If you’re new here I’ve posted income reports ever since I started this blog, three years ago. I initially had goals of making a few hundred dollars per month and then slowly growing that amount. Luckily, that’s what I’ve been able to do.
In 2012 I decided that earning money online was going to be the only way I could create the life I wanted living in a small town with no good job options. I dove in head first and started trying things out. I’ve failed at sooo many different things and have had great successes with others.
As of now I earn an income through being a freelance writer, virtual assistant, and blogger. (And yes, I know how crazy that sounds to most people!)
March 2016 Online Income
I’ve been waiting for March’s income report since January because I knew this one would be a bit better than the past several.
Because it takes anywhere from 30-90 days to receive payments for most of what I do, I always report the actual money I receive for the month which never really reflects the actual work done in a particular month. (Confusing, right?)
Here’s how much money I made (received) in March: $7,112.69
Also, ironically this was the lowest expense month I’ve had so far this year at $302.26
The income breakdown went like this:
- Freelance (Virtual Assistant and Freelance Writing Work) $1,400
- Ad Networks $2,156.98
- Other Advertising $600
- Affiliate Commissions $2,937.71
- SEO Guide $18
Overall it was a great month and I’m glad to see that there was some progress made. Next month should go back down to the $5,000 range (give or take a bit) and then the month after that should go back up based on payments I foresee coming in.
It’s looking like the year may be a bit of a rollercoaster income-wise but I’m perfectly fine with that. Fortunately, I live in a very low cost area and don’t require a lot of money to get by. However, it is nice to have extra money to save or go toward the mortgage pay-off on these bigger months.
Also worth mentioning is that about 26% of my net income goes toward taxes so all of this money isn’t mine to do as I please and is something you need to plan for if you will be earning money outside of a traditional employer.
If you currently have a blog but are having trouble building traffic or making money you can get Ruth Soukup’s free e-book 7 Ways to Boost Your Blog Income Overnight for free here.. Ruth is the creator of Elite Blog Academy which is the course that helped me 10x my traffic and income.
(Elite Blog Academy is not currently open but you can still download the free e-book and get on the waiting list for the next enrollment.)
Recommended Blogging Tools
If you’re wondering what tools I recommend for blogging, here’s a list:
Domains and Web Hosting –Bluehost. If you’re interested in blogging but haven’t yet started you can get hosting from Bluehost for as little as $2.95 per month PLUS a free domain name when you go through this link which is just for my readers. If you need help getting set up you can find a step by step tutorial here.
Social Media Scheduling – For Pinterest I use Tailwind. I started using this about a year ago with great results. Tailwind is affordable and super easy to use. You can get a free month of Tailwind with this link.
I’m also subscribed to Hootsuite as I used to use this for scheduling my virtual assistant clients Twitter accounts. I still use it for mine. Although, truth be told I don’t really love it and could probably do without.
For Facebook I just use the built in Facebook scheduler.
Bookkeeping – GoDaddy Bookkeeping. I absolutely love this bookkeeping software. You can read my full review here.
Photos – I find a good majority of my photos on Pexels. This site is free with copyright free images. If I can’t find one there I’ll buy an image off of 123rf.com or look for one on Haute Chocolate which I also have a subscription to.
I use PicMonkey to edit all of my photos.
Lessons Learned From the Month
One thing that I keep seeing again and again is that most bloggers have a handful of blog posts that bring in the most traffic and subsequently earn them the most money.
This is definitely true for me.
Out of over 500 blog posts only about twenty get substantial traffic. If you’re a blogger one tip to earn more money is to keep those blog posts updated with relevant information (if applicable) and to add affiliate links or other forms of monetization when it makes sense.
I’ve spent a little bit of time this month going back through old blog posts to make sure my sources in them are still relevant but I still have a ton of room for improvement.
(If you’re looking for more blogging tips my friend Angie just share a great post I recommend reading: 7 Advanced Affiliate Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Revenue.)
Another important lesson I keep teaching myself (and then not following…) is that the more organized you are the easier it is to meet your goals and not feel stressed out. I’ve once again made myself an editorial calendar and my goal is to follow that for the month and see how things go.
No matter what type of entrepreneurial endeavor you’re working on organization makes things so much easier.
