I don’t know if your like me, but if you have the slightest amount of entrepreneurial spirit in you, you may find yourself constantly trying new things. Almost to a fault. This can play a huge roll in how much time it takes to start a profitable blog.
If your hoping this article will help you make money with your blog and fast, this is not the article for you.
On the contrary, it took me more then 2.5 years before I started really seeing results.
While it’s good to try new things, often times it takes away from dedicating our energy to what works. Especially, when it comes to blogging. So, if you find something that works, work it.
Finding What Works
The month of April has been spent finding what works. In previous months, I have talked about rebranding and mentally starting over, narrowing categories/a niche, and even wanting to quit, despite month after month improvement.
I even realized I lied. I wrote about blogging takeaways after a year, but it was actually closer to two! My web hosting was set to renew for a third year in December. Blogging for three years? That blows my mind!
Part of the reason it does not seem that long is because I didn’t look at it as a job, but something fun.
I didn’t need to make money to be a stay at home mom. Planning ahead, budgeting and managing money, I was able to stay home. I contributed by couponing and saving 60-90 percent off of retail on household items and using creative ways to save and pay for Christmas.
But in September 2017 I decided if I was going to put time and effort into something, it was time to do it right. When my kids (2.5 and 2 months) are ready to start school full-time, it would nice to be have something flexible that can bring some money in and help give me something to do!
Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation.
How much time does it take to start a (profitable) blog:
First of, this is an arbitrary question. If you ask 100 bloggers, all will make money different ways.
I am still working on the answer to this, and slowly. However, if I can help bloggers out, like other’s have done before me, I would like to. 🙂
For the first two years of blogging, I really didn’t make any money. I would maybe make .50 cents here or there with Google Adsense. It took me more than a WHOLE year to reach the $100.00 payout threshold. It may have even been two.
At a certain point it seemed like blogging was pointless. I wasn’t doing it for the money. I was inspired to write about keeping a clean home and cooking.
Quickly I found, as most of us do, the time I would usually spend doing these things, was now spent creating and editing posts and images.
At this time, I thought, “what is the point?” So aside from the occasional post, I stopped.
It took me 2.5 years to start seeing “Profits”
There is no better time to “get focused,” then in the final months of the year. Mainly, because if you run a lifestyle brand, you are bound to see increased traffic.
I knew this from the previous year. I knew there would be a jump.
By this time it was close to September (17′) when I decide to get focused, create a strategy.
Related: Mentally Restarting when your Blog just isn’t “working”
As predicted, come the holidays, traffic started to roll in. I decided to ride out this momentum and count these “traffic” wins.
From there I didn’t look back. In September, I had less then 900 sessions for the WHOLE MONTH.
Fast forward to April 2018 I am closing up the month with over 38,000 sessions.
I finally saw the month over month increase because I had over 100 posts I could promote. I combine three sites I was doing a horrible job at multi-managing and combine them into one, Good Life of a Housewife.
Over 100 Posts. This is what it took me, to start seeing traffic results. Enough traffic that I could apply to Mediavine and start making revenue through ads.
It may not take you this many posts, it may take you more.
But I thought it was important to show, that while some bloggers can make a few thousands “right away,” and others can have massive amounts of traffic from the beginning, this is not always the case. In fact, it’s more of an anomaly.
It took me two years and over 100+ posts to learn what I needed to know to gain steady traffic.
I am now bringing in about $400-$500 a month. Some in affiliates, but mostly in ad revenue.
I am very humbled by that and very proud to. Never mind it meant working for nothing for so many, many hours.
Some people will read this and think wow, I would love $400-$500 a month. But it takes time, like I said for me, it was over two years.
More experienced bloggers may think wow, you have 30,000 sessions and only make $500.00.
To be honest, I am still at amateur level. I am 100x better than I was 6 months ago, but there are hundreds of things you need to do to be a successful, profitable blogger.
For me, it’s not about making money quickly. First and foremost, I am trying to work on valuable, helpful content that my readers will enjoy. This means fixing a lot of old posts and working on new ones.
To have a profitable blog, you need to be reputable. You need to have quality content. You need to have a marketing strategy for delivering your content. [Mine is currently Pinterest.] And being a SAHM you need to be smart about it.
By smart, I mean efficient. I finally am working out the kinks for a seamless content, marketing and monetization plan. Putting my “business” on autopilot. Meaning I don’t have blogger A.D.D. or get caught up being green with envy when bloggers post how they make over 200k a month. That’s like winning the blogger lottery.
Instead time is properly allocated. My blogging is a habit, and by habit I am pursuing excellence, even if it is slowly.
When you find what works, work it.
Blogging success does not happen overnight. But to be successful you need to find what works and work it. For me it took almost 2.5 years. Why? Because I am a “do-it-yourselfer.”
I spent a lot of time looking for solutions instead of implementing them. The best thing I did was invest in the Genuis’ Blogger’s Ultimate Toolkit. It showed me the importance of all of the knowledge that is needed to be successful.
It’s important to invest in your blogging education. The biggest reason: results. If you want results you need to invest in your business. You don’t know, what you don’t know.
Case in point. There are probably about 15 very specific things that work for my blogging strategy.
But I don’t blog about blogging as part of my business model. My blog is a lifestyle blog. Aside from one or two posts here and there.
To just write a post giving away every secret, would be like McDonald’s saying here’s what’s in our secret sauce. Oh by the way, do you know why we call it a “Happy Meal?”
I would essentially be cannibalizing my business model to give information, for no other reason, then to give information.
This is why Elite Blogging Academy and Billionaire Blog Club(which I just joined by the way) can give away so much information. Because it is beneficial to their business model.
They make money by sharing their strategy, their secrets. So they share it and THE BEST of it.
They make it great. So people can learn and recommend them. You’re paying for it, so they can show you all of their cards. Instead of trying to stumble through and find your own strategy that may or may not work.
You can just implement what works.
So if you want to make money blogging. Know it will take time. It will take money. Albeit it’s incredibly cheap to start a blog. If you want to do it right.
You need to invest in your education and the blog. There is no right or wrong way way to make money through your blog. It could be through sponsorships, affiliates or ads. Sometimes it just takes time to figure out what works.
That’s the bottom line to your bottom line. 🙂
Join me over coffee with household tips, money savings and holiday fun.
I’m Chanele. Housewife, Mama, and Chief of Household Management. I love charm, simplicity, and getting organized.
I‘m always on the hunt for inspiration
and love the creative process. All of the tips I share are for busy moms managing a household and family.
Please join me in making magic, molding memories & managing a household.
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Wow just what I needed to read tonight! Sometimes it’s so depressing to read all the posts of “how I made 5,000 dollars in my second month of blogging” I definitely missed that little secret sauce recipe!! Ha! Thank you for your honesty and sharing actual timeline and numbers! Encouraging!
Author
Hi Brittney! Thanks for stopping by! I am glad this was encouraging for you. I agree, it can be totally depressing to read those posts.
Sometimes I get in a mood and they can be inspiring, but it’s so easy for them to get overwhelming and you find yourself comparing. Everyone’s journey is so different! Keep up the great work on your blog!