A Guide to Blogging Expenses
Whoever said that blogging is free must not have experienced blogging at all. Even when it is pursued merely as a hobby, there are bound to be expenses. These are what I discovered about the cost of blogging after almost a year of serious blogging.
1. There is no such thing as free.
Even with the availability of free blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress, a blogger cannot actually participate in active blogging without incurring cost. Some costs may not be as evident as compared to costs accounted for in a regular business but they remain as expenses directly connected to blogging. Some of these are:
A. Equipment Costs:
Bloggers would need a computer to use for writing and publishing blogs, a decent camera for pictures that will accompany the articles, and other equipment and gadgets that will help them produce blogs with better content. Software, anti-virus program, as well as other programs are bought and paid for. It certainly helps to have a suitable working area as well with basic furniture at least.
B. Utility Costs
Electricity and Internet costs are monthly expenses related to blogging. Without these two, no blogging can be done. Some do not see this as an expense especially those who are blogging at home and simply relying or riding on the electrical and Internet service of their home and which is still being shouldered by a parent or the owners of the house.
C. Upgrade Costs
In time, bloggers will want to upgrade their blogging platforms and will most probably shift to the paid version. This will happen because of the natural inclination to improve the blog via professional themes and plug-ins. It is a fact that paid themes are really far elegant than free ones.
D. Domain and Hosting Costs
This is not applicable for free blogs. Self-hosted blogs will have to provide for hosting fee every month. Domain names are paid for an agreed period of time and are subject to renewal. Failure to renew on time can result to other people buying the name which a blogger has worked so hard for. Rates vary depending on the service provider and the inclusion in the packages being offered.
E. SEO and Marketing Costs
No successful blog ever made it without SEO and sound marketing strategies. Direct costs can come from hiring SEO experts, outsourcing blog content , and PR groups (usually for company blogs). Paid listing service is something that may be considered by serious bloggers.
2. There are other related costs to blogging.
Most people see bloggers as free-loaders especially when they get product freebies or cash for attending a product launching, press briefing, movie screening, and other similar events. It has to be noted that bloggers will have to spend on gas if he or she uses his or her own car, transportation expense when commuting, representation expense to look presentable for the event, and sometimes even for food when the event time goes beyond the time when food is provided.
Of course, there will always be the other side of the story where certain abuses on privileges granted may have occurred but that is another story.
3. There are unseen costs in blogging.
There are two main costs that can fall under this category – time and opportunity. Time and opportunity usually equate to money. It is about finding the equivalent of the time spent in blogging and the opportunity that may have been lost in choosing to blog instead of doing something else more financially productive. Writing articles, interacting with readers and the blogging community online, attending events, making reviews, all use time. Time is probably the most important cost in the equation of blogging expenses.
My Say
I never really realized just how much investment blogging requires from a blogger until now when I am going through the experience of it all. Blogging is perceived to be an easy job but nothing can be farther from the truth especially if a blogger is seriously into it with a mission. Potential bloggers will have to understand that blogging entails costs beyond the financial expenses. In blogging, one cannot help but give a part of one’s self for the craft.
rochkirstin
Everything comes with a cost but these costs can be outweighed when you do what you’re really passionate about. At the end of the day, you have fulfillment and the sense of gratification of being a blogger.
kulasa
I have to add…this article is beautifully written as always 🙂
Teresa Martinez
Many thanks.
kulasa
I agree…blogging entails one to spend too when done seriously…I thank someone who introduced me to the happine$$ of blogging….someone from the joys of simple life who shared with me her blessings…which I used to start my own blogging happine$$ adventure…I purchased two new domains I still do not have the time to use for the love of blogging 🙂 …as in everything…and in blogging..no pain, no gain…happy blogging to us! 🙂
Teresa Martinez
Blogging is hard work, let no one make the mistake of thinking otherwise.
MC
I couldn’t agree more to this! 🙂
“Whoever said that blogging is free must not have experienced blogging at all.” This made me remember my amateur days in blogging! 😀
Teresa Martinez
It takes experience to understand what bloggers really go through.
lencilicious
I agree with you Teresa. That’s why monetizing a blog is a great thing to consider.
Teresa Martinez
That is true but it has to be remembered that not everyone will be successful with monetizing blogs so bloggers must be prepared to work on their blog to be noticed by advertisers.
Alley
Who said serious blogging is easy? 🙂 Very well said Teresa! Now people would know what to expect when they start a blog of their own.
Teresa Martinez
Blogging can be a very worthwhile and productive activity especially if we are prepared for its unique challenges.
betchai
since my blogging is more of a hobby, something i give up TV time since I enjoy reading blogs more than watching irritating TV shows or spending so much time chatting in social networks which I know a lot more people are into it these days ( lost their lives to Facebooking), I do not see blogging really as taking my time away from something more important, since I only do it when it is really my time to relax and de-stress from everyday’s work. maybe that is the reason why I still have to experience being burned out in blogging after so many years of being in it 🙂 if i am not blogging right now, i probably would just simply be watching TV or use FB, a form of relaxation which a lot of people are into. so, if comparing to watching TV and FBing for spending my free time after work, I still consider blogging as the more productive one, haha. However, i do see your point, since if we won’t know how to use our time at all, we may lose those time that could be used more productively, such as giving ourselves the time to study and update our finances, etc.
these are really excellent points, and i am so with you, it is not easy to blog if your heart is not into it, not anyone can just pick up blogging easily.
