How Long Till I earn a Decent Living?
This is a great question, and one that brings a bit of a smile to my face. Talk about your basic open ended question! A 'decent living' varies by location (and the cost of living there) and varies by lifestyle choices - so that's a tough one to answer.
Moving on, how long does it take? That's heavily dependent on your niche, on your writing style, and on your monetization method.
OK, an answer... of sorts
I don't mean to leave you hanging though. My best cut at providing an answer would be to watch your traffic as it begins to grow for the first few months. Keep adding content and promoting it to fuel that growth. Track your internal links to see how well your traffic is moving along your funnel to your money page(s). Work on increasing your conversion rate for those links - use links in different places, with different anchor text. Test, and see what works best.
Similarly, work on your calls to action - whether to purchase something, join an email list, or simply putting a call to action at the bottom of each page / post to solicit comments.
Once you begin converting traffic, test your conversion rates. Changes in font and button sizes, colors, and positions can all improve your conversion rate. Make sure you're adding internal links and videos to increase the time your visitors stay on your site.
At some point, your traffic and conversions will have improved to the point that you'll begin seeing your first income. Scale what works best, and watch your income grow.
Your 'decent living' awaits!
Dennis
Recent Comments
36
Dennis,
Thanks for this post. At least I am assured that I will have to keep writing and don't expect immediate results in a few months time.
Have a great day!
Alex
Great to hear from you here Alex - and even better to see you've set your sights on getting results, regardless of any obstacles you may encounter!
Best of luck at it ~ Dennis
Dennis, I thought the title is how long till i earn a penny, lol. ;))
Anyway, nice blog post and inspirational also. :))
For many, earning that first bit of pocket change is a much bigger deal than getting a regular, decent income from one month to the next! That first penny fuels the perseverance needed to make the decent income possible.
Regardless, I'm glad you jumped in here!
Dennis
You are right, Dennis, that perservance gives them the hope they need to make it happen. ;))
Could you do me a favor and leave a comment? Feeling like my bubble has been burst : I've go a hunch Cindy would like to hear from more of the solid citizens here at WA.
... and thanks for jumping in here!
Dennis
And I thought you were going to tell me how long a piece of string is... Good post Dennis, thanks for sharing. ~Marion
Need an emergency comment Marion! Take a look at Feeling like my bubble has been burst : and leave a note if the spirit moves you?
Apologies for intruding on your regularly scheduled day...
Dennis
This has become my mantra, Christa. At some point I'll graduate from crawling to walking, then I just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If I keep the faith, I'll be able to pick up the pace a bit, and turn my blog(s) into a livelihood.
Stay tuned. It's gonna happen!
Dennis
Dennis, this one is much needed blog for many. Thanks for it. That said, having at least another stream by offline is no brainer till you establish this. And beyond that it is spreading too thin.
I agree - it's nice to have a second stream of income. I find it hard to imagine how you could do justice to that second stream though.
Perhaps it would just take someone more disciplined than I've been!
Dennis
Dennis, All of us are different and I can't talk for any one else. Taking this as challenge,giving ample time with focussed learning and experimentation is certainly going to take time .when occupied with some other earning, this takes more time. Key is to have strong reason not to quit. Can be anything,retiral to supplemental income or whatever.
The pressure can be more if this is primary. It is always better to get some things like writing gigs so that we never quit and it complements the skill building. What do you think?
I agree Sridhar!
Even a single threaded effort here at WA involves splitting your attention and your effort. If you're like I am, you wind up spending time writing informative blogs here at WA, seeking information and answers to assist in your blogging efforts, and assisting others - to the extent I'm able.
Then there's the minor matter of taking applying what you've learned to your own blog(s), monitoring their growth and tracking conversions, and... the list seems to go on and on. The veterans here are able to balance it all without breaking a sweat.
That's not the case when it comes to me. My profile picture shows how I spend much of my time as I try to keep track of all the moving pieces! :)
Dennis
It seems we're all pre-wired to want instant gratification. That's what gives the scam artists an opportunity to take advantage of the unwary.
Kyle and Carson make it clear that there are no short cuts - the reward is there for the taking, but you've gotta work for it!
Dennis
Greetings Kim -
It would be great to sign up here at WA and set an alarm on your calendar, wouldn't it? When the alarm goes off, check your bank account!
Dennis
Yes, will you invent that please? Patent it even, I'll buy it! lol :) And then wait patiently (ok, maybe impatiently) for it to go off!
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Thanks for this post!
Thanks for leaving a thought Shara - and best of luck in your journey!
Dennis