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Can One Still Make Money Blogging

by ejullya
49 replies
New blogs are popping up all the time. The greatest majority of the newbies begin to blog with the hope of making money blogging.

But, can it still be done? Just by looking at some examples such as Pat Flynn and John Chow, we know that it used to be possible. Each of these marketers are making 6 figure incomes from their blogs. But their blogs have been established a long time ago.

Do you think that it is still possible to make money with a blog if you have very limited budget, basically one that just covers your expenses for your domain name, hosting and autoresponder.

Can it be done in a relatively short time, like a few months and only using free traffic methods to drive traffic to the new blog?

I am not talking about six figure income. I am thinking more like a thousand dollars to begin with in a couple of months

I think it can be done if:
  • the blog adheres to a chosen topic
  • if the blog articles are unique and posted regularly
  • If one spends regular time daily on driving traffic to the blog using free methods such as commenting on blogs, submitting articles to article directories, participating in FB groups
What are your thoughts. Can it be done? Any suggestions?

Added info: Can it be done by spending only 1-2 hours per day on the project?
#blogging #make #money
  • Profile picture of the author Josh MacDonald
    Of course. Use Twitter and Facebook to your advantage and it shouldn't turn out too difficult.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    Do you think that it is still possible to make money with a blog if you have very limited budget, basically one that just covers your expenses for your domain name, hosting and autoresponder.
    Yes.

    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    Can it be done in a relatively short time, like a few months and only using free traffic methods to drive traffic to the new blog?
    Yes, of course - if you know what you're doing, target the right traffic, build a responsive list, and put plenty of time and work into it.

    I'm not suggesting that you're likely to be making a living from one blog, "in a few months", but some people do. It's very much a viable business model: there's no question about that.

    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    I am thinking more like a thousand dollars to begin with in a couple of months
    It can be done, I think. It took me longer than that, though. I was earning a living after 6 months, but I earned almost nothing for the first 4 months. These things vary hugely. (I made a lot of mistakes, in the first 2-3 months).

    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    I think it can be done if:
    • the blog adheres to a chosen topic
    • if the blog articles are unique and posted regularly
    • If one spends regular time daily on driving traffic to the blog using free methods such as commenting on blogs, submitting articles to article directories, participating in FB groups
    What are your thoughts.
    The blog articles don't need to be unique: it's much better if they're syndicated as widely as possible after initially being published and indexed on the blog (they need to be unique at that point, certainly).

    Blog-commenting can drive a little traffic, in many niches. It's pretty time-consuming, though.

    Submitting articles to article directories (after they've been published and indexed on the blog, of course), is simply a stepping-stone to re-publication elsewhere, not a way of driving traffic in its own right. No article marketer wants potential customers coming to their own site from an article directory, for all the reasons explained in the post. That isn't who those copies of the articles are for, at all. Explained in this thread: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5068872

    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    Can it be done? Any suggestions?
    Yes, it can be done. I did it this way: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5721774

    There are other ways, too, of course.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Hi Alexa

      Thank you for stopping by and posting such a valuable comment. (I love reading your comments on WF.)

      A group of us were given a challenge to see if it can be done. The minimum time of involvement was 60 focused minutes per day. I am feeling that giving it only 60 minutes per day may not be enough.

      Alexa, you touched upon "building a responsive list". I've been having a difficulty with that. I offer value "email articles" to my subscribers but really in the end my list is not very responsive. (It is a fairly small list).

      Would you have any good suggestions? I would really appreciate it.

      Thanks,

      Dita
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Hi Dita,

        Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

        I am feeling that giving it only 60 minutes per day may not be enough.
        Ooh, I instinctively agree - it might not be nearly enough!

        I was working over 20 hours per week, when I started (though admittedly I had fairly little idea what I was doing, at that point, and I did probably waste most of that time, with hindsight ).

        Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

        I've been having a difficulty with that. I offer value "email articles" to my subscribers but really in the end my list is not very responsive. (It is a fairly small list).

