Honestly, I'm so excited about featuring Lisa Steele, she is like an inspiration to me since the day I came across her blog. And finally being able to interview her, I was feeling butterflies in my stomach.
If you read the first ever interview in this series, you'll know what this is about. But in case you don't I'll let you know. This series is all about celebrating bloggers on the blogger platform who are killing it!
I always hear people recommend WordPress, but much like any other platform, WordPress has its cons. And It's not a one size fits all. I believe the blogging platform you choose should be based on what your blogging needs are.
Today I'm here to tell you why Blogger is a great platform for blogging. And I thought what better way than to show you real bloggers that are happy with their blogs on blogger, who are earning from their blogs — either part-time or full-time and have never had a problem with blogger as a blog hosting platform.
So in case you were wondering if it is really okay to start your blog on blogger, I think this particular interview will be both your answer and inspiration.
Who is Lisa Steele?
Lisa Steele is the founder and blogger of Fresh Eggs Daily a blog she started back in 2012. She blogs about backyard chickens, ducks, growing herbs, gardening, DIY projects, and some recipes here and there. She is a full-time blogger and is proudly blogging on the Blogger platform. Last year, she earned $200K through her blog.
So for those of you who are always wondering if bloggers that don't blog about blogging ever make money, there you go. Lisa is a great example, if you're passionate, consistent and providing quality content to your readers, you too can become a full-time blogger.
So for those of you who are always wondering if bloggers that don't blog about blogging ever make money, there you go. Lisa is a great example, if you're passionate, consistent and providing quality content to your readers, you too can become a full-time blogger.
Is your blog hosted on the blogger platform? If yes, then how long have you been blogging? And what do you blog about?
I have been blogging using the blogger platform since January 2012. I blog about backyard chickens and ducks, growing herbs and gardening, with a few recipes and DIY projects thrown in.
Why did you choose Blogger to be your blogging platform and do you currently earn an income from your blog? If yes, would you say it’s full-time or part-time?
Back in 2011, my husband was on active duty — Navy and I was bored at home having moved around and having to give up my career. He was managing an IT department at that time and one of the women who worked for him offered to set me up with a blog as a hobby, really just to keep me busy and give me something to do from home. She works with all different platforms, but chose Blogger for me since (at that time) she assumed it would just be for fun, and I knew literally NO coding, so she thought it would be the easiest for me to learn on.
Last year I earned over $200,000 blogging, so yes, would say it's full-time income. In fact, two years ago (after just 3-1/2 years of my blogging), my husband retired from the Navy and I'm the sole bread winner in our household now.
Have you worked with brands on your blog before? If yes, were they worried you’re not professional because you’re on blogger or was your blogging platform never a concern?
I currently work with more than 40 companies, ranging from the small family-owned business to Duluth Trading Co., Ball Canning, Tractor Supply Company, etc. In more than five years of blogging, I can honestly say that not a single potential sponsor has ever asked me what platform I use. Not once.
I am also asked to speak at blogger conferences as well as fairs around the country such as Country Living magazine, the Northwest Flower & Garden show and Epcot Center. Again, I've never been asked about my blogging platform.
Do you think it matters what platform you use for blogging? Or is it the content and value you give to your readers that attract them to your blog?
The platform you're using to blog is entirely irrelevant in my opinion. Content, quality (i.e. using good grammar, avoiding typos, etc. and including good-quality photos), value and to a great extent, the appearance of your blog is what attracts (and retains) readers. Also, understanding, and optimizing SEO is critical to getting good ranking on Google to draw more page views.
A blogger on any platform has the same opportunities to improve their ranking. That is not platform-specific either.
Pros definitely include:
Cons:
I'm not sure any one platform is 'better' than another. It depends on what's important to you. For me, the ease of using Blogger combined with it being free made it my preferred choice to get started. As my blog grew, I have never had a reason to switch. I have actually used Word Press for several online publications I contribute to, so I feel that I can compare the two platforms to some extent - and have never experienced any clear-cut reasons to consider switching to WordPress.
My main concern with WP would be the cost to me since I get almost a million page views in a good month. I would also be afraid of my blog crashing if one of my blog posts goes "viral" and I get 50,000 or more page views in a single day. I don't have those worries with Blogger.
