Market volatility and economic uncertainty can wreak havoc on your savings. Some seniors take on part-time jobs to supplement income. Another option is to learn how to make money blogging in retirement.
Choose Your Niche and Domain
Think about the one activity you could happily pursue and talk endlessly about all the time. That can be your “niche.” Blogs that attract enough traffic to make money typically focus on one area and draw other enthusiasts because of that.
Once you’ve settled on a name, you must ensure no one else has already taken it. Many popular blogging platforms, like WordPress, allow you to search for a domain name and a way to buy one. Other services like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Wix also help you create the look for your blog and purchase your domain.
Create Content
Populate your blog with content that interests your target audience. Adding fresh content weekly is the best way to get your blog noticed by search engines. Posts should be short—usually 500 words or less.
Promote Your Blog
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are good options to use if the people you are trying to attract frequent them. If your blog is more about professional topics like leadership or management, you might consider promoting it on LinkedIn. Be sure you familiarize yourself with each service’s rules about promoting your work.
What About the Money?
The first thing to understand about making money blogging is that it takes time and effort. Ways to make money blogging in retirement include:
Ads: Google AdSense is a free service that will place ads on your blog by sending you a code to put into your site, and you get paid every time someone clicks on the ads. It’s tough to make much money this way unless you get a lot of traffic.
Affiliate programs: Through these programs, you recommend products that you use and enjoy by providing links to where your readers can buy those products. You get paid when someone clicks or buys the product through your link. You must alert your readers that you get paid if they buy something through your link. Amazon’s affiliate program is popular because of the variety of products you can plug.
Selling intellectual property: If you’re an expert on your topic, you can create courses or electronic books. If you’re a photographer or musician, for example, you can sell digital versions of your creations.
Blogging is one of many ways seniors can supplement income and soften the effects of a volatile stock market on savings. It takes time and effort, and money won’t come quickly, but if you persevere, you can make money blogging when you retire.
