For most people who start on the Internet, one of their main concern is how long does it take to make money blogging.
Why would you even ask such a question? You should blog for the love of your topic and not worry about money.
For many years some purists espoused this thinking. Write about what you love best, and the money will follow if you do this and do not make any money; who cares because you are getting personal satisfaction from your work?
In reality, it does matter if you are blogging for profit. This is what led to so many complications in the world of blogging.
The minute someone makes $1, they become an expert, and the next thing you know, you have 1 million people telling you all of the secrets of making money blogging.
SEO, ranking on Google, social media marketing, where to host, using WordPress, building a list from your blog, the best affiliate products to sell, creating your info products, and making money with display ads……
And blah, blah, blah, blah blah……
Instead of making money, bloggers lose money, and the love they had for their topic disappears, and they join a not-so-exclusive group of over 1 billion blogging quitters. Maybe not formal quitters, but people who have a dormant blog cluttering the World Wide Web.
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Come On David How Long?
Would you stick with your blog if I gave you approximate dates for making money blogging? I found the averages online from Amy Lynn Andrews of The Use letter fame.
1. In 6 months. You are earning $10 a month. Buy yourself a Starbucks.
2. 12 months. You are earning $100 a month or more. Congratulations, you cover your costs if you are doing most of your work. This can be a real part-time income.
3. In 24 months. You are earning a full-time income. How do I know? Because I did it and so have thousands of documented case studies.
4. In 60 months. You sell your blog for a 6 figure plus payout. You can call B.S. on this one if you want.
However, I suggest you look at the blog RankXl.com. Chris Lee sold it for over six figures in less than five years. He has done that multiple times.
Some real people start a blog by selling it for 30 to 40 times their monthly profit. They have this down to a science, which is their entire business model.
It is a form of blog flipping, but they start a blog at ground zero instead of buying a fixer-upper blog.
In the rest of this article, I want to answer the questions Google says are most pressing on the topic of:
– How long does it take to make a blog?
– Can you make money from a blog?
– How do beginner blogs make money?
– How much can I earn with blogging?
OK, here we go!
1. How long does it take to make a blog?
You literally can have a blog online in a few minutes. At Blogger.com, you can start a blog with Google for free and be ready to write your first post. I do not recommend this, but millions have done it.
I refer people to Wealthy Affiliate, where they walk you through setting up your first blog for free. This is a simple do this, click here method that any third-grader could do.
Setting up a blog takes zero technical ability and is only the tip of the blogging iceberg.
From here, it gets more complicated.
A. How long to write a blog post?
Google says a study on Orbit found the average blog post is written in 3 hours and 16 minutes. This is for a 1000-word blog post, by the way.
Wealthy Affiliate says your blog posts should average 1500 words. I read the same thing at ProBlogger.com once. I have also seen experts like Neil Patel and Brian Dean talk more about a 2000-word average.
They all say that it is not as much about the number of words as it is about what you say in those words. I agree with that.
However, if you have a goal of ranking on Google, understand that Google spiders words. The more you give them and the more variety in them, the better you have of ranking for those words.
B. What if I can’t write?
At this point, we are getting to what is happening in the world of blogging. Hiring a blog writer has become the norm for people beyond quitting and into full-time.
I see this happen all the time now because it becomes too demanding to write quality blog articles full-time. Sometimes, you don’t feel like writing if you’re doing this part-time. Rather than have a blog sitting in limbo, you’re better off hiring a professional blog writer.
I take this on good authority from Jon Dykstra of FatStacksBlog. He earns over $500K a year blogging and hires high-quality writers to do a lot of his writing for him.
Initially, he didn’t, but it’s just not possible to keep up with the demands of writing at a high level of quality if you’re in the content game trying to outrank your competitors. Even if you want to blog part-time, you can create a budget that will pay decent writers to write your content and still make a profit.
I think this should be the goal of every blogger when they first start.
2. Can you really make money from a blog?
I get why a blogging newbie would be skeptical. Can I make money blogging would be the first serious question? I would want to understand the answer too.
