15 Ways bloggers can earn money
This is a collaborative post.
If you are considering blogging then here are some ways bloggers can earn money. People are often surprised that as a blogger I earn a good income equivalent to a decent full-time job. It is often seen as a hobby that might get you a little spending money or a few freebies from companies.
I guess that because some bloggers do literally do it as a hobby it is an easy mistake, perhaps similar to the way so many people who draw do it as a hobby but there are still professional artists.
I consider myself a professional blogger in the same way. Anyway, for those interested in how bloggers make money and bloggers who want to build more income this should help.
One way of looking at blogs is that they are just another website, previously they were like online diaries. Now there are lots of sites which could be considered blogs or information websites such as HowToWhere.
Links and link selling
Online businesses need to rank well on Google to be seen, this means that when you search for things in their niche they want to be on the first page, ideally at the top, of the search results.
In order to do this, they need to show Google they are an authority online and a trusted business. Getting links to them will show this to Google as it shows people are interested in their website.
For this reason, one way bloggers can earn money is by selling links to companies from their blog’s website. This method of earning money only works for established blogs that have their own authority online and already are doing well.
Links such as this can be arranged either directly through the business or sometimes through an SEO agency that works on behalf of the businesses. Experience in this can help you get work in an agency like this in the future if you choose to.
Guest posts
Publishing guest posts from other writers often works in a similar way to link selling above but also can be about helping a business to get its brand’s name known to the blog’s niche audience.
Sponsored posts
This is usually where you write about a product, service or business in general in order to either raise awareness of their brand or to include a link to their brand in an informative article. For example, a blogger may write about money-saving tips and link to a budgeting website.
Reviews
Writing reviews of products a brand sends you can be done in return for the product alone or in return for payment and the product. This is another way bloggers can earn money.
Affiliate links
If you’ve seen content that mentions “affiliate link” or “this is an affiliate link,” you might wonder what it’s all about. An affiliate link is essentially a referral link that tracks who directed the customer to a company. Bloggers and influencers often join affiliate programs to promote products or services. In return for sending customers to the company, they can earn a percentage of the sales or a set fee. These programs are a win-win, benefiting both businesses and affiliates.
Website advertising
Working with either Google or an ad management agency a blogger can have adverts throughout their site for a payment monthly linked to the number of visits to the website.
This again is a method of earning that only really works well for established bloggers.
So can bloggers earn money?
Bloggers can earn a lot of money but something many people don’t really recognise is that initially it is very hard to earn money, it usually only comes about the more you work on your site and build the visitors to your site as this is when you can earn the most.
Alternatively, you can easily use these skills to progress to a role in digital marketing!