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Can You Really Make Money Blogging?

Published Monday, August 25, 2008 by bloggerblognet84084 | E-mail this post

I read a lot of blogs in a week's time. Lately I've noticed more talk about blogging to make money. More specifically, there's an interesting up-and-down trend of "yes, you can" and "no, you can't."

The "yes, you can" bloggers say that it is possible to make money blogging. But then there is a wide varying of opinion as to how to make money blogging. Some say Adsense is the way to go. But even more bloggers are saying to stay away from Adsense and try other things, like Widget Bucks, Kontera and Amazon context.

The "no, you can't" bloggers say that it's impossible to expect to earn a decent income solely from a blog. They suggest rather, to hire yourself out as a freelancer, or do something else to earn a living while you blog for a hobby.

And then there are the bloggers who say that it is possible to make money with a blog, but you have to be willing to put in lots of hard work and you can't expect it to happen overnight.

I have found that the bloggers who say it is possible are most often those who began blogging solely as a hobby. They birthed an audience, who grew with them over an extended period of time (in most cases, years). They didn't start out with hopes of making money, but just did it for fun. Because they carved out a name for themselves in a community of people who were also interested in the same things, they became popular and widely known across the Net. Slowly, they began to test and try new things--just to make a few bucks to pay for the regular upkeep of the blog--and discovered that they could monetize their passion after all.

Lessons we can learn from this...

Are You Passionate About The Topic?

If you're thinking about blogging just to make money, forget about it. It's definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme. If you aren't passionate about the topic, you'll run out of things to say--and fast!

If you're going to start a blog, be confident that you can talk about the topic extensively and often. Most blogs update daily; three times per week minimum. To build a readership, you have to be able to post content regularly, or else nobody will want to come back. If you aren't very interested in the topic, it's going to be difficult to keep producing content as often as you need to.

Can You Devote Time To It?

Blogging requires more time and effort than you think. Professional bloggers don't just whip out articles and post them on a whim, then leave until it's time to blog again.

Blogging requires things like research, networking, and traffic building. Not only are you the author, but you have to manage comments, respond to your readers, and generate an overall interest in your blog. If you can't devote the time required to build an audience, it's pointless to blog (unless you just enjoy reading your own thoughts ;) ).

Are You Willing To Test And Tweak To Discover What Works Best?

When your blog grows to the point that you are ready to monetize it, how will you go about doing this? You can't just slap a few blocks of Adsense on your blog and walk away. You have to ask yourself questions like:

What are my readers interested in?
What products can I recommend to my readers that will provide them with quality, helpful information they need?
Is paid advertising more conducive than placing Adsense on my website?
Do I want my readers to stay on my website, or is it okay for them to click away (Adsense)?

Those are just a few things you have to consider.

Can You Build A "Sticky" Blog?

Believe it or not, blogging requires more thought than just throwing together a few paragraphs and posting it for people to read. You have to consider your audience, and what they want or expect to read when they return.

A sticky blog is one that keeps the reader there for a long period of time. How do you know if your blog is sticky? Take a look at your site stats. If it shows that the majority of your readers click away after being on your blog for less than a minute or two, it's pretty safe to say your blog isn't sticky.

A few examples of my favorite sticky blogs are: