How Much Money Can (REALLY) be Made From Blogging?

A good question. According to a report from the Christian Science Monitor:

A little more than $1 billion, or one-fourth of all advertising online, went to Google’s AdSense program in the third quarter of 2006. Of that, Google shared $780 million with those running AdSense. Approximately 3 million blogs now use AdSense, according to the blog-tracking site Technorati.What isn’t known is how that $780 million was distributed over those roughly 3 million blogs. But anecdotal evidence suggests that there’s a majority making nothing, a sizable minority bringing in at least $100 a month, and a few making serious money.

Apparently the report also cites a problogger.net survey that reported:

A significant percentage (45%) of 625 bloggers using AdSense make over $100 a month from their blogs. The Monitor says the survey also found that 1/6 make over $1,000 a month from blogging — so there are at least a hundred+ bloggers making $1,000 a month. The survey is likely to be a little biased towards bloggers that are already somewhat successful but it does indicate that there are some bloggers making good money from their blogs with AdSense. The Monitor article didn’t mention it but Problogger’s survey also shows 23 people making over $10,000 a month from AdSense.

The post also goes on to mention other blogs that are boasting significant incomes. Having worked in law, journalism, (and my mom once dropping me on my head), life has unfortunately made me an eternal cynic. But the fact remains these blogs that are boasting significant incomes are also vying for our readership, which also happens to put them in a conflict of interest. So without an impartial third party to provide any proof I have to question the veracity of most of those claims.

I’m leery of those who publicly boast extravagant incomes in order to give the impression that they are somehow Adsense gurus and entice us to read their blogs or sell us something. Unless these large figures can actually be verified straight from the horse’s mouth (i.e. from Google AdSense itself OR if I can hold the cheque in my hands — NOT an editable photoshop image) I will continue to take those blogger’s claims with a grain of salt.

Accordingly, I don’t put much value in these surveys but it does confirm one thing about this world. Only a few are skimming most of the cream, and that’s the way the world always has been and always will be. And the blogosphere is no exception. Original story via Blogger’s Blog.

Similar reading:

Making Adsense Smarter and More Relevant

How Much Does Google Adsense Really Pay?

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