Teresa Martinez
Oh yes, blogging is definitely more productive than watching TV all day or socializing in FB all day but it also has to be done in consideration of our duties in life.
Dhemz
I completely agree! Very well said…nothing is free when it comes to blogging.
Teresa Martinez
My love for writing made me blind to that fact for some time until I realize that I should be finding ways to earn with my writing for the benefit of my family and myself as well.Finding ways to do that is not easy.
Claire
I coudn’t agree more with all the things you pointed out. Blogging is a work in progress and you reap what you sow when you it attracts advertisers for the excellent articles you write whatever niche it may be. But when you love writing, the happiness you get from being able to put down into writing is worth the time and money especially when you are being compensated on things you love to do:)
Teresa Martinez
It is not as if I have to be paid to write but it can be quite hypocritical to say that I can still do it at the expense of not being able to take care of the needs of the family. For most bloggers, blogging is only a side or additional income since it rarely supports all the needs of writers and their family.
JessicaWCassidy (@wifetoalineman)
We just had our tax done and only this year I understand more about my blogging expenses 🙂 I am glad that I did good this year 🙂 Blogging is fun but at the same time there are expenses to pay too 🙂 Thank you Ms Teresa for sharing very important facts 🙂
Teresa Martinez
Congratulations for earning in blogging. It must feel like receiving a bonus for doing something you really like.
Chubskulit Rose
Blogging really takes time and that cost a lot because if you don’t prioritize things, you will lose your valuable time and not done a productive thing. I loses sleep because of blogging sometimes but I have no regrets as I love doing it.
Teresa Martinez
My husband always reminds me not to stay up until the wee hours of the morning just to write but it is really hard especially if there is something in my mind that I think I should write about.
Mhie@travelentz.com
I am with you,sis. Blogging has a lot to consider just maintaining one blog. The hidden cost that some people did not notice especially if you’re in US,one of them are paying taxes when you reach $600 in income and considered it as a business and it depends where you want to categorize your blog when you file your tax.
Teresa Martinez
That is another possible cost to consider.
Cheerful
i can truly understand…such a great post! i hope everyone can read it, so people will know that bloggers are not bloggers in a split of second, they put lots of time in making their site. anyway, my two blogs are not earning that much but i am investing time and money on it…by paying those mentioned in number 1 (domain, hosting, etc.), i am not into number 2 yet but maybe someday, but number 3 which is time and opportunity which i am still struggling, i hope to find more time to blog. thanks for sharing this guide.
Teresa Martinez
It takes time, talent,and money to put up and maintain a quality blog. I hope advertisers can also appreciate that.
rona
oh so true! in this increasingly technological era, bloggers have been paying to invest. this post helped remind me to reject those guest posts for free. kawawa naman tayo. sila ang binabayaran, tayo hindi. thanks for this!
Teresa Martinez
In my personal opinion, bloggers can allow their blogs to be used for free for posts that will clearly serve the public and is not being published for the financial gain of any one but for posts that are clearly advertising vehicles for a product or service, bloggers can reasonably charge for it.
papaleng (@papaleng)
Passion for writing offset those blogging costs you have mentioned. Am I earning decent bucks out of blogging? Nay, I say. I simply love to share my thoughts .
Teresa Martinez
Passion for writing does kind of offset some blogging costs especially in terms of time and opportunity that is why we do not often count them as expenses. However, we need to have something to support blogging activities or else we will not be able to write as we should. Bloggers who have other income are in a better position to ignore the costs but not all are as fortunate.
Lainybelle
I hear you! It’s not just all about the money. The effort and the time that we put in by blogging our heart’s content is beyond compensation. The real worth of a blog is often more put in the sidelines when it’s monetized. It may sting a bit to a blogger’s heart like mine but there’s a grain of truth to it.
This beautiful post and your other posts about blogging per se sheds light to what a blog is like in the present time. Most of us overlook the unseen cost of blogging and that’s TIME.
Teresa Martinez
I really wish that more people will have more respect for bloggers because it is not an easy profession. One actually has to love doing it not to give up on it.
Rovie
Very well said sis. I hope people would realize that aside from the writing and technical skills needed, ample amount of money is needed to be able to really do it.
Two thumbs up for this post.
Teresa Martinez
Many thanks for the two thumbs up. Oh the many things we sacrifice for blogging,if only other people knew.
mait
very well said. i agree especially with point number 3. time and opportunity is lost when blogging. so the blogger must understand this and must be able to choose well which one she needs to do first — spend the time doing blogging stuff or do their work first. this is often a predicament for freelancers like me. 🙂 okay, it’s my predicament most of the time, 🙂
Teresa Martinez
It is always a predicament when we are made to choose between what we need to do on one side and what we need to do as well on the other.
Swexie
Very true! Sometimes, we don’t actually have a value to our time, but it’s actually the most expensive factor because we can never bring back the time that we spend.
Teresa Martinez
Time is that one part of the equation that we often fail to consider in determining the value we put into our blogs.
clarizzetomacruz (@loveclarizze)
I’m really into this post. brilliant! really.
First time I read such an in-depth article about the ways of blogging. i do hope i can grasp the letter “E” sooner. i always want to improve my content (topics,niche,and all)
thank you for sharing this.
BOOKMARKED!
Teresa Martinez
Thanks for appreciating the post. It’s easier to share what we have actually gone through.