Technology is a forever-changing niche that makes it all the more enjoyable for people to read. New products replace the old ones, and the cycle continues. The IT niche keeps growing with each passing year, which is one of the most compelling reasons to monetize your tech blog in 2022.
Monetizing a tech blog will give you the perfect opportunity to earn some good income while sharing your perspective with people. Ron Stefanski from One Hour Professor has built a business by blogging about tech and has been earning $20 000 per month. So, read on to discover how you can make money as well.
Why Do You Need a Tech Blog
Now, of course, the first question that comes to mind when talking about monetizing a tech blog is why do you even need a tech blog when you can earn money through other channels like Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, and even TikTok?
So, to answer that question, take a look at four reasons to have a tech blog:
This is the easiest and the simplest one. If you are interested in something and want to understand its underlying concepts and mechanisms — write an article about it. A lot of people start a blog just because they want to expand their knowledge about a certain type of technology and then end up monetizing it. As a matter of fact, according to Convert Kit’s statistics starting a tech blog because you need an outlet for creative expression or you want to learn about a topic are two of the 16 reasons why people start a blog.
Even if you work behind the scenes, you are still a part of the digital marketing community. If you already have a strong presence in the community, you can easily land your dream job, get an increase in your income, and gain the approval of other experienced legends from your field.
One of the best examples is the story of the people from Rambler. Five years ago, in 2016, they recommended VIPER as the most suitable architecture to use as a presentation layer on iOS and a substitute for the more classic MVVM and MVC amongst the Russian iOS community. How did they manage to do it? They made clear presentations and wrote comprehensive articles about it. As a result, a lot of companies and developers gave VIPER a try, and, surprisingly, some are still using it.
Let’s not forget about your company’s brand. Coming up with the idea of a personal brand is always closely related to the increase in strength of your company’s brand. Honestly, if you ask us, this is the perfect win-win situation for you. You play your part in attracting the best of the best personnel, set an excellent example to follow for your colleagues, discuss your company’s product, and make rightful use of insights in the market, and your company supports you in one way or another.
Cardsmobile, for instance, is a Russian company that is actively working to strengthen its HR brand in the market. It uses articles to motivate its people to share their knowledge with their teams, write articles, and arrange public talks. Their management recognizes the importance of such initiatives and supports its employees to go in this direction.
- To Earn Money (or Become Self-Employed)
Most people start a tech blog to earn more money or to become self-employed. In the IT sector, paradoxically, people rarely start blogging just for money as the majority have a genuine interest in the field. However, plenty of opportunities exist in the tech sector.
According to Convert Kit’s survey, when asked both males and females about their motivation to start their own blog, the most common answer was to become self-employed.
How to Get Traffic to Your Tech Blog for Monetization
So, you have a blog? Check ✔
Do you also know when you want to start monetizing it? Check ✔
Well then, it is now time for you to start getting traffic to your blog. Let’s dive into the 3 most important ways to get some busy traffic.
1. Keyword Research
The biggest mistake and the most commonly committed one that many bloggers make during the start of their blogging is writing about everything. Being scattershot can be beneficial now and again, but the best way to go is to be targeted. This means that you will have to research keywords.
Not all keywords are equal. The most guaranteed way to succeed in attracting traffic and monetizing your tech blog is by researching highly searched keywords that are uncompetitive.
Pockets of SEO arbitrage can be found all over the internet. To get some help to figure out keywords, use a tool that estimates their competitiveness and search volume. Some of the most commonly used tools are Moz, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.
However, if you don’t want to spend your money on a tool, then Google’s Keyword Planner is your best bet. Besides, you can use your judgment when deciding which keywords to use. Google a keyword and see what results appear. If the first page is full of big names or the websites haven’t been updated ever since 2002, then you may not be on the track you are supposed to be to get traffic and monetize your blog.
2. Backlinks and Distribution
Backlinks are hyperlinks that you get from someone else’s website to your website, and they are an essential component of an SEO strategy. The more backlinks you can generate from a high Domain Authority website, the more Google will regard your blog as an authoritative source of information.
So, to rank for targeted keywords, get links from high Domain Authority websites to your domain. Some of the most effective strategies that you can try to get backlinks are:
If you can generate natural press due to your unique story, you should definitely give it a go. Publish press releases, let industry publications know, and get friendly with the reporters in the IT niche.
Guest blogging is another proven-to-work method of getting people’s attention to your website. Guest blogging requires you to write a blog post and then hand it over to a reputable blog to post it.
Even though it is considered the wrong way to get traffic by Google, we recommend swapping relevant links with people in the tech niche whenever you get the chance.
- Reports, Infographics, and Data
If you’re an expert in a particular IT area or have some unique information that no one else knows, then make a report about it or turn it into a simple infographic and post it. Google will index it, and other tech bloggers will inevitably include it in their blog posts.
3. Only Publish Quality Content
Before you post something, ask yourself, “would I read and enjoy my content as a reader?” If the answer is no, then how could some other user enjoy it. If you want to be a leader in the tech niche, you better be one-of-a-kind.
