How I Made $500 from My Blog! (Personal Journey)

Muhammad Saqib
ILLUMINATION
Published in
6 min readMay 8, 2023

I was on the verge of giving up on my blog until one day…

Note: Please read till the end of post to get the complete picture :)

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

I was on the verge of giving up on my blog until one day, I checked my Google Analytics and found that it was ranking for commercial keywords. Despite the competitive niche I had chosen, my blog was miraculously gaining recognition.

Here’s how I achieved this breakthrough:

Step 1: Hire a Freelancer to Assist You in Finding a Profitable Niche

Choosing a niche for your blog is undoubtedly the most crucial and challenging part of the journey. It can be overwhelming and confusing to navigate the vast array of options available.

When I first started my blog, I faced this major challenge — choosing a profitable and low-competitive niche. It was a daunting task, and I didn’t want to waste my time on a niche that wasn’t worth it. That’s why I decided to hire a freelancer from Fiverr.com to assist me in finding the perfect niche.

The freelancer I hired used the latest tools and techniques to identify a profitable niche that was both low-competitive and had high conversion potential. It was a great decision to outsource this task, as it saved me a lot of time and effort. I could focus on other aspects of my blog while the freelancer did the research.

Step 2: Choose a Good SEO Tool for Keyword Ideas

Keyword research is critical for improving your blog’s visibility and ranking. Without proper keyword research, it’s difficult to target the right audience and rank for commercial keywords.

Initially, I used a free tool ‘Ubersuggest’ for keyword research, which I do not recommend. Instead, I recommend using SEMrush, which provides quite accurate and valuable keyword ideas.

SEMrush proved itself as a life-saver for my blog. It provided me with accurate keyword ideas and helped me track my progress over time. With this tool, I was able to optimize my content for the right keywords and improve my search engine rankings. This tool was instrumental in helping my blog gain recognition from Google in a short span of time.

Note: There is no such tool exists which is 100% accurate. All SEO tools give you estimated results. Yet paid tools outperform the free ones. So, if you don’t want to waste time and efforts, it is highly recommended to go for premium tools.

Step 3: Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider

Once you’ve selected your niche and done your keyword research, the next step is to choose a reliable hosting provider for your blog. A good hosting provider will ensure that your website is always up and running, and that your visitors have a smooth and hassle-free experience. There are many hosting providers to choose from, but it’s important to select one that is dependable and offers excellent customer support.

I personally recommend Hostinger, which is a reliable and affordable hosting provider. With Hostinger, you get a free domain name, SSL, fast and secure servers, and 24/7 customer support. Hostinger also offers an easy-to-use control panel (h-panel) that allows you to manage your website and hosting account with ease. Plus, they have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re not satisfied with their service, you can always get your money back.

Step 4: Take Action — Start Writing Your Own Content or Hire a Freelance Writer

Creating quality content is the foundation of any successful blog. Without it, your blog won’t be able to attract readers or gain traction.

When it came to creating content, I had a choice — either write it myself or hire a freelancer writer. I decided to do both. I wrote some articles myself, but for others, I hired a freelancer writer. This allowed me to maintain a consistent flow of high-quality content on my blog.

I also took help of few AI tools as writing assistant. These tools are of great help if you know how to use them smartly.

Copy.ai and Jasper are my favorites AI writers so far. I write my own content but keeping up with technology of times is critical to remain one-step ahead of your competitors.

Step 5: Create a Backlink Strategy to Increase the Domain Authority of Your Site

In addition to creating great content, I also focused on creating a backlink strategy to increase the domain authority of my site.

Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They are a crucial factor in determining your site’s authority and ranking on search engines.

I started by reaching out to other bloggers in my niche and guest posting on their blogs. This helped me get backlinks from authoritative sites and increase my site’s domain authority.

Here’s a sample outreach email you can send to other bloggers for a guest post and a possible backlink. Remember, purchasing backlinks goes against Google’s terms and conditions. Instead, focus on quality over quantity by selecting high DA, niche-relevant blogs for your guest posts.

Guest Post Outreach Email

Dear [Blogger’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I came across your blog, [Blog Name], and I was impressed by the quality of content you publish. As a fellow blogger, I can appreciate the hard work that goes into creating high-quality content and building an engaged audience.

I am reaching out to you today to inquire about the possibility of submitting a guest post on your blog. I would love to contribute an article that would provide value to your readers and align with the topics that you cover on your blog.

As a token of my appreciation for the opportunity to contribute to your blog, I would be more than happy to include a backlink to one of your articles in my guest post, as well as share the post with my social media followers.

If you’re interested, please let me know and I can send you some topic ideas that I believe would be a good fit for your audience. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Blog Name]

[Your Blog URL]

Note: In order to increase your chances of getting a positive response from other bloggers, it’s a great idea to include an unpublished draft post (relevant to the blog’s niche) in your email. Blogs receive a high volume of requests for guest posts, so providing an example of your writing can help you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your expertise in the subject matter.

Step 6: Promote Your Blog in Relevant Facebook Groups / Social Media Accounts

Promoting your blog on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is an effective way to drive traffic to your site. However, you need to ensure that you’re promoting your blog in relevant groups and accounts.

In these groups, you can share your blog posts and interact with other members to build relationships and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. You can also use paid social media advertising to target your ideal audience and drive traffic to your site.

I joined several Facebook groups related to my niche (using SEMrush) and shared my blog posts there. This helped me get more exposure and traffic to my site.

Final Words

Earning money from your blog takes time and effort. However, with the right strategies and tools, you can achieve success. By following the steps outlined above, you can increase your site’s visibility and ranking, attract more readers, and ultimately earn money from your blog.

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Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

About me

I write about online money, side hustles, tech blogging and personal finance. If you are interested in any of these topics; you will get a lot of valuable content from my stories.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please don’t forget to give this story a clap if you found it useful. By doing so, you’ll help it reach even more readers and make a positive impact in the Medium community.

Signing off

Ehtisham Ul Haq

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Muhammad Saqib
ILLUMINATION

Tech Blogger | Money Tips || Side Hustles | Personal Finance | CEO ProfitPowerClub | Let's level up your wealth! #Finance