Money – Living Single in Retirement

As an older woman myself I have been fascinated with how to make some extra money online with a blog. This fascination has taken me on a journey of learning how technology can work in favor of an aging population to help women create a better retirement life. Many older women are making money blogging. Some women started blogs to supplement their retirement income. A great many have grown their blogging business to the point of actually surpassing what they earned during their working career. The great thing about the internet and blogging is that the opportunities are unlimited and for everyone. What is a Blog - Blogging? The word Blog comes from a combination of the words Web and Log. It is a log of posts (articles) that are published on a website. These articles can be about any subject. But the successful bloggers write on topics that people are actually searching for. They may be looking for answers, tips, products, services or information that will help them with personal or business issues. Blogging is the activity of someone who regularly posts articles on their website. They know how to link them appropriately and know how to monetize the content in order to make money online. Is blogging a good way to make money? Blogging can be a great way to make money online if you are serious about providing helpful content to the public. This can be done by writing articles yourself or by hiring someone to write for your blog. I would suggest that you start by doing it yourself for the first dozen articles or more. This will give you a feel for what the focus is for your Blogging business. How do beginner bloggers make money? A beginner blogger needs to know how to correctly publish articles with keywords that will rank on Google and other search engines to bring traffic to your blog. This will take some time, so blogging is not a make money fast proposition. Once you have a certain amount of traffic coming to your blog, you can start to monetize it. The most common ways to make money is from affiliate links and advertisements placed throughout your site. Beginner bloggers need to put in the work and be patient. The best outcome from all this work is that it can be on the internet for years to come, possibly bringing in what is called “passive income”. Work that is done one time that you are paid for over and over again. How much money can I make from a blog? The amount of money you can make from your blog is limited only by your abilities and your willingness to learn and do the work. If you are looking for a way to make a full-time income, blogging will become a full-time job. There are people who make 4 and 5 figure incomes per month from their blog(s) and other people who only make a few dollars. The amount of money you will make depends on how much effort and dedication you are willing to invest. But there is no guarantee that you will make any money. Choose your target amount of money First determine how much money you want to earn from blogging. Do you want to make an extra $500 or $1,000 per month in order to supplement your retirement, or are you interested in much more? Maybe you’re planning to take a cruise and you’d like your blog to pay for it. Match your work with your target goal Many of us can stay focused on a goal if we can visualize the target goal and keep it in mind with everything we do. For instance, if your first target goal is to make $100 from your blog, tell yourself every time you start to write an article, “this will get me closer to realizing my first $100”. Remember, there is no guarantee that you will make any money from blogging, however there are steps you can take that will increase your chances for success. If you are willing and able to do what’s required and are patient, the reward of recurring income from your blog can be a realization. What type of Blogs make the most money? The most money made from blogs are by large companies like the media giant HuffPost. Regular bloggers can’t even think about trying to compete with them. The regular bloggers that make the most money know how to select blog topics around their own passion and what the trends are for the day. These blogs include; LifestyleHealth and WellnessFashionBusinessMarketingFoodTravelFunMusicDo it Yourself (DIY)SportsFinance Is time spent blogging worth it? Now is a great time to start your blog. With each new year comes lots of new possibilities. Many single, senior women who are retired now have the time to devote to blogging and creating valuable content that helps people while making money from their experiences and expertise. If you're not retired yet, even spending part-time writing articles for your blog will put you further ahead when you do retire. What should I blog about? Many blogs in the past were started as a place for the owner of the blog to share about their personal lives. Today people are searching the internet for answers to a problem or to get information about a specific subject. At some point you may have been asked a question that you didn’t know the answer to and your response was, “Just Google it”. Before deciding what to blog about, you should do thorough research to determine what people are searching. Are they interested in your topic? Do not waste your time writing to please yourself and get lost among the millions of blog websites never to be found again. How can I start Blogging? Even older women would like to know how to get started blogging. If you’re new to the online world, it can be difficult setting up your website and doing all the tech stuff that’s needed. This can be easily done with a little help. Before starting your blog, choose your niche, the main topic of the blog, and determine if it’s a viable niche in which you can make money. You must do your homework first so that you don’t fall prey to competing with other blogs that are out of your league. How much does it cost to start a Blog? To get started you will need a content management system (CMS). The best one by far and the most used, is WordPress. I like it because once you purchase your URL (website name) and set up hosting, you own it and have full control over the site. The cost to start your blog will range somewhere between $50-$200. This will depend on whether or not you choose a free theme or you purchase a custom theme. The 5 Steps to Start a Blog Purchase Name (URL) ($4-9.00/year)I recommend that you choose a .com (commercial) name and try to get one that is easy to spell and easy to remember and gives a hint of what the blog is about. This may take some time to find names that are not already taken. You can do it now using the search we have available on the sidebar of this page. Website Hosting ($3.95-$12.00/month)Web hosting servers are the space where your blog content will live and be stored while being accessible to everyone on the internet. The cost for hosting can range anywhere from $3.95 - $12.00 per month. WordPress Theme (Free or $70/year)WordPress is an easy to use content management system (CMS) that is the most popular on the internet. It is a free, open source system that you can use to create your blog. In order to make it look nice, you will need a theme. There are free themes and paid ones. The one I recommend for blogging is Divi. It is fast and easy to use, once you learn how. This is my affiliate link for Elegant Themes, the creator of Divi. Logo (Free - $200)Having a logo for your blog is not required to get started blogging. However you might consider investing in one from the beginning. There are a number of ways you can accomplish this. A brand professional on Fiverr or create one for you or you can do it yourself using Canva is a very popular online, DIY design service you can use for free. Images (Free - $100+)The number one activity you will do on your Blog is to write articles/blog posts. Lots of them. Images will make your posts stand out and encourage people to read them. There are many sources to find images, both free and paid. You will have to decide on your budget for this important part of blogging. Most of us start out using royalty free images. Why do Blogs fail? The number one reason blogs fail is that there is not enough quality content produced on their site. Google is now focused on blogs that provide content that is valuable and provides a good “user experience” for the audience. Many bloggers give up and stop producing content if they are not seeing the dollars come in. Often they gave up just before hitting that right spot to start the flow of traffic. The Key to having a successful Blog is . . . CONSISTENTLY PRODUCING QUALITY CONTENT THAT YOUR AUDIENCE LIKES What types of Blogs are in demand? The top blog types cover a wide range of topics within each blog type. In the Health and Fitness niche there may be blogs that focus on healthy eating for busy people. Personal Finance blogs may center their articles around how to save money or how to make more money. When you select your blog niche, keep in mind that these top blog types are very competitive and may require you to “niche down” in order to be successful. This means to select a niche within the niche. For instance home decor might niche down to home decor makeovers, showing how to flip furniture and make it new. Or Home Decor for families with small children. 5 TOP BLOG TYPESHealth & FitnessDIY (Crafting)Personal Finance (Making Money)Home DecorLifestyle Should I start a Blog or a YouTube Channel? YouTube has become very popular and I would agree that you can increase your chances for success making money online by developing your own channel. As a beginner though, I would recommend that you create your blog first. There is much to learn about creating valuable, searchable content and learning how to monetize it. When you have about 30 blog post articles on your site, then it may be time to start your YouTube Channel. Keep in mind that both will take knowledge, work and patience. Also what many YouTuber's forget is that you do not own your channel and YouTube can shut you down at anytime, for any reason. When you have a WordPress website, you own it and you can build and grow an email list. Then you have a distribution system (email marketing) in which you can promote your blog and/or your YouTube videos. How do I succeed in Blogging? To have a very successful blog takes time and commitment. Sometimes people think that if they just create a website with a few posts it will get noticed. This is not a “build it and they will come” business. You will need to follow the guidance of those who have done it before and can lead you through the right steps to get started and learn what it takes to maintain it. Sometimes people give up right at the finish line. If you are committed you will have the stamina it takes to be patient, keep producing valuable content and doing what’s necessary to bring visitors who like what you have to offer. As you build the “know, like and trust” with your audience, they will be ready to buy from you. Does anyone read blogs anymore? According to the latest blogging statistics, people do still read blogs and will almost certainly continue reading them for many years to come. It is estimated that an overwhelming 77% of Internet users report that they regularly read blog posts. Who is the target audience of my Blog? Simply put, your blog's target audience is the group of readers who your blog can help the most. They're the people who find the most value in your articles and who are most likely to fall in love with your content. Can I blog about anything? If you're blogging for fun and not for money, you can write about anything. If you’re blogging to make money, you will need to be focused on traffic and the best monetization opportunities for the content you are writing. How do I get noticed on Google? It takes time to get free traffic from Google and they are changing the requirements each year. Currently Google evaluates how your content answers the questions that people search for. Although selecting the right keywords for your articles is important, Google's AI (artificial intelligence) is looking to see who provides the best user experience. Basically who answers the query best. If you are a beginner blogger take the time to learn as much as you can about search intent and how to optimize your content to position yourself on page one. Be patient, it will take time. Remember that success is determined by the problems you are willing to overcome. How often will I post new content? Posting content at least once a week will get you started. The more articles you write and post, the sooner you will get noticed. That is of course if people are interested in your content and if Google sees it as valuable. How do I turn my blog into a business? Turning your blog into a business requires you to make choices about how your business will be set up. If you are not currently making any money from blogging or you make a very small amount, the IRS may consider this to be a hobby. That said, hobbies do not usually get the tax advantages (write offs) that businesses do. As a beginner Blogger, put your focus on writing lots of blog articles and learning how to get more traffic and how to monetize. Once you’re making some money, setting up your business is next. Do you want a better standard of living and less financial stress for the rest of your life? Blogging might be the answer. Get my complete & FREE Blogging Start Up Checklist here . . .