Why Topic Matters
Contextual Ads - Different topics and keywords within topics will trigger different ads in contextual ad programs and as a result will earn different levels ‘per click).
Affiliate Programs - Similarly, different topics will open up different levels of earnings when it comes to affiliate programs. For example a blog about books that uses the Amazon program is only ever likely to make small commissions per sale as the average book might only be worth $20 and the commission with Amazon is generally in the 5-8% range. On the other hand I know of publishers in the financial website game who use affiliate programs that can pay out at $100 per sale.
Indirect Methods - Obviously different opportunities (with different income earning potential) arise for bloggers with a profile in different niches. For example a blogger known for his movie review blog might not have much demand for consulting work but could find a way to syndicate his blog to magazines or newspapers. A blogger with a good profile in the PR industry might not get picked up as a writer in magazines but could land himself a well paying job or some consulting work.
Age of Blog: - a good wine matures with age - as do many profitable blogs (and most profitable businesses for that matter). There are many reasons why this is the case and while some blogs do seem to rise from nowhere to dominate the blogosphere - most do not. Here’s a few reasons why blogs tend to get better with age:
Quantity of content - I find myself saying this to new bloggers repeatedly but don’t expect to get a lot of traffic to your blog until you have a substantial level of content in your archives. Of course quality of content is vital, but at least at some level numbers of posts do count and unless you’re going sell your soul and to get into splogging quantities of content take time.
Search Engine Optimization - While some SEO experts claim they can have you at the top of Search Engines quickly (and some can), sustaining high rankings through legitimate methods means building a site over time. Climbing the rankings in SE’s is the result of many things including good content (lots of it) that gets links from others - both things that take time.
Reputation - Building an online profile and presence takes time n the same way that it takes time in real life. People look for consistency in your blogging overtime and will want to see that you not only talk the talk but walk the walk. As you do this you’ll find your readership grows.
Network - Connected with a good reputation comes networking opportunities. I shudder when I look back at my first blogging efforts and how naive, ill-informed and poorly run they were. I have a long way to go when it comes to learning about the web, blogs, design, writing etc and I stil have alot to learn I guess we really have to take a long time before we actually lern everything there is to know but as long as we try and put forth an effort this is what counts through trial and error we will learn. You can read all the books, blogs and articles you want on blogging (and I’d encourage you to do so) - but so much of what you can learn about blogging for money has to come from on the job experience - which again only comes with time.
Time Invested: Lastly I’ll add that the time a blogger is willing and able to invest into their blog is a factor worth considering. One thing I do know is that if you want to make your blog succeed you also have to invest alot of time into it and I because Im ill cannot do this altho I wish I could blog all the time all day , like a regular job but I cannot. But many of you may be able to invest more time into your blog. This is a bit of a catch 22 situation of course (the more you earn the more time you can put in and the more time you put in the more you can earn) So How Much Can a Blog Earn?
I’m not about to put a definitive answer on it except to say that every blog is different and the evidence that I’ve seen from interacting bloggers and their blogs over the past year is that bloggers are earning anything between nothing at all and millions of dollars. The upper end of the spectrum is of course rare and those earning very little are in the majority, but bloggers earning decent income is becoming increasingly common. Probably the best way to find out what you can earn from a particular blog is to start that blog and test the waters.
Give yourself a time limit of a few months to get a feel for the topic and see how it goes. While it’s important to realize that a few months is not really enough - it is enough to get an understanding for whether it’s a topic you feel you can sustain, what the click values and CTR might be in contextual ads and even to get a feel for what type of readers you’ll attract. This blog is fairly new and I will not lie I only have a few readers visiting but hopefully more readers will find this blog informative and come back and tell their friends about it if not I will just have to keep trying..... If the signs are good - invest more time into it - if they are not, consider trying something else. Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Contextual Ads - Different topics and keywords within topics will trigger different ads in contextual ad programs and as a result will earn different levels ‘per click).
Affiliate Programs - Similarly, different topics will open up different levels of earnings when it comes to affiliate programs. For example a blog about books that uses the Amazon program is only ever likely to make small commissions per sale as the average book might only be worth $20 and the commission with Amazon is generally in the 5-8% range. On the other hand I know of publishers in the financial website game who use affiliate programs that can pay out at $100 per sale.
Indirect Methods - Obviously different opportunities (with different income earning potential) arise for bloggers with a profile in different niches. For example a blogger known for his movie review blog might not have much demand for consulting work but could find a way to syndicate his blog to magazines or newspapers. A blogger with a good profile in the PR industry might not get picked up as a writer in magazines but could land himself a well paying job or some consulting work.
Age of Blog: - a good wine matures with age - as do many profitable blogs (and most profitable businesses for that matter). There are many reasons why this is the case and while some blogs do seem to rise from nowhere to dominate the blogosphere - most do not. Here’s a few reasons why blogs tend to get better with age:
Quantity of content - I find myself saying this to new bloggers repeatedly but don’t expect to get a lot of traffic to your blog until you have a substantial level of content in your archives. Of course quality of content is vital, but at least at some level numbers of posts do count and unless you’re going sell your soul and to get into splogging quantities of content take time.
Search Engine Optimization - While some SEO experts claim they can have you at the top of Search Engines quickly (and some can), sustaining high rankings through legitimate methods means building a site over time. Climbing the rankings in SE’s is the result of many things including good content (lots of it) that gets links from others - both things that take time.
Reputation - Building an online profile and presence takes time n the same way that it takes time in real life. People look for consistency in your blogging overtime and will want to see that you not only talk the talk but walk the walk. As you do this you’ll find your readership grows.
Network - Connected with a good reputation comes networking opportunities. I shudder when I look back at my first blogging efforts and how naive, ill-informed and poorly run they were. I have a long way to go when it comes to learning about the web, blogs, design, writing etc and I stil have alot to learn I guess we really have to take a long time before we actually lern everything there is to know but as long as we try and put forth an effort this is what counts through trial and error we will learn. You can read all the books, blogs and articles you want on blogging (and I’d encourage you to do so) - but so much of what you can learn about blogging for money has to come from on the job experience - which again only comes with time.
Time Invested: Lastly I’ll add that the time a blogger is willing and able to invest into their blog is a factor worth considering. One thing I do know is that if you want to make your blog succeed you also have to invest alot of time into it and I because Im ill cannot do this altho I wish I could blog all the time all day , like a regular job but I cannot. But many of you may be able to invest more time into your blog. This is a bit of a catch 22 situation of course (the more you earn the more time you can put in and the more time you put in the more you can earn) So How Much Can a Blog Earn?
I’m not about to put a definitive answer on it except to say that every blog is different and the evidence that I’ve seen from interacting bloggers and their blogs over the past year is that bloggers are earning anything between nothing at all and millions of dollars. The upper end of the spectrum is of course rare and those earning very little are in the majority, but bloggers earning decent income is becoming increasingly common. Probably the best way to find out what you can earn from a particular blog is to start that blog and test the waters.
Give yourself a time limit of a few months to get a feel for the topic and see how it goes. While it’s important to realize that a few months is not really enough - it is enough to get an understanding for whether it’s a topic you feel you can sustain, what the click values and CTR might be in contextual ads and even to get a feel for what type of readers you’ll attract. This blog is fairly new and I will not lie I only have a few readers visiting but hopefully more readers will find this blog informative and come back and tell their friends about it if not I will just have to keep trying..... If the signs are good - invest more time into it - if they are not, consider trying something else. Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
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