How to make money blogging

Want to find out how to make money blogging and don’t know where to start?

In this guide we will see step by step how to move in the right direction.

There is no one method and there is no perfect recipe for monetizing with a blog. You should find the solution or methods that work best for you and your blog.

So, you can start here, starting with the very strategies that work best.

What are the methods of earning money with a blog?

If you want to know how to create a blog and make money through it, you must be clear about the possible methods that you can follow.

Knowing what the different sources of income are, you will be able to understand which is the right path for you.

Remember that nothing prevents you from combining the different methods that we will see and try to get the most out of your blog monetization.

In this guide we will see:

• how to make money with advertising;
• how to follow the path of affiliations;
• focus on sponsored posts and reviews;
• earn with donations;
• sell info-products, create courses and propose subscription plans;
• promote their services.

Don’t have a blog yet and want to start from scratch? Check out our shared hosting service for quality service at an affordable price.

Making money with advertising

One of the ways to make money with a blog is to join advertising programs or host someone else’s banner ads on your site.

Monetizing with advertising is a passive and extremely tempting form of income.

However, and it is good to specify a priori truth: it is not as easy as it seems.

In this section we will see specifically what the earnings from advertising on the site depend on, what kind of ad templates there are and how much you can earn with advertising on the websites.

Earn money with banner ads

Among the methods of earning a blog there are advertisements and in particular ads or banners.

To date, monetizing with advertising no longer means just inserting static banners on your site. Alongside this traditional and still widespread form, there are also other types of advertising.

Let’s start by seeing what they are and see how the earning models work.

Types of advertising and banners

Alongside the traditional banners that can generally be animated or static, nowadays the so-called Rich Media that allow us to make money with a blog are also increasingly popular.

The banners can be of different types.

There are pop-up ads that appear overlapping the window we are viewing.

Then we find those banners that expand when clicked or even with the simple mouse hover.

The ads can also be present in the form of video or audio or be shown as an overprint on a video content. In the latter case, for example, we are talking about ad overlays, such as those of YouTube and similar platforms.

Advertising and types of income

Adherence to advertising programs or direct agreements can be based on different types of earnings.

If you want to make money with a blog, it is important to know how monetization works and what factors it affects.

In general, different types of indicators are used, including:

• views,
• click,
• actions,
• sales.

According to the model envisaged by the advertising program to which one adheres, therefore, earnings are influenced precisely by these indicators. The higher the indicator, for example, the more clicks a certain banner receives, the higher the earnings.

We mainly find these modalities.

CPC (Cost per click): the advertising revenue in this case depends on the number of clicks that are made on the banners.

CPM (Cost per mille): in this case it is monetized based on impressions and you receive a profit for every thousand views.

CPT (Cost per thousand): similar to the previous method, you earn every thousand views.

CPA (Cost per action): in this case you receive a remuneration based on the achievement of certain objectives. The actions can be subscribing to a newsletter, downloading an eBook, but also a real purchase.

CPL (Cost per lead): this method allows you to earn according to the leads generated.

Advertising circuits

There are several advertising programs, from the most popular such as Google Adsense to many other alternatives.

These include Taboola, LinkWeLove, Outbrain, BuySellAds and many others.

To choose the most suitable advertising circuit and have all the details on the earnings, it is good to check the individual programs.

It is important to pay attention to some points if you want to make money with a blog following the road of advertising.

First you need to avoid breaking the rules. Pay particular attention to the fact that these programs prevent you from trying to “fake” clicks and can suspend your account in case of violations.

Secondly, you should also check the requirements of the individual circuits and the minimum thresholds to be reached in order to collect payments.

There are cases, in fact, in which the minimum thresholds are high, and this type of programs are therefore more suitable for sites with high traffic, compared to small or niche blogs with few monthly visits.

Another element to take into consideration concerns tax obligations. Remember that for continuing activities and for income from advertising it is necessary to register for VAT, so consult with an accountant.

If you are interested in taxation, check out our interview on the subject of VAT number and occasional service and discover some specific cases concerning the creation of a blog.

How much do you earn from advertising on sites

We have seen broadly how advertising programs work and what are the different methods through which you can make money with advertising on the blog.

Now let’s get to the numbers and see specifically what figures we are talking about and how to predict what earnings can be obtained.

Who decides to open a blog with the aim of monetizing, has asked himself at least once this question: how much do you earn with advertising on the site?

The answer is not simple, as you have probably guessed by reading the previous section.

You must take into consideration that there are several variables. The number of visitors, the amount of unique users and the page views are some of the indicators that can influence earnings.

Other factors include the time spent on the pages and the authority of the website itself.

Alongside these factors that vary from one blog to another, there are also other elements that are beyond the control of the blog owner.

For example, the presence of ad-blockers that can significantly lower the expected earnings.

Last but not least, there is also the model chosen. A pay-per-view or per-click program will typically deliver lower earnings than a lead generation campaign.

To get estimates, you can consult the sites of the individual advertising circuits.

