Here we are going to look at blogging and passive income business to answer one of the common misconceptions – Is Blogging A Passive Income Business?
Passive and income, these two terms, when put together, look like magic words. The question might come to your mind is there any way through which one can make passive income instantly?
The question seems logical, but let’s be honest. The answer to this question is that not really.
A person can’t make passive income overnight. Hence, one has to work for months or years on their online business to make it a passive income. Then, they will see that the money is coming in.
In short, we can say that passive income is a result of long-term investment. Yes, in this scenario, a passive income can be realistic.
When it comes to passive income, blogging is one of the best online businesses.
If you have a blog thus, you can build several passive income streams with it. You can ask almost anyone, and they all will say the same thing. As they won’t have to work, their ultimate dream is to make a passive income.
However, always remember one thing, you cannot make money without lifting a finger. But you can come to make money and come very close to it, and blogging is one of the best ways.
Having your blog means that you are in complete control of your work. Most importantly, you know that you can work, for how long, and how much you can earn. Moreover, the icing on the cake is passive income.
Thus, it is an upfront investment of your time and money. In short, Passive income is such money that does not require too much effort as your business grows.
If you are from a western country such as Australia, the USA, Canada, and Europe and want to make money online, this article contains a lot of helpful information. However, before moving further, it is essential to know blogging, its importance, types, pros, cons, etc.
Let’s start rolling…
What is the Concept of Blogging?
Blogging means writing, photography, or other media available online or self-publishing.
Historically, it is an opportunity for people who write diary-style entries for other individuals. But after that, it becomes part of the website for many businesses.
Some of the hallmarks of blogging include informal language, frequent updates, etc.
Apart from that, it is the best opportunity for readers to engage, start a conversation, and give comments.
A word blog is a short form of ‘weblog’. The content in a blog is in reverse chronological order. Thus, it means that the newer content on your blog appears first.
Blog content is the entries or blog posts present in a blog.
Blogs are either run by individuals or small groups of people. Hence, they present the information in a conversational style. However, tons of corporate blogs also show the content in an informative and thought-leadership manner.
Typically, all blog posts have a comment section where users can share their opinion.
There are some beautiful blogs in the USA, Australia, Canada, and Europe, and most of them make a lot of money. The majority of the blogs belong to one person, and they write about what they are passionate about related to a niche.
Then, they share it with the whole world to see their creativity and interest. However, if you are not tech-savvy, starting a blog is a bit complicated initially. You have to learn the navigation, but it becomes pretty easy for you once it goes live.
However, creating a website today is nothing like those days. It is so simple – check this simplified web-creating platform with free training.
The Importance of Blogging – The Relevance To Today
Many people ask about the importance and ask whether they should start a blog? The answer to this question is always yes, yes, and a yes! Therefore, starting a website or blog of your own is a great way to create the most content you love.
One can start a blog on any niche which interests them.
For instance, one can have travel, fashion, clothing, education, business, technology, any other blog, etc. By introducing a blog, one can regularly add new pages and posts to their website.
When you have a blog, you also can introduce keywords that are great for search engine optimization (SEO). This is a skill you will learn as a part of the above training.
In this way, you can attract a larger audience to your blog. Try to focus on longer-tailed keywords with less competition, bringing better quality traffic.
Blogs are the ones that make you think outside the box, and one can see a bigger picture. It also encourages third-party links to create rapport with other business owners. Most of such relationships can bring you income as you make industry relationships.
It’s just magic!
Why Do People Love Blogging?
All individual bloggers have their motivation and passion for blogging. Furthermore, most of them thought it was an alternative to keep a diary or journal. Most importantly, an additional income for their family.
Through blogging sites, one can share with others their creativity and ideas. However, most businesses and top brands educate customers about their products and services. As a result, they reach a wider audience.
People can also socialize with like-minded people through their blogs. It is an essential part of their online marketing strategy for many businesses.
Pros and Cons of Blogging
The following are some pros and cons of blogging.
Advantages of Blogging As A Passive Income Stream
1. Best for SEO If You Sell A Product Or Service
Blogging is the best search engine optimization (SEO) tool as search engines love new content. However, the most notable thing about any blog is updating the content regularly. Thus, it helps to improve the SEO performance of the website.
2. Helps To Develop A Good Rapport with Customers
Another great advantage of blogging is that it helps in building rapport and good relationships with customers.
You can tell your product, service, and brand to the customers through a blog. In return, they can post comments and also interact with you. As a result, it helps in creating and building your credibility.
Customers get to know you better, and they develop a good relationship that can turn into purchases.
3. Helps in Maintaining Communication
A good blog post helps in maintaining communication with customers. It keeps your customers up to date, and they can know about any new deals and tips. Moreover, the more frequently you post helpful content, the more often customers visit your blog. Therefore, there are chances that they will spend more money.
4. It Provides Ways of Generating Alternate Income
All those blogs that are successful will make money by themselves. There are many ways through which one can generate alternate income through blogging (which we can discuss a bit later).
Along with your product or service, you can generate revenue through affiliate products, selling e-books, product reviews, advertising, etc.
