Can blogs really make money?
Now that you are confident you are ready to blog for profit, you’ll need examine the next crucial question - can blogs really make money?
The answer is yes. The question is how much.
The easiest way to explain to you is by relating my own blogging experience.
I have started my old blog on Blogger.com in my personal interest. I didn’t expect it to evolve into a much larger website with its own domain name. TaufikBatisah.net was born from my infatuation over Singapore Idol season 1 (ah, that’s passion!) and relentless blogging, day and night. I was very disciplined in producing content for a specific group of people – the Idol followers and Taufik’s fans.
What I didn’t do was to blog for profit.
When the site readership was hitting 100,000, I realized there is an opportunity to monetize the traffic. So I registered for a Google Adsense account and planted ads on the site. I also used the customized search feature and referral for firefox download, but the income was really, really miniscule.
That was back in January 2005. By October 2005, my earning was US$ 100.42, averaging at US$10 per month). I immediately cashed in, and a check was released to me – oh, sweet joy!
Since that check, I have not cashed in my earning at all, letting it accumulate. During this period (November 2005 till now), I did not do much to optimise my ads placement etc. All I did was letting the ads sit on the site, and hope to get some clickthroughs from my visitors.
This is how much I earned since then:
The amount worked to an average of US$10 per month too. It is really very little money, considering that the website has very high traffic.
Where did I go “wrong”? Simply put, I did not set out to blog for profit. While the site achieves what it sets out to do – to promote Taufik to his fans and build a community of admirers – it simply didn’t make the cut to make loads of money.
Now compare that to these Bloggers:
- Yaro Starak made US$6,549.52 from his blogs in March 2007
- Darren Rowse made US$244,381.98 from Chitika (aff) since 2005, and it is only one of the many income streams he has from his blogs
Drastic difference, eh? Of course, I am drawing a comparison with some of the top bloggers out there and hence it might come across as too extreme, but it highlights two important points:
- If you want to blog for profit, you have to have the right mindset and the strategies to do it
- It is possible to make money blogging – just a little (like mine) or hell of a lot (like Yaro’s and Darren’s)
This blog is set out to test the strategies and tactics as outlined in Yaro’s Blogging for Profit (aff) e-book, and therefore, yes, it is set out to achieve effective blogging, in return of which I can earn some money, thus proving that, yes, Yaro’s blueprint works!
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5 Responses to “Can blogs really make money?”
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For USD10 per month, it’s too little. You deserve more than that.
I went over and took a look. I think the AdSense placement need to be higher.. and more obvious..
Right now, you’re putting them at the sidebar.. and it’s so low there..
Wow..$10 per month isn’t alot..
But I who knows your blog might bring in $187.97 per day in future..
You will have to give us a treat!
Eh Dude I dont think you are allowed to show your earning leh…. I remembered its one of the T&C.
http://groups.google.com/group/adsense-help-guidelines/browse_thread/thread/2bb11c796e581778/7a987aee93134665?lnk=gst&q=revealing+your+earnings+&rnum=2#7a987aee93134665
Anyway, of course blogs can earn $$$ just that you need time and commitment.
[…] Viral Voices - “Blog Profit Blueprint” in Action! […]
How come you have so much traffic and earn so little? Besides traffic, what are the things that can drive earnings in your blog?