How to start a blog that makes money in one of these profitable niches
The days of starting a cooking blog for the hell of it are over. Blogging is a business. Most people don’t start a blog anymore to just share their experiences. You want to MAKE MONEY!
Like any business, that means planning the best business to be in…the one that’s going to make you the most money.
Of course, you still need a passion for whatever blog topic you choose. You’re not going to be making six-figures overnight so you need to enjoy what you’re talking about but that could be a lot of things. We all have multiple hobbies and interests we could blog about.
Picking from that long list of interests and deciding which will make money means looking at the most profitable blog niches and understanding the business of blogging.
I’ll use Google Adwords data on the cost-per-click paid by advertisers to show you the highest paying blog topics. Then we’ll look at what really makes money in blogging and how to make as much as possible.
How Much Does Blogging Pay?
First thing we’ll do is look at the cold, hard facts on how much businesses are willing to pay for an ad spot on your blog for different topics.
I compiled data on the cost-per-click advertisers pay through Google Adwords to get an idea of cost and revenue in the major blog niches.
That’s important for more than just collecting those advertising dollars though. Not only do advertisers pay more for these blog niches, they’re more likely to pay you more for sponsorships, affiliate partnerships and you’ll make more money on your own niche-related products.
Most of the most profitable niches shouldn’t come as a surprise. These are businesses that charge a lot of money and are able to spend some of that back into advertising.
Legal and consumer services are by far the most lucrative topics for a website. The line between consumer services and that Finance & Insurance niche gets blurred sometimes so there is some overlap. For example, consumer debt counseling is actually included in this consumer services category instead of finance.
The median salary for a paralegal is $47,000 nationwide. That’s pretty darn good for a two-year degree occupation but I know a couple paralegals that have turned their experience into a blog making six-figures every year.
After the top two categories, many of the other niche topics are closely similar in how much you can make. Many of these topics are so close that a well-planned blog in a less profitable niche will easily make more money than one of the more lucrative topics.
When in doubt, you can always fall back on the old rule of thumb for what makes money online; health, wealth and romance. People will always pay big money to improve their health (health and fitness blogs), grow their wealth (investing and making money blogs) and find that special someone (dating and relationships blogs).
What Really Matters in Making Money Blogging
More important than average ad rates in each niche are more subjective ideas like competition and your own drive to make money.
A monetized blog, a blog where you put a plan together to make money through different ideas, will make money in any niche. I have a friend that makes over $80,000 a year on her knitting blog. She doesn’t even use Google Ads because they pay so little for the niche and she can make much more with her own designs, books and other products.
This means looking inward to understand which topics motivate you and which ideas you want to share with the world. Then taking the time to understand the business, customer needs and to develop your own products to sell.
What’s needed in the industry or topic? Do a Google search for some keywords and you’ll see most frequent questions asked. Can you answer some of these with a printable checklist or an ebook?
Reading other blogs in the niche will also give you a good idea of what people are looking for in the topic. Look for a blog’s most popular or ‘most recommended’ articles. These are usually the ones with the most search traffic from Google and some great questions to answer for your blog.
Can you turn any of these questions into a service? Would that service be do-it-for-me or a DIY solution for people?
Another way to differentiate your blog and make money is by going local instead of worldwide. Most blogs try to serve a global audience and end up not connecting with anyone on a personal level. By making your blog more local; on a city, statewide or regional-level, you can build a closer community around the brand.
Want to see the nine best income sources for bloggers? I’m detailing a step-by-step in each from getting started to making as much money as possible in Make Money Blogging. Get your copy on Kindle or Paperback.
How to Make Money on any Type of Blog
If you’ve been on the blog before, you’ve no doubt heard me talk about the importance of multiple income streams in blogging. I make money every month through seven income sources. Few of these would provide enough alone to make for a comfortable living but together, they add up to average more than $11,500 a month.
Not only does putting together multiple product ideas and income streams make more money but it also helps smooth your monthly income. The money I make from many of these can rise or fall by as much as a thousand dollars in any given month. That makes it difficult to budget if you’re depending on just one or two income sources.
Using multiple strategies to make money on your blog also means some that will pay off immediately and give you that motivation to keep working on the ones that take longer to build. My best income sources, courses and sponsorships, took more than two years to really develop but now make more money than any other source.
We’ve detailed some of these ways to make money blogging but let’s look at a quick rundown here.
Self-publishing is easily my favorite way to make money on a blog and can fit with any blog niche you choose. You’re already creating content for your blog, why not repurpose it to create an ebook and make passive income every month?
I’ve self-published 12 books and average well over $2,000 a month from the source. In fact, I detailed my self-publishing strategy in my most recent book to show you everything you need from getting ideas to hitting publish on your first book in less than three months.
Everyone has a book idea, and this is the best source of passive income I’ve ever found. Like many people, don’t give up on your self-publishing idea mid-way through. I’ll show you how to make it a reality and every trick I use to make monthly money! Click through for a coupon code and special launch price, 75% off the regular price on Self-Publishing for Passive Income!
Affiliate partnerships and sponsorships are two of my most profitable income sources but took a little longer to develop. Making as much money as possible on these means not only growing your blog but also understanding how to increase sales for your partners.
I created a free two-video series on my strategy for affiliate marketing on my blogs.
Download your free affiliate marketing checklist and a quick-start plan here!
Finding the most profitable blog niche is one part science and two parts planning. Use Google Adwords data to find the blog topics that tend to make the most money then pick one you enjoy and can turn into a business. Learn how the business of blogging works and how to really make money online!