How long does it take to make money blogging in 2023? (Statistics from the Blogging Income Survey 2023)

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Blogging can be very lucrative… but only if you do it right! So, how long does it actually take to earn money from a blog in 2023? And what can be done to speed up the process?

Blogging can be a very lucrative business model, with many bloggers earning 6 or even 7 figure incomes. But how long does it actually take to make money blogging?

According to recent research, it takes an average of 20 months to start making money with a blog. However, that is just the average. The statistics show that 27% of bloggers start earning money from blogging within 6 months and 38% are making a full-time income within 2 years of starting their blog.

Two years might still sound a lot, but there’s a lot you can do to speed that up!

In this article, we’ll look at exactly how long it takes to make money blogging, the factors that affect how long it takes, and what you can do to speed up that timeline… so you can start make money with your blog FASTER!

How long does it take to make money blogging in 2023? (Statistics from real bloggers)

I recently conducted a survey in which I asked bloggers a series of questions about their blogs and blogging income.

One of the clear themes from the blogging income statistics is that blogging is NOT a get rich scheme, but it is possible to earn a good full-time income from blogging if you work hard, do the right things and persevere.

According to the research, it takes on average 20 months to start making money from a blog and an average of 4 years and 1 month to earn a full-time income from blogging.

However, before you write blogging off as a lost cause, it’s important to point out that these numbers don’t tell the whole story.

For example, by their own admission, many bloggers did not start their blogs with the intention of making money. (I know this for a fact, as many bloggers actually wrote this on their survey!)

Also, many bloggers had no real clue when they first started about HOW to make money from a blog and it consequently took them a lot longer than it should have done.

What is much more encouraging is that, according to the same study, 27% of bloggers start earning money from their blogs within 6 months and 38% are making a full-time income within 2 years of starting their blog.

Another encouraging indication is that bloggers who have been blogging for 5-10 years are earning an average of $3,919.96 per month and bloggers who have been blogging for 10+ years are earning an average of $4,929.45 per month. This suggests that, long term, blogging can be very lucrative. (And remember, these are just averages, that means many bloggers in this group were earning A LOT MORE than $4,929.45 per month!)

Factors that affect how long it takes to make money from a blog

In reality, how long it takes to make money from a blog depends on multiple factors. The main factors affecting how quickly you can start to earn an income from blogging are:

• Number of blog posts
• Monetization methods
• Number of pageviews
• Blog post quality
• Attitude
• Niche
• Time

Number of blog posts

One of the most encouraging results from the Blogging Income Survey was that, typically, bloggers who wrote more blog posts earned more money. This is hugely encouraging because writing more blog posts is something you actually DO!

Monetization methods

Another very actionable factor was the number and type of monetization methods. The study showed that bloggers who monetized their blogs with more revenue streams typically earned more.

And that bloggers who monetized via products and services typically earned more than bloggers who monetized with ads and affiliates.

Number of pageviews

It may not come as much of a surprise that bloggers with more pageviews typically earned more. But this is also encouraging as, again, it can be acted upon. There is a lot you can do to maximise your pageviews.

Blog post quality

Another big theme from the study was that blog post quality really matters. This is something that Google also stresses:

‘We suggest focusing on ensuring you’re offering the best content you can. That’s what our algorithms seek to reward.’

Writing lots of high-quality content will undoubtedly help you earn money from your blog sooner, but conversely, writing lots of low-quality content will not. Given finite time, it’s much better to write fewer, better quality blog posts.

But quality is not just about your new content. It’s about ALL your content. And this is one explanation for why some older, larger blogs underperform.

Attitude

Another big factor which affects how quickly your blog will make money is your attitude. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a blogger who treats their blog as a business right from the get-go will start earning money much faster than a blogger who does not.

Niche

Interestingly, ‘niche’ was not as much of a factor as you might think – there were no niches that stood out as being vastly more lucrative than all the others. However, niche will still have an impact on blogging earnings. In fact, in the study, there were only 12 niches represented where bloggers were earning over $1000.

Time

Time is also undoubtedly a factor when it comes to how quickly you can start making money with a blog. It’s just common sense that someone with 50 hours a week to spend on their blog will be able to earn more money than someone who can only spare 5 hours a week to work on their blog.

However, it’s super important to understand that HOW you spend the time you have available will affect your blog earnings just as much, if not more, than HOW MUCH time you spend blogging.

You could spend 50 hours a week on your blog and not earn a penny, if you do the wrong things. On the flipside, if you only have a few hours a week to spare, but you use that time in the most productive way possible, you can still earn good money blogging.

How To Make Money From Your Blog Faster

So, having established that there are many factors that affect how quickly you can start to earn money from a blog, what can you do to speed up the process, so that your blog can be earning you a full-time income as soon as possible?

Here are 11 super actionable steps…

1. Set your blog up the right way

If you don’t yet have a blog, then your first step is to start your blog. However, there is plenty that can go wrong here! In order to ensure you start earning money from your blog as soon as possible, you need to make sure you set your blog up the right way. But don’t worry, I can help you here! Grab a copy of my FREE Profitable Blog Plan to get step-by-step guidance on exactly what you need to do and in what order!

