It’s no secret that traveling costs money and we all need to earn a remote income if we want to be on the road long- term. I had no experience working online or running a website but I thought a blog would be a fun way to keep my friends and family in the loop of what I was doing. Earning an actual income from it was way over my head and I didn’t even know it was possible at first. Slowly, I started learning about affiliate marketing and putting ads on the website. That’s where it started.
Once I told myself that I wanted to take my blog to the next level and make an actual living from it, I knew I needed help and couldn’t take it much further on my own. I had very little money at the time and investing in a course was really scary because if it didn’t work, I was screwed. So I signed up for a course with one of the top bloggers in the world, Nomadic Matt, simply because the course seemed impressive but it was also much cheaper than others I had seen. Low and behold, it changed my entire mindset on my business and taught me exactly what I needed to know about making money online.
Here’s a breakdown of how exactly I monetize this website and where the money comes from.
MY REMOTE INCOME
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is my number one way of earning my income each month. This basically means if someone clicks a link on my website and makes a purchase, I get a small commission at no additional cost to that person simply for helping make the sale. So for example, you need a stove for your van and like the one that I linked, you click the link on my website and buy the stove. I would then make maybe 5% of the sale because I recommended that product. I’m an affiliate with about 4 companies/brands which all already have a program set up for it. You can sign up for most affiliate programs in a matter of minutes and the company will give you a personal link so the sales can be tracked.
This makes up at least 70% of my total income.
Here are a couple book recommendations I personally have read to learn about affiliate marketing if you also want to learn more!
Google Ads
The second way that I make money here is using ads. Google has programs that read through each post and pick up on key words. It then places targeted ads that are appropriate for the website. You make money for people clicking on the ads and more when a purchase is made from it. Sweet and simple. If you are going to have ads though, don’t over do it. You never want a website to look spammy by using ads all over the place. So a couple per page is plenty.
This makes up about 20% of my monthly income.
Blog Mentorship
I never actually intended on teaching others how to monetize a website. Once I got the ball rolling and have now established a real income, more and more people started reaching out about helping them do the same. I set up the “Work With Me” page and now help others every day create a website and learn to monetize it the same way I do. It’s actually gotten to be so many lately that I’m working on a course right now to streamline the process. I fell into this part of blogging but I definitely think creating your own products whether it’s an e-book or a course is a great way to earn additional income.
So this makes up about 10% of my income each month (hopefully more once the course is finished!).
HOW I LEARNED
No matter how much research I did or how many blog posts I read about making money from blogging, I still couldn’t get a firm enough grasp on it to make enough money to live. There’s just so much information out there and it’s all contradictory. I had no background in web design and was desperately trying to teach myself without actually investing any money into it.
I quickly realized this wasn’t possible. If I can give you any advice, it’s to invest at the beginning. At least a little bit. So I found a course that I could afford from one of the top travel bloggers in the world, Nomadic Matt. Most courses and programs that I could find were at least $1,000. This blogging program is $99.
It walked me through how to re- set up my website (properly this time), create a brand for myself, and how to actually start monetizing my blog to earn an income. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be making enough to sustain myself every month if it wasn’t for finally biting the bullet and paying for his course.
HOW YOU CAN DO THE SAME
I get asked almost every day how to start a blog and make an actual living with it. In all honesty, the best thing I can tell you is to invest in a course similar to Matt’s. He’s an expert who has been doing this for YEARS and lays everything out for you. There are a lot of programs out there but after loads of research, his was the best priced that I found for the ridiculous amount of information it provides within the 12 weeks that it lasts.
The best part about his is that you can jump on whenever you have free time and you get to keep the course forever. So I still access the information to this day if I need to brush up on something. AND you can email him or his tech guy literally any time with questions. I had to ask several (of course) and they both answered graciously every single time without making me feel stupid.
If you are wanting to blog full- time, investing in your brand is crucial and I learned that the hard way. I could’ve saved myself many (many, many) major headaches had I done it sooner. Like I said at the beginning, this is a business. Your brand is a business. You always have to invest a little money into a business in order to see growth.
OTHER COURSES BY NOMADIC MATT:
Just wondering how you and the baby are doing. Worried because you haven’t put anything out since before you and the baby were going to be released.
Hello! The link to the course by Nomadic Matt doesn’t seem to work?
You have done an outstanding job by shining a bright light on the realities of van life. I have viewed many van life websites and I want you know you are on the top of my list. There are many factors I considered before I sent this email. Your video’s are upbeat. They are well done, close to pro quality, you have wonderful editing and composition skills. Your dialogue feels genuine. You have shown all of your viewers a roadmap to self sustaining van life. Feel proud of your accomplishments. Stay away from reading troll posts. I can see that some of them are hurtful.
Finally, you are an intelligent, gorgeous young lady. I wish you the best life has to offer.
Hey Sydney, thank you for this article.
Do you know Income School and their “Project 24”? It’s 2 guys teaching affiliate marketing and how to become your own boss thanks to blogging. I think it’s worth checking since they’re even cheaper than Matt’s fees.
Just super impressed with your set up and professionalism with your tik tok. Really enjoyed each of your videos and the one you were stressed in spoke to my heart, you are right. Sending positive vibes your way, love to the puppies.
I tried to purchase the class you recommended but I don’t see one for $99 – can you send me a link please?
I clicked on her links but they seem to not offer the $99 deal anymore. Just $49/month is the cheapest option.
Now it seems to be $79 a month! Yikes. Guess that is what success allows you to do but now has me rethinking the investment.
They’ve changed it to a mentorship program but it is totally still worth it! They have collaboration boards and forums that have been endlessly helpful for finding people to write guest posts for and vis a versa. Plus the 2 weekly zoom calls lets you get specific questions answered and with Matt and the team. It has been really really helpful for getting any extra questions answered or clarification. They also edit 2 articles a month, that has been wonderful for helping me become a better writer and have a professional check out my work before posting on my site. After their edits, I feel better and reaffirmed that I’m putting your best work out there. The price is a bit tough. Depending on how much free time you have you can always try to cruise through the course quickly then drop the membership. That being said, there are a lot of perks to the collaboration board, job board and forums.
Hey ! I’ve been teaching online now and would like to get into van life. Any recommendations on strong/dependable internet connection on the road ?
I just want to say how impressed I am with the setup and layout of your website. It is simple, concise, and gives me the information I am looking for all in one place.
I am 44 years old and wish I had done a traveling lifestyle with my husband and daughter a long time ago. I have been obsessed with watching videos about van life, tiny homes, RV life, and vintage camper rebuilds. It is fascinating.
I have always wanted to travel but being where I am from (mountains of NC) it just wasn’t a known thing and now it is a “thing”.
After much thought, deliberation and “why the hell nots”, I know what direction I want to take our family. Thank you for your website. I definitely will check into Matt’s courses and love your presents
Great job!