        Would you have any good suggestions? I would really appreciate it.
        I always think that "responsiveness" (assuming it isn't an unresponsive niche, or unresponsive traffic demographics) is determined by what happens immediately before, while, and immediately after people actually opt in.

        See if any of these helps (if you haven't already seen them)?

        How to build a list: What are the essential things to know about list building?

        How to communicate with a list: Lists: How Long to Presell - Averages

        What to use (and what not to use!) as a "free report": Where to get reports to give away on opt in page?
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Mensah
    yes, you can definately still make money blogging it does take
    time but once you set it up and keep putting up fresh articles on your blog
    and doing the right things so google finds them you can make money with it.
    Also, on your site make sure you have it optimized to convert.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author marcos08
    I agree with a lot of the posts, it does depend on your strategy and it does not happen overnight, but yes it can be done and many big name marketers have made a great start and impact in their business by blogging as a start for them, though it is better to then also introduce other techniques such as relationship building with your list and creating products to get into the more serious levels of monetary gain!
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  • Profile picture of the author natf
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    But, can it still be done? Just by looking at some examples such as Pat Flynn and John Chow, we know that it used to be possible. Each of these marketers are making 6 figure incomes from their blogs. But their blogs have been established a long time ago.
    Have you ever seen a new restaurant open in your town, even though there are already plenty of well-established places?

    Some make it, some don't.

    Blogging is no different. It's never "too late" to start, you just need to give people a good reason to start reading and to keep coming back.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by natf View Post

      Have you ever seen a new restaurant open in your town, even though there are already plenty of well-established places?

      Some make it, some don't.

      Blogging is no different. It's never "too late" to start, you just need to give people a good reason to start reading and to keep coming back.
      That is a good point. Also no new restaurant can claim that it made it within a short time. I know that establishing a successful blog is going to take time and effort.

      Therefore the question. Can one make money with a blog in a fairly short time, like a couple of months? Likely, if one talks about a few dollar. But is it possible to make a thousand in a couple months.

      That's the challenge.
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  • Profile picture of the author PvPGuy
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    Can it be done in a relatively short time, like a few months and only using free traffic methods to drive traffic to the new blog?
    This depends on two basic things:
    1. Your ability to communicate and network (and knowing sources to target)
    2. Your skill in areas that you can't afford to outsource (content, site design, niche/kw research, copywriting, seo/ppc)

    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    I am not talking about six figure income. I am thinking more like a thousand dollars to begin with in a couple of months
    1 sale a day could be ~$1k per month. Just from an SEO perspective using free methods, 100 targeted visitors per day is easily achievable; a 1% conversion rate is very reasonable on well-qualified traffic, and if you aren't at 100 (targeted) visitors per day by the end of 45 days just with SEO you did something wrong.

    So there is a ton of work involved, but with just a domain, hosting, auto-responder and a ton of organized effort you can absolutely blog your way to $12k/year.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by PvPGuy View Post

      This depends on two basic things:

      1 sale a day could be ~$1k per month. Just from an SEO perspective using free methods, 100 targeted visitors per day is easily achievable; a 1% conversion rate is very reasonable on well-qualified traffic, and if you aren't at 100 (targeted) visitors per day by the end of 45 days just with SEO you did something wrong.

      So there is a ton of work involved, but with just a domain, hosting, auto-responder and a ton of organized effort you can absolutely blog your way to $12k/year.
      Hi PvPGuy,

      Of course, it also depends on what you are offering and the price of your offers.

      I believe that the key words in your response are "ton of work involved" and getting "well qualified traffic". So given that SEO is in order, one should expect about 100 target visitors. That is reasonable.

      I believe that perhaps the downfall of the challenge may be the 60 minutes per day. I am sure that this element of the challenge may have to be raised to more than 60 minutes per day.
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      • Profile picture of the author PvPGuy
        Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

        Hi PvPGuy

        I believe that the key words in your response are "ton of work involved" and getting "well qualified traffic". So given that SEO is in order, one should expect about 100 target visitors. That is reasonable.