Disadvantages Blogging As A Passive Income Stream
1. Consumes a Lot of Time
It is a fact that your readers must come again and again for a blog to be successful. But, the readers will come again if there is new content to read. Hence, you bloggers have to post new content several times a week.
In this way, they can increase the SEO and engage with visitors as they read fresh content every time.
2. Requires Engaging Ideas
Posting content that is not fresh or engaging is useless in blogging. It is necessary to develop some new ideas and blog posts continuously.
The good news is that this becomes relatively easy as you can hire freelancers or guest writers who can write blog posts for your blog. Therefore, different writers come up with new thoughts and content.
3. Time-consuming Payoff
One of the biggest cons and frustrations with blogging is that the payoffs are time-consuming. Your income is not instant (like a job).
Hence, the problem is that you will earn very little initially compared to your efforts. Moreover, it will take time to build readership and momentum. As time passes, you will earn a lot more for a very little effort, where you can call your blog a passive income business, finally.
4. Blogging Alone Cannot Generate income
Nowadays, another disadvantage of blogging is that it is challenging to generate a full-time income by blogging itself.
Previously, it was easy as one had just to post an article once a week, and it was just enough. However, today, you have to promote your blog on all social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Similarly, you have to do email marketing and upgrade your content continuously. It is ideal if you have a YouTube reach out too.
Types of Blogging Business
People can create blogs for many reasons, like educating, inspiring, or connecting with others.
On the contrary, blogging is not just for your readers but also for yourself. When you have enough readership, it can become a sustainable revenue stream for you. It is not just a blog, but it becomes your business.
In this section, let’s explore some fantastic types of blogging businesses that exist in the world of blogging. They are classified based on the key income stream.
1. Personal Blogs
Blogging began in the late 90s, and the online diary blogger was the first type of blogger.
These people take their life experiences and feelings with the audience. However, personal blogs follow no rules or themes.
They can use WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr and share their passion through writing with the world.
Usually, these types of bloggers get paid based on the number of visits to their blog through Ad revenue.
2. Business Blogs
Over time, blogs become efficient for businesses. Companies can share their products and services with the audience or customers through blogs.
Not only that, they can build communities and can also attract new clients.
According to the Active Blogs survey, 81% of companies consider their blog valuable and consider it is critical to their business.
Blogs can help companies to increase their website traffic. In the same way, through content promotion, they can improve their conversion rates. More business means more profit for them!
3. Professional Blogs
Those people who want to make money online are professional bloggers.
These individuals, through their blogging efforts, earn a salary. Similarly, they also use different monetization strategies like selling display ads, selling e-books, doing product reviews, and promoting other individuals’ products to earn a commission. Therefore, professional bloggers focus on either one blog or a few niche blogs to generate revenue.
4. Niche Blogs
Instead of focusing on broader topics, it is better to make a niche blog. Hence, niche blogs are more specific than generic. The research for niche blogs is more accessible.
By choosing a niche, you can share your point of view with the audience and differentiate your blog from others.
Thus, some of the popular niche blogs include the following.
- Travel blog
- Home decor blog
- Health blog
- Parenting blog
- Lifestyle blog
- Fashion blog
- Pets blog
- A food blog, etc.
5. Affiliate Blogs
Affiliate bloggers are those that generate affiliate marketing commissions by blogging.
They review other products in their writing encourage visitors to purchase those products. They give affiliate links that help them in earning a commission.
However, SEO is one of the essential parts of blogging, as affiliate bloggers want to rank first in search engine results, before promoting affiliate products.
Apart from the above, some other types of blogs include the following.
- Freelance blogs
- Artist’s blogs
- Guest blogs
- Multimedia blogs
- News blogs
- Sports blogs, etc.
Now let’s turn on the types of income to see is blogging a passive income stream. And, more specifically, when is blogging a passive income stream.
Type of Income Streams – Active Income vs Passive Income vs Extra Income
Your business (regardless it is a product or service) will not prosper but fail if you don’t have a strong positive income stream from it.
Having multiple income streams is an excellent way to save your business. Hence, it will give you an opportunity for growth.
Successful bloggers have various sources of income streams from their blogging.
Now, let’s discuss the three possible sources of income: active, passive, and extra payment to explain potential blog income better.
What Is Active Income?
When you receive payment from selling a product or performing a service, it is active income.
Here, one will receive a commission, salary, fees, tips, etc. However, the active income will take up your time, effort, resources and energy. For example, the active income from employment is more secure and regular.
If you start a blog, it will generate an active income. On the contrary, you move into a purely passive income model where you outsource all your blogging activities to pocket the passive income.
Let’s define passive income to explain it better…
What is Passive Income?
The opposite of active is passive income, where you don’t have to invest much of your time.
The passive income derives from your past efforts and investment. It is revenue you receive due to some form of investment you made.
For example, the regular income that comes from blogging without working on the blog is passive. For instance, you can earn money while you are on vacation.
That’s itself a luxury, isn’t it?
What is Extra Income?
Extra income is a little different. For example, the extra income you will get through bonuses, commission, or overtime can be called as extra income if you are an employee. Generally speaking, it is always pleasing to earn extra income as that is ‘extra’ or ‘more’ than what you were planning to receive.