Generally, when referring to impressions, earnings are expressed in RPT (Revenue per thousand). This value indicates the revenue that will be paid every thousand views.

For example, Google AdSense provides a calculator. The estimated earnings are influenced by the area of origin of the visitors and the category of the site.

For example, if we select Europe as a location and Computers and electronics as a category, we are given the following estimate:

$ 4 584 per year with a base of 50,000 page views per month.

Keep in mind that these are only indicative numbers.

Earn money with a blog through affiliations

Alongside banner ads, another way to make money with your blog is to join affiliate programs.

We have published an in-depth guide on the world of affiliate marketing and how to take the first steps. I suggest you read it to learn more, here, however, we will summarize some of the fundamental concepts.

What is affiliation?

In simple terms, an affiliate program allows the blogger to become a promoter of the products or services of other companies.

The blogger or the owner of the site does not become a seller in the first person but manages to monetize by advertising the products of others.

By acting as an intermediary between seller and customer, the affiliate allows the potential customer to know the seller’s services or products.

It goes without saying that for this strategy to be successful, the blogger must already have a loyal audience.

How do you make money with the blog thanks to affiliations?

The blog is one of the means that can be used to make money with affiliations.

There are others too. For example, you can share affiliate links in the descriptions of YouTube videos or on streaming platforms such as Twitch, but also by taking advantage of social networks.

Regardless of which platform you choose to use, the earning method works in a similar way.

First of all, it depends on the affiliate program you are joining and then on the specific conditions.

Earnings generally depend on the purchases made by users.

A user reads a review or article on your blog about a product or service. Your words convince them, and they decide to buy after going on the site through your affiliate link.

After the user completes the purchase, you receive a commission based on the agreement provided by the affiliate program you have joined.

There are programs that offer recurring and one-off commissions.

Some of the best-known affiliate networks are:

• Amazon
• Booking
• eBay
• Rakuten
• Fiverr.

More and more services and companies offer these programs. For example, we also have a hosting affiliate program at SupportHost.

Our program allows you to receive periodic commissions, at each customer renewal, or one-off for the first purchase. You don’t need to be our customer to join, just register for free.

Create sponsored posts to make money with a blog

Many brands and companies rely on new forms of advertising to bring the public closer and make themselves known.

In recent years thanks to the emergence of influencers, a new form of marketing has also been born: influencer marketing.

What’s it about?

Influencers, who can be active on social networks, but also have their own blog, are contacted by a brand to give visibility and express their opinion on one or more products.

The collaboration is profitable for both of us. The brand receives visibility which translates into potential new customers who come into contact with it. The influencer can get monetary compensation or complimentary products under the agreement.

Influencer Marketing Hub recently conducted a new survey on this rapidly growing form of marketing. It emerged that 75% of the companies that participated in the survey allocate a budget dedicated to influencer marketing.

How to make money with a blog through donations

Some bloggers, especially when it comes to nonprofits, decide to monetize through donations. In this way, instead of just writing an article for their blog and distributing it to the public for free, they can accept donations from those who want to support their project.

Moving in this direction is really simple. For example, to get started, you can use PayPal’s donation system and integrate the button on your blog with a WordPress plugin.

There are also dedicated platforms like Patreon that allow you to receive both single and recurring donations.

As for the recurring ones, through Patreon supporters can send you donations on a monthly basis or based on the published content (videos, articles or more).

Selling info-products, courses and plans for subscribers

Another strategy for making money online, and in particular doing it through your blog, is to create a membership program.

You could create a membership plan for your community and thus offer all or part of the content only to those who subscribe.

This blogging monetization system isn’t quite passive like ads and banners, but it’s quite scalable. In fact, the content you produce, such as guides, articles or even videos, can be sold to more members.

In this way from the creation of a single content you can earn more if you can reach multiple buyers.

A similar argument can also be applied to info-products. Again, you can take advantage of the sale of ebooks, podcasts and online video courses to generate passive income.

In this regard, you can take a look at our guide to Moodle: one of the most used eLearning platforms.

In this case, in fact, you will have to consider the time and effort necessary to create the single product and then you can offer it to a wide audience.

Alternatively, you can also organize live courses, webinars and conferences.

Obviously, it will be important to be able to promote your work adequately if you want to create a substantial income. This system, in fact, is more effective if you can already count on a loyal audience.

Earn money with a blog by offering your services

Creating a blog can be a great way to attract potential customers and get them to discover our services.

For this, another way to earn through the blog is to be able to reach new customers.

You can offer yourself for consultancy, offer services as a social media manager or even promote your business as a freelance web writer and write for other sites or blogs.

I have only mentioned a few possibilities, but the roads are almost endless even in this case.

Conclusion

We have seen several ways to make money with a blog. Being able to generate revenue as a blogger, both passively and with active systems, is not impossible.

A good start is to understand which method is right for you and then combine different solutions in order to have more income by combining indirect and passive sources with direct methods such as promoting your services.

And have you already started reaping the rewards of work with your blog? Do you have any other suggestions or want to share your experience? Let us know with a comment.