If you’ve been blogging for some time and you’re looking into whether or not you can make a living from it, you’re reading the right article! Blogging is a great hobby, but if you are passionate enough about it, you can definitely make money from it. There are plenty of apps and sites out there to help you along the way, and here we will have a look at the best blogging sites to make money.
There are various ways that are effective at making money with your site. The way that works best for you will depend largely on what type of blog you have and what your niche is. You can choose one way to focus on, or you can incorporate them all – the choice is yours!
Why is it worth putting some effort into this? Well, if you aren’t ready to give up a salary and go full-time into freelancing, there’s nothing wrong with starting up a little passive income stream on the side. Earning a little extra is always welcome, and if you have ambitions to go full-time with your blog and earn a living from it, you can start small and build it up as you go.
So if you’re ready to start making some passive income, let’s get down to it and answer some questions you may have.
Table of Contents
Can I Make A Living Blogging?
The short answer is yes! It’s not as hard or as complicated as you may think. Any blog in any niche has the potential to make money – you just need to know how to go about it.
If you want to have a look at some rather revealing statistics on the state of blogging in 2019, check out this article by GrowthBadger. According to Blog Tyrant’s stats for 2018, close to 70% of bloggers make absolutely nothing off of their work.
But don’t let this put you off! You can quite easily be part of the 22.6% with just a bit of effort, and once you get going, it becomes easier and easier to keep the income flowing.
The biggest difference between the 70% and the rest of them is that the rest have made use of two important things on their blog monetization journey – money making techniques, and patience. That’s all you need to plant yourself firmly in the 22.6% and work your way up!
What Will I Need To Be Able To Make Money Blogging?
As easy as it really is to make some money from your blogging, there are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled. The saying “You have to spend money to make money” is somewhat true here, although you won’t need to shell out a fortune to get started. But there are some things that should not be compromised on here, and they are going to cost a small fee.
Paid Hosting
Free hosting is great if you are not planning on monetizing your website. If you want to make some cash, you need paid hosting that give you more freedom and features than the free option.
Whether you want to make some extra money with your hobby to supplement your income or turn your blog into a proper small business, there are great hosting options out there for every need and budget. Don’t skimp on this! It will be of greater help than you realize when you first begin.
An SEO Tool
Search engine optimization is a crucial part of running a successful, money-making blog. If your page isn’t found by Google when somebody searches for a topic in your niche, you’re going to have a much harder time getting out there and getting business.
It’s very hard to keep track of keywords and readability in your own mind when writing content. This is why an SEO tool is so necessary. Google has standards that, when met, give your content the best chance of being seen and shared, and an SEO tool will ensure you meet those standards.
Yoast SEO is the best on the market, and the easiest to use. If you’re running a WordPress site, you can download the Yoast plugin for free, which will already give you a boost. As your blog grows, you can purchase Yoast Premium. The free version will be perfectly adequate to begin though, and you can decide as you go if you would like to upgrade.
Marketing
You can SEO your blog all you want, but you are going to struggle to get out there if you don’t market yourself well enough. This doesn’t have to be complicated. Social media is your best friend, at least in the beginning. Simply sharing your posts online can make a big difference and get them in front of eyes that otherwise may never have seen them.
Remember, the digital world is your blogging playground. Your mom and granny and spouse and best friend may happily read your posts, but unless you’re getting your content out there into the world to be read by strangers your money-making pool is going to be extremely limited. Don’t be shy – promote your stuff online! Make sure to do it in a way that isn’t pushy, and you’ll see some results.
Patience
None of the above things are going to be helpful if you don’t have this one! Making money from your blogging efforts will take time. Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer than you anticipate! Keep at it. This is what sets the high-income bloggers apart from the rest.
Ways To Make Money Blogging
There are various ways to monetize your blog. You can pick one, or you can use them all! Some are very passive, while others will require more work from your side. We will go through them briefly so you can get a quick idea.
Selling Your Products
You can run an e-commerce store for physical products, or sell your own digital products online. Digital products are super easy because there is little to no cost for you to produce and send them. These can include e-books, written guides, online courses, and coaching. All that you’re required to do is upload them, and wait for people to buy!
Affiliate Marketing
Basically, affiliate marketing is promoting someone else’s products and earning a bit of cash when somebody else buys the product using your unique link. The best way to do this is to sign up to some affiliate programs that you like and that are relevant to your niche and start writing product reviews including your link. If this sounds like something you could do, check out this beginner’s guide.
Whether you’re selling your own products or promoting someone else’s, your email list can help you bring in more income. Have a read through this article to find out how.
Ads
Both Google Ads (previously known as Adwords) and Google Adsense can be used on your blog to bring in a little extra cash. Google Ads puts your advertised web page near the top of the search results when someone searches for the keyword you’ve specified. Adsense allows publishers to put ads on your website, and if someone clicks through from your site, you get paid a small fee.
Freelance Writing & Guest Posts
Freelance writing is a great way to make money if you already have an established blog. You can write for other sites, or have people guest post on yours. Typically, you won’t be getting guest posts until your site is quite well-established. Then, if you’re getting a bit of a name for yourself in your niche, other writers may pay a fee to have an article published on your site so they can reach your audience.
Best Blogging Sites To Make Money
Now that you have an idea of the things you need on your blog, and some of the ways you can make money, what are the best blogging sites to make money?
