Can You Make Money With a Free Blog?

Can you make money from a free blog?

Ahhh the age old question when it comes to blogging.

The short answer is yes – but it’s restricted, not reliable and it’s a lot harder. No-one wants to spend money when they don’t have to, and it can be tricky to know what’s a necessary expense and what’s more of a necessity to grow to the level you want your blog and business to grow to.

 

 

What’s the Difference between a Free and Paid Blog?

There are 2 options when you decide to have your own blog, a free blog, or a self hosted blog.

Let’s go over the differences and pros and cons of each so you can make the right decision for you.

 

Free Blogs

Free blogs can be the perfect option if your main goal with your blog is to have an online journal for you.

If you want to blog as a hobby but don’t ever plan to monetise it or turn it into a business, then a free blog may be the way to go. 

You may choose to opt for a free blog as it can sound like the simpler option. And in some ways it is. But it isn’t the best option if you are wanting to make money from your blog.

If your reason to have a blog is to get thoughts out and you do not plan on making money, then absolutely go for a free blog! They can be a great option for people wanting their blog as an outlet, rather than an income.

Free blogs are owned by the company, rather than you as an individual.

This can cause problems down the line if you are wanting to turn it into a blogging business or make money from your website.  

 

Can you start off with a free blog and then change over to a self-hosted blog down the line?

 

Of course! But be aware that this isn’t a one-step process and can be a bit of a faff.

Here’s a couple of examples as to how it can be trickier to make money from a free blog.

Two of the most common ways to make money from your blog are adverts and affiliate marketing.

Advertising companies are usually not happy to let you run adverts on your website if you don’t own it yourself. This automatically takes away one income stream from your blog. 

You can include affiliate links into your posts on a free blog. This is one of the ways to make money with a free blog. BUT. (And this is a big but), you don’t own your website. If the hosting company decides to close your free blog for whatever reason – that’s the income gone. 

I’m not sure the reasons why they would close your free blog but just be aware that they can and no-one wants the disappointment of that! 

The second option is to have your own self-hosted website.

 

 

Self Hosted Blogs

Self hosted blogs are absolutely the best option if you want control over your own website.

(You don’t actually host it yourself, you just choose your own website name and who you want to host it, but you own the full website.)

You buy a domain name and then you pay someone to host your website for you.

It will cost a little for a domain name and hosting, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot! One of the most affordable hosting companies is HostGator – one I’ve personally used on multiple sites for years – including this one at the time of writing this (2022)!

If you want to enhance your blog and give it that something extra to make you stand out, I would highly recommend buying a theme for your blog. Buying a theme gives you an edge over free blogs/free themes. They are more customisable and more personalisable, but this is more of an option than a necessity with a new blog, and can always be upgraded later. 

This is the one I use (correct in 2022), I started with the free version but quickly realised I wanted to be able to make it more “me” so wanted the extra options so made the one off payment!

With a self hosted blog, because you own it, it’s completely your choice how you choose to make money from it, including opening the option of advertising back up again. 

 

You want your blog to look the way YOU want.

 

I touched on this a little above, but if you want your blog to look exactly the way you want, you need a self hosted website.

You can make your blog look lovely as a free blog but you are a lot more restricted with the pre-set themes/colours/layouts/fonts etc. 

If you’re putting all this effort in, you want it to look the way you want, right? 

You don’t need a custom designed theme (unless you want one obviously), as they can be hella expensive, which is just not necessary as a new blogger. 

To start with, a paid or free theme on a self hosted website will give you enough options to get your blog looking how you want it, without spending much at all. 

This theme only cost me $30 (around £25) as a one off payment so paid themes really don’t need to be expensive. You can find other ones even cheaper from places like Etsy or WordPress itself! 

As with the hosting, I would highly recommend going for your own domain and hosting and then installing your own theme, but these can be as budget-friendly as required. Do not feel you have to spend a fortune getting up and running to make your blog look and feel professional. 

As mentioned, you don’t have the same control over a free blog and they appear less professional than self hosted blogs.  You are also a lot more limited on the internal side of things as with a free blog. With a self hosted blog you can download plugins to enhance your website internally and externally. You can’t do this with a free blog. 

 

 

 

Making Money

If you still decide to go for a free blog and do want to make money, or plan to in the future, then there are some ways it can be done – albeit limited. 

I go through the most popular ways to make money blogging here.

There are more risks and limitations with a free blog when it comes to making money, but it can be done. 

We know advertising is pretty much out of the question but there are other options. 

There is something else to consider when it comes to making money on a free blog as opposed to a self hosted blog; credibility.

 

You are no less credible of a person if you have a free blog! They absolutely have their place.

 

But in terms of sponsored posts or working with brands, they are more likely to choose bloggers with self hosted websites. They know they are less risky than the free platforms, and makes you stand out as a more serious blogger, rather than a hobby blogger.

Some brands may not care whether your blog is free or self hosted, every website and brand is different, but more often than not the free websites aren’t seen as professional so you may find out you are missing out on brand collaborations, purely due to the fact you don’t have a self hosted website.

I want you to have all the options and opportunities that suit you, and don’t want any of those closed off!

Here’s a not-so-fun fact about free blogs! As mentioned, you don’t own your free blog so you aren’t allowed to display ads on your site. That means no advertising income. BUT, whoever hosts your free site does own it. That means they can put ads on YOUR website and MAKE MONEY FROM THEM. Gutted.

This is only a concern if your goal is to make money, but having that option squashed before you even begin isn’t the best.

So to answer the question…

 

Can you make money with a free blog?

Yes… but I wouldn’t. It’s too risky – unless for nothing other than your own space to get thoughts out.

You are limiting yourself so much and there’s the potential that your website could be closed as you don’t own it.

It’s an easy option if your blog is a personal space for thoughts/a hobby, but anything other than this and you absolutely need a self hosted website. Don’t limit yourself before you’ve even started.

Get a self hosted website and the sky’s the limit!

You own your website and all of your work. It is yours to do with as you please.

It’s not as daunting as it sounds, and will be so worth it. 

 

Still unsure which option is right for you?

 

If you are still unsure whether to dive into paying for a self hosted blog, or if you aren’t sure if you will like blogging enough to warrant paying to have your own website (no matter how small the expense), then I would recommend you getting a free blog to start with and try it! Play with the basic settings and change things up to get it how you like it and try writing some blog posts! 

You will most likely find sooner rather than later that you want to be able to change more settings and customise your own website that bit more. That’s the point you can then move to a self hosted website. 

If you are happy with the free blog and are happy not monetising your blog to the same extent then the free option is perfect for you! 

If your goal at all – no matter how distant or unsure – is to make money from your blog then you absolutely need the self hosted option. This will give you the maximum flexibility and control over your new venture! 

If you have any questions over whether you can make money with a free blog or picking between free or self hosted, leave a comment/send a message and I will absolutely try and help you find the right fit!

Good luck in whichever you choose!

 

Speak Soon!

Katherine

 

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