How to make a living from blogging is a process which many will view with suspicion or even disdain. They will wonder how what started out as and effectively still remains the process of keeping an online journal or diary can allow one to make a living from doing so. The very definite reality is, however, that there are a great many people who not only make a living from blogging on a day to day basis but have in fact made their fortunes from the practice.
The first vital step when contemplating how to make a living from blogging is to choose the right blog hosting platform for one’s blog. There are a great many blog hosting platforms available but it is essential to choose one which facilitates both the inclusion of Google Adsense and the sale of affiliate products. Many people do not realise that such inclusions are banned in the small print of many of even the biggest blog hosting platforms and where it may still be possible to incorporate these money making schemes in to the blog, the blogger is technically breaching the terms and conditions of the site and risks their entire blog being deleted and all their work being laid to waste.
Google’s blog hosting platform, Blogger, allows both the inclusion of Google Adsense and the sale of affiliate products. It is also an extremely user friendly blog hosting platform and thus an excellent choice for both the beginning blogger and anyone looking to make a living from blogging. The sign up process is extremely quick and one can effectively go from starting the sign up process to actually blogging in a matter of a couple of minutes.
Choosing wisely a subject upon which to blog is vital for anyone looking to make a living from blogging. The subject should be an extremely specialised and targeted one, looking to claim what is known as a niche market in Internet traffic. It should also be a subject about which one knows a great deal and one is therefore capable of making regular, quality and informative posts. The URL and title of the blog will require to be very carefully considered and include a key word or two relevant to the subject. The URL and title of the blog should also match one another as closely as possible.
Google Adsense requires a blogger to apply to Google for an account. Assuming this is approved, Google will then populate the blog with ads relevant to its tags and subject matter. When a visitor to the blog clicks through on one of these ads, a revenue will be generated which accrues to one’s Google account. Payment is made by Google monthly, dependant upon a threshold level of income having been accrued.
Affiliate marketing companies come in many shapes and forms and with varying degrees of speciality. They also vary hugely in how they pay their affiliates and when, so careful study of all terms and conditions is essential. In order to make a living from blogging, it is essential to offer for sale products from such companies on one’s blog. Amazon and eBay are two very reputable and varied companies with whom one would be well advised to start off and build outwards at a later date. One applies for affiliate status and upon approval can use tools on the affiliate site to include links to one’s blog. Payment is thereafter made as a percentage of sale prices.
It is imperative in order to make a living from blogging that only very specific affiliate products are sold on a blog. They must be seen to be very relevant to the blog topic and content and carry the express recommendation of the blogger to know the greatest chance of generating sales, especially in large quantities.
When the blog is up and running, in order to stand any chance of making a living from blogging, one must not only post regularly to one’s blog but promote it wherever and whenever one can around the Web. Individual posts should be promoted on social book-marking and networking sites, linked to on other blogs one may administer and forums joined on the subject of the blog to subtly promote one’s blog and its content. The blog itself should be submitted to quality blog catalogues online.
All of these factors have to be considered if one is hoping to make a living from blogging and when they have all been put in to initial place, it is time to come up with a new subject and begin the process all over again with another blog.