2. Don’t waste time on peripheral activities

One of the big mistakes I see new bloggers make is they spend far too much time on peripheral ‘nice to do’ activities and nowhere near enough time on the things that actually move the dial! If you want to get to the point where your blog is earning money as soon as possible, do not spend much (if any) time on these common timewasters:

• Constantly tweaking your site design
• Spending hours designing and redesigning your logo
• Social media
• Pinterest

For more on this, I recommend you watch my video on how to start a money making blog.

3. Don’t hide behind a coming soon page

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your blog is getting your blog to start ranking on Google, but this takes time and Google can’t start the process of adding your blog to its index until it can access your blog… In fact, if your blog is hidden under a ‘Coming Soon’ page, you are actively blocking Google from indexing your blog content.

In other words, the longer your blog is hidden under a ‘coming soon’ page, the longer it will take for you to start ranking on Google and so the longer it will take for you to start earning money from your blog.

4. Write lots of blog posts

One of the best ways to make money from your blog faster is to write lots of blog posts. The research shows a strong correlation between number of blog posts and income. But be careful here. Writing blog posts willy nilly on any topic that takes your fancy is not a good strategy. Instead, focus your efforts and energies on writing blog posts on topics that will get you traffic.

The process of finding blog post topics that will get you traffic is called ‘keyword research’. Head over to my beginner’s guide to keyword research for bloggers to find out more.

5. Write high-quality blog posts

It’s not just the QUANTITY of blog content that matters. It’s also the QUALITY. If you want to start earning money from your blog faster you need to write high-quality content. Here are two resources which will help you do just that:

• How to write the perfect blog post (for search engines AND your readers)
• How to write high quality blog posts that rank (according to Google)

6. Learn SEO

There is a very strong correlation between the number of pageviews your blog gets and the amount of money you can potentially earn. While doing keyword research and writing lots of high-quality blog posts will definitely help here, there’s a lot more you need to do if you want to maximise your pageviews.

The hands-down best way to get lots of pageviews is by getting your content to rank higher on Google. This is process is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

Head here to learn more about SEO >>> A beginner’s guide to SEO for bloggers

7. Grow your email list

One of the problems with SEO is what I like to call ‘Leaky Bucket Syndrome’. This is because, even if you really nail your SEO, most people who visit your blog will ping away once they have got the answer to whatever question they searched for on Google and NEVER COME BACK.

It’s like Google is pouring water into the top of your bucket, but you’ve got a whole load of holes in your bucket letting all that lovely Google traffic pour right out again.

Happily, there’s a really easy way to plug those holes and get more of that traffic to come back again and again… and that’s email marketing! To find out more about how you can use email marketing to plug your leaky bucket, head over to my beginner’s guide to email marketing for bloggers.

8. Diversify your income streams

The statistics show that there’s a correlation between number of income streams and how much money you can make with a blog. One of the biggest mistakes I see new bloggers make is pinning all their hopes on one monetization method (usually ads or sponsored posts) and not diversifying.

The problem with both ads and sponsored posts is it can take a year or more to start making money with these methods. Instead, I recommend you start by focusing your efforts and energies on affiliate marketing and creating a digital product. You can start earning money from both of these right from the get-go!

I recommend you watch my video on how to start a money making blog for more on this.

You might also find these two resources helpful:

• A beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing for bloggers
• Ebook vs Online Course: Which should you create?

9. Treat your blog like a business

One of the biggest factors that will determine your success in blogging is your attitude. If you treat your blog as a business, you are much more likely to earn money from your blog and you are much more likely to get to the point of earning money from your blog sooner.

READ MORE >>> How to treat your blog like a business (and start actually making money!)

10. Be consistent

Another huge factor in determining your blog’s success is how consistent you are. It is just common sense that the more consistently you show up, the more quickly you are going to start earning money from your blog.

Head here for tips on how to do that >>> How to blog more consistently (even if you have NO TIME!)

11. Don’t give up!

And finally, if you want to earn money from your blog as soon as possible, don’t give up! One of the biggest reasons why bloggers fail is because they gave up too soon. All the statistics show that it can be tough in the early days… it can feel like you are working super hard but seeing almost no traffic or income.

It’s important to realise THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL. But the statistics also show that, if you keep working hard and if you do the right things, you will start earning money from your blog as soon as possible… and you can earn a really decent income from blogging in the medium to long term.

How to start a money-making blog in 2023

Ready to start your money making blog? Want to make sure you start your blog the right way and start earning money from your blog as soon as possible? Watch my Money Making Blog Training Video!

More on this topic…

• 20 reasons why you should start a blog in 2023
• How much does it REALLY cost to start a blog in 2023?
• 9 essential things to do before starting a blog in 2023
• What is a blog and how does it work? Blogging explained! [2023]
• 61 things I wish had known before I started blogging

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