Blogging can be one of the best and most rewarding side hustles that you can sink your teeth into, it’s easy to set up and it will not cost you an arm and a leg to get started.
Writing about something that you are passionate about from the comfort of your own home, or from anywhere in the world whilst making a little extra cash on the side is a no-brainer.
But don’t expect to start making money overnight, blogging will require planning, perseverance, dedication, sweat and maybe tears, so don’t think about quitting your day job anytime soon.
It’s easy to be fooled when seeing successful blogs with thousands of followers and millions of pageviews, millions of likes, or millions of shares on the content they share. However, the truth is that their success will have taken time to achieve and this is what you have to be prepared for.
Choose a Niche
Starting a blog in a niche that you understand and are passionate about is the best way to get started as it allows you to reach an audience who also share the same interest as you.
Another option, which was available to me and worked, was to team up with a few friends to create a multi-author blog that can cover several (related) topics under one roof.
For example, I love technology and finance, so I created an investing blog, where I (and others) keep readers up to date on the latest stocks and companies that are performing well in the financial markets. I run this blog as a side hustle and it pays.
My blog can make anything between £1500 to £3000 per month using a combination of display ads, affiliate ads and the occasional paid guest post.
While that may sound impressive to some, this did not happen overnight. I didn’t see a penny come my way for well over a year, mainly because the blog had very little traffic.
Getting Noticed
By the beginning of the second year, I knew it was time to begin working on my outreach strategy. I am not a fan of social media and I’ve always let readers do the sharing for me, so I decided to go old-school and use the power of news aggregators for quick exposure.
It took roughly 3–6 months to get approved by all four majors which include Bing News, Yahoo News, Google News and NewsNow. Bing takes the longest as they have rigorous checks in place.
I am no news reporter and I don’t really cover news but I have had to adapt some of my articles to keep in line with their publisher guidelines, after all, they are news aggregators.
But don’t let that put you off, I have come across a lot of content featured on these websites that have nothing to do with what’s going on in the world so you can get away with blogging about the next best side hustle or about your grandmother’s delicious cakes. However, as sweet as it sounds, blogging about your grandmother alone will simply not cut it, you have to try and keep up with trending topics within your niche to stand a chance and where possible write follow-up articles. The more you publish the more attention your blog will receive.
The real challenge is getting listed, you have to prove that your publication has been live for at least six months, that your content is current, that you publish daily and that you have a news section. Without a news section, it is very unlikely that your blog will be accepted.
So if you are starting out or planning to start blogging don’t be discouraged if no one reads your blog in the first year, if you put in the hard work you will be rewarded.
Have a strategy, stick to your strategy and they will come.
Other Ways To Increase Traffic
On the web, most people tend to go for quality rather than quantity. It is therefore important that you publish quality articles. It’s not just enough to optimise articles for search engines because if the articles are not good enough, nobody will stay on your website long enough. Poor quality content is one reason why many blogs have high traffic but equally high bounce rates.
Create SEO-friendly content
One mistake people often do when blogging is to spam articles with keywords. This might have worked a decade ago but today, it will do more harm than good. Use keywords naturally in the articles and do not overuse them. It’s a good idea to use your keywords in the first and last paragraphs.
Define your target audience
Defining your target audience is very important because you can easily write articles to fit the standards and preferences of your audience.
Create sharable posts
For every post that you publish, include widgets that make it easier for your readers to share the post with their friends and colleagues. Nowadays, most of the information is shared through social media networks. To take advantage of this, ensure that the posts on your site can be shared via major social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Create a social media page
The easiest way of connecting with your readers and fans is by opening a page on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. This works to the benefit of the blogger since they can interact with their followers much more easily, get nonbiased feedback and also form a relationship with their followers. Medium.com is perfect for this.
Enable subscriptions via e-mail newsletters
It may be a bit hard for someone to visit your page daily. However, by enabling your readers to subscribe to new posts, they will easily get all the updates and if they are in need of more information, they can refer to your site. In addition, they can share your posts with their peers hence making your site go viral.
Interact with other bloggers
No man is an island. Similarly, no website or blog can healthily thrive on its own; it will always need the support of others. Follow other blogs and check the online trends in your niche. That will help you connect with more like-minded people and it will eventually boost your views.
Link building
Blogs and websites could also increase their number of visitors by exchanging links with each other. In addition, they can get their links listed on various web directories that help promote and increase the number of people visiting a particular site.
Add comments to your blog
Make your blog come alive with comment systems. This makes your readers feel engaged. It also gives you a chance to get valuable feedback which will help you improve your blog in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about starting a blog? Here are some quick answers to the most common ones.
Do I need to be a good writer to start a blog?
Not at all. While writing helps, what matters more is offering useful, engaging content in your own voice. Many successful bloggers write informally or use tools to polish their posts. Clarity and consistency matter more than perfect grammar.
How long does it take to make money from a blog?
It varies. Some bloggers earn within a few months, but for most, it takes 6–12 months of steady effort. Income builds over time as your traffic grows, your content ranks on Google, and you start using monetisation strategies like ads, affiliate links, or digital products.
What’s the best way to make money from a blog?
Popular methods include affiliate marketing, display ads (like Google AdSense), sponsored content, selling digital products (like ebooks or courses), and offering services. The best approach depends on your niche, audience, and content style.
