It seems like just about everybody who has access to the internet is blogging nowadays, right? Regardless of your interests, from politics to prom dresses — if you search for a blog on the topic, you’re likely to find it. The beauty of the internet is just how accessible these things are. Ah, to live in the age of technology!
But did you know that you can actually make a living out of blogging — and a good one at that! It’s not just high-profile vloggers and influencers that can do it either. Take this blogger from Camping Console, for example. He managed to turn his camping blog into a four-figure monthly income.
Who wouldn’t love to make money writing about their hobbies and interests from the comfort of their own home? Today, we’re going to be telling you how this camping blogger did exactly that, and give advice on how you could to it too.
Build a Base
The first thing you’ll want to do on your journey to becoming a professional blogger is to build a base audience.
Remember that without an audience of readers, your blog is nothing, and that’s not to sound harsh, but you literally can’t make money without having a following. You might as well be writing a private journal in your bedroom!
In order to build a base, you have to know who your audience are. That will be entirely dependent on your content.
For example, for the camping blogger in question, it would be a case of targeting consumers who are interested in camping in some capacity. By targeting those who are interested directly and producing content that they’ll enjoy, you’ll successfully build a base. It can be more difficult with certain types of blogging, for example travel blogging, because you’re always changing your topic or location, therefore you may have to consider changing your base audience frequently.
Design Your Own Branding
Think of your blog as a business. What does every successful business have that’s unique to them entirely? Their own individual branding.
In order to stand out from other blogs, you’ll need your own brand. More often than not, when you’re blogging, that brand is you.
People have to care about what you have to say in order to read your blog. In this case, knowledge is power — so the more clued up you are on said topic, the more readers are likely to respect your views and read them too. But it’s far more than that.
Creating a brand isn’t just about the content itself, but rather how that content is presented to an audience. Your web design, your photographs, and overall aesthetic will help you to sell your brand — and having a logo designed is never a bad idea. The more professional your blog looks, the more likely it is to go pro.
Invest in WordPress
In order to be your own host for your blog — which big names are — you’ll have to invest in WordPress. Although there are free versions, it’s more than likely if you’re wanting to make big money, you’ll need to pay in order to have your own site.
This gives you the independence of having your own forum to post on, and ultimately makes your blog altogether more professional. There are several options to choose from, so do your research and choose what will suit you best regarding your end goal.
Utilise SEO in Your Content
Finally, the more popular your online content, the more likely it is to make you money. How do you think influencers do their thing?
Therefore, utilising Search Engine Optimisation is an absolute must for directing the flow of online traffic onto your site. Let’s take the successful camping blogger as an example.
Through the use of key words, the ultimate aim is to have your website coming up quicker on search engines — basically being on the first or second page, and as high up as possible — whenever anyone types something relevant. So for example, “tents for camping” or “best camping spots” would be useful keywords to revolve content around if you were blogging about camping, as people are likely to search them. The more people that visit your site, the higher up it’ll rank — so it’s a circular process.
Try to stick to basic keywords and write content around them, rather than just putting them randomly into irrelevant blogs. Remember, popularity is key in going pro — and who knows? Maybe you’ll be making four-figure sums every month one day.
