Business Growth: How to Monetize Your Blog

Let’s Reach Success, an authoritative website on all things pertaining to personal, spiritual, and business growth, was founded by Lidiya, a full-time freelance writer. She now makes $2,000 each month. She did, however, have to fight a lot of fights at first.

The Journey of a Lifestyle Designer and Freelance Writer

Dear Lidiya: What are you currently working on and what is your background?

Hello, I’m Lidiya K, a full-time lifestyle designer and freelance writer. I’m originally from Bulgaria, but I moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, which is my dream place, after being location independent, building up the internet company, and earning just enough to finance a living in a better country. My largest endeavor is Let’s Reach Success, which began as a personal blog where I wrote about personal development—my first area of interest—but has now evolved into an authoritative website on all things pertaining to personal, spiritual, and professional progress, serving as the cornerstone of my brand and company.

While I’ve experimented with many ways to monetize my love and several side projects in Internet Marketing, it turns out that having an online platform is useful and can be used in a variety of ways. Over time, individuals began finding me via my website. Many individuals wanted to connect with me because they enjoyed the tale I shared on my About page, some wanted to contribute (I publish many guest pieces), many more wanted to publish a sponsored post (these now account for a sizable portion of my monthly revenue), etc.

Building a Successful Blogging Business from Scratch

How was Let’s Reach Success created? Which business model do you use?

I was a complete novice, which is why I think my story connects with so many others.

There are many wannabe bloggers out there who never create a WordPress site and publish their first article. or those who give up after a short period of time. The largest factor in my ability to support myself while continuing to live my life as I saw fit is that I persisted with it and wrote about the subjects I was most interested in.

In a cutthroat market, it is feasible to succeed (not too well, but just well enough to support a comfortable living). I sought out personal growth. Today, however, it also includes entrepreneurship, health, lifestyle, travel, career, finance, and other topics.

The intriguing thing about this is that it all happened while I was developing. The magic only occurred when I joined my interests in self-help and my natural writing talent. In other words, I identified my passion as personal development and told myself I needed to start writing to see where it would go. It subsequently evolved into a pastime and a kind of therapy while I also gradually started a blog.

I started off knowing absolutely nothing. Not about the publishing industry, blogging, earning money online, generating traffic, or creating a website using a content management system. But if you’re willing to put in the hours and concentration required for that, it’s simple.

A business plan was never used. I just began with a straightforward wordpress.com site and kept it that way for a whole year. I then made the decision to invest because this site had effectively become my portfolio. There was no better method for me to establish myself at that point because I was already earning my first income as a freelance writer than to increase the amount of my work that is published on the platform that I own. therefore I migrated to wordpress.org and created myself a hosting account.

My self-published books were first sold on the website using WooCommerce, but they are now all sold on Amazon. Organic traffic alone attracted attention, as did advertisers interested in links to their website or mentions of their brand that came up naturally in content. They either offer the stuff or I compose it. I now often receive between $100 and $200 for a single well-written article that I publish as a guest post.

How to Optimize Your Blog for Monetization

After I realized that this business model was the most effective way to monetize the blog, I also made more professional investments in better hosting, a premium theme (the blog now has a magazine-style aesthetic, and the emphasis is on content), better optimization, increased attention to rankings, the creation of an advertiser page, and other things.

I also engage in affiliate marketing, albeit it does not yet provide a consistent source of money for me. Although I’m still experimenting, what appears to work the best and what I feel most comfortable doing (like the majority of other bloggers) is to just write about items that I personally use or enjoy and offer a link to them.

No Clickbank, no Amazon Associates. Additionally, I’ve never liked adverts, so if you want to build a reliable resource and provide users a wonderful experience, Google AdSense isn’t a good choice.

I place a lot of emphasis on high-quality information. The benefit of the Internet is that this tactic is still effective. In addition, if you take the effort to produce and disseminate quality information, spammy websites cannot compete with you, regardless of their financial resources.

A Non-Marketer’s Guide to SEO

What marketing techniques do you use to increase traffic?

I am not proficient in social media, I do not actively promote my newsletter, and I do not invest in advertising.

It still works fairly well to optimize my material for both users and search engines. Along with the sporadic backlink from a reputable website, whether it be through a guest post I authored for them or because they included a Let’s Reach Success article as a reference after finding it to be helpful.

