How Bloggers Make Money: Income and stats from 13 full-time bloggers

April 1, 2023 Muhammad Abdullah 0 Comments A Blog and Earn Money From It, How Bloggers Make Money

When people ask about my profession and I tell them that I’m a blogger, their immediate question is usually, “How do you make money from that?” Unfortunately, the misconception that blogging isn’t a real job and that bloggers are simply unemployed persists. However, I can assure you that blogging can be an incredibly profitable career. Many bloggers earn a substantial income through a variety of monetization methods.

Contrary to popular belief, blogging can be a profitable career, and most bloggers don’t rely solely on advertising to earn money. Each blog has its unique way of generating revenue, and in this article, we will provide statistics from 15 real blogs to showcase different income streams. For privacy reasons, we have changed some names, but rest assured that all of these are legitimate sites, mostly from myself or people I know personally.

11 Examples of Profitable Blogs and How They Make Money

ImprovePhotography.com –

Here’s one of my websites. While I cannot disclose its current earnings due to legal constraints, in 2014, it generated more than $500,000. Since then, it has continued to grow. The site generates 50% of its income by selling online photography courses, 25% from affiliate sales on Amazon.com, where I receive an 8% commission, and the remaining income comes from events, advertising, and other sources. The site’s expenses are minimal, and it has no employees.

JustAGirlAndHerBlog –

Generating a monthly revenue of $30,000, this website’s primary source of income is affiliate marketing, accounting for 70% of its earnings. The remaining 30% is derived from selling an online course. By recommending products and services from other websites, the site earns a commission for every successful referral.

StartupCamp.com –

An astounding income of $132,000 was earned by him in a single month! The majority of the earnings came from his online course (30%), followed by speaking engagements (30%) and book sales (15%). The remaining portion was generated through affiliate marketing.

PullingCurls.com –

This website covers various topics and primarily caters to women, generating $4,000 monthly revenue from multiple sources. 40% of the earnings come from ads, 35% from affiliate marketing, and the rest from sponsored posts and other means.

Design Your Event –

This blog generates a monthly income of $24,000 predominantly from private ad sales. The blogger successfully sells ad space to businesses looking to promote their brand on the site, while the blog enjoys massive traffic volumes, contributing significantly to its ad revenue.

Traffic4Blogging.com –

Generating $2,000 monthly, this 12-month-old site has quickly gained momentum. The major source of income for this site is affiliate marketing, contributing to 85% of its earnings, where the blogger refers visitors to other websites’ products. The rest of the income is generated through consulting services, delivering value to customers beyond affiliate promotions.

IncomeSchool.com –

Generating income can be challenging for bloggers, but this site has found success with a specific approach. About 60% of its income is derived from selling digital products, such as the Niche Site Consulting and School program, which guides aspiring bloggers in creating a profitable blog within 60 days. Another 25% comes from affiliate marketing, where they promote tools and hosting services used on their blog to their audience.

MostlyMorgan.com –

This website generates monthly revenue of $2,000, with the majority of its income (95%) earned through affiliate marketing by promoting the hosting company used by the blogger and other recommended products.

My Boating Blog –

This is a niche site I created in 2014 that generates an average of $3,500 per month. The site’s revenue is exclusively derived from Amazon Affiliate, where I promote products related to boating, and earn an 8% commission for every purchase made through my affiliate link. Despite the low maintenance required, the site consistently generates passive income from the 30 articles I published two years ago. With no other sources of income, the site’s success is solely dependent on Amazon Affiliate sales.

PinchOfYum.com –

Discover a cooking website that’s a one-stop shop for all your culinary needs. Despite the monthly $20,000 expenses to pay for numerous writers, this website earns a gross profit of $56,000 per month. Sponsored content is a significant contributor, making up 45% of the revenue, while advertising makes up another 45%. The remaining income is from affiliate products. Savor the delicious and informative content as you explore this expansive culinary haven.

KnifeUp.com –

This is my successful website that earns $3,200 monthly. I acquired the site from its previous owner who had mismanaged it, and quickly doubled its income. The site’s primary source of revenue (95%) is through Amazon Associates, where I recommend products and receive an 8% commission from sales. The remaining 5% of income comes from Google Ads. Trust me, with my experience in website management, I turned this website into a cash cow.

How Much Traffic Do You Need to Earn a Full-Time Income?

The success of a website’s monetization strategy directly correlates with the amount of traffic it requires to generate income. Relying on advertising alone necessitates significant traffic to achieve profitability, whereas creating and promoting one’s products or utilizing affiliate income requires far less. Additionally, the type of website plays a critical role in determining the level of profitability. A personal finance or business website with 100,000 visitors per month could easily generate $10,000 per month, as these visitors are more likely to invest in such information. In contrast, niche websites such as celebrity gossip or recipe sites are more difficult to monetize due to readers’ quick in-and-out engagement. That being said, examples of successful websites do exist. I have a website with 150,000 visitors per month that generates $3,500 per month and another site earning the same amount with only 32,000 visitors.

How Hard Is It to Get Up to 75,000 Visitors Per Month?

When it comes to building a successful blog, traffic, and monetization are key factors. Starting a brand new website can take up to 14 months to get decent traffic. Your skill, dedication, and audience size all play a crucial role in this result. Unfortunately, many bloggers struggle to succeed due to their lack of knowledge and uncertainty about monetization. relying solely on ads isn’t sufficient.

To attract traffic, creating high-quality, lengthy articles (1,500 to 2,000 words) is important. It may take around 100 such articles to reach 75,000 visitors per month. However, getting serious traffic overnight is not possible even if 100 articles are written today. Google takes time to trust a website and rank it higher in search results.

Full-time bloggers use various tips and tricks to write articles that attract traffic. But not everyone knows them. By implementing these techniques, a blog on personal finance or business can easily earn $10,000 per month with just 100,000 monthly visitors. However, niche websites like celebrity rumors or recipe sites are harder to monetize as they have a higher bounce rate.

How To Start A Blog and Earn Money From It

I used to spend a lot of time teaching family and friends how to start a blog or website, either as a side hustle or a full-time business, around my kitchen table. Unfortunately, my attempts at teaching were not very successful as I couldn’t convince them to keep working on their site long enough to see the rewards. The truth is, building a successful blog takes a lot of hard work and dedication, usually taking a year of consistent effort to start earning significant income.

Realizing this, I decided to create a comprehensive step-by-step series of blog posts called the “Getting Started with a Profitable Blog” series. This free series provides all the essential information needed to start a successful blog, from the basics to the more advanced aspects. Whether you’re starting a blog as a side hustle or a full-time job, this series will guide you on the path to success.

Discover how to select a profitable niche and monetize your blog with my free “Getting Started with a Profitable Blog” series. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step of the process, from topic selection to writing articles and website monetization. However, if you’re looking for more personalized guidance, I highly recommend my Niche Site Consultation and School. By telling me your interests, I can help you decide which ideas would make a profitable website. Then, for 60 days, you’ll receive daily emails with short videos that show you exactly what to do each day to set up your site, design it, create a social media presence, and write articles. Whether you choose the free route or invest in your education with my assistance, my goal is to help you get started on your path to success.