Start a Blog

A blog is a content-driven website built around a specific topic or niche. While personal journals exist, income-generating blogs typically focus on subjects people actively search for—travel tips, personal finance, tech reviews, cooking, fitness, hobbies, or professional topics.

For digital nomads, blogging is a classic location-independent business. You can write from anywhere, and your content works for you around the clock. Many nomad bloggers write about their travels, but the most profitable blogs often cover evergreen topics with strong search demand. Your experiences traveling can inform content even when the blog isn't explicitly about travel.

The Honest Truth About Blogging

Blogging is often sold as easy passive income. The reality:

What people expect	What actually happens
Write, publish, earn	6-18 months before any income
Few hours per week	10-20+ hours weekly at first
Passive income	Requires ongoing content and updates
Quick growth	Slow, compounding progress

Blogging works, but it's a long game requiring consistent effort over years.

How Blogs Make Money

Revenue Stream	Requirements	Potential
Display Ads	10-50K monthly visitors	$500-5,000+/month
Affiliate Marketing	Relevant audience, trust	$500-10,000+/month
Digital Products	Audience who'll buy	$500-20,000+/month
Sponsored Posts	Traffic and influence	$200-2,000+ per post
Services	Expertise and audience	Varies

Most successful blogs combine multiple streams. Ads provide base income; affiliates and products boost earnings.

Choosing Your Niche

Good niches have:

• Search demand - People actually look for this content
• Commercial intent - Related products/services people buy
• Your knowledge - You can write authoritatively
• Long-term interest - You won't burn out in 6 months

Profitable niches: Personal finance, health/fitness, technology, hobbies with gear (photography, outdoor activities), B2B topics, parenting.

Harder niches: General lifestyle, poetry, personal diaries, oversaturated travel.

Getting Started

Phase 1: Setup (Week 1-2)

• Choose your niche and domain name
• Set up hosting (Cloudways, SiteGround, or similar)
• Install WordPress with a fast theme
• Set up essential plugins (SEO, caching, security)

Phase 2: Foundation (Months 1-3)

• Create 10-20 foundational articles
• Learn basic SEO (keyword research, on-page optimization)
• Set up Google Analytics and Search Console
• Start building an email list from day one

Phase 3: Growth (Months 3-12)

• Publish consistently (2-4 posts per week ideal)
• Focus on long-tail keywords you can rank for
• Build backlinks through outreach and guest posting
• Engage with your audience

Phase 4: Monetization (Month 6-12+)

• Apply to ad networks when traffic qualifies
• Add relevant affiliate links naturally
• Consider digital products for your audience
• Explore sponsored opportunities

The SEO Reality

Organic search traffic from Google is most blogs' primary traffic source. This means:

• Content must be optimized for keywords people search
• Authority builds slowly through quality content and backlinks
• Algorithm updates can dramatically affect traffic
• Competition for valuable keywords is intense

Learning SEO fundamentals is essential. Most successful bloggers spend significant time on keyword research, content optimization, and link building.

Realistic Income Timeline

Timeline	Traffic	Typical Income
Month 1-6	0-5,000 visits	$0-100
Month 6-12	5,000-30,000 visits	$100-1,000
Month 12-24	30,000-100,000 visits	$1,000-5,000
Year 2-3	100,000+ visits	$5,000-15,000+

These are rough averages. Many blogs never reach profitability. Success depends on niche, content quality, SEO execution, and persistence.

The Nomad Reality

Blogging is excellent for travel:

Advantages:

• Work from anywhere with internet
• Flexible schedule (write when you want)
• Content compounds over time
• Low overhead (hosting costs only)

Challenges:

• Takes years to become profitable
• Requires consistent publishing
• Can feel isolating
• No immediate income for new nomads

Many successful nomad bloggers started their blogs 1-2 years before going location-independent.

What This Pairs Well With

Blogs naturally expand into email newsletters for deeper audience relationships. Content writing skills developed blogging can become freelance income. Some bloggers expand to YouTube channels covering the same topics.

Build your audience on Patreon for subscriber support, or write on Medium to reach existing audiences. Use Notion for content planning and Google Drive for drafts and assets.

Getting started: Choose a niche you can write about consistently. Set up a WordPress site with quality hosting. Learn SEO fundamentals—keyword research, on-page optimization, link building. Create a content calendar and publish consistently. Focus on quality over quantity initially. Build an email list from day one. Be patient—blogging compounds over time.