Even though I'm earning good money now blogging, I don't see the logic of paying for something I can get for free. I would rather use my money for other things.
Since my blog has never gone down or had any technical issues, I haven't needed tech help. For certain customs features, I wanted to add (like a drop-down menu, or customized 'read more' button), there are plenty of tutorials online, and several bloggers who offer help, either free, for something simple, or for a modest charge. There are also Blogger "support" groups that are extremely helpful.
I do want to install a custom template one of these days. I'm still using the basic Blogger template and for aesthetic reasons only, I've been wanting an overhaul. I love that there are a huge variety of inexpensive (under $25) templates available and some of the designers even offer installation services for about the same price. So I don't foresee needing tech support in the immediate future.
Of course, I own my content. I created it and it's copyright protected. That is true of anything. Blogger can shut my blog down for a variety of reasons which I believe include stealing someone else's photos or content or posting porn or hate speech. But that's no different than any other platform, including Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. and even WordPress!
I do back up my blog each month (which every blogger should do regardless of the platform they're on), so if it did ever go down, or I deleted it by accident (!) I would still have the backup.
It's simple to monetize on Blogger. In addition to my sidebar ads, I also work with SheKnows and have an Amazon affiliate account. In the past, I've had AdSense, Pepperjam, Share-a-Sale and TBN ads on my site. My first book (written for St. Lynns Press in 2013) is the best-selling chicken keeping book on Amazon and based on my blog. I now work with a larger publisher and they aren't concerned what my blog platform is either.
I don't agree at all. I have been able to do on Blogger everything that I have ever wanted to. My blog continues to grow and is ranked in the top 75,000 on Alexa. I get great traffic, work with wonderful companies, and have links to my Amazon affiliate account, my Etsy shop and other affiliate sites without any problem.
Concentrate on good quality content, post regularly, design a clean, easy-to-navigate site, purchase a domain, be sure to add a little favicon to get rid of the orange B on the toolbar (sadly, there IS a stigma attached to blogging on Blogger, mostly perpetuated by those selling affiliate ads for WordPress hosts), and be active on other platforms to direct as much traffic to your site as possible.
According to you, what are some of the pros and cons of blogging on blogger?
Pros definitely include:
- Free to use (although I would recommend that those using Blogger purchase their own domain and get rid of the 'blogspot' in their URL. It isn't critical, but it does make your site more 'professional'. I purchased mine for $10.)
- Easy to use, whether or not you can code
- No worries about Blogger crashing
- Ability to choose from a variety of templates, or to purchase a template and customize it
- Easy to tweak and customize with just a very basic knowledge of coding
- Free...or did I already mention that? :P
Cons:
- I'm not sure I can come up with any
Why do you think blogger is a better blogging platform in comparison with the other blogging platforms out there?
I'm not sure any one platform is 'better' than another. It depends on what's important to you. For me, the ease of using Blogger combined with it being free made it my preferred choice to get started. As my blog grew, I have never had a reason to switch. I have actually used Word Press for several online publications I contribute to, so I feel that I can compare the two platforms to some extent - and have never experienced any clear-cut reasons to consider switching to WordPress.
My main concern with WP would be the cost to me since I get almost a million page views in a good month. I would also be afraid of my blog crashing if one of my blog posts goes "viral" and I get 50,000 or more page views in a single day. I don't have those worries with Blogger.
Even though I'm earning good money now blogging, I don't see the logic of paying for something I can get for free. I would rather use my money for other things.
Are support, tech help, and customisabilty (of templates, etc.) an issue on blogger? Do you feel that your blogger blog lacks on these fronts?
Since my blog has never gone down or had any technical issues, I haven't needed tech help. For certain customs features, I wanted to add (like a drop-down menu, or customized 'read more' button), there are plenty of tutorials online, and several bloggers who offer help, either free, for something simple, or for a modest charge. There are also Blogger "support" groups that are extremely helpful.
I do want to install a custom template one of these days. I'm still using the basic Blogger template and for aesthetic reasons only, I've been wanting an overhaul. I love that there are a huge variety of inexpensive (under $25) templates available and some of the designers even offer installation services for about the same price. So I don't foresee needing tech support in the immediate future.
