I have been blogging now for about 6 months and until recently maintained 2 different blogs. My first blog was started as a way to promote our home-based business but I soon turned it into a blog in which I provided advice and the tips I learned along the way for SEO (search engine optimization) and blog monetization. Then I started this blog as just a fun hobby. It became more and more difficult to maintain the two blogs. I had a loyal following and was building momentum and popularity with my other blog but I lost the passion I had when I first started it. I began to have much more fun with Real Dads Hangout and the “relationships” I began to develop on Twitter and blog forums because of it. So I basically gave up on the other blog, although I was earning an increasing monthly income from advertisements, in order to focus all of my “blog time” (as my wife calls it) to Real Dads Hangout.
The way I figure it, I started my other blog to make money and started this blog as a hobby but why can’t I have my cake and eat it too? So I employ the tips I learned along the way for SEO and experiment with different things in order to gain popularity. This has been increasing my blog followers at a slow and steady pace and some advertising and affiliate revenue has been generated. I am also noticing, through the use of Google Analytics, that Real Dads Hangout is popping up in more and more Internet searches for “fatherhood”, “fathers” and various other keywords and/or phrases. The more visitors I have the greater the chances are of someone clicking on the advertisements and/or affiliate links. Where is the rule that says I cannot turn my hobby into something profitable? Keeping with the concept of my first blog and providing advice, I am thinking of adding a sub-domain in which I can provide all of my fellow “Daddy and Mommy Bloggers” with simple advice for improving SEO. I am not an expert by any means and I make no such claim. I just learned a lot in the past 6 months because I read as much as I can on SEO and social media. I also subscribe to the newsletters of some of the most popular bloggers out there. I have tried many different things and I am finding out what works and what doesn’t and I am not afraid to share my failures.
Would you like to earn money from your blog?
I am just amazed at the amount of good blogs I see that do not have any advertising or affiliate links. Now many of these people may not be interested in making money from their blogs or do not know how to. I also learned by asking people on Twitter (yes I had multiple Twitter accounts until recently as well) if they knew about SEO. The majority of the people said they did not know about SEO tactics. Maybe I can spark some interest, nudge people into learning and trying these tactics and we can all share our experiences, good and bad. What the hell I say! I love blogging about being a father and husband, so why can’t I possibly make a little extra money doing it? Why can’t I share the tips I learned so other people may begin to do the same?
Would you like to keep blogging about something you love or hate at times (haha), like being a dad, mom, husband or wife and possibly make some additional money doing it? Would you find benefit in a blog that provides you with simple tips and advice for doing so? Let me know. I would appreciate all of the feedback I could get!
Parenting blogging is a growing topic…. with popularity comes possible monetization. I’m not going to lie, I would love to make a few extra bucks from my blog. It is like icing on the cake when you enjoy what you’re blogging about!
Thanks for the honesty Chris. I am right with you as you could guess. I appreciate the comment
Good question. My blog http://bit.ly/Ym4ZD is advert free because if it becomes a money-making venture, then I think I will feel the pressure and have less creativity. Blogging for me is therapy and for fun. I don’t feel the need to make the money. Thanks for asking. It’s a good question to ponder. Lisa
Hey Lisa I understand. My blog does the same for me: provides fun and therapy. However the way I see it, if I can earn a little something from it by placing ads or affiliate links then I am all for it. If it doesn’t make money then so be it because I won’t stop blogging but it does generate some income. I like trying to figure our what works and what doesn’t…its like a game to me.