How Soon Can You Expect to Make Money Online?

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Since the Internet had become global, it turned into a tool of sharing. People who had knowledge and skill on a  subject finally found a free tool for sharing that and an audience that would go far beyond the borders of the countries. Bloggers would realize that there are people who need their help and information.

The Internet is still seen as a free source of knowledge. But here comes the question:

  • How come that bloggers are doing so well?
  • How come that more and more people are dreaming of starting their own online business?
  • How come that people who manage their own site consider it a job?
  • And How are they making money?

How Long Does It Take To Make Money From Websites?

Very soon bloggers and people sharing their knowledge online for free have realized that their websites can create a source of income for them. However, it turned out that making money from a website is not as easy as it may seem and it needs planning and a certain strategy.

The more popular monetizing a website is getting, the harder it becomes to achieve it. There are lots of things you need to keep in mind – like posting on a schedule, looking for the right keywords that would determine what you should write about, working on SEO and so on.

For many people, it becomes a real challenge and sometimes a big disappointment. Just imagine – you create a business plan, put all your effort into it, invest money into your website, – and just wait for months to see what happens.

Here is my story which I hope will help you realize how it may turn out.

What Motivates You?

Years ago, making a profit from a website was super easy. A simple website with affiliate links would do to create a stable source of income. However, widespread of the Internet and free information on how to monetize your website has made it a super hard task. Competition is as high as ever, and it has become really difficult to make your website stand out.

Do you know what is the most important thing that helps people succeed in this field? The strategy? Luck? Money that they can invest in their website? All of them are important, but what is vital for a successful affiliate marketer is love for what they are writing about.

It doesn`t mean that you must write about what you know already. Maybe you want to pick up a new skill and write about it, or discover a completely new subject. But what matters is to be interested in what you are writing about.

How Long Does It Take Really?

Long story short, you can`t expect any results earlier than in 3 months. And now, let me explain why.

I`m sure, most of you have read stories about people starting a website from scratch and starting making thousands of dollars in just a month or two.

Some of you probably have come to a decision to create a website and start earning money with affiliate marketing because you think that you are going to have plenty of free time and work only for several hours a day, be your own boss, decide when to work and at the same time have a lot of money constantly flowing into your bank account.

Well, I like this image too, but it may need some correction. Yes, you are your own boss and you decide when and how much to work, but your success directly depends on the amount of the work you do. So the more you work, the higher the income you may expect. But… Yes, there is always a ‘but’.

Starting a business from scratch always needs time. But creating an online business needs even more time. Let`s see how it works. First, you need to set up your website, find the best name possible, work on the design, fill it up with high-quality content, and apply for affiliate links. I`d call it a honeymoon stage. Everything is perfect.

You have finally started your own business, you are excited that you have finally taken the courage to do what you love, and you are looking forward to seeing the results. You may even think that you have made your dream come true and that you are living a dream.

Things get worse when a couple of months pass and you realize that you haven`t achieved any of your goals. Your website looks perfect, you`ve put into practice all strategies you`ve come across, but you are not getting the results you`d expected. The thing is SEO takes a longer time than you may expect.

And here is when many get frustrated and even give up on their website and get back to a regular 9-to-5 job. Some of them come to the conclusion that this whole idea of working from home doesn`t work, while others think that they were out of luck or they did something wrong. And all of them are wrong.

If you want to succeed in affiliate marketing, you have to be patient. That is why it`s significant to lower your expectations a bit, especially in the very beginning and focus on creating a good website with quality content. Don`t expect to see the results soon. Give it some time and wait.

And I assure you that only those people succeed who are able to concentrate not on the results, but on the work they are doing.

You might be looking for a more exact answer, but to be honest, the waiting time differs from person to person, from website to website. It depends on so many factors that it`s almost impossible to predict when it will finally start bringing you money.

Ali, This Is Different Than What I’ve Expected

I bet you had imagined that you would create a website, write whatever interests you out there, put up a couple of affiliate links, and you will start making money right away. Is that right? Well, I have to disappoint you here. Building a strong website needs a lot of time, energy and – most important – hard work and knowledge.

However, you will be surprised to know that only about 20% of all bloggers manage to create serious income with the help of their blogs. Because apparently, others just didn`t expect that it`s going to be so complicated, just like you.

‘How about all those bloggers that promise you`ll start making thousands of dollars in a few months after you start your website’, you`ll ask. They are doing affiliate marketing just like you are planning to do and they need to make sales, and that`s the strategy they have chosen. Not the best one, as far as I`m concerned.