There is always a correlation between the amount of time you spend on a post and the traffic that said post gets. The Google algorithm is extremely sophisticated, and it can tell the good from the bad. Make things easy by finding writers to outsource your work to once you get familiar with writing and posting quality stuff. The best platforms to find quality ghostwriters include Upwork, Fiverr, and TextBroker.
It’s always better to do research and creating an outline, but nothing will scale your blog like some excellent writing help.
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Best 7 Monetization Practices
Once you start getting traffic to your blog, it is time for you to figure out how you want to monetize it. The most vital thing that you must do is; MVP test everything that you possibly can. MVP is the abbreviation for the minimum viable product, meaning you want to attain the highest output from the lowest input.
Let’s get this straight; your time is super valuable as a tech-blogger. So, don’t waste your time on useless techniques. Here are the 7 best ways to monetize your tech blog.
1. Monetization Through Consultancy
You’ve probably spotted quite a few financial advisor websites or law blogs that look flat-out unattractive (the word is “ugly”), but they still make some good money. The reason for their sky-high revenue is that they charge their customers a lot for their services. According to Thervo, lawyers with blogs charge up to $400+ for an hour. So, it isn’t that difficult for them to earn up to $10k/month. And the good news is that you can do the same with your tech blog.
In the early days of starting a tech blog, when your traffic is relatively low, and you are still building a sound readership, the best way to monetize your blog is through consulting. You don’t need booming traffic to your blog to earn a few thousand bucks. Especially if your website traffic is very niche-specific to a high-value industry (we are talking about IT!), there are always going to be readers who are more than willing to pay for your services.
So, what is the right way to consult?
Typically, it begins with converting your traffic into email subscribers. You can use a tool, such as Leadpages, to design a popup with an irresistible offer — a video, email series, or free download. Give them something with tangible, real value, something that is actionable and that your readers can implement.
An email nurture series follow this. Here you can use a tool such as ConvertKit to make a custom email set. Your email list needs to have 5+ emails spread over the course of a week or two. Show your vulnerable side and tell your audience a story, and they will keep opening your emails if they feel entertained. And once you have shown them value, allow your readers to book a call with you. The best tool for enabling your readers to schedule a call in just a couple of clicks would be something like Calendly or a Calendly alternative, such as Meetingbird, Acuity Scheduling, or HubSpot Meetings.
2. Monetize Your Blog via Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing has proved itself to be the most effective way to monetize a blog. It works exceptionally well for Tech blogs because people buy gadgets that have been recommended by someone else. You can easily earn a few hundred to thousands of dollars in a year. One of the biggest examples, in this case, is of the affiliate marketing maestro called NerdWallet — which is a company that sells leads to credit card companies and has made over $100 million in revenue.
Ryan Robinson also earns tens of thousands of dollars by affiliate marketing via his blog.
Suppose you have decided to monetize your blog via affiliate marketing. In that case, you will be required to promote specific services or products of a company in exchange for a certain part of every sale that the company makes. For instance, if you have ever purchased a plane ticket on Kayak.com or Expedia, then you’ve transacted with an affiliate marketer because the two companies don’t fly your plane, but they sell you the tickets to the said planes and earn a cut from every sale.
Affiliate marketing works the best for tech bloggers because they get a share of every gadget their readers buy via their unique links. This is why you see a lot of articles listing a lot of laptops.
Plus, the universe of affiliate marketing is magnanimous with thousands of affiliate companies, and standard eCommerce conversion rates vary between 1-3%, and you need a lot of followers. So, it is better to sign up for sites like Commission Junction or Amazon Associates.
3. Monetize Your Blog by Selling Online Courses
Selling online courses is another popular way for tech bloggers to make money, as many people aren’t familiar with the technology. Just make sure that your blog is niche enough that your audience can’t get the same information from a simple Google search. So, if you know stuff that your audience is willing to pay to learn, then go for tools, such as Udemy or Teachable, to create and sell a course.
Address the needs of your audience because people pay for sound advice online. There is one downside, though; courses don’t sell for more than $100-$500, and it is tough to earn $10 000/month by selling courses unless you have a lot of audiences. But with a large audience, people like Bryan Harris have $511,466 in invoiced sales from an online course.
If you want to do it, survey your audience to understand their interests and if you find something interesting, create an MVP of your course. Disc Insights found that coaching services earn a yearly revenue of $2 billion. For instance, TheBlogMaven.com makes $397 from a one-to-one blogging intensive coaching session.
4. Monetize with Ebooks
You know that you can always write about stuff that you are passionate about and knowledgeable about. And you can make it graphically pleasing by creating infographics with tools, such as Piktochart?
However, to sell an Ebook, you have to pitch it with data properly. People won’t pay for a piece of digital paper if they can’t learn anything valuable from it. Use a catchy title like, “Learn How to Make $100k Per Year by writing about tech.” People prefer specifics. But again, the most you can charge for an Ebook is $200, so you will need a lot of traffic.
5. Monetize Your Blog with Google Ads
Google Adsense is a vital part of so many monetization strategies. Big blogs, such as Huffington Post, Laptop Mag, Tech Radar, BuzzFeed, Wired, Business Insider use ads for monetization to some degree. You can earn good money by running ads on your blog, but you will need some good traffic to Adsense pay. By using Adsense, you sell billboard space to people on your website.