Is it true that you don’t own your content on a blogger blog and blogger can shut down your blog any second?
Of course, I own my content. I created it and it's copyright protected. That is true of anything. Blogger can shut my blog down for a variety of reasons which I believe include stealing someone else's photos or content or posting porn or hate speech. But that's no different than any other platform, including Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. and even WordPress!
I do back up my blog each month (which every blogger should do regardless of the platform they're on), so if it did ever go down, or I deleted it by accident (!) I would still have the backup.
Do you think you one can’t effectively monetise a blogger blog? Is it hard to monetise a blog that’s on blogger?
It's simple to monetize on Blogger. In addition to my sidebar ads, I also work with SheKnows and have an Amazon affiliate account. In the past, I've had AdSense, Pepperjam, Share-a-Sale and TBN ads on my site. My first book (written for St. Lynns Press in 2013) is the best-selling chicken keeping book on Amazon and based on my blog. I now work with a larger publisher and they aren't concerned what my blog platform is either.
Blogger is a very limited platform, once your blog grows, you’re going to have to shift to some other platform. Do you agree with this statement?
I don't agree at all. I have been able to do on Blogger everything that I have ever wanted to. My blog continues to grow and is ranked in the top 75,000 on Alexa. I get great traffic, work with wonderful companies, and have links to my Amazon affiliate account, my Etsy shop and other affiliate sites without any problem.
Any advice for those that are just starting out their journey on the blogger platform as a new blogger?
Concentrate on good quality content, post regularly, design a clean, easy-to-navigate site, purchase a domain, be sure to add a little favicon to get rid of the orange B on the toolbar (sadly, there IS a stigma attached to blogging on Blogger, mostly perpetuated by those selling affiliate ads for WordPress hosts), and be active on other platforms to direct as much traffic to your site as possible.
What's my take on this and what you can learn from Lisa's experience?
So there you have it, it's not just me Lisa agrees as well. Blogger is as good as any a platform for blogging and it gives you an added benefit of being cost effective as it it free.
I have always stressed on how the blogging platform you choose should depend on your blogging need and what you're most comfortable with and if you read the interview, you know that Lisa has similar feelings.
Blogger is not a platform with limitations, it can be customised, and is extremely affordable. You can monetise it the way you want as long as it doesn't violate their TOS (Terms of Service).
Additionally, if you're thinking of moving to blogger or starting on blogger, support is available. I'm here to help you out through the services I offer and if you need some tech support feel free to get in touch with me or my friend Rebekah who offers tech support on blogger. You might be put on a waiting list because her services are extremely affordable (and so are mine xD).
Remember, if you're just starting out, the key is consistency, quality, and determination. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message through any of the numerous contact forms you can find on my site, haha!
Are you a blogger who earns a part-time/full-time income from your blog? I'd love to feature you.
Let's show the world that blogger is a great blogging platform. Please get in touch with me if you're interested.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
I feel that over the years, blogger as a platform has earned a negative hype. Whenever someone thinks about starting a blog they are pressured into going the self-hosted route. It's happening in all over the internet.
And yet, I want to tell you that blogger is the most budget-friendly, affordable and dare I say on par with a self-hosted WordPress blogging platform.
While I don't have anything against the self-hosted blogging platform, I just don't like being pressured into it by being told lies like "you can't monetise a blogger blog, you don't own your content on blogger, etc.".
And the thing is these bloggers don't even realise that they're giving false information to new bloggers or those who are just thinking of setting up a blog.
This is my attempt to show you that blogger is a worthy blogging platform, it has loads of customisation options available, and for the most it's budget friendly. I hope reading this interview will help you come across the truth about blogger as a blogging platform.
I'm featuring Danielle from DIY Danielle, a proud blogger on blogger since 2011 and yes she earns from her blog and has never had issues with her blogging platform.
Who is the blogger behind DIY Danielle?
This is danielle, the blogger behind DIY Danielle. She thrives on crafts, cuddles and chaos. And is a mother to three beautiful children. She has been blogging since 2011 and her blog is hosted on blogger. She loves the platform because it's easy to customise without any tech support, has worked with several brands over the course of her blogging career and loves that blogger if truly a budget-friendly blogging platform.
