Should You Make Blogging Your Career?

Recently, someone asked me a question; How much do bloggers actually
make? This is a question that generally gets asked around a lot. And no
matter how successful a blogger is, he has wondered about the same thing
at some point or another. The fact of the matter is, there’s no simple
answer to this question, as there is no generalization in this industry.
Some bloggers earn more than a normal job would get them, while others
just look on! So is blogging worth it? In this post, we will (hopefully)
discuss whether it is or not. But to me, it depends. There are really
so many factors that it is hard to anticipate anything. But here is a
list of last year’s Top 10 Earning Blogs which will hopefully give you a general idea of how much a pro blogger can earn.

Blogging for money?

For most blogs, especially the ones that have started up recently, money
is the primary motive behind them. You will find numerous resources on
the internet telling you how profitable blogging is. Indeed, blogging
seems very promising.

First of all, blogging is self-employment. You don’t need to apply
anywhere, no need to appear for interviews, and you don’t answer to
anyone. You are your own boss. Those with a 9 to 5 will understand this
better than anyone else.

Secondly, there’s no ‘eligibility criteria’ for starting a blog. You
don’t need to have a degree, or a profession. Just an area of interest,
and you’re good to go.

Every business needs initial investment. Blogging is a business as well,
but it seems that the investment part is minimal. So why not start a
blog of your own? It seems great, right?

Some factors that determine earnings

Before you jump on to any decision though, there are some things you
should consider though. These are the factors that will ultimately
decide how much you will earn from your blog.

Your niche – Your niche will determine the future prospects of
your blog. It will also decide how far out your blog can reach, hence
effectively having a good say in how much you earn. The broader the
niche, the farther you can grab. But too broad, and you’re stranded at a
vast sea, unable to go anywhere. Ad income is dependent upon the
‘quality’ of your niche. For example, if your website is about cars,
then ads from large automobile manufacturers, such as Mercedes can be
very profitable – $3 per click or similar. Something about pet animals,
however, won’t get you as much.

How good your content is – Yes, content is important. People
think SEO is more important, but I beg to differ. SEO will only take you
so far. If your content isn’t capable enough, then what good can the
SEO do? Remember, SEO is applied on content, and not the other way
round! The better the content is, the more chances you have of getting
approved by advertising companies.

How effectively do you socialize – This is an extremely important
factor. For a lot of bloggers, their fortune changed for the better
when they socialized and met with popular bloggers. If you are fortunate
enough to be recognized and linked by them, then you’re good to go!

How much effort do you need to put in – Blogging requires a lot
of effort. For some people, it might just not be worth the effort. If
you posses determination and will power, and the energy to invest a lot
of effort daily, then you can seriously consider blogging as a career
path.

How much time should invest? – Blogging
takes up time, there’s no denying that. Even if you are a pro, you will
still need at least a couple of hours each day for blogging. As a
general rule of thumb, the more time you put in, the higher your income
will be. Blogging isn’t just about writing stuff. It’s about
socializing, networking, SEO, and more. The more time you put in, the
better your blog will be and the more you will earn.

So how long does it take to earn?

If you are looking to earn some money fast, then look somewhere else!
Starting a blog does not pay instantly. There’s a lot of time and work
required, as mentioned earlier. And it’ll be some time before you get a
decent income, based on how much time and effort you put in daily. It
can take months and years before you have in your hand a decent pay
cheque. So wait at least a few months before thinking about monetizing
your blog.

When MBT started, the main focus was not on earning money, but on
educating people. Hence, it took two solid years of work and dedication
for a decent first cheque. It also depends upon your know-how about
blogging. That can only come with time. Compare the 2 years time for MBT
with the three month time for our companion blog SEM. SEM has had the
best possible start, with all the content and know-how at hand. But
still, it took no less than three months before it started earning.
Hence, blogging is a game of patience. Learn to play at it.

‘Hidden’ Costs of running a blog

At the beginning, I said that a blog is a business. Well, as a business,
there’s got to be some investments involved right? At first, it seems
that there are minimal investment required. But as it turns out, there’s
a lot more to it than that. There are ‘hidden’ costs that appear while
you are in the process of building your blog. Some of these include;

• Web hosting
• Web storage / access fees
• Advertising
• Themes and Templates
• Software (e.g. shopping carts etc)
• Email software (for newsletters)
• Salaries (for staff)
• Outsourcing
• Forums
• Hardware or equipment (if any)
• And more

Hence, the point is, you need to make a careful analysis of all the
costs you are likely going to incur, and then deduct that amount from
the total income you have, to get the projected profit. If there is a no
profit, then it’s really no use at all, and you are going at a loss.
Even if you are getting a profit, but if it’s too little considering all
the time you put in, then it might not be worth it.

