The birth of the Internet has several many new career opportunities, and blogging is one that many people are turning to these days. Blogging can be a great way to make money as well as share your voice with the world. In this article, I will who you how you can start your blogging career.
How to start blogging as a career
I started blogging in 2004 and was not prepared for how challenging it would be. Granted, back then, social media didn’t exist, and driving traffic was much harder, but it wasn’t impossible.
Today blogging has developed into a competitive industry, and it’s sometimes hard to differentiate yourself in a saturated space.
The good news is you can start blogging right now and still be successful if your content is helpful, authentic, and carries your unique voice and perspectives.
Is blogging a good career?
This is a tough question, and to be honest, the answer depends on your perspective. Blogging can be an excellent way to make some money with the potential for supplemental income from affiliate marketing or sponsored posts, but it can also take up a lot of time in the beginning.
Some people do work full-time as bloggers, but many people find themselves blogging on the side.
Suppose you’re looking to start a blog for money. In that case, I recommend starting with affiliate marketing because it can help offset some of the costs involved in running your site while giving you valuable experience that will come into play later on as you scale your business.
If you’re consistent, blogging can be a good career. It all depends on your goals and what you want to get out of blogging.
How do bloggers get paid?
Bloggers use a range of income streams to get paid.
These include advertising from third parties, such as Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling products or services, and sponsored posts.
Adsense pays a small percentage of the advertising revenue generated by your site to you. In contrast, affiliate programs pay you commissions to bring customers to their products or services from your website.
I monetized my first blog with Adsense.
You do need a lot of traffic to make Adsense worthwhile, but it is the most passive. You need to put some code on your blog and then wait for the money to roll in – which won’t be much initially.
Affiliate marketing simple. You earn a commission on each sale you generate for somebody else.
This is almost passive, as search engine traffic comes to your posts and (hopefully) clicks your affiliate links.
Selling your products or services requires more work, but it can be very lucrative if done right.
Sponsored posts are another way of monetizing traffic where companies pay bloggers for writing content about their product or service.
Sponsored post deals are a bit different because they usually involve exchanging content with another company where both parties agree on an agreed-upon fee for the post.
The more traffic to your blog, the easier it is to make money this way because companies will be more likely to buy ads and sponsorships from you.
How to become a blogger
Becoming a professional blogger takes time, persistence, and hard work.
The first step is to choose a topic.
If you’re unsure what niche would be best for your blog, try looking at other popular blogs in that space and see if any of the topics interest you. It’s a good idea to have some experience or knowledge of your chosen subject before starting this blog because it will make writing much easier.
This tutorial on choosing the right niche will help you.
Then you need to know what specific keywords your target audience is looking for. I have a guide keyword research guide to help you.
Next on your blogging journey, you need to pick a publishing platform.
I recommend WordPress for beginners since it has everything the beginner needs and is free. WordPress also has thousands of plugins to choose from, making it easy to monetize your blog further.
You’ll also need your domain name so that people can find your blog easily online if they’re searching.
Your domain name should be representative of what your blog is about.
You don’t have to know exactly what hosting service will work best for you because there are sites like Crocweb (no affiliation) that offer low-cost options tailored specifically for bloggers who use WordPress as their blogging software of choice.
Then you need to publish high-quality content regularly. The first sentence of your blog post is important; too, it can make or break it.
They should be short and interesting, so people want to read more.
You also want to use subheadings for readers to scan through easily.
In general, you should aim to publish at least one post (or article) per day because that’s what the bloggers with the most followers do, and it will take time for you to build up your audience too.
But if there are days when you don’t have enough time or ideas, go ahead and skip a publishing date rather than posting something subpar so that you can meet your goal of publishing an article every day.
Also, make sure that every blog post is optimized for search engines. These content optimization tools will help.
This means adding your target keywords in your blog post headline, in the opening and closing paragraphs.
It also means including a meta description, which is what shows up in Google search results.
This SEO guide will help you. And this will help you to optimize images so your website loads faster.
Then you need to promote your blog posts on social media and to your email list.
Acquiring backlinks to your posts is vital too, but it’s probably the hardest aspect of blogging. Backlinks are important because they count as a vote for your website.
The more quality backlinks you have, the higher in the search engines your blog will rank.
Becoming a freelance blogger
You don’t have to blog for yourself; you can write for other people (and get paid).
Freelance blogging can be done on the side while also working in another field. It’s not recommended to quit your day job right away if you’re starting out. It’s better to wait until you’re earning enough to replace your job.
There is a wide range of freelance websites available now; they include Freelancer.com, Upwork.com, or even Fiverr.com.
It’s easy to sign up for the sites, and you can browse their job listings or even create your own profile of what kind of work you’re looking for.
It might be tempting to compete on price, but it’s best to charge a professional rate. You can decide this before you sign up for any site by calculating how many words you can write in an hour. Then you can charge a fee that fairly compensates you for your time.
Many benefits come with becoming a freelancer blogger (aside from just working on anything you want):
-You have more flexibility in schedule: not obligated to work during office hours or weekends; instead able to choose when they work based on their own needs.
-Inexpensive start-up costs: No need for licenses or permits since everything is done online.
You will get paid in different ways depending on where you find freelance blogging work: PayPal is common, but some sites offer escrow payment that guards against fraud.
Becoming a blogging coach
Another option is to help other people build their blogs. You can work alongside them and provide help, support and encouragement.
This is a great option if you’re not confident in your own blog writing skills because it allows you to still help people without writing anything yourself.
To become a blogging coach, you will need to set up your coaching website with a blog, social media pages, and marketing materials.
I also recommend having an advertising budget so you can access your target audience faster.
You might be paid by providing one-on-one coaching sessions or through Zoom sessions.
Making your own products
You have the option to make and sell your own products.
In my experience, digital products are faster, easier, and more profitable than physical products.
When it comes to digital products, you’re spoilt for choice. Ebooks, courses, and memberships are the most lucrative.
Here is a useful guide that explains how to make money with digital products.
I know the thought of creating digital products from scratch can feel daunting. It can slightly be overwhelming, but it’s not as hard as you think.
The key is to provide value to your customers by helping them to solve their problems.
The quickest way to start making digital products is with ebooks. Ebooks don’t have to be long-winded. In fact, an ebook that’s just a few pages long can deliver more value than one that’s 200 pages.
It’s all about the value you deliver; providing actionable information quickly and concisely is more beneficial to your customer.
Conclusion
Blogging as a career isn’t easy, but it is a great way to make money online. It’s not all that difficult, and you don’t need lots of experience or knowledge about blogging to get started.
The key is determining what your audience needs from you and then providing it in the best way possible for them. That’s the secret to a successful blog.
I hope this post was helpful and provides some clarity around how to start blogging as a career – even if it’s just part-time.
And if you’re wondering how long does it takes to make money blogging, I’ve got you covered here. Also, make sure you avoid these blogging mistakes.