Make Money Online by Blogging – How to Get Started

Explore the many ways to make money online by blogging with or without a blog, getting paid to write reviews of products and services, and earning extra cash by writing articles, content, and blogging for Google AdSense blog networks.

1. An overview of paid blogging

There are three main flavors of paid blogging – your blog on your domain and web host, using a blog on a free blog service such as Blogger, and creating a blog on a blog network. The work is the same. You get paid to write or blog about a product, service, or anything a customer requires.

The amount paid varies greatly from US$1 to US$200 or more for about 50 to 200 words depending on advertiser requirement. The more popular or higher traffic your blog has, the greater your reach and, therefore, the higher you are paid. Terms vary in that you may be asked to write a single post occasionally, or you may be contracted to blog a minimum of 1 post a day for a few weeks for a specified sum.

2. Blog requirements

Usually, there are certain requirements that your blog will have to meet before being accepted for assignments. Requirements vary with each paid-to-blog network. Generally, though, paid-to-blog networks do not get new blogs with little content and no readership base, so you will need to spend the first few weeks or months writing posts regularly to build up a sizable amount of content.

You could buy articles or use free essays from various sources, but ultimately you must write your unique content to keep readers coming back. It’s a lot of hard work.

Other requirements could be that your blog has to be several months old, be indexed by Google, be of a certain page rank, or have a certain amount of traffic. Blog content and writing standard also affect approval. You may be asked to provide some writing samples for evaluation if you do not own a blog.

3. Using a free blog on a blogging service

Creating a free blog on Blogger, Live Journal, WordPress, and other free blogging services is how most bloggers will start. These sites are fine for personal blogs, but if you plan to monetize your blog and use it to provide some form of viable revenue, it is best to register your domain and host your blog on a web host.

This is because you will have complete control over how you want to monetize your blog and have your entity and identity, e.g., your blog.com instead of yourblog.blogspot.com. Also, some paid-to-blog networks do not accept blogs created on a free blogging service.

4. Creating a blog on a blog network

You can still earn from blogging if you do not own a blog. Some blog networks require you to create a blog hosted on their network with their revenue earned directly from advertisers, syndication, or other means. Sites: Blogchex, Gather, DigitalJournal.

Other blog networks engage you as their freelance professional Blogger, where you have to commit to making regular posts. In such cases, the content you create could belong to the blog network, and you will not be able to use your content anywhere else. These have very high journalistic standards and are difficult to get accepted. Sites: 451press, Blog Republic, Weblogsinc.

5. Posting on Google AdSense blog networks

Other blog networks using Google’s AdSense program to generate revenue are less restrictive regarding topics to write about and tend to be less demanding regarding content quality and the reuse of content at other sites.

Google AdSense pays bloggers for the number of clicks received on ads embedded in their posts. Therefore, before joining these blog networks, you must sign up for Google’s AdSense program. You also get paid for referrals. Payouts may seem too little to bother with, but if you are active on many networks, the amounts increase. Sites: WriteNiche, WritingUp, Hubpages, Squid, Zomba.

6. Setting up your blog on your domain

Buying your domain costs about US$8 a year, while purchasing a basic hosting plan costs about US$5 a month. Choosing a reliable web host with a good uptime track record and customer service is important. You may have to be prepared to spend a little more to ensure some reasonable level of quality hosting.

Visiting a web host’s forum where members discuss the web host’s service will give you a good idea of its reliability, but since most have a 30-day money-back guarantee, signing up to try would probably be the best way to go.

After building up a fair amount of quality content, you can apply to join professional blog networks if your blog meets the high standards of these sites: Blogburst, B5media, Marble, Webbleyou.net.

7. Paid reviews

Some blog networks will assign offers to you from time to time, and all you have to do is a blog about the product or service and provide links as required on your blog. Other options for monetizing your blog may be given, such as placing banners and buttons or text links on your blog. Sites: PayPerPost, Blogsvertise, LoudLaunch, creamed.

Other blog networks provide a common platform to let advertisers select the blog they want to buy advertising space and links or pay for a review from the list of registered blogs. Sites: ReviewMe, ReverseLinks, Buzzbyblog, InBlogads, SponsoredReviews.

8. Variations of paid blogging

There are several offshoots of paid blogging. Instead of writing about a product or service, you get paid for your knowledge on certain topics and for answering questions asked by other community members. Topics range from business to automobiles to health. A test will evaluate you before being accepted, but earnings could be substantially higher than regular blogging—site: JustAnswer.

You can earn by providing a writing service, such as academic papers and resumes, or writing content for end-users, such as websites, magazines, and newsletters. These pay more than the usually paid blogging and are the way to go if you have the skills. Sites: Constant-Content, CyberEdit, Academia-Research, Manuscriptservices.co.uk, AssociatedContent only accepts US residents.

9. Blogging for companies

Businesses recognize the blog revolution, and even large corporations have set up blogs. Many looks to freelance professional bloggers for their blog. Software development companies may require bloggers for gadgets and tech-related topics. A lifestyle magazine may need bloggers to write about the night scene in their city or updates on celebrity gossip. The scope is restricted only by your ability and time. Sites: Bloggerjobs.biz, Jobs.problogger.net, Elance.com

10. Blogging for individuals

Some people need help blogging or want to build up unique content the fastest way possible, so recruit a few people to contribute posts. The amount to be paid is entirely by mutual agreement, and you possibly run a certain risk of not getting paid for your work. Sites: Bloggerforum.com, Earnersforum.com, Goldage.net, Forums.digitalpoint.com.