So let’s discuss my SEO strategy as a non-marketer.

I’m interested in it, first of all. I like reading about it since it’s like a game. Early on, I learned the fundamentals of on-page SEO, and through time, I developed the practice of writing in this manner. Actually, it’s just another digital talent.

Because that particular keyword is referenced a few times throughout the article, several of my blogs are ranking for certain keywords even if they weren’t prepared with it in mind. But every now and again, I like to write a lengthy essay (between 2000 and 3500 words) that serves as both a tutorial and is optimized for a long keyword phrase. For instance, How to Become a Millionaire Online was the most recent. It was listed as number five in the SERP a week after publication.

My keyword research is rather straightforward. I use Google term Planner to enter a term related to the subject I feel like writing about and then I look at the results.

I choose five to ten of the results that I like, have little competition, and get enough monthly searches for. If there are 100–1,000 searches for a term, you may easily rank for it, however there may be more. It is not necessary for these results to be precise, but what I do next is enter the selected term into Google to check what results appear on the first page.

The idea is to read just one or two articles on this topic from reputable websites, analyze their substance, and realize that you can produce a better and lengthier essay. Then you proceed to compose it, making sure to incorporate the term frequently enough.

Overcoming Uncertainty and Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire

What were the toughest barriers you overcome and problems you faced?

The toughest struggle is with the initial uncertainties that we all experience.

I had no solid evidence that it was doable because I didn’t know anyone who was doing what I am. But that’s alright since I don’t need other people’s help and I get enough of inspiration from the individuals I follow online and all the amazing success stories out there.

The discontent I felt with my prior way of life was what enabled me to overcome these uncertainties and the fear of failure. I was continually telling myself that there had to be more to life since I wasn’t independent, doing anything worthwhile, or making the most of each day. This frame of mind prevents you from stopping what you’re doing to escape the system and build a better, more independent living.

Therefore, I was reading about individuals who did it and succeeded years before I did anything online that earned money. They all started from scratch, had no resources at the outset, or prior expertise (I’m a huge supporter of self-made millionaires). However, anyone can enter the digital realm, create anything, and make money.

There is also another phase, which is ennui.

After spending some time on your passion project and seeing little progress, you enter it. To keep on course, I had to remind myself of my vision. This meant that I continued to get up earlier than I needed to and set aside time for the job that will someday be an internet business. I developed the discipline of someone doing it full-time even though there was no formal employment at the time. Today, I still do it first thing in the morning, and that still seems appropriate.

Distractions provide the following difficulty.

Before I developed Let’s Reach Success into not only a blog but also a registered corporation in the nation I relocated to, I was reading a lot about zen and simplicity. Long before I started including new things, I did simplify my life. That also falls under lifestyle design. Getting rid of the unneeded, but also identifying and minimizing distractions. That may be other people in your life, other objectives you’re pursuing, other tasks you’re working on, your high standards, your poor spending habits, or your laziness or procrastination.

I focused on each of these and tried to get rid of them one at a time. The ability to keep track of everything I do has been one of my finest habits. As a result, I was able to identify what is effective and do more of it while eliminating the rest. Here is an illustration of how my income has evolved over the past 12 months.

I use my time ruthlessly these days. I schedule my days, set priorities, and manage my workload around my prime time. You should determine your own peak productivity times and use those times exclusively for work, leaving the rest of the day free.

Lessons Learned: The Worst Decisions I Made in Growing

What are your biggest drawbacks?

Two are present:

1) Making no connections: Networking is the lifeblood of the blogging industry. In addition, I have turned down dozens of potential possibilities. My inability to delegate tasks or let people do what they do best may be keeping me from developing even though I am aware that I don’t perform well in a team. But keep in mind that this is a lifestyle company, with the goal of producing just enough money to allow an individual to lead the lifestyle they choose.

2) Avoiding video: I made an effort to get outside of my comfort zone and visit YouTube. I am already aware of the subject I may bring up. In accordance with Gary Vee’s recommendation, I would be chronicling my experience, but I just don’t feel comfortable. I used to have a podcast, but I recently quit doing it since I wasn’t enjoying it as much. As our time and attention are limited, I’m alright with leaving things behind, even though they were formerly an integral component of my brand and online presence.