She loves the fact that being hosted on blogger, her blog never really crashes and how easy it is to integrate google products together.
Is your blog hosted on the blogger platform? If yes, then how long have you been blogging? And what do you blog about?
Why did you choose blogger to be your blogging platform and do you currently earn an income from your blog? If yes, would you say it’s full-time or part-time?
I looked into both WordPress and Blogger when I was starting up, but I preferred how Blogger was setup. I have continued with Blogger because I like that the hosting is free and I'm comfortable with how much of the customization on Blogger I'm able to handle without paying tech support.
I currently earn a small income from my blog, but I earn that income while staying home with my children. This allows me a lot of flexibility. I would say that I make a part-time income, although sometimes I work a lot of hours on the blog.
I currently earn a small income from my blog, but I earn that income while staying home with my children. This allows me a lot of flexibility. I would say that I make a part-time income, although sometimes I work a lot of hours on the blog.
Have you worked with brands on your blog before? If yes, were they worried you’re not professional because you’re on blogger or was your blogging platform never a concern?
I've worked with several brands and I've never had issues with brands about my host. I have always been more concerned with providing quality content and value to brands than with who my host is.
Do you think it matters what platform you use for blogging? Or is it the content and value you give to your readers that attract them to your blog?
Our audiences don't see who is hosting a blog. They see the content and if the blogger is providing them with the information they need. I think the most important keys to success in blogging are SEO optimization, promoting your content, great photos, informative, accurate and authentic content, and a bit of luck.
According to you, what are some of the pros and cons of blogging on blogger?
Pro's to Blogger: Free hosting, it's easy to DIY a lot of the customization if you're somewhat familiar with HTML, the sites are secure, and they rarely (ever?) crash. I've had no issues since 2011, except for about 5 minutes this year when they appeared to be rolling out updates. I also really like Google products and I trust them. I use YouTube, Gmail, and quite a few of their other services.
Cons: I think that if you really need to hire someone to do all your technical work, then it's easier to find tech support to hire on Wordpress. Wordpress support has become such a big business that I think there's just more people trying to capitalize on that.
I have a group of fellow Blogspot bloggers that I talk to when I am trying to customize something on my site, but occasionally I wish I had a tech support person to call up to fix everything for me when I want to throw my computer through a window.
Fortunately, I'm fairly knowledgeable about customization and there's a lot of web articles that can help guide me through changes I want to make... so I can almost always fix something after I puzzle it out a bit. And I fix it all free.
Why do you think blogger is a better blogging platform in comparision with the other blogging platforms out there?
I can't say that one platform is "better" than another. They each offer hosting and design. Each has its own costs, pros, and cons. I have found that Blogger is the best option for me, however. When I started, I blogged for a couple years without earning an income.
Paying for hosting and eating those costs may have discouraged me from continuing to blog and I might have shut down. Because Blogger was free, I was able to explore and grow on my own schedule- no pressure.
Even though I earn money now, I have kept my expenses low which increases my net profit. I know that if I have a bad month or our entire family gets the stomach bug, I won't find myself paying out of pocket for hosting and other blog expenses. I love that if I wanted to stop blogging consistently or if I wanted to take a break, I could pay the $10/year for my domain and cut all of my additional costs, while still keeping my blog up with all the old content.
And unlike, Wordpress,org, I can still have affiliate links, advertising, and sponsored content on my blog without paying for hosting.
Paying for hosting and eating those costs may have discouraged me from continuing to blog and I might have shut down. Because Blogger was free, I was able to explore and grow on my own schedule- no pressure.
Even though I earn money now, I have kept my expenses low which increases my net profit. I know that if I have a bad month or our entire family gets the stomach bug, I won't find myself paying out of pocket for hosting and other blog expenses. I love that if I wanted to stop blogging consistently or if I wanted to take a break, I could pay the $10/year for my domain and cut all of my additional costs, while still keeping my blog up with all the old content.
And unlike, Wordpress,org, I can still have affiliate links, advertising, and sponsored content on my blog without paying for hosting.
Is support, tech help, and customisabilty (of templates, etc.) an issue on blogger? Do you feel that your blogger blog lacks on these fronts?
For the most part, I think the customization options for Blogger are fine. I have a great template that I think makes my blog look professional.
