Why Bloggers Can't Make Money

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Why is my blog not making any money?

The 2009 Technorati State of the Blogosphere report found that while “more bloggers than ever are making money from blogs, they are not the majority”.

With the proliferation of bloggers over the last few years, why is it that many still fail to make money from their blogs?

Everyone will, no doubt, agree that it is certainly not for a lack of information purporting to teach you how to make money blogging as there is literally tons of free and paid sources available on the internet.

Many “experts” offer a variety of reasons why most blogs don’t make money and I have compiled the 10 that appear to be the most common ones:

Are Not Internet Marketers:
While many bloggers know how to blog, many more do not know how to market their blogs so although they may have great content, if they have not taken the steps to market their blog, no one will find or read it so there is little chance of them making any money from it.
Do Not Take Blogging Seriously:
According to the same Technorati report, “72% of blogger are classify themselves as hobbysist, meaning that they report no income related to blogging.” Let’s face it, how many of us, even though we love our hobbies, really take the time or put in the effort to turn it into an income generating business?
Influenced by low Start Up Cost:
While this is usually viewed as a good thing, in this instance, it is also what becomes for many, a negative. With the variety of blogging platforms available, even paid blogs are very inexpensive, if not free. Given this reality, many bloggers do not see the wisdom in investing in their blog so if they do not see the success they expect in a short time, they figure it is just as easy to abandon their efforts. At the very least, I recommend a self hosted WordPress site ( WordPress.org and not WordPress.com) (Read more about this in one of my Getting Started posts)
Lack Of Commitment:
Because of the preceding three reasons listed, many bloggers soon find themselves struggling with commitment to growing their blog and soon develop poor blog maintenance habits and treat it as something only to be attended to if they feel like it.
Lack Of Creativity:
Have you ever noticed how every one who has taken the time to monetize their blog tends to mimic what the experts have told them to do, so much so that their blog sites begin to take on the personality of the “experts” instead on of reflecting who they are? Although learning from the experts is absolutely recommended, you must be careful to avoid just mimicking instead of taking the information and creatively implementing them so that your blog stands out in your niche.
Blogging Only For Money:
Contrary to what you may have heard, blogging is not a get-rich-quick-scheme. If the only reason you are blogging is too make money, then chances are you are one miserable SOB and you will soon give up on your vision. If you are not enjoying blogging, you will soon abandon it. Find something you are passionate about and run with it. Trust me, it will make it so much easier for you to stick with it.
Fail to Bring Value:
Think about the blogs that you subscribe to or bookmark. Why so you do it? Because the information contained in the blog posts provides some value to you. It’s that simple. If all you are doing is pushing affiliate sales, the only thing that you will see spiking will be your bounce rates as your visitors turn away. So remember, whatever your niche, provide information that is specifically related to that topic since that is why your visitors have stopped by.
Fail to Treat Blogging Like A Business:
If you have been blogging for more than a few months and have still not left the hobby stage, chances are you not treating your blog like a business and your chances for earning revenue are virtually zero! Treat your blog like a business, where you have a plan, structure, schedules etc. and watch it grow!
Failure to Stay Connected:
So, you’ve seen a spike in traffic, you’ve got some subscribers now what? Have you ever subscribed to a list, downloaded the offer then never heard from the owner again? Or, you hear from them only sporadically? If you are like most people, you very likely have already unsubscribed or, do not take the blogger very seriously. Going back to point no# above where I mentioned the need for some investment in your blog, there are many tools that make it easy for you to stay connected to your subscribers. Two that I recommend are: 1 Shopping Cart and Aweber (although I must confess that I favor the latter ).
Are Inconsistent:
Although the ideal frequency for updating a blog is daily, if that is unrealistic, you should a minimum, update your blog weekly, and without fail. The great thing about many blog platforms, is the ability to write posts in advance then schedule their release date and time. So, if you anticipate not being available for longer than your post frequency, you should create and schedule posts accordingly. You can use any timetable you want, the most important thing is to be consistent and not let too much time lapse between posts. Remember, the whole idea about blogging is the steady flow of new content and, even more importantly, remember that an unattended blog is a dead blog!