I love making money from blogging. I love every aspect from buying a domain to seeing that first dollar come in. That does not mean it is easy however. I have had my fair share of colossal flop sites that were poorly thought out and planned out and as a result went nowhere. And that is what today’s post is about. There is a good chance you are not ready to make money blogging from Day One. (In most cases, you are not going to be accepted for income opportunities from Day One anyway.) If you do not have the knowledge, skills and vision, you are going to be sadly disappointed in a flash.
Top 7 Reasons You Are NOT Ready to Make Money Blogging
You Don’t Understand the Difference Between an Ad Network, Affiliate Marketing and In-Text Advertising
These are three very different income avenues. Before you are ready to monetize your blog, you need to know what “make money blogging” even means. You do not just open up a free blog, start publishing posts and magically money falls out of your computer tower. You need to know where this money comes from, what these advertisers expect in return for their cash and whether your site is a good fit for that type of advertising.
You Don’t Have Anything to Sell
This goes a bit deeper into the above. And you do not necessarily need to be selling your own product. Many bloggers strictly promote other’s products. But, if you have no clue what you are promoting in the first place, you are going to go nowhere fast. What are your readers looking for? Are there products on the market that fill this need? Can you get paid to promote them? If not, are there alternatives you are willing to consider?
You Don’t Like Stats
Of all of the bloggers I am close with, I would say a good half-day to full-day each month is spent mulling over traffic analytics and income reports. You need to be comfortable with finding and analyzing these numbers. If you are going to succeed in profit blogging, you need to know where traffic is coming from, what individual pages are converting, what pages are not and why, and, perhaps first and foremost, you need to know what these numbers mean in order to provide them to potential advertisers, affiliate networks, etc. who are certainly going to ask.
You Don’t Know How to Update Your Website
As much as we may refer to some aspects of blogging as “passive income,” this term is incredibly misleading. You need to be able to change out ads that are not performing. You need to be able to update posts and reviews that are not converting. If an advertiser shuts down their affiliate program or moves to another network, you need to be able to make those moves also – and sometimes quickly. I really don’t know of any “passive income” opportunity that is entirely passive. Unless, of course, you have someone else doing the work.
You Don’t Have a Specific Mission and Target Market
If you cannot clearly explain the specific message of your blog, you are not ready to monetize it. Many advertisers want details. Who is your audience? What do you provide to them that they can’t get elsewhere? “I’ll talk about anything that makes a buck,” is not a mission statement. “I’ll figure it out later,” is not a mission statement. “Everyone with a computer,” is a not a target market.
You Don’t Have a Specific and Actionable Plan
You are going to be sadly disappointed, and quickly, if you think throwing up a few links and banners is going to make money. It takes a lot of practice, patience and time to earn a good living from blogging. It takes waking up every morning ready to research, write, market, rinse and repeat. You need a plan or you are going to feel overwhelmed and defeated before you make a penny. After you nail down your mission and target market, figure out your publishing and marketing schedule. Know where you are going to market and find new readers. Clear direction is directly tied to success.
You Don’t Want a Relationship
The days of the internet marketing one-night stand are over. Repeat readers and buyers are where the money is at. And, customer retention is far easier and more cost-effective than new customer acquisition. Once you have them on the hook (your blog), keep them coming back. Get them on your newsletter list (I recommend AWeber). If they aren’t quite ready for that, get them into your social network. The key here is to not let them walk away without taking an action that will get them to return. We buy from those we know. Get them in your network.
The vast majority of those that start blogging just for the money give up before they make a red cent. If money is your only motivator, you are going to lose interest and become frustrated before you see any success. Be honest with yourself. Get educated. Be specific. Go into your new blogging business – if you want a business, that is – with open eyes and a clear plan.
When did you know you were ready to make money blogging? Or, are you yet?
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Angie Nelson
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I had to learn all these lessons the hard, slow way! Fortunately I chose a topic that I was interested in anyway so having the patience wasn’t a problem. Like most people, I dived into that first blog not fully understanding most of what you mentioned above. Excellent information for new bloggers, Angie!
I know, Anna. It seems like things you have known forever now, but I know there were so many times in the beginning when I was clueless and so terribly discouraged because of it. Everyone makes it sound so easy. And maybe it is, after you have shot and missed 400 times first.
Straight talk that spells it all out! I know I’m not there yet but I think I’m seeing a plan of action. More than I had a year ago, lol! Thanks for clearing it up!
The answers are out there, Patti! You just have to be willing to look for them or ask.
I’m looking, lol! Right now I’m looking/learning how to set up a mobile & print CSS and/or a plugin that will work with Genesis widgets. Do you have any suggestions?
That I can’t help with, Patti. I avoid CSS as much as possible.
If you are running on Genesis, try the forum.
EXCELLENT POST! I’ve found that so many people want to get to the end of this tunnel, but aren’t willing to put forth the time to make it through the tunnel. These points should be a given for anyone who owns a website at all, it won’t even get found online if these pieces are not put into play and implemented properly.
Thanks, Carissa. It’s easy to get into a “everything will work out” mindset, but blind faith doesn’t pay the bills.
Thank you for the slap in the face!
