Blog Income Sabotage How to Fix Your Mistakes and Earn

This post may contain affiliate links
Blog with no traffic? It might seem like a mystery now, but you can earn money from blogging. Blog income really seems like a mystery till you crack the code.

Other bloggers are succeeding and they’re gathering endless followers to cash in with, what’s the problem with your blog? These blog income tips will ensure that you are set up to not only succeed with blogging but earn an income.

Blog Income Starts With What Not to Do

If you don’t have a blog please start with this post: Start a WordPress blog with Bluehost for a setup filled with tons of juicy blog tips. 

Sabotage #1 You Hate Your Blog Name

There are a million different reasons to stop blogging. If the name of your blog is hindering you, then it’s time to creatively invest in a new domain.

Starting over is not admitting defeat! Give yourself a new name, especially if there’s no way to get around your old blog name. You can even redirect your old blog to some of your new posts for a boost in traffic.

Consider this: You coupon all the time because you love to cook. You might be thinking that coupons are an easy subject to blog about! But… just because you really like cutting coupons doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to love blogging about it.

If you don’t change your old domain, you will direct the wrong traffic to your future endeavors.

Example: ‘Sarascoupons.com’ is going to hinder your new blog about high fashion because no one would expect high fashion on a money-saving coupon site. Make sense?

If you haven’t picked out a domain and blog name yet keep this in mind: Pick a name and niche that is easy for you to maintain through your lifestyle.

Blogging is work in the end and you have to enjoy it and feel passionate about your topics… or you simply won’t keep posting.

Remember: don’t let a name hold you back! You can progress in your blogging journey and start to create a medium for all your interests.

Blog Income Hack – Verify Your Blog With Search Engines

Did you know that you have to make certain that search engines are aware that your blog exists?

Yep… Imagine Google working extra hard to pull up your blog. We definitely don’t want that. Search engines are what fuels your SEO.

*Fix it quickly! If you use WordPress, look under ‘Tools’ and check Web Verification Services and make sure that you are set up with the following: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Center, Pinterest Search Verification, Yandex.Webmaster. All you need to do is enter your Metakey Content.*

Viral Hack! Use Better Images

Stop ignoring this advice! This is one of the most ignored blog tips. 

Everyone tells you to fix your images. Yet, time after time, I see TERRIBLE images on people’s sites.

If the picture isn’t good enough, clear enough or bright enough to be featured as a full-size image move on!

Images should be close to the same width as your blog or be inlaid into the text.

Miniature images look juvenile and unprofessional. I said it. 

Use Pins on your blog instead of normal pictures

Make sure that if you use a stock image that you pick one that is relevant. A smiling ‘thumbs-up’ frog figure is always going to be irrelevant. Silly pictures aside, using stock images will up your game if you don’t have time to take your own pictures.

Take 2 minutes to edit and brighten your own pictures.

A simple photo editing site like Picmonkey will allow you to focus, clear up, edit and brighten photos in minutes. Picmonkey is my go-to for image editing.

*Don’t forget to spruce up your Instagram pictures too.* I edit every Instagram photo with Picmonkey.

Always align your images within your post. If your photo is not large enough to take up the width of your post then it needs to be aligned within the words of your post.

My favorite free image sites are: Pixabay and Pexels

Blog Income Will Come From Your Subscriber List

Create your own marketing tool from day one!

Don’t be shy. People are interested in what you have to say and they want the opportunity to come back for more! Due to the amount of information available online, some people need a reminder. A subscriber list provides that.

Every time you create a new post, your content will automatically be shared with your subscribers.

You will also have the opportunity to email any of your readers at any time which means you can share affiliate links whenever you want to your entire subscriber list.

I use the free version of Sumo and it meets all of my analytical and emailing needs. I highly recommend them if you are on the market.

Use SEO to Get More Traffic

Search engine optimization aka ‘SEO’ is quite simple if you break it down: make sure search engines can find you.

This will increase your online visibility.