What were the worst errors you made in establishing and expanding Let’s Reach Success?

Everything, now that I think about it, was such a lesson that I don’t want to go back. However, the following items weren’t smart ideas (even though I experimented with them all in my spare time and was fine with it as that’s how I first learned about the publishing industry):

A membership website

I put a lot of effort into studying the top membership plugins and creating a comprehensive plan for how to launch and market a membership website (which is not simple). Purchased one for about $100, put it up, made certain pages, blocked access to older information, rebranded the website as a platform with premium content, and began creating content for members. My fresh, really useful information was read by essentially no one once I discovered I don’t know how to get others on board. So I conceded defeat, uninstalled the plugin, restored unfettered access to all material, and resumed business as usual. The problem is that I wanted to create the perfect recurring income model that would still allow me to write, but only for readers who would be willing to pay. But it takes a lot of work, I have no idea how to advertise it (there are several ways to sell such a thing), and charging them a monthly fee is a big responsibility. But hey, I now fully understand this monetization strategy and have applied what I’ve learned to other areas of my career.

Staying too long with BlueHost

I’m sorry to use names, but I feel compelled to. Since the first day I switched to a self-hosted site, I’ve been with Bluehost, and they’re great for beginners. Everyone is talking about this cheap hosting provider that is also highly well-liked. After that, I upgraded to a pro level and registered for WordPress managed hosting on a dedicated server. At one point, I was spending close to $500 a year while receiving terrible customer service and unannounced downtime. I only recently finished it and migrated to WPX Hosting early last month. It’s been fantastic so far. But I already knew they had great support and a high-quality product designed with WordPress in mind. I now feel lot better, and my performance improved right away.

Expert Advice: The Only Marketing Guru You’ll Need

What would you change if you could only do one thing differently?

I can’t claim there is anything like that since I created a powerful attitude before creating a great site. Most business owners admit that they wish they had begun sooner. Yes, one could always say that. It turns out, though, that we don’t begin until we are psychologically equipped to bear the responsibility that comes with our new undertaking. It’s all okay, then:)

What other learning resources, besides blunders, would you suggest to aspiring entrepreneurs?

My online mentors are those I like to refer to as. I’ve been watching these individuals for a while now. The majority are self-made millionaires who gave up their former lifestyle (often in their 30s), learnt from their errors, enjoyed their independence before settling down, started a few enterprises, some of which they scaled, while others continued to live a free life. But they were all helpful to me since I could relate to their ideas.

Which are:

– Tim Ferriss: For those just getting started, read (or simply skim) his first book, The 4-Hour Workweek. Visit his blog and begin listening to his podcast there. His most recent blockbusters, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors, may be the only books you ever need to own since they include the finest business and personal advice from some of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

– Mark Manson: You might be interested in his well read book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Though not exactly business advise, just life facts that will assist you in reaching some profound conclusions, making important choices, making changes in your life, and beginning to live more fully. He was a huge assistance to me.

– Pat Flynn: His revenue records provide as compelling evidence that he is widely regarded as the expert on how to generate money online. I frequently check his blog to see what’s new since I find his life narrative and company beginnings to be interesting.

– Dan and Ian: These two geographically independent business owners first settled in Asia, where they began establishing contacts and growing their enterprises. They presented me to some intriguing ideas for designing a lifestyle.

– Tynan: What an oddball. He has a lot of good habits, and I enjoy the way he thinks and lives. However, it does take some reading to get to the excellent material on his site and begin learning how to live more shrewdly, manage your time and money more effectively, and ensure that you’re pursuing your goals in life.

Mr. Neil Patel The only marketing expert you will ever require is this one. It’s fun for me to visit QuickSprout to view his most current articles. He founded both KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg; the entrepreneur has a lot going on.

– Gary Vaynerchuk: I discovered him much later than when I first started out. But his first book, “Crush It,” was a turning point for me because it made me understand that my love wasn’t writing but rather personal growth. I could only share it with the world via writing. These two worked together to get outcomes that seemed natural. By the way, he recently published “Crushing It,” the upgraded edition of that book, in January. He is an influencer, the owner of VaynerMedia ($150 million company), and he often shares videos on what it’s like to be a CEO, including interactions with others and advice.

Where can we find further information?

Visit Let’s Reach Success to find out what’s happening. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

You can find the main pic here

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