        I believe that perhaps the downfall of the challenge may be the 60 minutes per day. I am sure that this element of the challenge may have to be raised to more than 60 minutes per day.
        Well, as for a ton of work, that really depends on what resources you already have available to mitigate the skills and setup required. You asked about free methods, so naturally that rules out any outsourcing, which would further mitigate the "tonnage" of effort involved.

        Other mitigating factors would be previous investments like WP plugins or themes that you own; articles or plr you already possess and the like. And of course lastly, any relationships you might already have with potential traffic sources would also shorten the timeframe.

        My initial comments were very general in nature; your specific challenge parameters certainly restrict the flow of energy but it doesn't change the amount of work involved, which is relative based on factors mentioned above and below.

        Some people can have their site up in minutes, while others aren't sure what free theme of the month to use. Do you need a lot of content on your site, or will just a handful of articles be enough? This can be niche dependent but not always. It can also depend on whether you are targeting search engine rankings, going straight for syndication, or both.

        There are a number of blog networks that are currently free to join. Some are better than others, but it's a no-cost way to start networking. Are you a decent writer for your niche? Do you know what subjects to target? How to write great headlines? Or would you better off working the mines of the Internet by joining and being active in forums and groups?

        Anyway, I wanted to elaborate a little bit, because my comment that you focused on is somewhat relative. Doing it all in 1hr chunks is feasible if you already know what to do and have a plan of action that will allow you to be successful.
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  • Profile picture of the author StevenJones
    Yes you can...

    But here's the catch..

    Are you going for an own blog on your own hosting and do all the promotion yourself? Or are you going to join a blogging network that already has the power of leverage to quickly get your blog post on the top of Google.

    The latter would obviously be more interesting, but if you really want to brand yourself you should go with your own hosting and domain.. However.. Do you really want to brand yourself if you can make easy money while using the leverage of an existing network?

    Food for thought!

    Steven
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by StevenJones View Post

      Yes you can...

      But here's the catch..

      Are you going for an own blog on your own hosting and do all the promotion yourself? Or are you going to join a blogging network that already has the power of leverage to quickly get your blog post on the top of Google.

      The latter would obviously be more interesting, but if you really want to brand yourself you should go with your own hosting and domain.. However.. Do you really want to brand yourself if you can make easy money while using the leverage of an existing network?

      Food for thought!

      Steven
      Steven, is is a self hosted blog so no leverage from a blogging network. Good thought, though.
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  • Profile picture of the author jungl
    It sure is possible, but it is still quite difficult to start making real money, and the frustration of not making any money might turn off some beginners. eBay, Fiverr, (combine the two by finding a bestselling gig and reselling it on eBay for more!) and other websites can be easier for beginners and blogs are generally better to create once you have a reasonable reputation/following on other sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author khooster1
    Blogging works great for beginners when you have low budget.

    1.It is important to define the niche of your blog..
    This helps your blog to rank quicker because Google love authority site.

    2. keyword Research
    You will need to have some knowledge on SEO for this. PM me if you need some help.
    Try targeting long-tailed keywords with low competition.
    Also include buyer words such as "where to, how to, fast, tips, etc"

    3. Formatting your blog
    Have your keywords in the metatag, titles, etc.
    Please don't stuff your content with keywords.. It doesn't works that way.
    Includes LSI words in your content

    4. Distribution/ backlinks.
    There are many ways to do so..
    Submit your content to directories such as articles directories, doc directories, video directories, Web 2.0 properties, podcast directories.

    The key is to link back to your sites.

    5. Monetizing your blog.
    Only monetizing your blog when you have good content already.
    Your visitors need to spend time in your blog clicking for information.
    This will reduce your bounce rate.

    The hidden secret in any IM business is the ability to make your visitors click.the more your visitors click, the higher chances they will click your offer.