What Should You Do If You Want to Earn Money Online?
I get tons of emails asking what I think someone should do to earn money online. The truth is, there’s no one answer! There are an incredibly large number of things you can do and what works me might not work for you and vice versa.
With that said here are some of the guides I’ve created about work from home positions I actually know about!
- 5 Common Ways to Earn Money with a Blog
- How to Start a Freelance Writing Business from Scratch
- 30+ Services You Can Offer as a Virtual Assistant
- 50+ Legit Work From Home Jobs (This list includes jobs from companies that actually hire verses freelance type of stuff that I’m into.)
- 10 Extra Income Ideas for Introverts
If you have any specific questions let me know in the comments!
What a great month you had income wise, Alexa! I love reading how people make money online working from home. Come September, I will become a full time stay-at-home Mum (I’m currently on maternity leave), and I would also like to start earning at least a little from home to support my family. So I will be reading many more of your articles to learn how this can be done 🙂
Thank you, Eva 🙂 Congrats on the baby and good luck with your other goals! I think just sticking with something long enough to start earning from it is half the battle.
Congratulations, Alexa! Does it feel super cool looking back at your first reports and seeing how far you’ve come?! I know my income is growing from my blog, but I really want to get it up more so it’s hard to reflect. But I love seeing your progress. You are doing so well!
Thank you. And yes it is pretty unbelievable when I look back. I remember in the beginning when making $3k per month seemed like this HUGE goal and how happy I was when I finally hit it. It’s crazy to think of how everything has turned out.
YAY!! Congratulations Alexa! I found out that this is true when it comes to popular blog posts, a certain one will always be popular. I am going to take your advice and go back to them.
Thank you 🙂 And it’s definitely true when it comes to the popular blog posts. And for me it seems more often than not it’s the ones that I don’t think will be too popular end up at the top. Crazy how that works!
What a great month! I love reading income reports; everyone seems to do so well 🙂
Thank you 😉 I enjoy reading them as well.
Alexia,
How great! I just started a new blog and want to grow that blog. I’m actually doing this all backwards it seems. I stared out as a freelance writer and now I’m trying my hand at the blogging for money thing!
Thanks for sharing your income with us.
I think that’s great and as a bonus you’ve already got the writing skills and connections. I’m sure you will do amazing!
Fantastic job, Alexa!!! Love reading your reports every month!! Would you mind me asking your main source of affiliate income?! I’m trying to work on increasing Bluehost sales, but it’s hit or miss haha. Thanks!!
Thank you 🙂 A good portion comes from GoDaddy and then after that it’s Swagbucks, InboxDollars and Betterment. It’s almost always from those four with the occasional Elite Blog Academy affiliate commissions thrown in.
Great tip! I earn most of my passive (affiliate) income from 2-3 posts, so I try to keep them updated and even switch out the photo and create new graphics and such for them every now and then.
Do you recommend another course other than Elite Blog Academy since the course is only open once a year?
I want to learn how to make money blogging so that it replaces my 9 to 5.
Any courses you suggest or do you have a course of your own?
Hi Alexa! I am new to your blog and am loving it. I am so impressed with your income reports and aspire to be there someday. I am sure it has taken a lot of hard work to get there! It seems like your foundations for passive income are set and you are reaping the benefits now. However, I am sure you still have to put some time in. Would you mind me asking how many hours a week you work on average?
Hi Alexa! I’m new to your blog, but in so little of time you have inspired me to start my own blog. I used the godaddy deal from your page and it was so easy. I will be working on the blog and hopefully see some success in the years to come. I wanted to ask you any tips on getting hire by any of the companies from you article 50 legit jobs from home. Due to many pregnancy issues, I have been in Bedrest for almost 6 months, I had to quit my job and that lower our income big time! I was pregnant with twins but lost one in the journey. My plan was to go back to work as soon as I gave birth, but my surviving baby might come with some complications and even if that’s not the case, I don’t think I can risk losing her too. So I would like to work from home! I applied to all of the jobs on the list and haven’t heard back from them. Anything I can do to assure I get hire or at least interviewed? I be ok with only making 2,000/3,000 a month even if I have to do several different jobs. Thanks in advance