How Much Money Do Bloggers Make Blogging?

The challenge to answering this question is from acquiring and evaluating the associated data. Unlike being a CEO of a publicly-traded corporation or star center fielder for the New York Yankees, blogging income is not disclosed to the general population.

Some prominent blogging sites like ProBlogger have used sidebar polls to collect information on blogger earnings. You can see that post here. In the article, Darren Rowse states, "Of course this is not a scientific poll and it relies upon people interpreting the question correctly and voting honestly - I'm certain that there are inaccuracies in it."

Over the past few weeks, Source Blogger has been looking into this very subject based on the findings of many different sources.

Let's analyze some of those findings, shall we?

Blogging For Fun?
One startling fact is that 40% of bloggers make no money whatsoever. Not that bloggers must derive earnings from their efforts, but I think for the consensus of new(bie) bloggers, "making money online" is just a matter of how soon him/her can publish their blog, right?

Many bloggers may be unaware of the enormous inventory of tools and resources that are available online for blogs. Reputable advertisers like eBay, Amazon, Google, Commission Junction, etc. want you to be successful - at no cost to you! If you want to know more, please e-mail me for details.

Source Blogger has read and subscribed to many good blogs with no advertising whatsoever. In the author's description for his blog, he/she may state that they blog as a "therapeutic outlet."

Ask the Experts: Making Money Online
Over the last few years, the internet has produced legions of bloggers that are astute Professors on this topic. So, at Source Blogger, we called their bluff and took a closer look. After reading so many articles and seeing "proof of earnings," it was evident they were making money... if you call $2 and $3 payouts as something to boast about? Or the occasional $10.00 payout every 5-6 months.

That makes you an expert?

Online Surveys and PTC Sites
On closer look, the earnings were from performing online surveys like an InBoxDollars or PTC (Pay-TO-Click) sites. Pay-To-Click sites offer to pay you based on the sheer volume of websites you surf within their network. Webmasters/Site Owners enroll their own site(s) to increase pageviews, conversions, and/or increase their Alexa Ranking.

Most of the sites are copy cat versions of each other. You know, those bright, graphical splash pages promising you overnight wealth - or affiliate sites of other PTC networks. Many who have joined these dark, shady PTC sites have reported being scammed, either never receiving a dime for the hours of surfing or from bringing in other affiliates.

If PTC interests you, Source Blogger recommends EasyHits4U or ClickThru.

Regardless, it's evident you don't need a blog to make money here.

Under $10.00 a month
This category represents about 30% of bloggers. If you're doing the math, we've just covered about 70% of the blogosphere making $10 or less per month. 70%!

If you are a new(bie) blogger or considering creating a blog, it's important you are informed about the challenges of carving out a living in this industry.

Above $10 / Under $100.00 a month
18% of bloggers represented here. By this point, you're a seasoned blogger that has tried and failed at many methods by now. You stick to what works and are consistent with it. You have been with many of the same ad networks for a while are receiving payouts on a recurring schedule.

Above $100.00
The remaing 12% of bloggers fall under this category. Earnings are diverse now ranging from a few hundred dollars all the way up to 6 figures for the select few of highly-recognized bloggers. At this point, blogging is not a passing interest. Many fulltime bloggers fall in this category. You are utilizing many blogs, affiliate sites, and reseller sites to achieve financial success.

Traffic Distribution: Making Money Online
Let's take a look at traffic distribution:

(See Chart From Original Post)

Would it be fair to say that the 27% of sites depicted in the shaded area have the propensity to earn more money online? Well, you can probably answer that one yourself.

So, what of the other 73%?

In Closing

I hope this post has granted you a realistic picture for your earning expectations. Some will succeed. Others will not. 80% of you will create a blog and abandon it 2-4 months later.

As part of your growth in blogging, subscribe to Source Blogger. Whether it's Alexa Rank, Google PageRank, SEO, Making Money Online, or Affiliate Marketing, we're here to be an ongoing resource to you.

Feel free to tell reader's about your money making experiences in the comments section below.