Why Your Blog is Not Earning You Money

One of the biggest misconceptions about blogging today is that anyone with half a brain can earn big bucks from it, just by posting every so often and tacking up a few boxes of Google Adsense on your site. Only when one actually starts a blog does reality sink in: it’s not easy to make money blogging, and just because someone managed to make thousands of dollars within his first six months doesn’t mean that you will, too.

If you’ve hit a dead end as far as your blog’s earnings are concerned, there’s bound to be a combination of factors behind that. Below is a list of some fairly common reasons why a blog isn’t earning as much money as it should:

1. You’re jumping the gun:

Blogs take a notoriously long time before they can expect to be recognized by other members of the online community. While there certainly are some exceptions to this, you can’t expect your blog to be a hit at the offing, especially since there are tons of other blogs out there that have already established themselves well and gained a loyal following. Because of this, most of the first six months of your blog will usually be about earning your reputation, not your revenue. If it’s only been three or six months and you haven’t seen any signs of profit yet, don’t despair. Just stay dedicated to updating and refining your blog, and you should see some progress as time goes by.

2. Ads have taken over your blog:

Everyone knows that advertising campaigns make the blogging world go ’round, but just because they’re a decisive factor in the size of your revenue doesn’t mean that you should make them the major player in your strategy. Remember, your readers aren’t visiting your blog to admire the Google Adsense layout you chose. Instead, they’re there to find valuable information and interesting insights about your chosen niche, preferably the kind of content that they won’t find anywhere else. Keep the ads spare, but keep the quality of your posts high.

3. You don’t update enough:

If you think that three or four entries in a week is enough for your blog to perform well, think again. Ideally, you should be able to post daily on your blog, no matter how hectic your schedule is. Even the biggest blogs out there – Boing Boing and TechCrunch, to name a few – post multiple times a day. With frequent postings, Google is sure to take notice and index your site just as often, eventually pushing up your blog’s search engine rankings.

4. You’re blogging only for the money:

Let’s face it: if you’re in it only for the money, you’re probably not going to make a lot. This is because blogging is more than just coming up with a working marketing strategy or finding a topic that’s hot and popular. Instead, it’s all about what YOU can offer to your readers. Most bloggers end up writing about topics that are popular, not exactly those that they’re passionate about. The important thing here is to find a niche that you love and avoid marketing shortcuts that don’t help you make money blogging in a sustainable way.

If any of these common traps are exactly the sort you’ve fallen into, it’s not too late! Just make a few key adjustments and changes to your blogging strategy, cultivate some patience and tenacity with your blog, and the rewards will come to you in due time.

HappY BlogginG!!! (: