority readers want to learn from
Building closer relationships and trust with your audience
Earning income for specialized work beyond ad earnings
Getting paid higher rates than general freelancing sites
Having a flexible schedule and picking your own clients

So don't underestimate the earning potential of selling your skills directly to your blog's audience. The pre-built trust and targeted offerings give you an advantage over other freelancers.

Sell a Course or Book

Creating online courses and ebooks to sell to your audience is a popular blogging monetization strategy. By packaging your expertise into a premium product, you can earn income through digital sales.

Provide quality content that actually helps people. Quickly throwing together a basic ebook won't cut it. Readers are willing to pay for in-depth training and insights they can't get on your blog.

Creating a course or book does take considerable time and effort upfront. But after that, earnings are mostly passive minus some maintenance and marketing.

Tips for pricing and promoting your online products:

Research comparable products to determine fair pricing
Offer bundled deals and payment plans
Promote through your blog, email list, social media
Run limited time sales, discounts, and bonuses
Partner with affiliates to expand reach

With the right planning and effort, an online course or ebook can be a profitable asset you can sell again and again.

Donations

Allowing readers to donate or "tip" on your site can be a straightforward way to earn some extra income. Popular platforms like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee make it easy to accept donations.

Some examples of sites that effectively use donations include:

Wikipedia: Classical donation requests have funded the site for years.
Twitch streamers: Fans donate to support their favorite content creators.
Podcasts: Listeners donate to help cover production costs.

Best practices for donations:

Make it easy for readers to donate if they wish.
Be transparent about how donations help support your work.
Provide perks like access or exclusives for recurring donors.
Don't gate your main content behind donations.

While donations likely won't fully fund your blogging, they can provide helpful supplemental income from loyal supporters.

Sell Your Blog

Want the straightforward path to making money from blogging? Just sell the thing!

While it may seem like the obvious choice, valuing your blog accurately and attracting buyers takes some effort. Typically, blogs are priced based on a multiple of their monthly profits. So if you earn $1,000 a month on average, your blog may be worth $36,000 (a common multiple is 36x monthly earnings).

Tips for getting top dollar:

Clean up your design, content, and backend. Buyers want a site that’s primed for them to take over.
Consider including website files, domains, social media accounts, and even established connections with advertisers.
Have traffic and earnings data ready to share. Prove the blog's profit potential.
List your blog on marketplaces like Flippa to access buyers.
Be responsive during the sales process and negotiate fairly.

A direct sale can be the fastest way to a big payday from all your blogging achievements. With the right preparation, you can sell your blog for what it's really worth.

FAQs

What is the best way for a new blogger to make money?

For new bloggers, affiliate marketing is likely the easiest monetization method to get started with. You can join affiliate programs for free and earn commissions promoting products you already use and recommend.

How many ads should I have on my blog?

You don't want to oversaturate your blog with ads. A good rule of thumb is to start with 1-2 ads per page and monitor your click-through rate. Adjust the number of ads based on performance.

How long does it take to make money blogging?

It varies, but often takes 6-12 months to start earning income. Consistently publishing quality content and growing your audience are key to making blogging profitable long-term. Be patient and focus on value for readers.

Can I make money from blogging without a lot of traffic?

Yes, you can monetize your blog even without a large audience by offering niche services or creating info products like ebooks to sell directly to your readers. The key is targeting the right audience.

Roundup

Blogging should be fun, but making money from it is even better! With the strategies we covered, you can start earning without compromising your blog's purpose.

The first step is always to provide value to your readers through great content. If your blog posts are helpful, entertaining, or inspiring, the traffic will come.

Once you have a solid reader base, take your pick from these money-making approaches:

Affiliate marketing lets you earn commissions by recommending relevant products. Just make sure your posts aren't solely ads in disguise!
Sell premium content that your most loyal readers will pay for. Things like courses, ebooks, and coaching sessions. Offer real value.
If you have serious influencer status, you can likely command high rates from brand sponsorships or dedicated ads. Don't sell out too fast!
Freelancing in your niche, creating paid job boards.
And if you're ready to retire early, sell your site for a nice chunk of change!

Mix and match strategies until you find the income formula that suits your site best. And above all, keep providing value and building community. The money will follow!