Here is my advice to you. First of all, decide why you want to start a website.

  • Is it your hobby?
  • Is it what you do after you get back home from work?
  • Are you passionate about something and are willing to share all your knowledge with others?

Then do it! And don`t think about monetizing your website. People like this are the core of the Internet. Bloggers like this are the better part of the Internet.

If you are planning to make it your major job and create the main source of income through your website, then you should take it as seriously as any other job. Plan it out, work hard on it and you will succeed!

If there are any other questions that I haven`t answered, don`t hesitate to ask them in the comments. Good luck!

46 comments

  1. Yea, I remember that I expected to make at least $1000 after my first week in affiliate marketing! What a wrong vision I’ve had!
    I think the right expectations help us to make better decisions and choose the right strategy for our business.

  2. Hi Ali,
    Very well said as an experience affiliate marketer. I totally agreed with you.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Joe

  3. Hey Ali,
    Thanks for the article as just starting out its great to get outlook on what to expect so I don’t get discouraged!

    Very Informative
    Malinda

  4. Thanks again Ali, dont have much words to thank you.
    I am absorbing all the information
    Kind Regards

  5. Seems like a lot of wisdom here, to me. Thanks, Ali. I would be happy to start making sales at the 3 month point. That seems reasonable!

  6. Thank you ali
    Thank you for your honesty and the important informations you sharing, i’m learning alot from you.
    Thanks again

  7. Ali,
    Hi there we have just read this new article on how soon can you make money online, We have not made anything yet, to be honest. We have been crafting new content and been staying consistent with rich new content maybe not the best at S.E.O.
    We so do our research on keywords to find the best one to target, then write and hope for the best. We use analytics as well and can’t worry too much about that and focus on content and trying to engage with our audience.
    This has been a long ten months of nothing yet, but we still are hoping for the best in the end, and if anything we will branch off of the best ideas of 2021. We have read the last article on the best niches in 2021 and will craft something off of this.
    Thank you again, we hope to keep reading these fabulous articles you produce.

    Cheers,
    Mathew&Deloris

  8. Thanks for the insight!

    I came back into affiliate marketing after my first go round a few years ago. I was one of those that gave up after 2 months just like your article says. This time I came back into it know it was going to take some time. My goal isn’t to make money, my goal is get traffic.

    I totally believe in the system I am using and know without a doubt, with hard work, it will happen. The few things required are patience, hard work and good content.

    Thanks for this!
    Jeff Lewis
    ThePlumbingBoss.com

  9. Thank you, Ali, for the insight. Reinforcing the idea that it takes a lot of work is important for all of us to embrace.

  10. You speak so candidly in this post, I love that. I went into blogging with not a lot of expectation.
    I had no idea what to expect. I’ve been doing it now for about 2 months and I’m already creating
    my second website. I am really having fun and learning so much on a daily basis. If I never make
    a penny on my websites I can certainly say it has been a spectacular learning experience.
    Thank you for this great honest straightforward post.

    All the best,
    Teresa

    1. You’re welcome Teresa. I’m happy to see that you’ve found my post useful. I invite you to follow my upcoming posts which I’m going to share more tips about blogging and affiliate marketing.

      Best of luck,
      Ali

  11. Thank you very much. I really enjoyed reading your articles, your articles are very educative and the tips that you reveal are very helpful for any online business. I really appreciate.

  12. Hello thanks you for the insight.online jobs are mostly shops inviting you to spend. But before you spent the content musy not only be rich butcreate curiosity in the subject you decide to talk about.a good reasearch on the topic may help gain credibility.you may say what another person has said about the same thing but mo ey come if you e d up having the attention of yuour readers or audience then give them what they are looking for.then they will pay. If not you are lucky to even get a like ,rating or comment. All the best .

  13. Thanks for the post Ali, it was very enlighten, I’m in that down part of not knowing if this is going to work or not, so is good to know that I am not the only one that in that road. I’ll keep up the work and reschedule some of the goals to make it more realistic, really thanks for the insights, just as you said, any king of job that requires you for your success, means that you will get back what you put in, the more your work on it, the more you get back, if it is just a hobby, you can’t not expect for money to rain at the first post, it all take its due time and hard work.

    1. You’re welcome Juan. I just wanted to give a realistic overview of the required time you need to invest if you want to get success in affiliate marketing or money making online.

      Best,
      Ali

    2. I appreciate your article Ali, it’s so informational. But I have one question, how do I know that my keyword selected is the right one. Secondly, how do I work on my SEO?