    There are lots of monetizing methods such as Adsense, clickbank, CPA, Banners, etc..
    These are easy once your blog is popular.

    6. Wash And Rinse..
    In Internet Business, it is a simple job but very repetitive.. Boring at time..
    You will have to repeat the process again & again..

    My suggestion is to get VA to do this after you make some mone from this.
    Move on to do other projects

    Hope these help!!

    Post your questions here. We will try to help!!





    .
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  • Profile picture of the author ejullya
    PvPGuy and Khooster1

    Thank you both for such comprehensive comments. I really appreciate it.

    You both have raised excellent points. In a sense, it just confirms my feeling that a newbie blogger would most likely have a great difficulty to make that kind of income in mere 60 days and only working for 60 minutes per day (although more is an option)

    I think this challenge I am a part of will work well for someone who already has some experience in IM. For a newbie, I think it will take much longer.

    Thanks again for your valuable suggestions.

    Dita
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    • Profile picture of the author serryjw
      Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

      PvPGuy and Khooster1

      Thank you both for such comprehensive comments. I really appreciate it.

      You both have raised excellent points. In a sense, it just confirms my feeling that a newbie blogger would most likely have a great difficulty to make that kind of income in mere 60 days and only working for 60 minutes per day (although more is an option)

      I think this challenge I am a part of will work well for someone who already has some experience in IM. For a newbie, I think it will take much longer.

      Thanks again for your valuable suggestions.

      Dita
      I would walk cautiously with today's update of Google's Panda & Penguin. Authorship is going to be the key. I don't know how curated content is going to work with Google update.
      I'd put in a Google alert on the above and read everything!
      http://the-seo-proz.com/upcoming-panda-and-penguin-updates-is-your-site-ready/
      https://plus.google.com/105242813583...ts/YDX4caEUAw2
      https://plus.google.com/communities/...28845467390263

      Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author ijohnson
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post


    I think it can be done if:
    • the blog adheres to a chosen topic
    • if the blog articles are unique and posted regularly
    • If one spends regular time daily on driving traffic to the blog using free methods such as commenting on blogs, submitting articles to article directories, participating in FB groups
    What are your thoughts. Can it be done? Any suggestions?

    Added info: Can it be done by spending only 1-2 hours per day on the project?
    I think it CAN be done once you have all the above-referenced basic elements in place. One to two hours a day may be sufficient to complete tasks necessary to drive traffic to your blog and offers.

    However, you must be focused and driven. You need to have a written plan of action and/or a checklist of all the places you need to hit and all the tasks you need to complete daily, weekly, and monthly to ensure that the clicks you generate will convert into cash.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sunnybeach7
      I think there is a good chance.. though I'm not certain in that time frame.. but if you are good at SEO, back-linking and stuff.. you might be able to do pretty well to start.
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      • Profile picture of the author EliteAffiliate
        Depends on the niche and the products you're pitching. It has to be set up correctly to get the traffic into a sales funnel of some sort. As for free traffic, try guest blogging on high traffic blogs with an author bio and link at the bottom.

        I don't do blogging, though my partner does and makes a killing with it getting free traffic from Pinterest.
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  • Profile picture of the author JHandy
    I think you absolutely can still make money from blogging. The key point is that everyone has some type of attraction factor. Once you begin to put yourself out there, especially if you're hanging out in your niche market, you're bound to pick up a few followers.

    The ones you attract, I may not be able to. Now granted I'm not too naive to the point where I'm not saying you shouldn't have good content and valuable information for them to want to follow you. But my point is, when others say that blogging is maybe outdated a little, they may be off the mark just a tad.

    If it works for one, it can work for others. You just need to take the time to build your audience to higher levels. It should help if you have a leveraged network. You'll obviously get there faster, but if you don't there's nothing wrong with a little elbow grease and fast fingers. It's still possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author ejullya
    I would like to thank everyone I have not thanked thus far for taking time from your busy schedules to offer your suggestions.