I hope it didn’t hurt, Michael.
You make great points, Angie. I have to admit I’ve been learning as I go along. However, I started my blog as a creative outlet for my writing. It wasn’t until I had been doing it for a while that I decided to try to monetize it. As a result, I’m still working on branding my blog which, as you point out, is so important because if you don’t have a clear vision, your followers won’t either. It’s slow going, but every day I feel like I’m getting closer to success.
Renita
http://www.mylifewhileshopping.com
You are, Renita! Amazing things come to those with patience. It is when you start pushing and rushing that things can become a jumbled mess.
You are going to get there. Keep up the great work!
I agree so much with so many points. Especially- if you dont know how to update or really work within your blog then you are not ready for advertising.
I bet you get a lot of that, Miranda.
Excellent article and very to the point. I love how you relate your own experiences into your articles as well. I’ve been in that position where I had this “great” idea for a site that was just awful in reality. People need to understand that not every idea will be a hit for them.
Thanks, Kim.
I dont think you NEED to sell something to make decent money from blogging… Valid points though.
Where do you suggest a newbie to start of blogging? WordPress or Blogspot? Thank you! =)
That’s an interesting take, Carl. I would be interested to know your income sources if you are not offering something in exchange for currency, whether that be services, products, affiliate products, ad space, etc.
Self-hosted WordPress is the only way to go in my opinion.
Angie,
Some of these rang true for me just a few months back. I had no plan (of attack. I have to call it that so my mind “gets it.) And I was not willing to open up to relationships. When both of those happen so much became clear to me about blogging and business.
All of these tips are golden! Can I use one in my free ebook that I am writing?
Sure thing, Allie! Thanks for asking.
Great post, Allie – the last one is the part that’s hardest for me. I’m not a real outgoing person in real life or on the internet, so it’s really hard for me to reach out and make connections with people. Having a FB group has made it easier, but I still struggle to connect with people on a personal level. (That’s where paid ads to get leads onto my email list has helped a lot!)
I hear ya, Kelly. You should check out my post from last week on Facebook Ads. I have been having a lot of success with them.
http://theworkathomewife.com/facebook-advertising-tips/
As i read through this article i can’t help but realize my own mistakes i made when i was starting out my blog. At first my main focus was to make some quick money and when it failed i gave up and this almost sent me into oblivion. Thank you so much for sharing this i know it will help someone out there to re-evaluate themselves.
Regards
Dickens
Thanks for stopping over, Doreen!
A nice and useful post,
As a blogger i think a lot of bloggers are not ready to make money because of their lack of traffic. I am always seeing bloggers trying to make money online and they do not have a lot of traffic and would benefit far more from working on their content first.
Great post Angie. I will share with my audience. I like your comments on knowing how to update your website. I am learning that now. I did find a pretty good website that can make small tweaks that helps me save time every now and then. Tweaky.com. My web developer told me about them.
I have went to them for little adjustments in the past as well, Lisa. Great service!
I started a blog a little over a year ago. I quickly realized I had a TON to learn. I put a hold on blogging and spent about a year just reading and learning everything I could. I’m not back to blogging and ready to make money. In fact I’m opening an online business soon! I strongly suggest reading and learning everything you can.
Kristi! Long time no see. You are going to do amazing things. Keep moving forward and best of luck with that new business!
So true. Production creation not only helps you set apart your “brand” but hopefully you can make some income from it. Great tips!
Thanks, Kelly!
Great tips. I started blogging as a hobby, as a creative outlet, and to meet interesting people. I am defintely interested in monetizing my blog now, and your tips are really helpful and specific.
Thanks, Pam. Best of luck in taking your blog to the next level!
This is really great. A lot of people just assume that the money will just come to them magically after they publish that first post.
It sounds good, Tracie!
Great tips and so true. Thanks for sharing! I’d love to have you link this to Titus 2 Tuesday this week on Cornerstone Confessions.. I hope to see you there.
Kathy
Thanks for stopping by, Kathy.
If only I’d read this when I first started! Such a great (and accurate) list. I’m still learning, so I’ll definitely take some of these into consideration. Stopping by from SITS
Have a fabulous weekend!
You too, Stephanie!
Wow! Great post with a lot of information. I’m “getting ready” to try to start making money. But so far I’ve just been playing around with it. Your post was the kick in the pants I needed. Thanks.
You are welcome, Patty. Best of luck going forward!
This is such a great post! Thank you for giving me good insight and the steps I need to take in order to successfully take that turn on my blog toward making money. I have a lot to learn… (Visiting from SITS!)
You’ll get there, Chris. Just keep learning and growing.
This is a great informative post. I’m working on these and still trying to figure out the best ways to go with me being so new to this. I came over from the SITS sharefest from yesterday. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by, Joi. Keep learning and experimenting. Everyone’s path and blog is unique so there is not a “one size fits all” plan. That’s what makes it so much fun.
I could make money from my other blog that I have had for over 3 years but I choose not too I don’t want to lose my voice and have to censor what I say just to make money. I like having the freedom to just blog. On the other hand I do want to make money with my other blog which I started for just that purpose I make a little money but I have only been blogging with that one for less than a year. Great points stopping over from SitsShareFest