I have seen many authority blogs on blogging and making money come and go over the years. One that has stood the test of time is Darren Rouse at Pro Blogger.
Can You Make Money Blogging? [7 Things I Know About Making Money from Blogging] is an article from November 2012. We are just entering 2023, and this article is over nine years old now but just as relevant today as the day Darren wrote it.
His conclusion is yes, it is possible. However, most bloggers do not make a full-time income.
However, the number of those earning a full-time living from their blog has grown since 2012. I know this personally and would refer you to MakingSenseOfCents.
Michelle Schroeder started this blog in 2011. She now earns over $100,000 a month and travels the world blogging from wherever she is at.
3. How do beginner blogs make money?
Every blog makes money selling something. You might be selling ads on your posts.
You might be selling your product or someone else’s product. Some blogs are just there to support a company website where they sell a product or service.
A. How does the average newbie do it?
Affiliate marketing is the fastest way a beginner blog can make money. The reasons vary, but they are simple.
Most affiliate programs are free to join. When you become an affiliate, you immediately get access to everything you need to start making money.
This includes the basics of products and services to sell and marketing materials such as banners and text ads. Plus, you receive training on how to get traffic to your affiliate website or even start your website or blog.
Related Video: How Long Does It Take To Make Money Blogging?
B. Where do I find these affiliate programs?
They are everywhere. In my opinion, here are the four you should join.
1. Wealthy Affiliate. Wealthy Affiliate is a training program that also has an affiliate program where you can sell the training and many other things.
They offer a free 10-part training program on making money with affiliate marketing. They also have a premium program for $49 a month to earn $23.50 a month of residual income.
2. Amazon Associates. This is great for selling physical products, but of course, they also have digital products.
Amazon is one of the first to get into affiliate marketing back in the 1990s. It is impossible to run out of things to sell and make money on.
3. Clickbank. They are the most extensive digital information affiliate network on the Internet.
With one i.d. number, you can instantly be selling thousands of products. They have paid millions in commissions to their affiliates.
4. Google Adsense. Google has a display advertising pay-per-click affiliate program where you get paid when people click on ads.
There is no selling in a PPC affiliate program. Google pays billions to Affiliates all over the world.
Beginner blogs make money with these top programs. They also make money in many other ways, as you learn when you start your blog.
Let’s go back to what Amy Lynn Andrews says.
4. How much can I earn with blogging?
In 6 months, you are earning coffee money. By 12 months, you are making $100 a month or more.
At 24 months, you could be earning a full-time living. There is no ceiling on your income.
What are the variables?
This is a question I want to throw in because obviously, some people earn more money quicker than others.
Why is that?
The primary variables include…
- A. Content is the number of posts you make.
- B. Quality content, how good is that content?
- C. What are you selling? For example, are you selling a product that earns a $1000 commission on one sale versus an e-book that reaches $10 on one deal?
- D. Traffic. The most significant variable will be traffic generation.
I would guess that more bloggers quit just because they’re not getting enough traffic to their content. This is the one variable outside of fresh content that will make or break you.
KISS
Keep It Simple Stupid. When I started blogging, my goal was to earn $1 a day. Then it is $10 a day. Then it was $100 a day. Finally, my goal was to make $1000 in a day.
Write your goal down and read it every day. Famous blogger Willie Crawford wrote the number $2740 on a yellow sticky pad and posted it on his computer monitor, where he saw it over and over every day.
Why $2740?
That is how much it took him to earn $1 Million A Year online! It worked, and he has made millions over the years.
I would suggest joining Wealthy Affiliate and upgrading to premium. You will earn $23.50/month, and you can make your first sale to anyone you know on day one.
Find 2 or 3 people to join you on your blogging journey. You will be off and running!
final thoughts
You can earn coffee money and less in six months. Realistically you could be making a decent part-time income in six months, in my opinion.
Could you be a full-time blogger earning a full-time income online in one year or less?
You could!
The Internet is full of stories if you want to dig up some of them read.
Please ignore people who tell you that you can’t do it. Focus all your efforts on following the people that are doing it.
Take what they teach and apply it to your situation. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel because you do not have to.