On a final note, blogging requires continuous effort. If you are
planning on quitting your regular job for blogging, then be prepared to
work on a regular basis. An ordinary business relies on the products you
sell. So even if you stop working on it for sometime, it won’t make
much of a difference. A blog is different though. As soon as you stop
working on it, it starts to fade away. Hence, it relies upon you, rather
than the services you offer.

In the end, I would like you to share your experience with us by simply
answering a few questions in the comments section, so that our readers
might get a better idea of how much do bloggers actually make. Simply,
copy and paste the following questions in the comment box, and type out
your replies next to them!

• Blog Niche? :
• Page-views per month? :
• How long it took to get a decent income? :
• Monthly Income? :
• How much time do you spend per day on your blog? :
• Main income streams? :

Remember, if you like, you can keep your confidentiality, and don’t
mention your name or website URL! Just an ‘Anonymous’ would do. All I
ask is, please be honest about it. Thanks for your co-operation 🙂

Why Every Freelancer Today Wants To Be A Blogger?

Freelancing and Blogging are among the many ways you can earn money online. We have been sharing tips on both at this blog. But the question is, which one is better? Sure, they both have their share of pros and cons,
but the fact is, they are increasingly becoming inter-dependent. Most
freelancers are now aspiring to become bloggers at some level or
another. Why? Because it’s their need of the hour! So the greater
question is, should one start blogging as a career?
Freelance work is increasingly demanding the presence of blogging,
which is why a lot of Freelancers are now bloggers as well. Here’s why
you should blog if you are a freelancer.

An easier way to get yourself noticed

Blogging gives freelancers an opportunity to represent themselves on a
whole new level. Let’s face it, the idea of describing yourself in just
two lines in a profile is just ridiculous. Hence, when applying for a
freelancing job, that is when a blog comes in handy. Besides your bio
and portfolio, you can add a link to your blog. Now, you can tap into
the vast power of a blog, and show them your entire work. You can show
stuff that’s not even related to the job you’ve bid for. This creates a
really positive impression, which is why many freelancers are now
starting to blog.

More credibility

Established bloggers have credibility. They have had contacts with
professional people, and they have gotten a name out for themselves, and
hence gained some recognition. They are also active on social media.
Now freelance clients always prefer giving a project to someone who
seems real enough, and whom they can contact through multiple channels
in case of an emergency.

Take a case study for example. You want some work done, and you’ve had
some bids regarding your project. There’s this guy who just has some bio
and profile filled out, and then there’s another one who has linked to
his blog and social profiles, and has testimonials or references. Which
one of them would you hire? Or more precisely, whom will be easier to
trace, should there be any emergency? See what I mean? Having a blog
means you won’t be running away, which provides some level of
security-comfort to the clients.

Bloggers are prioritized

Bloggers, and people with online presence are always prioritized. This
is because bloggers tend to have a broader perspective on thing
especially related to the internet, and they are open to ideas. Many
bloggers even have a skill-set regarding web-mastering, web designing,
working with graphics, and so on. Hence, in projects that require
multiple skill-sets, bloggers are preferred as their skills can easily
be judged from the blogs they manage.

Something new to learn

Above all, blogging isn’t just about writing. It’s a lot more than that.
Freelancers or people who don’t have a clue about web-design can start
blogging. But along the way, they get to learn new things, and new
technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. And these are
valuable skills to have, and expands the variety of jobs they can bid
for.

Take a graphic designer for example, who earns his living through
freelancing. He might not know about web-development. But once he starts
blogging, he will start learning new things. Knowledge is something
that stays with you throughout your life. And using these newly-learned
skills, a freelancer can pick up the relevant jobs as well, in addition
to the jobs matching his previous skill-sets.

Additional sources of income

And then comes the money. We have discussed about making money from a blog
countless times. Blogging can prove to be a substantial source of
income if done for some time with hard work and dedication. A freelancer
does not know whether he will find work next month or not. But to a
blogger who has an established blog, this isn’t a concern. Income from
blogs is more dependable, which is why blogging looks to freelancers
like a regular office job, but only one which can be done at home.

When it comes to blogging vs freelancing,
both offer real opportunities. But why not take advantage of both if
you can? Looking at the opportunities bloggers have, it’s no wonder more
and more freelancers are coming over to this practice. If you are a
freelancers, then it definitely would be a good idea to at least try it
out. Who knows, it could be the break you’ve looking for :D. All the
best 🙂