December 2017 Blog Income Report

Earlier this year, I decided to start blogging again.

Not just for myself.

I wanted to create a blog that could help other people. So, I began sharing my knowledge about working online, travelling and growing a blog.

And if you told me six months ago that I would be able to turn this blog into an online business and make $5,000 by the end of the year – I wouldn’t believe you.

But it happened.

Each month, I’ve been sharing my income reports online in hopes of inspiring someone else to start their own blog and turn it into a profitable business.

If that sounds like something you want to do, sign up for my free email course above. You’ll also get instant access to my exclusive content library.

Or, just keep on reading to learn all about how I made money blogging last month. I’ll also share my accomplishments, traffic and expenses.

Let’s jump in!

DECEMBER 2017 BLOG INCOME REPORT

This post contains affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclaimer. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me.

Accomplishments in December

Even though I ended up going offline for nearly an entire week in December (mental health always comes first my friends), I still managed to tick off a few of my year-end goals.

→ Began Offering Blog Coaching Packages

Just a few days ago, my brand new Work with Me page went live! I am now offering a variety of services including blog audits, coaching calls, email support and freelance writing. There is even a fancy VIP Coaching Package!

→ Started Going Live in My Facebook Group

In attempt to make more meaningful connections with the members of my Facebook group called The Blog Nest, I started a new live series! I like to call it Mondays with Maya. Every Monday, I talk share blogging tips and answer any questions that were asked in the group.

→ Scored My First Travel Sponsorship

During my recent trip to Paris, I was fortunate enough to work with the Official Visitors’ Bureau! They provided me with two four-day public transport passes and two boat cruise tickets. Read this post to learn more about landing sponsored post opportunities.

Traffic in December

I ended the month of December with 7,800+ pageviews.

Half of this traffic actually came from Pinterest alone. And if you want to learn about my Pinterest strategy and create one yourself, read my full tutorial here. The rest of my traffic came from a combination of search engines, social media and referrals from other websites.

My three most popular blog posts in December were:

1. How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
2. 13 of the Best Books for Bloggers
3. How to Find Keywords

Income Report for December

Bluehost-Sales

Paypal-Payments

eBook-Sales

Studiopress-Sale

Affiliate Commissions:

• Bluehost: $255 | Three people purchased a blog hosting plan.
• Career in the Making eBook: $27.50 | Three people bought Krista’s ebook (which is a great resource on turning your blog into a full-time job) using my link.
• Convertkit: $8.90 | After claiming a 14-day free trial through my referral link, one person decided to stick with Convertkit for their email marketing.
• Fiverr: $15 | One person purchased a “gig” on this low-cost service site.
• Linqia: $10 | Two people signed up for this free influencer program using my link. One of them has already landed her first sponsorship!
• Siteground: $150 | Three people purchased a blog hosting plan from Siteground after reading my post on switching to Siteground.
• Studiopress: $21 | One person purchased a blog theme and the Genesis framework from Studiopress after learning about it my best themes for WordPress post.
• Swagbucks: $4.40 | Two people decided to start a new side hustle last month and signed up for this free site using my link.
• Tailwind: $1.50 + $15 credit | Three people signed up for a free trial of Tailwind and one person purchased an annual plan using my link.
• TrustedHousesitters: $0.50 | One person signed up for more information about this housesitting website through my link.

Other Income:

• Adsense: $24.23 
• Blog Coaching & Writing Services: $225
• Sponsored Post: $80

As mentioned earlier, I also received two public transport passes and two boat cruise passes during my recent trip to Paris. That alone had a value of around $120. But, I did not include this in my total income amount.

Total Income: $823.03 

Which for my fellow Canadians, works out to be $1035 CAD.

Expense Report for December

• G Suite: $5 | This online set of productivity tools helps me stay organized and work with other bloggers and companies. Paid monthly.
• KWFinder: $30 | This keyword finding tool helps me optimize my content for search engines and track my rankings. Prepaid for an annual membership.
• One Hour Content Plan: $3.68 | This ebook by one of my favourite bloggers, Meera Kothand, has proved to be an incredible resource for planning blog posts!
• Siteground: $4.55 | Decided to switch to Siteground about a month ago and have absolutely no complaints. Prepaid for an annual plan.
• Tailwind: $10 | This tool helps me automate my Pinterest account and schedule my pins weeks in advance. Prepaid for an annual plan.

Total Expenses: $53.23

Goals for January & Beyond

There are sooo many things that I want to accomplish with this blog next year. But, there are a few things that I’m going to focus on in January.

→ Start Writing my eBook

In December, I finished the outline for my upcoming eBook! I haven’t quite decided on a title yet, but this eBook is going to be aimed at helping other bloggers grow their traffic. It will cover everything from building an audience, to conquering social media and mastering search engines. I am super excited to get the ball rolling with this!

→ Collaborate with Other Bloggers

I really want to get more involved with the blogging community. And I think a great way to do that will be to collaborate with other bloggers! Next month, I want to try doing a blog-post exchange or maybe something even bigger.

→ Hit my first $1000 Month

For the past several months, my blogging income has consistently fluctuated between $700 and $900. That alone makes me proud. But, we all have to push ourselves, right? So, I am going to work hard at hitting my first $1000 month next year!

Final Notes

Thanks for reading my December 2017 Income Report! I hope you stick around to see some of the great content I have lined up for January, like a guide about how to make money online and a roundup of the best blogs about blogging!

Got any questions?

I’m here to answer them! Let’s talk in the comments below.