Google Adwords is a great resource to check on the popularity of words to get the most bang out of your keywords when you title your blog post and or describing a picture or pin.

If you aren’t sure where to start with SEO, download the Yoast SEO plugin.

It’s an amazing plugin that helps you optimize all aspects of your blog and posts for more visibility.

Blog Income is Harder When You Build Your Website On a Free Platform

Once I decided to dedicate myself to blogging, I knew that purchasing hosting would be a great way to keep me accountable to my goals.

This was huge for me because I am CHEAP. Everything within my power to not pay for hosting had been done. Friends, it wasn’t worth it.

I wasted a lot of time with a site that didn’t look professional and it hindered my growth until I invested with Bluehost.

Once you have a site and a platform that allows you to have complete control over every aspect of your blog, you can fully brand your site.

Free sites don’t give creative people enough ‘tweakability’ and you risk looking unprofessional.

For easy setup, I have you covered! Check out my post: Start a Blog to Earn Real Money.

To Earn Blog Income You Need a Pinterest Business Account

This is not your ‘typical you need’ to use Pinterest to share your pins.

You need to harbor Pinterest as a social media marketing haven. When you break it down, Pinterest allows you to create your own network to advertise to (yes, sharing your blog is advertising).

It takes effort but it will pay off in the long run.

You would pay for a sponsored post, right? Get a bunch of eyes on something?

Well depending on the reach of that sponsorship, a well oiled Pinterest account may provide equal, if not better results, on the daily… cost-free. Use that to your advantage.

No time for Pinterest? I set you up from scratch or revamp what you’ve done. Check out The Ultimate Pinterest Audit for individualized pinning mastery. 

Did You Adjust Your Permalinks?

CAUTION! If you currently have linked all over Pinterest etc changing your Permalink structure will break all of your existing links. This should be done at the time of the blog setup.

Proper permalinks will increase your visibility.

This is another important aspect of overall search engine optimization for your site.

When a search engine is looking for information you want your algorithm to be as descriptive as possible to give the search engines something to grab onto. ‘Day and Name’ is recommended for time-sensitive info such as news articles.

However, if you blog ‘Post name’ will ensure that your content looks ‘evergreen’.

I chose ‘Day and Name’. If I was to go back in time, I would select Post Name only. This will keep your content looking fresh despite when it was published.

In WordPress simply access your Settings —-> Permalinks. Then adjust.

Blog Income Comes From Blogging Consistently

Make sure that you are setting time aside to work on your blog and sharing it to social media. 

If you don’t blog, and you don’t share what you have created continually there will be no reason for anyone to visit your site.

Tailwind will help you schedule pins, and will also let you share your content to Twitter and Instagram.

For more details on how to absolutely smash your social media goals, you will love this post: How the Ultimate Social Media ScoreCard Will Skyrocket Your Traffic!

It’s important to think outside the box and not just seek out a money-making niche out of perceived convenience. Blog Income Can Come From Any Niche

Your blog needs to be a part of your everyday life and wavelength.

True life example: I LOVE crafting, however my inability to complete projects regularly became a burden and as a result, my previous craft blog failed. I was more in love with the end result rather than actually documenting the process of how to make something.

Realize your own strengths and weaknesses and exploit your strengths. I prefer writing and stock photos over how-to instructions and photo editing.

These are things you don’t have to feel bad about.

However, if you want to use stock photos as a photography blogger that would definitely be an example of choosing the wrong niche HAHA.

These realizations can come with time but know that if you don’t enjoy something, creating a blog around it won’t necessarily inspire you to be more involved with the subject.

There is something else out there that you will enjoy more… keep thinking if you aren’t sold on your own niche.

Earn Blog Income When You Sign Up For Affiliate Programs and Promote Products

If you aren’t actively sharing content that will help you earn you will never see a penny.

Affiliate marketing is an arrangement between you and a merchant.

