Blogger Life: Turning Passion Into Profit
- Ivana Babic
- Feb 8, 2024
- 6 min read
Starting your blogger life can be a very exciting page in your book, but it also brings more than a few challenges to the table. You have a passion for a certain niche, a voice you want others to hear, and maybe even a dream of turning it into a viable business with a steady income. But where do you start? How do you translate your enthusiasm into a thriving online platform? Here’s everything you need to know about blogging for beginners and what you need to do to reach success.
How to identify a niche?
To identify your niche, answer these seven questions:
what are your interests and what are you passionate about?
is there a market demand for those topics?
do you have the expertise for that niche?
what is your target audience?
how lucrative can your blogger life become?
is your niche future proof?
These probably seem confusing at first glance but fret not, as we'll dissect them one by one.
What are your interests, and what are you passionate about?
To set the foundation of your blogger life, the first step is to pinpoint your interests and things you’re passionate about. What topics make you lose track of time? What are your hobbies and areas of expertise?
And - most importantly:
Is there a market demand for those topics?
While your passion and general interest in certain topics are vital, the market demand for those topics is just as important. If the potential audience for your niche is considerably low, it would be a better idea to scope out alternatives or similar niches with a better search volume.
Need a helping hand with this? We'll be happy to give you an insight into which niches have the most potential.
Do you have the expertise for that niche?
If you want to start a blog as a casual hobby, expertise probably won't be your main concern. However, expertise is one of your most valuable assets if you want to truly engage in blogger life.
E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) is vital for appearing in search results. Hence, your content creation efforts should result in in-depth blog posts that will provide all the answers your audience might be interested in.
What is your target audience?
Defining your target audience is another crucial part of starting a blog, as it will determine your writing style and tone, content topics, marketing efforts, branding style, and many other aspects of your blog.
Determining your target audience can be summarized in these key points:
demographics;
psychographics;
pain points and needs;
competitor analysis;
feedback and engagement.
Example
Let's say that you're starting a gaming blog. Stereotypically, gaming is a more "male-dominant sport." However, this research by Exploding Topics reveals that the numbers almost evened out, with 1.7 billion male gamers and 1.39 billion female gamers worldwide.
Hence, although there are still more male than female gamers (55% to 45%), the gap is considerably smaller compared to 2006, when the ratio was 62% to 38% in favor of males.
Another interesting stat they analyzed is regarding the age of gamers worldwide. It's a common belief that teens are the main group that enjoys playing video games. However, a staggering 80% of gamers are actually over 18.
The largest group of people fit in the category of ages between 18-34, with 38%. With these examples, you can immediately notice how important finding a target audience is. With this data, you can adjust your messages, content plans, and other aspects of your blog.
How lucrative can your blogger life become?
Although monetization will come along in the later stages of your blogger life, you should still consider its potential early on. There are plenty of ways to monetize your blog, such as:
sponsored content;
affiliate marketing;
creating and selling products;
advertising;
course selling, etc.
Example
Lifestyle
A high-traffic lifestyle blog will benefit most from advertising. Ad revenue increases with more impressions, and a diverse audience allows for a wide range of potential advertisers.
Technology
A tech blog, on the other hand, usually benefits most from affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is a concept where you advertise another company’s products, and earn commission from every sale generated through your affiliate link. Hence, you can promote tech products in your blog posts and make commission your main blog income strategy.
Finance
Another great example is for those who are experts in personal finance. If you’re one of them, you can create an ebook or an online course with premium materials. There are plenty of those who are willing to pay good money for in-depth analysis and guidance.
Is your niche future-proof?
Last but certainly not least, you must consider how future-proof your chosen niche is. If something goes viral from the get-go, it doesn't mean it will stay relevant.
That's why staying updated with the industry trends and determining the direction where the industry is heading is one of your most important obligations. By knowing the ins and outs of your industry, you can be prepared for changes and position yourself accordingly.
Once a new topic and technology related to your niche appears, you should be the first one to know and write about it. Being an early adopter of relevant trends positions your blog as a go-to source for cutting-edge information.
Also, be ready to change your content formats when needed. Blog posts will always be a relevant content source, but adding diversity with videos, podcasts, and other methods can attract a larger audience and cater to their preferences.
Choosing a domain name
Your domain name is the first impression you leave on your audience and a crucial factor for your blogger life, as it can impact your branding, SEO, and overall audience perception. To hit the sweet spot, focus on these things:
Simplicity
Long and complicated domain names are hard to type or remember - keep it short and simple.
Avoid jargon
When choosing a domain name, use terminology that your audience can easily understand.
Branding
Reflect on your blog's brand identity and personality in the name. Is it playful? Informative? Evocative?
Creativity
By using unique spelling or creative wordplay, you can keep your domain name simple while standing out from the crowd.
SEO optimization
You should include relevant keywords in your domain name and ensure they’re relatively easy to rank for.
Domain length:
Ideally, keep it between 6-14 characters for readability and memorability.
Hyphens and special characters
These tend to be confusing, so do your best to minimize their use. Also, special characters may impact email deliverability.
Content creation
As the main reason for starting your blogger life, content is the heart and soul of your blog. If you’ve been following along, you already have a specific niche in your mind, with your target audience and their demographics locked in.
However, you aren't ready to start typing just yet - there are still a few more preparation steps that will ensure your content hits the mark. Keyword research and text and image optimization are just some of the things you should keep in mind in order for your content to rise to the top.
Need assistance? We'll be happy to give you a helping hand that will make your content stand out!
Keep it clean
The navigation of a website acts like a roadmap, leading users to their intended destinations. Thus, a proper navigation system is crucial for ensuring positive user experiences, offering intuitive pathways that guide users to desired content with minimal frustration, keeping visitors engaged for longer periods.
A clear and straightforward menu allows users to find exactly what they need, while smooth navigation fosters trust and confidence in the site. Moreover, optimizing navigation can enhance a website's search engine visibility, as algorithms often favor sites that are user-friendly and easy to navigate. Good navigation contributes to an accessible content environment, improved customer satisfaction, retention, and higher conversion rates.
Always stay connected
Link building in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is considered a vote of confidence from other websites regarding your content's credibility and relevance. Search engines such as Google view backlinks as an indication of authority and trust, often resulting in higher rankings for pages with a significant number of backlinks in search results.
These backlinks create a pathway directing users from other websites to yours, thereby enhancing your site's visibility and increasing organic traffic. Additionally, domain authority, which measures the quality of backlinks from high-authority websites, can significantly affect your website's standing in the eyes of search engines. By strategically acquiring backlinks through methods like guest posting, content partnerships, or social media shares, you can positively influence your website's SEO performance, boosting its online presence and ultimately leading to more traffic and conversions.
Want to know how this works? We're here to lead you every step of the way so you can build a reputable backlink profile for your website.
Final thoughts
Experienced and beginner bloggers both face the obstacle of finding a balance between passion and profit. But with enough strategizing, it’s very possible to strike that balance. Having a genuine interest in blogger life and love for your subject will create a connection with your audience and lay the foundation for continuous success.
At the same time, having monetization strategies in mind will ensure that your blog remains sustainable and that you'll be rewarded for your creative efforts. As you start your journey, remember that the best blogs come from a fusion of passion and purpose. With dedication, transparency, and a commitment to your audience, your blog can thrive and leave an indelible mark in the digital world.
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