    All the suggestions are of real value.
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinPlatt
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    New blogs are popping up all the time. The greatest majority of the newbies begin to blog with the hope of making money blogging.

    But, can it still be done? Just by looking at some examples such as Pat Flynn and John Chow, we know that it used to be possible. Each of these marketers are making 6 figure incomes from their blogs. But their blogs have been established a long time ago.

    Do you think that it is still possible to make money with a blog if you have very limited budget, basically one that just covers your expenses for your domain name, hosting and autoresponder.

    Can it be done in a relatively short time, like a few months and only using free traffic methods to drive traffic to the new blog?

    I am not talking about six figure income. I am thinking more like a thousand dollars to begin with in a couple of months

    I think it can be done if:
    • the blog adheres to a chosen topic
    • if the blog articles are unique and posted regularly
    • If one spends regular time daily on driving traffic to the blog using free methods such as commenting on blogs, submitting articles to article directories, participating in FB groups
    What are your thoughts. Can it be done? Any suggestions?

    Added info: Can it be done by spending only 1-2 hours per day on the project?
    It absolutely can be done, although I would expect it to take longer, unless you have a very unique approach, or exceptional information.

    The problem with blogging is that it can take a time to get noticed by the public, and therefore get decent traffic and rankings.
    Making worthwhile money doesn't usually happen until you're on the first page of Google for at least one keyword phrase - one with enough traffic to get some decent visits (2000-3000 visits per month minimum)
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    Martin Platt
    martin-platt.com

    Stuck with earning commissions online? Get this get this uncensored affiliate marketing guide for free (sold as coaching for $4,997)

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  • Profile picture of the author akif
    i believe this is the most important thing that a blogger should learn and remember.

    Always have your firm grip on the content. content is king, be original and be more consistant.

    Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Henri Lind
    Yes you can. Keep blogging constantly, build a readership, become an authority in your niche and recommend great products.
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  • Profile picture of the author TopOfTheMornin
    It takes a commitment to write, write, write. If you can put up quality content daily and promote it some of the ways discussed above, it can be done.
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  • Profile picture of the author himanuzo
    If you want to make money by blogging only - focus one niche and pick affiliate products which related to the niche. And make sure to provide high quality contents for the blog. And don't forget to build a list - by using autoresponder service or RSS tool or social media such as Twitter, Facebook.

    Focus one niche and also one blog. Then you can make thousands of dollars monthly.
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  • Profile picture of the author man88
    In my opinion yes, they still can work it out like John Chow or other successful bloggers one day if they able to analyse the market trend, what's market do really want,their professional niche and utilize social medias to marketing.

    It just depends how many effort you are put in to really make this works.
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  • Profile picture of the author kpmedia
    It really depends on how much work you put into it. There's still people that believe you can buy some "turnkey" software/class/whatever and do nothing and get rich. It doesn't work that way. Too many posers selling snake oil in the affiliate marketing world.

    Be careful! Be smart!
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  • Profile picture of the author Neil Day
    Hi ejullya

    Try these links to see if they answer your question

    Can You REALLY Make Money Blogging? [7 Things I Know About Making Money from Blogging] : @ProBlogger

    How Do Bloggers Make Money? How My Blogs Pay the Bills : Quips and Tips for Successful Writers

    How To Make Money With A Blog

    Cheers

    Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author mclaughlin47
    Yes, you can still make money from blogging.

    But you can't just blog and share it on the social media platforms expecting tons of traffic.

    Even if you do have a ton of traffic but you lack strong calls to action on your opt in forms, then it's a waste of time.

    To be successful you have to have good and valuable content. Good valuable content is solving a problem (how to articles, unbiased product reviews, etc).

    Then you make sure that your post's are SEO optimized and you have plenty of quality backlinks (tons of great gigs on Fiverr that can do this).

    Then of course, blast on all social media platforms without spamming and you have a powerful money making machine. As a matter of fact , if you have valuable content then you wouldn't be spamming at all since you are not selling anything but solving a problem.