Just be the best version of yourself. I guarantee you’ll have a blast making money as a blogger!
Not only is it fun, but it is also profitable once you get the hang of it and learn just a handful of basic blogging skills.
If you need help on how to get started with affiliate marketing, check out my #1 recommendation on building a successful business online. You can get access to hundreds of training videos, 24/7 support, professional consultations, private access to training guides, tools, personal private assistance, my personal help, and much more.
PS: Click here to review my #1 recommendation in detail.
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See the 4 steps to working online from home & earn residual income
This is a question I get often from people who know what I do but really do not understand how I do what I do nor how you can earn money from the blogging and websites you create to monetize. I have bookmarked the post and even added the link on my smartphone so I can send it immediately over to people as they ask the question.
You offer some great real-life examples and also goof recommendations on resources to get started. People are amazed by how little it costs to get started generally when I expand on their question. Many hesitate due to the writing required, but as I tell them, that is a skill that you can learn over time.
My general short answer to the question is that it depends on a lot of factors, but the key to success is having a solid proven plan to follow when starting. This cuts down the time by a lot, and also having a community to tap into is helpful. Blogging can be a lonely business. It helps to have others around you who are doing what you are doing. It is a good explanation you have laid out in this article, and good advice as well. Thanks!
Dave, I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have asked this question. This is what drives me to do this post so it would ease up a lot of time by sending them to this article. Glad to know you are willing to do the same. it shows that you got some value here.
Building a website and making money on that website you have built is hard for people to grasp. That is why I let them know that it was not easy for me, but decided to hold on because of the love the community had for my success.
Because of how people in the past have made it seems so simple to have a website and make money, many who have been scammed are very skeptical. I was definitely one of these people. But it was determined to look for the right opportunity, and I am happy that I found it in Wealthy Affiliate.
I have been in and out of so many programs and businesses in the past, I shave top inviting my friends and family up and till now when I stumble upon Wealthy Affiliate. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Personally I started 1 month ago with WA, I can honestly say I’ve learned a great deal of information that otherwise would have to take me a lot longer to piece together on my own. I’ve 30 pages up with good content and will keep adding as the weeks progress. I believe now is the time to buy a domain name as I have been procrastinating to do so. Overall I know if I keep working on mastering the lessons taught in WA, I am sure to achieve success.
In 4 weeks you have that much content is a good start. could you imagine if you keep that up where you would be I six months? If you stick with the training and also listen to the weekly training by Jay, (aka Magistudios), you will be well on building a full-time income online.
If you think is time to get your domain after 1 month that is great. I took me literally 7 months before I decide./ Simply because I was still skeptical after being in so many programs that did not live up to their expectations. But after that, back in 2013, the rest is history.
Happy to fall on a service that gives you more value for your money and is in tune with the changes that occur on a regular basis online.
I have heard that some people are able to make their websites more profitable than $10 in 6 months. Is this true? I personally believe that those who do that have at least about 5 writers on hand and on rotation. I have spent some time researching this subject a lot because I am very interested in how a profitable blog works, and how to achieve this state of monetary gain. Very insightful article. I am glad that you kept it realistic on how much you will actually make at 6 months, 12 months, and so on and so forth.
When I started I was very skeptical so it took me a long time to soak in the information because I went in very optimistic. I did not go through the training in my first year. In my second year, I started then stopped. I just did not have the time, but definitely know that it was the service to take me out of my 9 to 9 job.
My company had a slow drought in 2015, and that is when I use that opportunity to go through the lessons and apply what I learned. It was a great experience, one that I regret not starting the first time I sign up. But needless to say, it is paying off now and my goal is to help others to experience the same success. Let me know if you need a hand with anything going forward? Thanks!
That was a pretty good read. It helped me to put things into perspective, especially considering that I’m just starting out in this area of work. 100 dollars a month in 12 months, I wonder if it is possible to earn that in the first 3 months? I guess I’ll find out soon enough!
Hey Leroy, when I started, io never was looking to make money at first. I was looking for a service that I can build and leave for my children and theirs. It is always a good thing when you can have your kids involve and eventually hand it over to them and teach them to do the same.
I got the premium package from the get-go cause I know it made sense. and after sharing what I am learning with my associates, I had the service pays for itself with some extra which I immediately reinvest. So go through the experience and apply what you know, and you will see that the money will follow. I hope that helps!
I think that these are pretty accurate figures seeing as I have watched so many videos on blogging and how long it takes to make money blogging in affiliate marketing. The real thing that bothers people about blogging is you see almost no traffic until you know how to and no clue what to do to get more.
Traffic is the root of building a successful business, and there are so many variables that you need to consider it is hard if you do not know what these variables are and what to do to get them.
Building a business online is a learned process and if anyone is showing you otherwise, please ignore them. You need to take the time and train yourself what you need to do to have a money-making website. This is why before I explain anything to anyone, I direct them to the source where I am getting it from, Wealthy Affiliate.
Then I will meet them inside and able to work with them one on one as they go through their training.
Your guide opened my eyes. I got many new ideas while reading your article for my own blog website. I recently started my online business via Wealthy Affiliate and it is working well. Now my main focus is on quality, and not quantity. As you know, Quality gives better results as compared to only quantity. I understand it is a continuous process to achieve success online. We will always go with positive my set. Your blog is very helpful for me.
When you focus on quality as opposed to quantity, then you would have more visitors to your website, and this is what the search engines favor for rankings. Keep in mind though, that doing it often also helps with getting more keywords to rank which would increase your website visits.
It is great that you are part of Wealthy Affiliate and the training and the community have given you great value in building your business and presence on the internet. please feel free to stop by from time to time.
Hi Bishop,
Thanks a lot for answering the Million dollar question and this is the question people often ask me.
The breakdown and the time frame you have provided is super helpful. For sure we need to give at least a minimum of 12 months to our online business or any other business. Also, it depends on the amount of work and effort we put in.
Many of my blogging friends are able to produce a full-time income in less than 18 months. People look for easy, quick and immediate result that’s the reason many people fail online.
You left no stone up-turned in answering this frequently asked question and I am going to refer your post to those who ask me this question. Thanks again for the helpful insights and the video you embedded is informative.
Hey Paul, as a frequent visitor to my website I thank you for the positive comment and the insights on how long does it take to make money blogging.
Most people would go through training for months on their 9 to 5, but when coming to building a business for themself, they want the quick way out. That is the reason there are so many get rich scheme programs out there? These companies are actually giving the people what they want although knowing it will never work.
I am happy that you got some value here and is good to know that your friends are experiencing success after putting in the time and work. wish you all the best, my friend.
I have to say that your stats is spot on. I made a tad bit more on my first 6 months which was $15 lol. I mostly made my money on google Adsense and some Shareasale free to join products. I had to say that was tough for me to accept, I gave it my all but I only made $15, I almost quit but thank god I did not. I will keep on blogging and shut all the naysayers out.
Cheers!
I am happy that you did not quit and that you are determined to keep blogging to build a successful business so that the naysayers would look at it from a different perspective.
Anytime you feel stuck, you can also hire professionals to do some of the work for you. So that you would stay consistent which would increase your chances of earning more money online with your offer. Please let me know if you need a hand with anything moving forward with your business?
Take care.
Thanks for the video inclusion, it adds value to your post!
I’ve been a WA member for a couple of months now. How much could you earn will really depend on how sharp you are at the starting point in regards to the list of required abilities to be successful:
> SEO & Marketing
> Copywriting
> Technical related aspects
By the end, everything goes to time and effort. I’m amused about how much I’ve learned but, what really surprises me the most is how easy it has been due to the backup of a caring and supportive community.
If you’ll devote 4 hours a day or 9 would make a difference depending on your current position.
Even if the program encourages you to get things rolling on a step by step basis, I do really preferred to go for the knowledge and then come-back steps to review and actually perform the required actions (Every chapter includes easy to fulfill tasks that take you from Zero to Hero).
Remember, you weren’t born walking so, get on your belly and start swimming on earth toward your goal!
