Posted by on October 29th, 2009 View Comments
Posted in Blog Reviews |
Blogging has not only proven to be an effective link building method but a potent revenue-generating activity as well. A new crop of bloggers are raking in more profits than ever, reports Technorati’s Blogosphere. Usually, bloggers make money out of advertising space and other ad-related revenues. Today however, they also generate income by exploiting other avenues such as running conferences, doing speeches, and engaging in other media activities to generate link popularity and revenue from their blogs.
If you feature high quality content, you stand a greater chance not only of building traffic and enhancing link popularity, but hitting it big money-wise, too. Among the most common ways of monetizing blogs are the following:
Selling ad space. The easiest way for bloggers to earn money out of their site is to partner with advertising networks. This is almost hassle-free. There is no need to maintain ads inventory or sustain business relationships. By using a profit sharing model, you can sell goods or real estate on your RSS feed or blog.
Tip jar. The best thing about developing a blog with useful and meaningful content is not only the increase in traffic and link popularity. Some people who become fans of your site may decide to donate so you can continuously come up and write high quality and relevant content.
Affiliate program. This money-earning technique gets you to market other people’s goods or products. Every sale you complete entitles you a share in the commission. Still, this is relatively stress-free since there is no need for you to create products, maintain an inventory, do deliveries, or act as customer support.
Writing work. Bloggers can also get paid for writing articles or doing compensated reviews for other sites.
Merchandising. Blogs that are successful in link building campaigns go viral and end up with a loyal following. Utilizing your link popularity to sell merchandise such as mugs, T-shirts, and other similar items can earn you extra income. Blogs with high traffic can generate five-figure revenues in a given year.
Coaching and consulting. When you build credibility by successfully developing a blog that has topnotch link popularity and high search engine rankings, you may get offers for consultancy and coaching. A blog can be a feasible method for launching a successful professional career.A profile of money-earning bloggers
Earning money from blogs is not possible without the knowledge and ability to apply effective link building methods. One has to be equipped and skilled with SEO and link building techniques to create blogs with content that actually sell.
It is estimated that among money-earning bloggers, 54% do it as a part-time job, 32% are self-employed, and 14% are paid by corporations. Those who blog on a part-time or full-time basis generate income mainly through display and search ads. They also get a cut when a referral leads to a sale. Around 15% of them are paid during speaking engagements. Among the population of money-earning bloggers, about 17% earn mainly through blogging.
Most bloggers utilize self-serve ad platforms to improve link popularity but the usage of ad networks and blog ad networks is on the rise. In terms of content, around 70% of bloggers write about particular brands while 38% perform product or brand reviews.
Earnings from Blogs
How much exactly does a blogger earn on the average? Technorati computes the average income for a full-time blogger at $122,222. Part-time bloggers get a yearly income of around $14,777. This pegs the average income in blogging at $42,548.
There are bloggers who are paid to maintain sites and do link building activities to promote products of businesses or corporations. More than half of corporate bloggers earn wages for blogging. Other bloggers are also employed by a link building company specifically to help other people’s sites boost link popularity and get improved traffic. In comparison, self-employed bloggers, or those who invest in their own blog ventures, enjoy relatively lower but substantial costs. Usually, expenses in a blog business are broken down into the following: $1,060 for site development; $579 for hosting fees; $5,992 for personal salary; $2,268 for staff salaries; $620 for advertising costs. Overall, the general annual average costs for blogging businesses amount to $10,519.
The buzz about blogging as a powerful link building method has generated another form of hype about it: its capacity to make more money.