    Another great strategy I use is to always bring my list back to my blog by emailing them with every blog post I write. This seems to work great because my posts always have a solution to the most common problems in my niche.

    It took me a while to get everything right but once I did my blog is what generates the funds the front end of my business... and... creates loyal followers who turn into raving fans and will buy just about everything you're offering once they get on your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    To make money blogging you have to be in it for the long haul, keep consistent with posts, and find a way to get subscribers (offer some type of lead bait).

    Unless you are doing SEO's product reviews then it takes a while to build up traffic to a new blog.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Hey Warriors. You are simply awesome. Your responses will not only help my challenge but I am sure they are also helping the bloggers that are lurking.

      ijohnson, you said : " ...However, you must be focused and driven. You need to have a written plan of action and/or a checklist of all the places you need to hit and all the tasks you need to complete daily..."

      I agree, without a question this is a must!

      akif, you said :.... "Always have your firm grip on the content. content is king, be original and be more consistant..."

      I do believe in creating content that offers value to the audience. As well, consistency is another key, because when people visit your blog and there is nothing new they will not come back.

      Neil Day: thanks for the links, they are a great resource

      mclaughlin47: ... "Even if you do have a ton of traffic but you lack strong calls to action on your opt in forms, then it's a waste of time..."

      Yeah, I have seen this happen on a popular blog that has a ton of traffic but is not making much money at all. There were no calls to actions and products that were used by this blogger were not linked at all. I think these days many bloggers are afraid of offending their readers.

      Dita

      P.S. Also thanks to everyone else who is helping here
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      • Profile picture of the author glennshep
        Hi Dita,

        Yes it's absolutely possible. However, just how much, how often and how consistently depends on so many factors, many of which have already been mentioned by the great comments above.

        I think for a total beginner, with absolutely no background, no experience and no prior knowledge, to spend just 60 minutes per day and achieve the goal you mentioned could be a bit much to expect. However I think that it's certainly possible so long as it's done in the correct way.

        What may make it especially hard for an absolute beginner is if they were to try it just on their own, without any training, advice or help. But if shown what to do, how, why and when then I think that's a whole different ball game. They say that "knowledge is power" and I think that if you know what you're doing then you can certainly achieve the type of results you speak of
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  • Profile picture of the author itravel2004
    Originally Posted by ejullya View Post

    New blogs are popping up all the time. The greatest majority of the newbies begin to blog with the hope of making money blogging.

    But, can it still be done? Just by looking at some examples such as Pat Flynn and John Chow, we know that it used to be possible. Each of these marketers are making 6 figure incomes from their blogs. But their blogs have been established a long time ago.

    Do you think that it is still possible to make money with a blog if you have very limited budget, basically one that just covers your expenses for your domain name, hosting and autoresponder.

    Can it be done in a relatively short time, like a few months and only using free traffic methods to drive traffic to the new blog?

    I am not talking about six figure income. I am thinking more like a thousand dollars to begin with in a couple of months

    I think it can be done if:
    • the blog adheres to a chosen topic
    • if the blog articles are unique and posted regularly
    • If one spends regular time daily on driving traffic to the blog using free methods such as commenting on blogs, submitting articles to article directories, participating in FB groups
    What are your thoughts. Can it be done? Any suggestions?

    Added info: Can it be done by spending only 1-2 hours per day on the project?
    I believe yes, however you need some times to build it up. Some of them make tons of money on Squidoo via blogging.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Bumstead
    I think it depends a lot on how you monetize the blog. Here's a little story...

    My wife says to me one day "Do you know that my friend (so-and-so) gets 150,000 people to her blog a month?"

    Me (being too cocky like I tend to be): "Psssht... no. That's not accurate. There is no way that's accurate. I've seen their house and it's tiny."

    My wife: "Seriously - look at this article that was written up about her in the local paper."

    Me (now more curious): "Ask her how much she is making off of her blog."