One can also earn extra income in commission through a blog.
Now, let’s try to answer the primary question of this article – Is Blogging A Passive Income Business?
Is Blogging A Passive Income Business?
Absolutely yes, as blogging is a passive income business. It allows you to earn money even if you are not active.
However, bloggers must create autopilot marketing strategies and income models to earn passive income.
In other words, one can earn regular income from blogging without working actively. That means you don’t have to work continuously on your laptop for 10 to 15 hours to make money.
However, earning a passive income from a blog can take a few months for some, and a few years for others.
If you are interested, here is the platform which teaches how to earn blogging income sustainably.
How Passive Income For Your Blog Works?
Passive income is different from other income streams. In this case, all of your earnings come from a revenue model with a solid marketing strategy. Hence, it will bring traffic to your website so one can earn money.
Depending on your revenue strategy, your blogging income can fluctuate if you see that your blog traffic is declining or unstable, but you will still make money. But, in that case, it is best to pay attention to the following three questions.
- How robust are your systems?
- Is your blog in autopilot mode?
- What are the marketing strategies for your blog?
When Blogging is a Passive Income Business?
Blogging will become a passive income business when you monetize your blog.
If money does not start flowing immediately, you have to work on different monetization methods and set up a strategy. You have to make an intelligent model (call a funnel) and maintain it regularly. Hence, in this way, you can earn passive income.
Ways to Make Passive Income Through a Blog
When you set up several distinct income streams to make passive income through your blog, there are many valid ways to earn passive income from blogging.
Below is a list of some of the most popular ways to earn passive income.
They are as follows.
1. Advertising Networks
Many advertising networks will pay you for displaying their ads, or they will pay you for each click on their ad. However, there are two essential terms: CPM and PPC/CPC.
CPM means “Cost per Mille”, so you will get the payment if you view an ad 1,000 times on your blog or website.
On the contrary, PPC/CPC stands for “Pay per Click/Cost per Click”; thus, if somebody clicks the ad, a PPC/CPC advertising can earn your blog from some cents to several dollars.
One of the most suitable ways to set up PPC advertising is Google AdSense as a beginner blogger. Thus, you just have to set up your account, copy and paste the code to your website/ blog pages, and Google will take care of the rest.
Apart from Google, there are some other ad network options for bloggers. Some of them are MediaVine and AdThrive. They pay bloggers much more than AdSense; however, their acceptance is challenging until you grow your blog to a larger site to earn more money as a blogger.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most valid and popular forms of making money through a blog. But it is also the least understood form of making passive income.
You can earn commission through your blog by using affiliate marketing. Moreover, you can also partner with different companies or through your networks.
The following are some of the earning methods.
- Pay for click
- The pay for sales
- Pay for leads
- Selling informational courses
- Sell digital products
- And sell tangible products.
Most bloggers use a combination of the above methods to maximize their income.
3. Publishing eBooks
The best way for bloggers to make passive income is by publishing e-books. They can create the blog’s content and post it in an e-book.
Blogging and e-books both have a complementary effect on each other. Additionally, you can distribute the e-book by different means, which becomes another source of revenue.
Some standard publishing outlets include.
- Amazon Kindle
- Another one is direct sales from your blog or website.
- Digital affiliate networks. For example, Clickbank.
- Barnes and Noble
4. Direct Advertising or Selling Ad Space
One can make passive income by selling their advertising slots directly. When you are selling your advertising, then you are in complete control. Thus, you can choose each ad’s style, size, and design.
Similarly, you can also decide how many can display the ads on their website. Here, the advertisers pay for the views and clicks.
Another important thing is that bloggers can also sell direct advertising in paid guest posts and paid links.
5. Courses
As one can publish e-books, similarly, publishing courses is another form of earning passive income.
Bloggers can charge for the courses and make money by selling them directly through their website.
You can also publish courses on the sites like Udemy, YouTube, etc. Furthermore, good courses include slideshows, worksheets, videos, etc., which can also attract more traffic to your site leading to more Ad revenue.
When is Blogging Not a Passive Income Business?
Passive income seems to be the most attractive side of blogging. Some people write for their passion and never thought of starting a blog.
Blogging can never be a passive income business unless you apply marketing and monetization strategies.
Most bloggers create their blogs, but not all of them become successful. The reason is that they don’t know how to promote their blog.
Most importantly, buying a paid WordPress blog setup is better if you want to start a real business. Purchasing a personal domain and establishing your brand identity is better than a free blog account.
This platform does everything free for you, helping you to try out if a blogging business suits you.
Conclusion
Many people mistakenly think that passive income is something that one can earn without doing any work. However, this belief is quite misleading.
The truth is that if you are serious and want to earn passive income through blogging, then you have to do some measure of work. But it is also true that you can continue making money while you are sleeping or on vacation.
Passive income is fantastic, but the startup period is challenging and intense. In short, there is a lot of upfront work you need to do to earn passive income through blogging. Earning passive income through blogging is possible if you make income models for consistent money.