We are all different in nature and the way we approach things would entirely depend on the individual. If everyone goes through the same training and some make it and some did not, it has nothing to do with the training. It is the same as going to school. so flunk their exams while a huge majority pass and went on to greater things.
Newbies will take a bit longer than the seasoned online marketers who have been there before, but that is not always the case. lots of veterans hold on to things that they were doing in the past, which never use to work anyhow. I was guilty of that for a moment until I learned to give them up altogether and start over from scratch. that is what I love about the training at Wealthy Affiliate.
Thank you for the feedback.
I like the fact that you actually gave numbers and a timeline instead of the “easy money doing what you love to do” mantra. It’s not easy, and it does take time.
I first started trying to make money with blogging about nine years ago. I created more than 200 pages for a travel website following a “can’t miss” plan by a company similar to Wealthy Affiliate (but NOT Wealthy Affiliate).
Everything moved slow, but I thought I was making progress, then Google had some major algorithm changes. My website tanked, and I gave up.
All these years later I’m trying again with the Wealthy Affiliate training, and I’m hoping for better results.
I’ve also learned a thing, or two, about marketing online over the years, and what I now know to be true falls in line with what I’m finding in the Wealthy Affiliate program.
My approach was a little different and this is what most times I say to people who ask this question. Let’s say you are going to start in 2020. Where would you think you would be in 2025 if you follow the training as opposed to not starting. Whatever decision you make 2025 will come. so is 2030, 2040 and so forth.
And that is what I actually did. I give this business a 10-year plan, and I am reaping a harvest and the 10 years haven’t arrived as yet. that would be 2023. so whether we get sidetracked a few times, we should stay on the course and vision yourself becoming successful in your business. Wish you all the best, Bob. and thank you for the comment.
Hi David. Thank you for sharing this amazing post to answer the questions that flow in our minds especially as beginners in the blogging industry. Although I am blogging with a niche I have a great passion for, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make money from my blog. Making this money seems to take a whole lot of time but I feel two major things affect our money-making progress in blogging: niche and commitment. And yes it is possible to make money online as I have read a bunch of testimonies in regards to this and I am totally convinced because I am getting a fair share of the money.
Regards!
It gives me great pleasure when I hear of someone who is sharing with the wealth that occurs through blogging. There are people from all walks of life that are earning an income online through blogging. some part-time and others full-time.
When you pick a passion that you love, as you did, it makes it difficult not to see it through. I have seen a lot of people give up building a business, but rarely you find someone giving up their passion. Thank you for stopping by and giving your testimony that it is possible to make money blogging.
Hi David, thank you very much for sharing. So in general, as long as I allocate enough time every day to grow my blog, I may be able to live full-time from my blog? Is there any niche with a higher probability to do this? Or you can do it with any niche? I will also check out Wealthy Affiliate that you’ve recommended above. It seems promising. Thanks
Alblue, you are welcome. Yes, you can live full-time from home with your blog if you work on it daily at the beginning. any niche is possible, but I do recommend that you find a passion of yours and pick a niche that relates to that passion. I can help you with that within Wealthy Affiliate.
When you do check out Wealthy Affiliate and join for free, I will personally work with you as you go through the training. And if it is something that you feel comfortable with, then you can go premium and I will give you some special bonuses to supercharge your growth. Hope to see you soon.
Thank you for the advice you have given on writing. Having said that, it’s not easy to make money blogging and when it takes time to earn money. My earnings aren’t a dollar for now. You gave me an idea so I could start making money for the blog. The job should be built patiently and thoroughly.
Good to know that you were able to put things into perspective by reading my article. It always good when you take your time and build your business. In this way, you are able to go through the training with a fine teeth comb to be certain that you do not miss anything. Congratulations.
Now, this is a question that’s on everyone’s mind, but it’s a question that we know the answer to. At the back of our minds, we all know that there is no shortcut to success, but sometimes we are easily sold by quick rich schemes!
The four questions that you posted are very relevant and important for those who plan to venture into passive income and affiliate marketing. It is important to understand that, just like any other business, time and effort need to be invested before seeing any success.