You’re essentially giving credibility to the merchant or product by recommending it to your readers. The merchant then gives you a piece of the action based on what the customer purchases.

Some merchants are set up to pay you commissions, some are ‘pay per click’ for directing traffic to their site.

Once you are an approved member of the affiliate network or program your unique member id will be included in your links.

This will allow the merchant to track purchases that originated from your site.

You can add affiliate links to posts, or to your sidebar. Many people also opt for a popup (caution! too many popups will slow your reader’s browser speed).

Opting for email campaigning or e-commerce, is quite popular…. the possibilities are endless when you own your domain. Thanks to Michelle’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing I have been earning a passive income from my blog. I highly recommend it.

Here are a few of my favorite affiliate networks for you to join:

• Shareasale is my favorite affiliate network. It’s my number 1 recommendation for new bloggers. To join as an affiliate and click ‘Affiliate Login’ to get your profile setup. If you’ve been struggling with affiliate marketing Shareasale has the EASIEST to use platform. You will have access to thousands of merchants in seconds, and you can scan 1000’s of promotion possibilities daily. PicMonkey and Tailwind have been my favorite brands to promote from Shareasale

A few standalone options:

Ibotta When someone signs up you make an easy $5.00… $10.00 is credited to the account holder when they verify their first rebate. We all know cutting coupons can feel like a waste of time, technology is making that all the more easily accessible. Hook your readers up with an easy way to save money. When you start posting affiliate links you will start to see income.

I Know We Covered A Lot and I’ll Be Here When You’re Ready To Get Creating!

Here are some quick tips to get you started immediately on these dire changes. 

• Explore paying for hosting I suggest Bluehost click for The Rising Damsel Start-Up Guide. There are secrets you won’t find anywhere else, I promise.
• Make pins for every post starting with your most popular posts first. Optimize the pins and include them in your posts. Images should be at least 730px x 1100px. Shrink the images down and inlay them into your post, or make them the main attraction and let them take up the whole page.
• Engage in social media heavily. 
• Start sharing your content on Facebook. Here is a post filled with Facebook Groups.  Definitely join mine here first 🙂 

You work hard on your blog! You Can Earn Blog Income It’s Possible

Don’t forget, when you subscribe to The Rising you will get access to The Rising Damsel’s Library! This includes awesome ways to save, and the exclusive Social Media Scorecard! It’s the only one of it’s kind to help you track all your social media in one place.

Learn more about it in this post: Skyrocket Your Traffic Using The Ultimate Social Media Scorecard. Take all the mystery and struggle away from earning with your website when you share enough!

Find The Rising Damsel on Pinterest! 

Join my Facebook Group Connect and Share for Success. I’d love to help spread your content. 

If you are looking for a free Tailwind Tribe try The Rising Damsel’s: Promote Your Blog – A Rising Damsel Tribe. Much Love!! Together we will be great!

Questions and comments are always welcome. I really hope this post inspired you.

My Go-To Resources

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing There are tons of ways to make money on your blog. If you want to make money by promoting a company or product you need Michelle’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I didn’t actually start earning money from blogging till I took her course. Save yourself from frustration, Michelle has it figured out for us.

Credit Sesame I used Credit Sesame to lower my credit card debt and start saving money. I would have never been able to afford my car for cash or pay off my debt without learning about my credit score first. Credit Sesame provides a free service and a free credit score. Check them out to see how they can help dig you out of debt today. You won’t be sorry, I can’t believe how much they helped me.

Rakuten Coupons deals and cashback. When you’re shopping online if you aren’t stacking your savings, you’re losing serious money. Get rebates from 1%-20%+ on thousands of stores and get $10.00 for signing up. I won’t shop without Rakuten.

Ibotta! I save on all my staples from eggs, to paper towels, to coffee and even uber rides! With Ibotta you just snap a picture of your shopping receipt and match it with current deals available online. Get $10 just for signing up through The Rising Damsel. Redeem your first $10 by verifying a purchase from any of their stores. It’s an obsession.