There was a ‘best time’ to get into blogging as a money-making strategy, and it was about ten years ago.
Back then, there weren’t as many blogs on the internet as there are now, and it was easier for well-written, high-quality blogs to break through the noise and get themselves noticed. That’s no longer the case. Everyone seems to fancy themselves as a blogger, and there are thousands of blogs for every conceivable topic, theme, and purpose. Does that mean that there’s no longer a business case for getting involved in blogging as a professional?
Probably not – but you have to be a little brighter about it than you were in the past.
As busy as the world of blogging is, there will always be a place for quality and originality – it’s just that being original and being able to compose quality pieces isn’t enough in isolation. You also have to be smart about how you approach the business of blogging. Saturation has never stopped people from making money online.
You only need to look at the number of online slots websites in existence to confirm that fact. It’s been less than twenty years since casinos went online, but now there are literally thousands of online slots websites based in multiple different countries, with new ones springing up all the time. There are only so many slot games players in the world, but the best of those new sites understand how to reach their audience. You need to understand how to do the same for your potential blog readers.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering how you go about that task. If we assume that there are hundreds of well-written new blogs appearing on the internet every month and that you’ve chosen your subject matter well, what makes the difference between those that succeed and those that fail? That’s all down to the professionals’ methods, so allow us to expand your horizons and share those methods with you!
Affiliate Marketing
You can no longer rely on advertising to make all of your money as a blogger. Too many people are browsing the web with ad-blockers turned on, and even those who don’t have learned not to look at adverts this time. You need to use a more direct route, and for most bloggers, that route is affiliate marketing. It’s the fastest-growing form of advertising on the internet, and it’s increasingly a blogger’s primary source of income.
Don’t be too aggressive with it, though. Recommend products that have an obvious connection with the general purpose of your blog, and where possible, only strike up partnerships with companies whose goods you either already use or would be interested in using. Some companies offer splits of up to 50/50 on sales made through affiliate marketing, although you shouldn’t expect such generosity as a newcomer.
Search Engine Optimization
Let’s use video gaming as an example here. No matter how good your video gaming blog is, you’re never going to rank number one on Google when someone searches for a ‘game blog.’ The established players are too well established for that to happen. It’s not out of the question for you to get to the bottom of the first page, though, or even the start of the second page. To do that, you’re going to have to figure out how SEO works.
This is as important to big businesses as it is to bloggers, but don’t lose sight of the fact that your blog is a business if you intend to earn money from it. Fortunately for you, it isn’t difficult to learn. SEO is mostly about finding out which terms people use to find pages and blogs like yours and then repeating keywords and key phrases in the body of your text often enough for search engines to pick up on them. The better you become at it, the higher your page will rank. This will draw more visitors, and as a result, your page ranks even more elevated.
Guest Posts
If the only blog you write for is your own, you’re likely to struggle. Even if you become highly skilled with SEO and you’re able to strike up a couple of good affiliate marketing partnerships, you still might find it challenging to attract visitors in big numbers based on those attributes alone. You need to provide a way for people to find their way to your blog through other means – and one of the best ways to do that is to start writing for other people’s blogs.
You should already know which blogs are popular within your chosen field or interest area from researching your competition before starting out. Look closely at your competitor’s blogs, and you’ll almost certainly find that they sometimes accept guest posts or even sponsored posts. In real terms, a guest or sponsored post is just an article written by a third party and generally one which contains a link back to the author’s blog or website.
Sponsored posts are generally placed through payment, but guest posts can generally be uploaded free of charge. Both parties win through this arrangement – the blog gets additional content, and you get a chance to draw people back to your blog if they’ve enjoyed reading your article.
Making it as a blogger in 2022s is more difficult than it was in 2010s, and anyone who tells you differently is a liar. It’s not impossible, though, and if you’re good at what you do and committed to the task, there’s no reason why you can’t make it. You need to be persistent and determined, though, and you should also accept the fact that in your first few weeks – possibly even in your first few months – you won’t receive many visitors at all. Keep at it, don’t be disheartened, and always be on the lookout for new affiliate marketing partners.
Conclusion
Don’t be afraid to send inquiry emails to individuals or businesses you’d like to partner with – the worst thing they can do is say ‘no,’ so you have nothing to lose! There is a competitive world of blogging out there, but there will always be space for talented and gifted writers. Good luck!