How Top Bloggers Make Money Blogging [Infographic]

Making money with a blog is a dream come true for many bloggers around the world. Just think about it… this is the age of blogging!

Never has it been so easy for someone to start a business or brand on the internet, while also only needing to spend a few dollars in the process. Someone with just a few dollars in their hands and a few hours a week could quickly build an empire of sites or a brand that could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars down the road. It’s happened before and it’s happened again.

This post is all about the Blogconomy and how bloggers are making money with their blogs, using content to generate attention and revenue and everything else you ever wanted to know about blog monetization.

Different Types of Bloggers

We all know that there are many different types of bloggers and many of us will start as one type and end with another. I personally like the “Full-Time Professional” and “Entrepreneur” blogger models.

• The Part-Time Professional
• The Hobbyist
• The Full-Time Professional
• The Corporate
• The Entrepreneur

How Bloggers are Making Money with their Blogs

When it comes to making money with blogging, only 14% of bloggers earn a salary through their blog. These earnings can actually be broken down even further:

• $24,086 is the average annual earnings
• $33,557 average annual earnings for corporate bloggers
• $1,000/year is what the average blogger earns when they are getting paid to post content to their site.

When it comes to blog monetization, there are plenty of methods to choose from. The most common ways to generate revenue with a blog are through display ads, affiliate marketing links and search ads. I’ve always been a fan of direct advertising, affiliate marketing links and building my own products.

Depending on your niche, site traffic, customer value and volume… each of these monetization methods will vary on how much they can earn for you. For example, if you had a high traffic celebrity gossip blog like PerezHilton.com, you would want to go with banner advertising (possibly on a CPM basis). If you had a product niche site that people were coming to read reviews before making a purchase, an affiliate program that you would earn a commission on for each lead would work very well.

Looking for new ways to make money with your blog? Be sure to check out how over 50 other bloggers are making big money in my Meet the Bloggers series over at BloggingTips.com.

Highest Earnings Blogs on the Internet

While there are a ton of blogs on the internet, some are earning more than others. There are also huge blogs that are owned by corporations and private companies that don’t release the earnings from their sites. However, there are also many blogs that do release their earnings and have enough information out there to give a good idea of how much they are making. These are some of the big money making blogs on the internet today.

• Huffington Post $2,300,000
• Mashable $560,000
• Perez Hilton $450,000
• TechCrunch $400,000
• Smashing Magazine $190,000
• Timothy Sykes $150,000
• Gothamist $110,000
• Tuts Plus $110,000
• Car Advice $70,000
• Venture Beat $62,000

Though John Chow ins’t on this specific list, we know he is making over $100,000 a month at times as well!

How to Start a Successful and Profitable Blog

I’m sure after reading this post and seeing all the big money that is being made by bloggers around the world, you are probably just waiting to get started with your own blog!

Before jumping in, make sure you follow these quick tips that will set you on the right path.

• Get a great domain name. No numbers, hyphen or weird TLDs.
• Set yourself up with a quality web host and don’t spend too much either.
• Choose the best advertising for your audience and don’t sacrifice their on-site experience.
• Use affiliate programs and links when recommending products or services on your blog.
• Create quality content that provides value to your audience. Don’t just write for SEO.

Special thanks to ignitespot for pulling all of this detailed blogger information together. You can check out the full infographic below.