I was able to figure out most of the customization myself. I do wish there were more people offering technical support for Blogger, but I am part of a close knit group of Blogspot bloggers who all help each other out when we run into issues.
I was able to figure out most of the customization myself. I do wish there were more people offering technical support for Blogger, but I am part of a close knit group of Blogspot bloggers who all help each other out when we run into issues.
Is it true that you don’t own your content on a blogger blog and blogger can shut down your blog any second?
According to Blogger terms of service, I own all of my content. However, like all hosts, Blogger reserves the right to shut my blog down if I violate their terms of service. This means I can't steal other's content and post it on my blog without possible repercussions, and I believe there are some limits to what type of content I can publish.
My blog isn't about any "sensitive" topics (like pornographic materials) so I don't really see this as being an issue for me. I do backup my blog monthly to ensure that I have a hard drive backup of all my content in case there was ever an issue. I am more concerned about accidentally deleting my content than I am about Blogger shutting me down though.
My blog isn't about any "sensitive" topics (like pornographic materials) so I don't really see this as being an issue for me. I do backup my blog monthly to ensure that I have a hard drive backup of all my content in case there was ever an issue. I am more concerned about accidentally deleting my content than I am about Blogger shutting me down though.
Do you think you one can’t effectively monetise a blogger blog? Is it hard to monetise a blog that’s on blogger?
Monetizing has been pretty easy. I started out with ads through Google Adsense, but I'm now using Mediavine for my advertising. I also offer sponsored posts on my blog and earn money from affiliate links.
Blogger is a very limited platform, once your blog grows, you’re going to have to shift to some other platform. Do you agree with this statement?
I haven't found Blogger limiting at all. I have stayed with Blogger since 2011 with the idea that if I ever needed a service that Blogger didn't offer, I could switch at that time. In the meantime, I have saved a lot of money because I don't pay for hosting.
I don't see myself ever needing to switch. I publish video, photos, and detailed tutorials on my blog. I sell two books in eBook and book formats through Amazon. I have advertising on my site, offer sponsored posts, and make money as an affiliate with quite a few different companies.
I don't see myself ever needing to switch. I publish video, photos, and detailed tutorials on my blog. I sell two books in eBook and book formats through Amazon. I have advertising on my site, offer sponsored posts, and make money as an affiliate with quite a few different companies.
Any advice for those that are just starting out their journey on the blogger platform as a new blogger?
Find a template that you love from the beginning and that offers support. Usually you can read the reviews on a template to see if others had trouble getting support on it. Once you pick your template, install it and stick with it.
If you get it all setup correctly from the beginning and don't mess with it, you'll be able to stick to the parts of blogging that are most important- content creation and monetization. I wasted a lot of time trying to find a template I liked... changing... rearranging everything. Once I finally found "the one" (template), I was able to settle in and stop focusing as much on trying to adjust that stuff.
Making small changes on a template isn't hard... but completely changing your template takes precious time that is better used elsewhere.
If you get it all setup correctly from the beginning and don't mess with it, you'll be able to stick to the parts of blogging that are most important- content creation and monetization. I wasted a lot of time trying to find a template I liked... changing... rearranging everything. Once I finally found "the one" (template), I was able to settle in and stop focusing as much on trying to adjust that stuff.
Making small changes on a template isn't hard... but completely changing your template takes precious time that is better used elsewhere.
What's my take on this?
If you're a new blogger and blogger seems like a better option for starting your blog, go for it. You can monetise it any way you want, support is available — I'm here to help you. Blogger is not only budget friendly it's also very customisable, and now that you know that your content is your own I'm hoping some doubts about the platform have cleared up.
My friend Rebekah also offers great tech support should you need it for your blogger blog, and the best thing is that her services are really affordable.
My friend Rebekah also offers great tech support should you need it for your blogger blog, and the best thing is that her services are really affordable.
My blog is hosted on blogger as well, and I've recently established a custom store on it for selling my services. If you would like to know all the features of the blogger platform then this post will be a good read for you. If you have any problems, I'm happy to help.
Are you a blogger on the blogger platform earning a part-time/full-time income?
If yes, then I'd love to feature you on my blog. Let's spread the word about blogger being an awesome blogging platform together! Get in touch here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons