Are you new to blogging and planning to use Blogger as your hosting platform? If you're wondering whether you can actually make money solely from blogging, here's my honest take.
I'm not here to sugarcoat everything or sell you a pipe dream. I'll share what I've learned from using Blogger since I first decided to create a website with the goal of earning money online.
What Is Blogger?
Blogger is a free blogging platform that allows you to publish written content without having to build a website from scratch.
If you don't know CSS, HTML, or JavaScript, you don't necessarily have to worry about coding just to get started. Blogger provides built-in themes that you can choose from, and you can customize many aspects of your site by clicking Customize. You can change things such as the background, fonts, text colors, layout, and other visual elements.
One of the biggest advantages of Blogger is that it's free.
However, because it's a free and widely accessible platform, it's also used by people who abuse it for spam, scams, and other activities that violate Google's policies.
Because of this, you should familiarize yourself with Blogger's rules before building your site. You don't want to find yourself caught off guard if your blog is restricted, locked, or sent for review because of a policy violation.
It's a good idea to read Google's Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Blogger Content Policy so you understand what you're allowed to publish.
Pros and Cons of Using Blogger
Pros
- You can launch a website quickly.
You can create a blog and start publishing within minutes. You don't need to spend hours setting up complicated hosting or installing software. - You can publish a lot of content.
Blogger allows you to publish posts without having to worry about traditional hosting limits such as bandwidth costs. - AdSense integration is available.
Blogger works with Google AdSense, so once you're eligible and approved, you can connect your AdSense account and place ads on your blog. - You can use a custom domain.
If you want your blog to look more professional, you have the option of purchasing a domain and connecting it to Blogger. - You can schedule posts.
You don't have to publish everything manually. You can prepare posts in advance and schedule them for a specific date and time. - Google Analytics can be used.
You can connect your blog to Google Analytics to better understand where your visitors are coming from and how they interact with your website.
Cons
- Limited customization compared with other platforms.
Blogger gives you plenty of customization options, especially if you know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but it doesn't have the same ecosystem of plugins and extensions you'll find on platforms such as WordPress. For example, you won't have the same variety of ready-made membership systems, sign-in/sign-up features, e-commerce tools, and other advanced functionality. - The design can feel traditional.
Blogger is primarily built around traditional blogging. If you're looking for a highly customized website with modern features and complex layouts, you may eventually find its limitations frustrating. - It's not designed as a full e-commerce platform.
Blogger isn't an all-in-one e-commerce system where you can easily manage products, inventory, checkout, and payments. You can still promote products and link to external stores or payment platforms, but you'll need other services to handle those functions. - You don't have complete control over the platform.
This is probably the biggest concern for me. Blogger is Google's platform, which means you're using a service that you don't fully control. Your blog can potentially be restricted or locked if Google determines that it violates its policies. That's why I strongly recommend keeping backups of your content. Don't put years of work into a platform without having copies of your articles somewhere else.
INFO: If you don't like the built-in theme on Blogger, you can design your own or search on Google for free Blogger templates. Be careful which sites to choose from.
Just take a look at what I've done to my site, from adding bookmark, custom badges, and modifying the comment section. I pushed past Blogger's default limitations by using JavaScript and manipulating the XML, while ensuring everything remains safe and secure to run.
Also read: How I Developed My First Custom Website Theme From Scratch
Can You Make Money on Blogger?
Yes and no but it depends heavily on your content, audience, traffic, monetization strategy, and how much value you're providing.
For example, if your entire blog consists of personal diary entries or private reflections, it may be difficult to get approved by AdSense. That doesn't mean personal writing can never make money, but it can be harder to attract enough search traffic or commercial interest.
Instead, think about topics where people are actively searching for useful information.
Some examples include:
- Beauty
- Health and fitness
- Technology
- Travel
- Arts and crafts
- Programming
- Education
- Languages
- Cooking/Recipes
- Product reviews
I'm not saying these niches automatically guarantee income. They don't. Competition can be extremely high, and making money will depend on the quality and usefulness of your content, your audience, and your monetization strategy.
And even if you're approved for Google AdSense, don't expect money to start pouring in immediately. It can take a long time to build enough traffic to generate meaningful earnings.
Don't Depend Only on AdSense
Once you're eligible for AdSense, you can also explore other legitimate ways to monetize your blog.
One example is affiliate marketing.
You can write honest product reviews, tutorials, comparisons, or recommendations and include affiliate links where appropriate. If someone purchases something through your affiliate link, you may receive a commission.
However, always disclose your affiliate relationships clearly so your readers know that you may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Arts and Crafts
If your blog is about crafts, you could write about how you made a particular piece, why you created it, what materials you used, and what you learned during the process.
You could then link to a platform where readers can purchase your artwork.
Platforms such as Ko-fi, Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, Gumroad, or other marketplaces can potentially complement your blog.
Programming
If you're knowledgeable about programming and learn how Blogger works under the hood, you could potentially create and sell Blogger themes or templates.
You could also use your blog as a portfolio to showcase websites, templates, scripts, tutorials, or other projects you've created.
Education and Languages
If you're multilingual or passionate about teaching a language, you could create useful lessons, vocabulary guides, grammar explanations, or learning resources.
Your blog can then serve as a way to introduce people to your expertise. Some readers may eventually be interested in paying for private lessons, courses, or other educational services.
The important thing is to think beyond advertising.
Your blog doesn't necessarily have to make money because someone clicked an ad. It can make money because your content helps people discover your skills, products, services, or recommendations.
Be Careful With "I Make Thousands From Blogging" Posts
If you see people on Reddit or other social media platforms claiming that they make a huge amount of money from blogging with Blogger, don't automatically believe that the amount shown belongs entirely to one blog.
I'm not saying everyone is lying.
But there are situations where people have multiple websites, YouTube channels, or other Google monetization sources connected to the same account. Depending on what you're looking at, revenue from different sources may be displayed together.
Note: As you can see in the attached screenshot of my Google AdSense account, two of my sites have been approved, but writewhim.blogspot.com hasn't been approved yet. Additionally, for years, I haven't reached the payment threshold. I earn through links to my Ko-fi and Patreon.
If you're wondering about the niche for my two approved sites, I provide translation services (Chinese to English).
So if someone shows you an AdSense earnings screenshot, that screenshot alone doesn't necessarily prove that a single Blogger blog generated all of that money.
How Do You Get Traffic to Your Site?
Creating a blog is only half the job. That's why you also need people to discover it.
If you already have social media accounts, you can promote your articles there. Share useful posts, participate in conversations, and build an audience around your topic.
Like I did, I created accounts on Bluesky, X, Tumblr, and Pinterest. There, I share my new articles with a short preview and some hashtags for people to see.
If you don't want your friends and family to know about your blog, you can also participate in online communities under a separate identity where appropriate.
For example, Reddit has communities focused on almost every imaginable topic.
Find communities related to your niche and learn what people are asking about. Instead of simply dropping links to your blog everywhere, participate genuinely and provide useful information.
If your article answers a question someone is asking, your content may naturally become relevant to them.
You can also work on search engine optimization (SEO) so that people can discover your articles through Google and other search engines.
Should You Buy a Domain?
Personally, I think having your own domain can be worthwhile if you can afford the cost and plan to maintain your blog long-term.
When I created my first blog, I bought a domain at a relatively low price and having your own domain gives your blog a more independent identity and makes it easier to build a recognizable brand.
However, don't assume that simply buying a custom domain will automatically make your website rank higher on Google. But like mine, it definitely helps me rank up faster. I can see my articles on the first page when I search for certain titles.
Search rankings depend on many factors, including the quality and relevance of your content, the site's overall authority, technical factors, competition, and how well your content satisfies what people are searching for.
So if you can afford a domain and you're serious about your blog, go for it. Just don't buy one expecting it to magically put you at the top of Google.
Can My Blogger Site Get Approved for AdSense?
Yes, it can but approval isn't something you should treat as automatic. Before applying, focus on building a legitimate website with useful, original content and a clear purpose.
Some things you can work on include:
- Publishing genuinely useful content
- Creating clear navigation
- Having an About page
- Adding a Contact page
- Providing a Privacy Policy
- Adding an appropriate Disclaimer where necessary
- Connecting relevant social media accounts
- Making your site easy for visitors to navigate
- Following Google's policies
- Avoiding copied, low-quality, or spammy content
You may hear people recommend publishing a specific number of articles or making every article a certain number of words long.
Don't treat those numbers as a guaranteed formula for AdSense approval. Having 20+ articles that are 1200 words each doesn't automatically mean Google will approve your site. Quality and usefulness matter more than simply hitting a word count.
Final Thoughts
So, can you make money blogging on Blogger? Yes, but it takes time, consistent effort, and useful content. Blogger can be a practical starting point if you want to build a blog without paying for traditional web hosting right away.
However, you should set realistic expectations and understand that earning money from a new blog rarely happens overnight.
Many people start blogging because they have a hobby, passion, experience, or skill they want to share with others. As your blog grows, you may have opportunities to earn through advertising, affiliate marketing, digital products, services, or other relevant income sources.
The key is to focus on creating original, helpful content that answers your readers' questions rather than publishing articles simply to generate traffic.
Building a profitable blog requires patience and consistency. You'll need to understand your audience, promote your content, improve your writing and website, and learn what works over time.
Instead of starting a blog with the expectation of quick money, treat it as a long-term project. If you consistently provide genuine value to your readers, your blog has a better opportunity to grow into a useful and potentially profitable online business.
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