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Lifestyle Blog

Lifestyle blogs are still incredibly popular. While every now and again someone will proclaim “blogging is dead”, the reality is very different. There are over 600 million blogs in the world and a huge number of these are lifestyle blogs. Blogging is definitely still relevant.

It does mean there’s a huge amount of competition to be noticed, but a lot of blogs are started with very little knowledge of how blogging works. You’re going to be different yeah?

If you’re willing to learn and make a commitment, it’s still an excellent way to make money.

How do I know? I started a lifestyle blog from scratch just over 3 years ago. It was my summer challenge and I was amazed by the results.

English Lake District

 

In my second month of blogging I got 20,000 pageviews!

boost your pageviews

 

This blog pulls in far more traffic than my tiny Simply Hatch blog. After just 18 months, my lifestyle blog grew to 120,000+ sessions per month. I started getting nice fat payouts like this one from the premium ad network Mediavine:

blog income October 2020

Now $2,633 may not make huge headlines but it’s real. No tricks or gimmicks. Take a look at my early blog income reports to find out more.

I stopped writing blog income reports in 2020 but the income from my lifestyle blog has continued to grow. It’s the main way I support my freedom lifestyle – living in the beautiful English Lake District and traveling whenever I want.

Adverts aren’t the only way you can make money from a blog. I also make money from affiliate marketing, mainly from Amazon Associates, earning a commission when someone buys a product based on my recommendations.

Blogging is an ever-changing landscape for making money. That’s why it’s important to learn from someone who’s starting up brand new blogs. With a finger on the pulse of what’s working right now for a lifestyle blog.

I used to think it was difficult to grow a high-traffic blog. Experimenting with my lifestyle blog proves that I was wrong. You just need to write about popular topics and answer the questions that keep people awake at night…

Interested? Read on to find out more about starting a lifestyle blog…

✅ Ready to start your lifestyle blog? Skip to my step-by-step guide for tips to find your blog name and get started right now!

What is a Lifestyle Blog?

So often lifestyle bloggers are confused with personal bloggers and there’s a huge difference. Maybe you’ll provide a glimpse into your day-to-day activities but it’s normally in a very controlled way. Staged is probably the best way to describe it. Presenting your interests in a way your readers can relate to or aspire to.

how to start a lifestyle blog

 

It’s rarely the reality of your day-to-day life. Not many lifestyle bloggers share about getting soaked from head to toe by a passing bus when they pop out to the local store in yesterday’s joggers. Or how they made up for it with a packet of Oreos. These blogs are glimpses of your best days wrapped up with product recommendations and how-to guides.

The best and most successful lifestyle bloggers have their target audience dialed down. They know exactly who they’re writing for and what’s likely to catch their readers’ attention. The beauty of a lifestyle blog is you can shape and mold an audience that matches your own interests. Or at least that’s the theory.

In reality, most lifestyle bloggers will respond to the success of their posts. Even glamorous blogs like Chasing Foxes have huge sections on cleaning tips. It’s all about writing popular posts for your readers.

Lifestyle or Niche?

New lifestyle blogs often have a scattergun approach to topics making it really hard for search engines to know what the blog is about. One minute you’re writing about fashion, the next it’s all about updating your kitchen. It’s hard for Google to keep up.

I hear from so many bloggers who fail to make any progress ranking their blogs on Google. They may be successful with social media but draw a complete blank when it comes to organic search traffic. This is the problem with a very broad topic blog.

My suggestion is to pick just two or three topics for your blog and do them well. Aim to write 10-15 posts on each topic before you expand into any new ones. Your readers will understand what your blog is about and Google will love you (especially if you take the time to learn some easy SEO).

Think of it as a niche lifestyle blog!

Are you in?

Lifestyle Blog Names

Choosing a lifestyle blog name is something I can obsess over for days. It’s possibly my favorite part of starting a new blog!

Yet it’s probably the least important thing you can do when you get started. A blog name isn’t going to bring traffic and readers to your blog.

Instead of obsessing over the right name, it’s better to get on with launching your blog and writing posts.

There are a few pitfalls to avoid when you pick your lifestyle blog name but otherwise try not to spend too much time deciding. Follow these tips for choosing your blog name in my step-by-step guide:

Growing a Lifestyle Blog

My favorite way to grow a blog is by writing posts with good on-page search engine optimization (SEO) and targeting keywords without too much competition.

I also build a backlink profile, (where other sites link to your blog), by sharing posts on social media.

It’s a long-term strategy. Google can take anything from 3 months to over a year to start sending solid traffic to your blog. Yet it has a lot of advantages. Traffic from Google is reasonably reliable and completely passive.

By comparison, social media traffic needs constant attention and regular posting. It can also be a lot less reliable. On the plus side, social media can generate traffic almost immediately.

To grow a lifestyle blog it’s best to diversify your traffic. Go for the short-term gains of social media but set up your blog and write your posts for the long-term advantage of Google traffic.

Making Money from a Lifestyle Blog

Lifestyle blogs writing about popular topics are able to generate huge levels of traffic. When I first started my lifestyle blog I didn’t believe I could grow to 120,000+ sessions a month in such a short amount of time, (and with so little effort).

It really is staggering what you and your blog can achieve. Get to grips with one or maybe two social media platforms, (any more just takes up too much time), learn some SEO, and your blog will grow.

With a high level of traffic, you can make good money from adverts. It’s the most passive form of income out there.

Of course, it’s not the only way to make money from a lifestyle blog.

Make and sell printables, ebooks, or courses, and make money from affiliate marketing or sponsored posts. Once you have an audience, there are so many different options for making money.

Most work better with a solid amount of traffic 1000+ sessions a day, so with a new blog, it’s best to focus on traffic first before finding ways to make money.

Find out more about how I make money from my lifestyle blog:

Frequently Asked Questions

What do lifestyle bloggers talk about?

Lifestyle bloggers mainly blog about the topics that interest them. Often their blogging reflects their daily lives but in a good way. They blog about the good things and leave out the mundane or gloss over the negatives in their lives. Normally lifestyle bloggers stick to high-interest topics such as family, travel, food, fashion, beauty, fitness, and home decor.

What makes a good lifestyle blog?

A good lifestyle blog writes for the reader. It has a clear idea of the interests, passions, fears, and ambitions of its followers. Posts tend to be inspirational helping readers eat better, dress well, get fitter, and achieve the perfect home. It’s better to stick to topics you love and can write about authentically. Photography is important to illustrate posts and engage the reader. A good lifestyle blog is always professional and keeps its readers coming back for more with updated and new content.

How much money can my blog make?

A lot of blogs make very little money. Why? Because it takes about 12 months to start earning consistently from a blog and a lot of would-be bloggers lose interest. Those that stick it out, blogging consistently about popular topics, can expect to earn $1000 to $3000+ per month from advertising per 50-100,000 sessions with a good ad network. Established bloggers typically achieved 250,000+ sessions a month but it depends on the quality of your blog, the popularity of your topic, and your ability to attract traffic. Advertising is just one way to make money from a blog. Sponsored posts, affiliate links, printables, and ebooks are all good ways to make money.