      1. Thank you for your comment Jonathan. You can check your keyword quality with keyword research tools. There are many out there you can choose from, however, Jaaxy is recommended.
        You need to make a plan for creating content for your website and stick to it until you get result. Publishing quality content on a regular basis is the most important part of this business.

  14. Hi Ali,
    Great post!
    You’re right, we can actually make money by creating a website and write about things we are passionate about. But this is obviously not a get rich quick scheme. We need to build our site by posting good quality contents that are useful to our readers first, then we can start monetizing it once we develop good relations with our readers.

  15. Hey Ali, Absolutely spot on. A great article. Yes, many people want to push a button and then see revenue flowing and it will never work like that. As you said, having a strategy and working hard towards implementing that strategy is the key.
    I hope you would not mind me adding something here. I believe, if possible, it is better to think another step forward from affiliate marketing. First two steps could be advertising and affiliate marketing revenue. But tif you can, add the third step. That is, selling something of your own through your website. ( You can have your own amazon store of a shopify store, or you can sell inside your own website once you get a payment gateway integrated).
    In this way, you will be able to establish a very long term business as you are establishing your brand as well. I see more and more people are adopting this strategy. Some people are selling training programs, some are selling their working skills and some are selling physical products related to their website. ( e.g. selling yoga mats in a yoga related blog)
    So, as Ali said, it boils down to having a proper plan and working hard to implement it. Money is the byproduct, it is the result. Results comes after your actions.

  16. Hey Ali! This is a very realistic post, thanks for saying the truth! Nowadays is so easy to find people talking about making money online, working from home, leaving the 9 to 5 job, starting a business and living the dream. That could be true, but in the long period, because the beginning is not that easy and working on a website or blog require long hours of work. As you said, it’s a business, so you need to work hard if you want to be successful, there are no short cut. Like everything in life, if you really like what your are doing, soon or later you will see the results, you need just to keep believing in what you doing!
    You Ali are doing a good job, keep it up!

    Emma

  17. Hi Ali,

    A well thought out and detailed post, as always. It astounds me the number of people who are both willing to believe that they can become comfortably wealthy (I’m not going to say rich because that is another whole level in and of itself), without investing anything of value (time, money, expertise, etc.) in the process.

    I look at it this way, even if you win the lottery, you have still stumped up some money in advance to buy the ticket (although gambling and lotteries should never be looked at as investing). If building a sustainable business while working remotely was something that was easy to do, everyone would be doing it.

    Now with this out of the way, I’ve been doing a lot of research into how to build a sustainable business online and including affiliate marketing and blogging as part of my strategy. But, I reiterate, it is only part of my strategy for leaving my corporate job. While I very much appreciate the value of having passive income streams that continue to generate income off the back of the previous work, I’ve also gone into the process with my eyes completely open.

    The 3 months to any form of income that you mention has come up multiple times in my research as an optimistic figure, so for my foray into blogging, I’ve set myself goals that are targeting content volume and search engine ranking, rather than monetisation for the first 6 months of this adventure. Although I have also quit my job, I have a generous notice period with almost 4 months remaining to continue creating content, and then I plan on consulting for approximately 6 months of every 12 for the next couple of years to support myself. During this time, I will also continue to work on blogging as a long term income stream. If I’m prolific and fortunate I will be able to reduce my consulting – but I’m not betting on any one income stream to start.

    With regards to the passion, I’m fortunate in my second blog where I found a balance between niche and passion, which makes crafting 2500 to 5000-word posts and their associated graphics, YouTube videos and social marketing strategies a source of entertainment at least – although, occasionally I have to say, Netflix does win out… but at least, for my blog’s sake, it’s only occasionally!

    Sorry for the essay! And thanks again for the valuable post.

    Lisa

    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with others Lisa. I’m sure that you can get success with your blogs if you be patience and put effort behind your sites.

      Wish you best success,
      Ali

  18. What a great post!
    You can’t find this kind of posts everywhere, this post is full of helpful information, also it hasn’t any link, you just give this information for totally FREE, I congratulate you for this quality of content,
    Thank you very much,
    Best Wishes!
    Al-Motaz

      1. Hi Ali
        Thank you for reaching out to me, the post is very informative and enlightening and easy to understand.My greatest problem is sometimes understanding and not being sure whether if something I did is right or wrong. At present I’m on “Keywords”, it’s very challenging but I guess it takes a lot of time and patience. Once I understand what I’m doing it will be okay.

        1. Hey Ali !

          Very educational and inspirational your post about success in the online business.
          I learned a lot. That only 20% of bloggers success and knowing my motivation is very important.

          Thanks
          Wilton

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