Starting a blog is easy, but creating content and getting people to visit your blog is hard work. The learning curve is steep for those without experience, but with the right guidance, it is actually very achievable.
I did check the link in the red box at the bottom of the post, thanks!
I believe that you are right when you said that most people already know the answer to the question of how long does it take to make money blogging. We all look for the easy way out, and that is just not the way to build a successful business online.
Thank you for checking out my link and how to learn to become an affiliate marketer with Wealthy Affiliate.
Hi there,
I think you’re spot on with this. I know from experience it doesn’t happen overnight!! For me, I was only doing it very part-time and didn’t earn anything until the 6-month point. I’d been ready to give up but reassured myself that it would indeed take a while. From about the 12-month point, I started to make a more consistent monthly income, still quite small though.
Or should I say small compared to what I thought I could achieve? Then 2 years on that built to even more and became very consistent. My blogging is not consistent though … I then reached a turning point and now make good, consistent money. I think in about another year (perhaps 18 months) I will be able to do it full time. At the moment it’s still a side gig. Not enough to replace my full-time income.
I know that probably from about the 18-month point if I’d been blogging full time it would have happened much quicker, but I made the choice to retain my job and continue to blog on the side. I’m OK with my choice.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and share your experience on the time one can make money blogging. I totally agree with you, when you have a job is hard to make this priority in your life. But if you were faced with the situation I went through your approach would be different.
My company gives me 9 months’ notice that they were closing their company down, and after 34 years they owe me that much so that I would have time to make the necessary adjustments. Although it was a sad day, I was appreciative and had to go to work on my business.
What about those people who were only given a week’s notice, or even a day? Is anyone sure that the job would last until retirement? I would definitely say that about 18 months would be the ideal time to go full-time if one is not that serious from the get-go.
Thanks!
You list some interesting points in your article and I really like how you talk about some successful bloggers out there and what it took for them to become successful. What really caught my eye though is when you said it really may be best to hire professional writers/bloggers.
I’ve heard that you don’t necessarily want to do this yet until your blog is fairly established and you’re earning some income, hopefully, decent income. I know not everyone enjoys writing or is great at it, but it takes time and practice and that is something Wealthy Affiliate teaches. Content is better than no content as they say and it probably won’t be great when you first start out.
Hey Brian, thank you for stopping by. We all live different lives and time varies with people who want to start a business online. My work hours driving tractor-trailer back then was 72 hours per week minimum. Sometimes it even goes as high as 90. So you can definitely see that I had no time to write but still determined to start a business online. And I did it by outsourcing in the very beginning.
Then as I free up my work hours by supplementing my income, I find time to write occasionally. I have seen lots of entrepreneurs fail because they could not keep up with the writing. For those who have the time, it is best they write once they can keep the consistency. But I can safely say most professional bloggers do not write. They focus on other parts of their business while they outsource to freelance writers. Just my take on this.
All the best with your business and I hope that it is heading in the right direction and you are seeing results on a continuous basis. All the best.
Hi there,
What an amazing post!
It speaks of the thoughts of any blogger, especially the new ones.
It is highly informative answering everything from a beginner’s perspective.
Stay in the course, learn and earn.
In the beginning, when most of us are bootstrapping, it is hard to screen and hire article writers to contribute to the blog while paying for the platform. That is my personal opinion.
So spending time to learn and know how to write an article, that ranks up in Google can go a long way. This is also helpful to find a writer and evaluate them.
It is neat, to the point and precise.
Thank you for authoring a great article.
I always advise that if someone has the patience and time to produce content on a continuous basis, very well, is best that they write their articles for themselves. For the newbies that starting out, can be very challenging.
Consistency is key when building a business in the very beginning, and that can cause someone who starting out for the first time to keep producing content for their blog continuously. I suggest avoiding that, they can start off small by getting help from professional writers, and then scale it as they start earning some money.
Others I have seen use their savings and within 6-9 months their business was paying for their writing. is all about testing and applying what’s best. Learning to rank on the search engines has to involve other factors and that is why I recommend Wealthy Affiliate so people would understand what those factors are. Thank you for the feedback.