This is a common question, and your best bet is to first decide on how you want to make money through your site. Do you need good e-commerce features? Does it need to be able to support ads? Are you planning on focusing on affiliate marketing?
This is important, so you know which features you will need from a blogging platform. Not all platforms are created equal! Let’s have a look at some of the best blogging sites to make money.
What Are The Best Blogging Sites To Make Money?
What you choose to use ultimately depends on how you would prefer to make money using your website. These are the best options available today for making money through your blog.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is by far the best blogging site to make money. The biggest thing to be aware of here is that there is a difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. You want to go for WordPress.org if you’re serious about making money blogging. Here are some reasons this blogging platform is the one to go for when aiming to create a profitable blog:
It’s Highly Customizable
With WordPress.org, you have control over every aspect of your website. Don’t be intimidated by this, though. It’s easy to learn how to customize the bits and pieces you need.
It’s Expandable
As your business grows, you can add things online stores, paid memberships, and forums. These all go a long way towards becoming a successful money-making website. Having room to grow is also a great draw.
It Has Tons of Free Plugins
When you start a blog on WordPress.org, you’ll have access to over 50 000 free plugins. With this much choice,you can add just about any feature you like to your website.
It’s SEO Friendly
WordPress is very SEO friendly, and also have a bunch of very useful SEO tools and plugins (including Yoast SEO). This is vital for a successful blogger, so you’ll never have to worry about your posts being found online.
Be aware that you will need to put a little time into learning, and you may need to manage your own backups (or your host may be able to do that for you). WordPress.org software is free, but you’ll need to get a custom domain name and good web hosting. With these under your belt, you’ll be off on the right foot to start a profitable blog!
Shopify
Shopify is an amazing platform if you want to make money selling products. They allow you to sell in various places, including social media, online marketplaces, and even brick-and-mortar stores. They’re incredibly comprehensive and cover hosting, social media integrations, and analytics. They may not be a blogger platform first and foremost, but they have a blogging feature so they qualify for this list!
It’s Geared for E-Commerce
Their features are quite specifically built for e-commerce and include things like inventory management, product variations, SEO product tags, digital products, and import and export functions.
There are also useful little things such as gift cards, discounts, space for customers to leave product reviews, and an option to sell directly from Facebook.
It Has A Blogging Function
Of course, this article is all about the best blogging sites to make money, so this feature is important! Blogging is helpful when it comes to selling, as it’s a way to promote your products while providing valuable information to customers as well.
They Have a Mobile App
This is super helpful, because people tend to like the easiest, quickest way to do things. Having full mobile functionality is an added bonus, and Shopify does it supremely well.
In addition to selling your products, digital or otherwise, you can use the blog to incorporate affiliate marketing, and Shopify also supports Google Ads and Facebook Ads. If your primary way of making money is selling a product, Shopify is an amazing option.
For a similar option that’s widely used for handmade and custom products, check out Etsy. They also offer blogging options as well as selling.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder, and they are focused mostly on small businesses looking to create a presence online. They are super easy to use, and you can build an attractive site with very little tech knowledge. Although you will need to go with a Business plan if you want e-commerce features, they’re a decent platform to blog on and you can make use of affiliate programs and ad networks quite easily.
It’s Easy To Use
This is the best feature of Squarespace. They are somewhat easier to use when it comes to creating a site than WordPress because they work on a drag and drop system. You need absolutely no technical skill to create a stunning, eye-catching website.
It Offers Some Cool Tools
If you’re running an e-commerce website, Squarespace has some pretty cool stuff that you can incorporate into your offers. These include receipts, gift cards, and personal customer accounts.
Squarespace definitely doesn’t offer as many features as WordPress, and not as much scope to expand. It is, however, perfect for small business owners who are just beginning to sell products online, build an email list, or delve into affiliate marketing and Google ads. You can read more about making money using Squarespace here.
Weebly
Weebly is another website builder that is fairly easy to use to make a fancy-looking site from scratch. Although they are not the top of the pops when it comes to e-commerce, they do have features that make it easy to run an online store if you wish to do so.
Easy To Use
Another drag and drop type builder, you can build a really great website to fit your own specifications. They have plenty of templates that can be applied and edited, so you can find a look that works for you.
E-Commerce Features
Although not the most advanced when it comes to running an e-commerce business, Weebly does offer some features that help. They also seem to be working on their e-commerce features in updates. Some of these features include the ability to order online and pick up in-store, a shopping cart function, inventory tracking, secure checkout, coupon stats, and the option to sell physical as well as digital products.
Again, website hosting is important, as is having a custom domain name. Ads and affiliate marketing can be worked into a Weebly site as easily as any other, so if you’re less technical and need an easy-to-use website builder that offers simple e-commerce tools, Weebly may work for you.
Conclusion
Truth be told, you can make money on just about any blogging platform if you do it the right way. Successful bloggers get there with determination, consistency, and just the right mix of good content and effective marketing.
Free blogging sites can only get you so far, though. You will need solid web service, a custom domain name, and some SEO tools to be able to really monetize your site and create an income stream from it. With a little bit of work, a little bit of a fee, and (maybe more than a little bit of …) patience, you can set yourself up for success fairly quickly.
Do you have experience with other platforms that you think should make the list of best blogging sites to make money? Let us know in the comments!