Full-time blogging can be rewarding and for some, increase their income each month. In fact, there are 31.7 million bloggers in the U.S. But how do you build a career out of writing on a blog?
While making money as a full time blogger might seem like it’s too good to be true, it is possible for writers who put the time and dedication into not only blogging but also marketing and learning new skills like SEO.
Here are several things you can learn about to work towards making blogging your full-time job!
Why full-time blogging can be a compelling career
This can be a fun and rewarding career that can either be a full-time pursuit or be done part-time. Many bloggers will supplement their day job with income from blogging before making the switch to full-time blogging.
There are many reasons why someone might decide to become a full time blogger. For one, it offers more freedom than your typical 9-to-5 job.
Want to work while traveling? Need to take mornings off to drop your kids off at school? Making a living as a blogger gives you that flexibility.
How do you make money blogging full-time?
Full-time blogging can be a lucrative side gig. On average, bloggers tend to make about $45,521 per year. That number can vary depending on the type of content you are creating, how big your audience is, and how you are monetizing your blog.
Affiliate links
For example, you can make money through affiliate links to products you recommend. Many brands offer affiliate programs, which give you a small fee every time someone makes a purchase using your link.
Amazon is one of the most popular affiliate marketing programs among bloggers but there are many others.
Products
You can also offer courses or products based on the niche you blog about, such as e-courses or workbooks.
For example, if you're a marketing blogger, you can offer a course for readers on marketing 101 or include an end-of-the-year marketing workbook.
Advertisements
Another way to make money from full-time blogging is to make money through ads. With ads, you can place banners on your site in exchange for a fee, or use a pay-per-click ad, where you make money every time someone clicks on the link.
Pay-per-impression is another way to make money but instead of getting paid when the ad is clicked, you receive money (usually a few cents) every time the ad appears on your blog.
How to become a full time blogger
While blogging full-time can lead to a flexible and lucrative career, it likely won’t happen overnight.
There are some things you should have set up in order to make blogging work. If you’re interested in making a living out of blogging, here are the steps to take to get started:
1. Don’t give up your day job immediately
If you want to become a blogger, don’t quit your day job. Blogging can be a lot of work. You may not make enough to live on, at least in the beginning.
Working on your blog while you still have a steady income can help you save and make the transition into full-time blogging.
2. Learn about marketing and SEO
A big driver of blogging is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and marketing. SEO is making sure you have quality content and that it answers the questions that your audience is looking for so that it shows up on Google.
The idea is to use things like keywords, internal linking, and other methods to improve your ranking on search result pages.
SEO is always changing and evolving. You need to stay current with the latest developments to make sure your pageviews don’t decrease when blogging full-time.
3. Choose a topic to write about
If you are determined to make a career out of full-time blogging, then make sure you are writing on a topic you know a lot about and enjoy writing about. Choosing a topic to write about is probably the most important decision you’ll have to make.
Think about the things you have a talent for. Maybe you love traveling and have a lot of knowledge about local insider tips for specific areas. Or maybe you make a lot of scrapbooks and want to blog about your love of scrapbooking.
Regardless of the topic, make sure it’s niche but broad enough for you to write on the topic on a regular basis.
4. Create a website
The next step towards becoming a blogger full time is to create a website. You can use sites like Squarespace or WordPress or create your own website.
Make sure to come up with a title that catches people’s attention but isn’t too long and hasn’t been created before. You may also consider having a social media presence and including links to your social accounts.
5. Plan a writing schedule
Blogging full-time can be time-consuming so it’s important to create a routine that fits you. Plan out a schedule of when you plan to write and publish articles.
You should also block time to work on things like admin tasks, SEO, and marketing. Having a routine is not only good for your business, but it can also be good for your health as well. And a routine could be a good way to prevent burnout.
6. Start blogging regularly
Once you have a niche and a website, it’s time to start blogging! Create about five or ten blog posts to begin with at once, then start posting on a regular basis.
What you shouldn't do is post every few months or just leave your blog untouched for months on end. Find time to post on a regular basis, even if it’s only a couple of times a month.
7. Learn how to drive traffic to your site
Full-time blogging isn’t just about writing articles and blog posts. You also need to drive traffic to your site.
You can do that through a combination of SEO, marketing, and social media. Pinterest for example is a great place to post images and links if you blog about things like crafting, cooking, or design.
8. Network with other bloggers
When you first start a blog it’s important to drive traffic to your site but also network with other bloggers in your niche.
Start by finding other bloggers in the same niche as you by doing a quick Google search. Comment on their recent blog posts and reach out to them on social media.
Share their posts as well on your own social media pages and get to know them a bit before reaching out directly.
And remember that full-time bloggers are busy so be respectful of their time and energy.
9. Monetize your blog
One of the reasons to become a full time blogger is to monetize your site. You probably don’t want to focus on monetization too much when you’re just starting out, but instead focus on quality content.
When you’re ready, you can start to add affiliate links and even sponsored posts to your blog. Amazon has a great affiliate program that is easy for beginner bloggers to use.
If there is a product you use that is related to your niche, you can check on the brand website to see if they offer affiliate programs.
10. Create your own products and services
Another way to monetize your blog as full-time blogger is to offer services and courses to your followers. For instance, if you have a blog about marketing, you can create an online course or guide that readers can purchase.
Or maybe you have your own merchandise you want to promote. You can also use social media to gauge interest in particular items or services to see what your audience would like.
11. Optimize your content
If you’re blogging on a full time basis the fun doesn’t just end with posting blog posts. You also need to work on optimizing your content.
That means visiting older posts and updating them regularly to make sure they are accurate. Check the traffic on your site and pages to see how you are ranking. If there is a page that isn’t getting much traffic, you can use SEO to try to boost its views.
12. Keep working on your blog!
Blogging full-time can be time-consuming and you likely won’t see results right away. So don’t give up if you aren’t making $20,000 a month after blogging for three months.
There is a learning curve when it comes to blogging. Keep at it and put in a little bit of time each day.
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You can work towards becoming a full time blogger!
Full-time blogging can be a fun and rewarding career. It can allow you the freedom to work when you want, make a lot of connections, and write about the things you want to write about. It also takes time and requires learning new skill sets, such as marketing and SEO.
By planning out your schedule, doing a little bit each day, and figuring out your writing niche, you can build a blog and readership and move towards becoming a full-time blogger.
And as you learn more about how to be a writer, also find out how to create your writer's toolkit to be even more effective as a blogger.