    A few hours pass-

    My wife: "She is making about $4K a month"


    Now how many of us on here could figure out a way to make more than $4,000 a month if we were getting 150K monthly visits on our niche website? She doesn't have an opt-in. She hasn't created a product around the niche. She could definitely be adding more value to the lives of people who visit her blog.

    She is so close to doing really good and she doesn't even know it.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by Nathan Bumstead View Post

      I think it depends a lot on how you monetize the blog. Here's a little story...

      My wife says to me one day "Do you know that my friend (so-and-so) gets 150,000 people to her blog a month?"

      Me (being too cocky like I tend to be): "Psssht... no. That's not accurate. There is no way that's accurate. I've seen their house and it's tiny."

      My wife: "Seriously - look at this article that was written up about her in the local paper."

      Me (now more curious): "Ask her how much she is making off of her blog."

      A few hours pass-

      My wife: "She is making about $4K a month"


      Now how many of us on here could figure out a way to make more than $4,000 a month if we were getting 150K monthly visits on our niche website? She doesn't have an opt-in. She hasn't created a product around the niche. She could definitely be adding more value to the lives of people who visit her blog.

      She is so close to doing really good and she doesn't even know it.
      Hi Nathan,

      Thanks for sharing the story. It is a good one.

      I am not surprised at all. I've had the same experience with one of my friends. I am not sure exactly how high here traffic was (it is a very well visited blog) but she was making hardly any money.

      She did have an optin box and even had quite a few subscribers. The problem was that she was very "gentle" promoting stuff. She was really afraid that she was going to offend her readers. I felt it was such a shame. She did not have call to action and she did not link her products.
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  • Profile picture of the author MKCookins
    In short yes. To make money online you need to two be able to do 2 things....

    1. Generate Traffic
    2. Get that traffic to take action

    If you can do these two things - then you can make endless amounts of money.

    Blogging allows you to create useful content for visitors to come and view. You then can monetize this traffic through ad sense, affiliate programs, your own products, etc etc..
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  • Profile picture of the author jocosity
    My brother in law is attempting to make money blogging and by performing reiki. We'll see how that works out..
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    • Profile picture of the author wesd22
      I wouldn't bother. The blogs that make money have teams of people working for them. Tech crunch, Mashable etc. you will never be able to compete with them. Plus there is the first mover advantage. Name some blogs that sprung up in 2012 that make a ton of money. That's the sound of crickets.

      The Internet is full of blogs that are ghostowns. Just look at the number of comments their articles get. Again crickets.

      You'll make more from working at McDonalds than from blogging. Making a real income from blogging is a thing of the past. You're going to have put in an insane amount of time, effort, and learning just to make a very mediocre income from it. Blogs require writing, design, marketing, social media counterpart pages, guest blogging, link building, and so on. You'll be way better of making money from going where everyone hangs out nowadays, like Facebook than doing blogging. Personally I've made more this week from my Facebook page than I have from my blogs in two years.
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    Blogging is not a way to make fast money. You must have a lot of traffic if you want to make money with ads.

    Most bloggers make money by selling their products or affiliate products through their blogs.

    You have to keep updating your blog with interesting posts. In the beginning it can be done with the knowledge you already have, but if this knowledge is not enough, you will have to spend time with research. You’ll have to write something new and interesting for your blog readers without stopping.

    Blogging becomes more difficult with time. You can easily write about everything you know in the beginning, but you’ll have to keep writing… This is not easy.

    You have to be realistic and think about your blog as a long term marketing tool you that you will have to feed with great content all the time.

    You can pay someone else to write your blog posts for you, but this causes a dependence on someone else’s work.

    You can also publish guest posts once in a while, without having to write yourself all blog posts, but you must be the main expert at your blog. The guest posts will simply add value, and help you rest for a while. They cannot substitute your words.

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  • Profile picture of the author mert
    It's all possible but not the time you've mentioned. 2 hours can be long but there's a lot of work to do (not to mention the delays). If you're goal is a couple of month's it would not be a 50-50 chance.