You need to know that you don’t get much say over the ads that appear on your blog. They are usually synchronized with what the user has been searching for. However, you need to know that while displaying ads sounds like the best way to earn, and it’s challenging to work with if you have fewer than 5 000 visitors a day.
Here’s a screenshot of Jon’s Adsense revenue in 30 days.
6. Monetize Your Blog through Sponsorships
In sponsorships, bloggers charge companies for various perks, such as:
- Writing the review of using a laptop or a gadget for your audience. (A sponsored service/product)
- A dedicated banner for a company like Lenovo. (A banner ad)
- The partner writes a blog post for your blog. (Guest blog post)
Just like affiliate marketing, you need to build relationships with partners in the tech world. In order to prove your worth, you will need authority, reputation, and a good visitor count. If you are strong in these areas, you can reach out to potential partners.
This is what sponsored posts on a blog can look like:
7. Monetize Your Talents by Writing for Other Platforms
You can use your expertise as a content creator by writing for other platforms. While this isn’t directly monetizing your blog, it builds credibility and lets you charge for guest posting. In fact, according to DDIY, freelance writers make about 35% of the global workforce, and you can get an hourly wage of $28.
So, if you are blogging about tech to get hired as a technical staff writer, do a few things:
- Create a website other than your blog to market yourself.
- Only post quality content in order to get noticed in the tech niche.
- Visit popular blogs and leave comments on their posts. However, keep it natural.
- Keep an eye on online job boards for companies searching for writers to write for their blogs. They pay both hourly and per blog post.
- Check for the “hire me” tab on reputable blogs in the IT sector. You can also reach out to them for a post.
Also, add a “hire me” tab on your own blog so people know that you are open to writing.
Carol Tice frequently earned $5 000 or more every month as a paid blogger in 2010. Another example is Linda Formichelli, who earns makes $250 every hour. Elna Cain earns her full-time income as a professional freelance writer for other blogs.
And these are 7 of the most effective, proven-to-work methods to monetize a tech blog.
How Much Money Can You Earn From a Tech Blog?
Even though people are making more than $10 000 per month, the journey to success in a tech blog is quite long, especially if you are just starting. However, if you do it right, and follow all the steps, you will be able to earn $5 000 — $10 000 every month.
Popular Tech Blogs
Now that we know about the best ways to make money with a tech blog, let’s take a look at some real-life examples of people who have earned themselves good fortunes by cashing out their blogs and services.
Navid Moazzez — Virtual Summit
Navid Moazzez monetized his blog by hosting virtual summits. Virtual summits or conferences are the most underrated marketing tactic that bloggers can use. They build reach credibility and engagement. One of the most inspiring examples of using virtual summits to earn money is of Mr. Moazzez.
Hosting virtual summits helped Moazzez make 200 sales that made him $20 000 in profits; his story got covered in Business Insider magazine and added 3 000 new subscribers to his email list. Not just that, he was able to form rewarding partnerships, turn fans into long-lasting customers, and generate sales while he slept.
Mark And Gael — High-Converting Funnel
Mark Webster and Gael Breton (the guys behind Authority Hacker) started their journey as two aspiring bloggers who wanted to share their experiences with their audience about building highly profitable niche sites. Later, they started using a relationship funnel to earn themselves some money.
After they had made their first product, they gave it away in the pursuit of generating more leads. They ended up collecting over 301 emails and nurtured those leads. With the help of those leads, they recommended their self-designed quality product and made $2 684 in just 30 days.
Arman Assadi — Kindle Books
Kindle publishing is another method that bloggers use to monetize their blogs. Kindle books are normally sold at Amazon, but you can use your platform to pre-sell your titles and then redirect potential, from there, to your Kindle store.
One of the smartest examples of bloggers using Kindle books to make money is of Arman Assadi. Mr. Assadi has been featured in The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and Forbes. His first eBook cost him somewhere between $375 — $350 to get it written and an additional $25 to get a professionally designed cover. He has made $2 500 every month through Kindle books he didn’t even write.
Todd R. Tresidder — Coaching Services
With offering coaching services or tailored courses the good thing is that you do not need to have a brag-worthy portfolio, years of experience, or a very high domain authority. You can easily earn money by offering coaching services to motivated clients.
Todd R. Tresidder is an excellent example in this case. He is the founder of Financial Mentor. He makes money by helping people make more money. With the help of his investment coaching skills, Tresidder has helped Gary Craig, a former hedge fund owner, make his monthly cash flow skyrocket from $5 000 to $50 000 every month.
Conclusion
That is everything you need to know in order to monetize your tech blog to earn some cold, hard cash. By following the best monetization practices in our guide, you will be able to build your brand, grow together with your audience, and earn revenue by monetizing a successful and profitable blog.
Just remember to keep your focus on high-quality, resourceful, and relevant content, no matter what it is that resonates with your audience and your niche, and the traffic, the monetization, and the dollar bills will follow.
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