With the popularity of blogging, some of us think we can make millions of dollars just from blogging about our daily lives. But, this is not actually the case. Daniel Lyons, who tried to get rich through his blog “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs,” can attest to the fact. What is it that makes it seemingly impossible?
Web Traffic and Money Do Not Correlate Well
When it comes to blogging for money, you are reliant on tools such as Google’s AdSense to make it possible to make a monetary gain. AdSense works by placing ads in different areas of your website that you have chosen. But, in order to actually get paid, ads need to earn a certain amount of revenue. For the ads to actually create revenue for advertisers means your website needs a certain amount of visitors, which is usually where the problem lies.
But, even when Lyon’s blog had over half a million visitors a day for a month after his identity was revealed, the payout was small. In the end, that month made Lyon’s $1,039.81 richer. So, even with massive amounts of traffic and services like AdSense, blogging alone will not give you enough to live comfortable.
The Other Problem: No Clear Business Model
Most regular businesses have a very clear business model in place for when they set up shop. Without a good, clear model, it will be very difficult to make any money. When it comes to blogging, it can be very difficult and near impossible to formulate a clear business plan because simply saying you want to make money online will not be enough. The more clear and concrete your ideas for a career online are, the better you will do in the long run.
You Cannot Write About Just Anything
The fact of the matter is, unless you are someone who is incredibly well-known and famous, people do not care what you do every day. Readers want to be entertained, but they also want articles to contain information that is useful to them in their daily lives. Do you know how to make paying off college loans easier, while still having money for fun stuff? There are students everywhere who would love to hear what you have to say. You can do it in a fun and interesting way, but the fact that the content will actually help people is what will allow you to grow and earn more revenue. But, you cannot just rely on ads; sponsors, affiliate marketing, and direct sales are all ways to further increase your blog earnings.
Now, there are people who manage to break the mold, to exceed expectations and make a lot of money blogging or making videos. But, these people also started from nothing before making it to the top. These are people that worked at it while probably keeping a day job, and formulating the perfect business plan. So, while some can make it happen, it is not the case for everyone.