    But if you spend adequate time on your project, nothing is impossible. Of course, you've got to have what it takes (skills, experience and knowledge, as well as an impeccable blogging skills).

    It takes a whole of experience, but if you can pull it together and maintain the level of commitment you have it certainly is doable!
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by mert View Post

      It's all possible but not the time you've mentioned. 2 hours can be long but there's a lot of work to do (not to mention the delays). If you're goal is a couple of month's it would not be a 50-50 chance.

      But if you spend adequate time on your project, nothing is impossible. Of course, you've got to have what it takes (skills, experience and knowledge, as well as an impeccable blogging skills).

      It takes a whole of experience, but if you can pull it together and maintain the level of commitment you have it certainly is doable!
      As the experiment is going along I am beginning to feel that 60 minutes is just not enough. To be honest, not even a couple of hours per day. I know that once the traffic will pick up things will look better and success is possible. Until then, it is a lot of hours.
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  • Profile picture of the author mshajid
    Yes still could make a good income stream through blogging. All you have to do is gathering and putting fresh articles to your blog anyway and it should be well optimized with keyword which keyword you targeting for? Do some social signals to the recent posts (Google +, Tweet, Pinterest, FB Likes) Well Give a one stumble on Stumbleupon. haha ! From few minutes you'll see the magic.

    By the way blogging is really takes time to make more money unless if you invested on it for everything therefore it's pointless to invest on blogging too.! First create a blog and add a fresh article make sure list your subscribers. That's the very easy way to target more awesome traffics And you'll make auto income stream
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by mshajid View Post

      Yes still could make a good income stream through blogging. All you have to do is gathering and putting fresh articles to your blog anyway and it should be well optimized with keyword which keyword you targeting for? Do some social signals to the recent posts (Google +, Tweet, Pinterest, FB Likes) Well Give a one stumble on Stumbleupon. haha ! From few minutes you'll see the magic.

      By the way blogging is really takes time to make more money unless if you invested on it for everything therefore it's pointless to invest on blogging too.! First create a blog and add a fresh article make sure list your subscribers. That's the very easy way to target more awesome traffics And you'll make auto income stream
      Tank you mshajid. I am going to add more time to social signalling, I am lagging behind in that.

      I am also going to do some web 2.0 to help me bring some traffic to the blog.

      I will keep you posted.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raimundas M
    It's more than possible.
    My IM blog (without email marketing) makes four figures every month consistantly.

    I post just one article a week as I have more important things than blogging.

    I liked Ryan Deiss's idea on reversed guest blogging. Where bloggers write articles for you and you get free traffic from SEO and social networks.

    This is something that is going be huge in the future I guess.
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    • Profile picture of the author ejullya
      Originally Posted by Raimundas M View Post

      I liked Ryan Deiss's idea on reversed guest blogging idea. Where bloggers write articles for you and you get free traffic from SEO and social networks.

      This is something that I'm gonna be huge in the future I guess.
      I am aware of Ryan's idea. That is a part his new product. It is quite interesting and it sounds like it has a merit
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Lim
    I've been blogging since 2008 and had generate around 3 figure profits per month constantly.

    Which that was I first revenue when I first started internet marketing, I still remember I don't know much about IM earlier, the competition was weak and I simply take any niche I like and try lure google traffic.

    That's was the past but then I stopped on 2011, it seems these free traffic sources from Google is not constant and without knowing when it would take off your site from their list. Which could gives a instant KO.

    Of course I will believe that someone else out there are still getting a 6 figure profit per month, but then this case would be really rare.

    The trick was, where you get your visitors and if that's really the visitors from the market you're targeting. Google are indeed helding vast traffic, but they are not going to spare you that tiny traffic for no reason. Also in my opinion, blogging leech one's time and it's a constant profit progress. You should think of something else, some market which you could see the money on your efforts.
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