I’m really interested in hearing from those who have successfully turned their blogs into profitable ventures. I want to learn from your experiences and get insights on what it truly takes to develop a blog into a steady income source.
To kick things off, here are a few questions:
How much do you currently make from your blog? Feel free to share a range if that’s easier.
What monetization strategies have worked best for you? (Ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, etc.)
How long did it take before you started seeing significant income?
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?
What advice would you give to someone just getting started?
I’m looking forward to hearing your stories and hopefully picking up some valuable tips for my own blogging journey. Thanks in advance for sharing!
I’m not sure if I’d call it a cash cow yet, but my newer blog consistently brings in between $550 and $800 monthly, while my older blog does around $300. The older blog has been neglected since I started it in 2013. It was on Mediavine from 2014 to 2018, but I went back to teaching, and it dropped before getting removed from Mediavine in 2022. The newer one started in July 2022. Initially, I added about 10 articles but paused from October 2022 to January 2023 due to a major move. Since February 2023, I’ve been working on it regularly, adding 4 to 8 articles each month.
Both blogs cover family travel, but the newer one is much more niche.
I didn’t know much about SEO or back linking when I created the first blog, which is why I’ve taken a different approach with the new one. I’ve focused heavily on interlinking, establishing my expertise, and providing thorough content. In contrast, I just winged it with the old blog, which is why it still requires a lot of work.
Currently, both blogs include ads and affiliate marketing, and I just launched my online shop on the newer one, making $25 since Friday! I don’t do sponsored posts, having stopped on the older blog years ago due to the hassle and minimal returns.
As for income timeline, I can’t recall when I began to see profits with the old blog. As for the new one, I recorded my growth better; I started earning a few dollars from Amazon affiliates in March 2023, but significant growth began in May as my traffic increased.
I began my blogging journey in 2013 and I’m still at it today! I launched my blog with a strong desire to make money and quit my full-time job as soon as possible. After two years, I left my job and became a full-time blogger. Now, I have successfully been on this path for over 11 years!
I started a blog in 2009 that hit $25k in monthly income. I sold it this year.
I still have a Dutch niche blog on electric vehicles. The answers below pertain to that blog.
Difficult to estimate, but about $20k this year: $10k from a car manufacturer (selling cars via my site), $5k from folks selling their cars (like Auto1.com), $4k from Mediavine ads, and $1k from insurances/books/etc. I treat this as a side hustle alongside my online marketing company, posting about 3-5 new articles a week.
It’s crucial to find a niche with affiliate opportunities. I used to manage the biggest Dutch science blog, relying mostly on ads—95% of my revenue. That felt too risky, so I’m diversifying. A mix of good affiliate partnerships and ads works well.
I established the EV blog in 2020 and saw results in 2021. However, it’s much tougher today to start a blog due to Google’s new algorithms putting newcomers in a ‘sandbox’ because of numerous AI-generated blogs. My advice: Buy an average blog and improve it, as it provides a solid base and authority.
Make the most of platforms beyond Google. Although I’m an SEO/SEA person who enjoys writing content, video hasn’t been my thing, and social media is a struggle. Most of my traffic still comes from Google, but I’ve built up my email list to boost repeat visitors.
Take your time selecting a viable subject. It should be future-proof (growing interest), niche but not overly specific, consider if similar blogs exist in your language, identify enough potential revenue opportunities (jot down 5-10 ideas before starting), and importantly, choose a subject you enjoy. Otherwise, you’ll quit after a few months. Consider starting a blog about a country’s tourism (where it’s not yet overly popular) featuring train tickets, paid guides, hotel booking links, or focus on one of your hobbies. Good luck!
My blog journey began in 2011. It took until 2016 for it to start generating income consistently. By 2018, things really took off, and now it earns between $15,000 and $30,000 monthly. Almost all of it comes from ad revenue. Key tips: send out email newsletters daily and keep posting every day. Quality is crucial, but the only way to improve to greatness is to create a lot of mediocre content first and accept that even your best will be lackluster for a while.
Choose to write about your passions; otherwise, you’ll lose interest before hitting the profit phase.
I personally earn between $500 and $1,000 monthly, depending on traffic and niche focus. Digital products represent the best affiliate strategy for niche blogs. I noticed results after about nine months of consistent efforts. Staying consistent from the get-go was my greatest challenge, and the key is maintaining a strong work ethic.