It’s a fact that blogging can be a lucrative side job. The truth is that most people who try to create a blog never earn any money.
Since 2008, I have been blogging full time. I’ve met many bloggers with success and others who didn’t. There are some key differences between successful bloggers and those who have never been able to make money from their blogs.
This article will examine some of the common reasons why blogs don’t make money and what you can do to fix them.
These tips may help you if you are a blogger who has had difficulty making money.
Related: How To Start A WordPress Blog And Begin Building Passive income
Why Your Blog isn’t Making You Money and What To Do
- You haven’t clearly defined your target audience
You need to be clear about who you’re writing for as a blogger. Your content will not appeal to everyone, no matter what topic you choose. You can create content that appeals to your target audience or ideal reader if you know who they are.
How to Fix it:
A fictional reader is an avatar. Create your own avatar, based on details such as age, gender and occupation. Also, include marital status and family situation, income and other information. For help, please see How to Create an Avatar Reader for Your Blog.
Keep your avatar in mind when you write posts or decide which posts you would like to create. Write content that would appeal to your avatar. You’ll create a blog your audience will enjoy if you follow these steps.
- You are choosing the topics instead of covering what your audience wants to read
How do you choose what to post on your blog? Bloggers usually choose the topics they wish to write about.
You can blog about anything you like, but you need to remember your readers if you expect them to be interested in your content.
How to Fix it:
Let your audience decide what topics you should write about.
You can use several methods to do this including:
You can ask your readers via a survey or poll
Attention to the feedback you receive through your blog comments or emails from readers
You can find out what your audience is saying by checking Facebook groups and forums.
Analyzing your blog to determine which topics are most popular
Search for keywords to find out what people are looking for
- Scattered Focus
Lack of focus is one of the biggest blogging issues. Your blog may struggle to attract visitors if your posts are too scattered and cover a wide range of topics.
How to Fix it:
Be clear about the topic and purpose of your blog. Make sure all your content is cohesive and that it helps your blog to become a source of authority in your niche.
To help you plan and stay on track, I recommend creating an editorial schedule. You can choose specific days to publish and even different topics for each day of the week.
- No Monetization strategy
You can earn money from a blog in many ways, but if you don’t have a clear strategy for monetization you are likely to struggle. Many new bloggers are eager to earn money from their blogs, but have no clue how to do it.
Ads (such as banner ads) are the most common way to monetize blogs with decent traffic. This is the best solution for many blogs. To make significant money with ads, you will need a blog that has a lot of traffic. It’s not my opinion that it is the best strategy for bloggers.
How to Fix it:
There are several other ways to earn money with a blog besides advertising.
Affiliate Marketing
Sell your own physical products
Selling digital products
Offering services
Publication sponsored content
Your blog should make money on several different levels. Affiliate marketing can be a great option for any blog.
Offering services is another approach I think that gets overlooked. By monetizing a blog with services, you can make decent money from a blog even if it has low traffic.
It is important to have a strategy. Do not just add a few AdSense ads to your website and a few affiliates links. To make money you need to have a strategy.
It’s also important to ensure that the content is tailored to your monetization plan. If you’re offering a particular service, you should write content to appeal to readers who may be interested in your services.
- Your blog is like every other blog
Every day, thousands of new blogs are created. To be successful, your blog will need to standout in some way.
Your blog will not be memorable if it is similar to all the other blogs. Visitors won’t return in the future.
How to Fix it:
You can make your blog stand out by creating content that readers love. Stand out by creating great content. Visitors will return for more.
“Great content” can mean many different things depending on your audience. It could be a detailed content that includes lots of advice and tips. You could give short, useful tips. You could create DIY guides or tutorials. It could be funny and entertaining. Even video content is possible.
Consider your audience and the issues they face. Also, consider what they want to find when they visit a blog such as yours. Your blog will be more successful if you create the best content to suit their needs.
Check out this checklist to help you create and promote blog posts that get attention.
- Your effort is inconsistent
Most bloggers build a blog in their spare time, around other commitments (like a job full-time).
If you want your blog to be successful, you will need to give a consistent effort. You cannot expect your blog to grow if you put in a lot of work one month and then take a break for a month.
You can build a blog that is successful despite a busy schedule. But if you are serious about making money, you will need to treat it as a business. This means giving it your full attention regularly.
How to Fix it:
Look at your schedule realistically and decide how much time you are able to devote to your blog. I suggest blocking out certain hours just as you would do for a regular job.
While I was working a full-time day job, I built my first blog in the evenings and weekends. It took me a year and half to be able leave my job.
It will require some sacrifices and time that could otherwise be spent on other activities. You are the only one who can decide whether you want to make that sacrifice and, if so which hours would be best for you.
- Lack of traffic
Lack of traffic is one of the main reasons blogs don’t make money. Traffic doesn’t mean that your blog is going to make money. But it makes things easier.
It is not necessary to have a certain amount of traffic in order to earn money from a blog. However, if you are struggling with your blog, you may benefit from an increase in traffic.
How to Fix it:
It takes some work to get traffic for a new blog. I recommend creating content with search engine optimization in mind and focusing on one other traffic source.
This page contains information on the factors you should consider when creating content.
Google can be a good source of traffic, but for most blogs it won’t generate much traffic in the first six months. You should also try to get traffic from other sources.
Bloggers can benefit from social media as a source of traffic, but they often struggle to find the right network. I would recommend that you focus your attention on the social media network most popular among your target audience.
Pinterest can be a great source of traffic to many bloggers. You can also see results in a matter of months.
You can also use Facebook ads to quickly grow your audience if you have the budget.
Final Thoughts
It is possible to make money from a blog, but not as easily as you might think. Take it seriously and treat it as a business. You will also need a plan.
You may be struggling to earn money from your blog. Take a look at these seven possible reasons.
You’ll soon be on the road to success with your blog if you fix these issues.
