How Much Money Does A Blog Make? $3348 An Hour

October 5, 2008

It’s official, some bloggers make as much money as footballers and rock stars. Bankaholic.com – a blog on banking, has been acquired by Bankrate.com for $15 million. I heard the news on Virtual Impax.

Kathy from Virtual Impax really knows her stuff. She runs a course for new bloggers, or folk who want to start a blog and in it, she shares the tools she uses to find profitable keywords for your own blog. I highly recommend checking out her 8 Week Power Blog Launch course. I only wish it had been available when I began blogging.

I checked on the Wayback Machine and it looks like Bankaholic has only been around for 26 months. And what is even more surprising, is that the blog is a one man show – no employees, or outsourcing. It looks like founder John Wu does everything himself.

This is truly amazing, because aside from money he already makes from his blog, the cash from the sale is equivalent to $133,928 a week, for the time he’s put in, or $3348 per hour.

I’m guessing we’ll see hundreds of copycat banking blogs launch over the next few weeks, by folks who are desperate to make lots of money. But what about other sectors? Which industries can you see snapping up related blogs in the future? Is this acquisition a one off, or a taste of things to come? And would you start a blog with the intention of selling it for millions?

I personally can see the attraction, so long as you’re blogging on a topic you’re interested in. But I would want to make a heap of money from the sale of my blog as I wouldn’t just be giving up the brand, I suspect I’d also be giving up the rights to use my name. And I guess that if a blog relies on one person, writing under their own name, it will sell for less, as there’s a risk that the blogger could get knocked down by a truck.

Share your thoughts on flogging your blogs – I’d love to hear them.

Posted by cathlawson | Filed Under Inspiration and Motivation

Comments

23 Responses to “How Much Money Does A Blog Make? $3348 An Hour”

Jim Gaudet on October 5th, 2008 5:21 pm

I use my personal site for my blog and would never think of selling it. It is not profitable anyway as I don’t really try to make it that way.

I do however have other domains in which I will see if I can (frcreditrepair.com and financialbeast.com). I can only wish that we make as much money as the bankaholic.

Jim Gaudet’s last blog post..How to say I Love You over the Internet?
Sean on October 5th, 2008 5:25 pm

Hi, I also read about this and it is mind-boggling. I can barely believe it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a hoax but it seems to be legitimate.

Definitely go to show that the right blog can be a sweet little earner.

Sean.

Sean’s last blog post..Rivaldo, Adelaide United and Simulation (read: diving)
Friar on October 5th, 2008 7:23 pm

If I’m offered even one hundredth of $15 million…

….just WATCH how fast I sell my blog!

I wouldn’t even blink.

Friar’s last blog post..Vikings Invade the Playground
Davina on October 5th, 2008 8:04 pm

Hi Cath. I subscribed to Virtual Impax just yesterday. I would start or sell a blog to make money (think of it as an artist who paints for a living and sells their pieces for thousands plus). However, I’m rather “attached” to my current blog, being my first love of blogging, and selling it has never even entered into my mind.

Davina’s last blog post..Creative Luny Landing In The Sand
cathlawson on October 5th, 2008 8:22 pm

Hi Jim – your financial blogs sound interesting. In fact, I’ve read Financial Beast before. Give it time – you never know what may happen.

Hi Sean – I did wonder if it was a hoax too – given the state of the banking sector right now. But the blog does seem professional and well optimized.

Hi Friar – I guessed you might – but I doubt it would take you long to build another one pretty quickly.

Hi Davina – It’s a fab blog isn’t it? That’s a good example – I guess it is a lot like painting for a living.
Melissa Donovan on October 5th, 2008 8:25 pm

Yes, I would definitely sell a blog or start a blog with the intention of selling it later. That’s not a bad business model at all. However, I would not sell my name domain (melissadonovan.com) for any price. Fifteen million is a lot of money and not only could you retire and focus on finishing that novel, you can do a lot of good in the world with that kind of money at your disposal.

Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Book Lovers’ Special
Marelisa on October 5th, 2008 8:39 pm

He certainly got an incredible rate of return on his investment. I wonder if he created it with the intention of selling it. My blog’s name is “Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online”, but if someone wants to buy it they could just drop my name and call it “Abundance Blog” .

Marelisa’s last blog post..Four Outstanding Thoughts on Innovation
cathlawson on October 5th, 2008 9:01 pm

Hi Melissa – I guess it’s a bit different when it’s your own name isn’t it? Mind you – I guess you could always change your name or write your novel under a pseudonym, if you were going to get that much cash.

Hi Mare – I was wondering that too. He certainly seems to know his stuff when it comes to banking. That’s a good idea re: them dropping the name and just calling it Abundance Blog.
Kathy @ virtual Impax on October 5th, 2008 11:17 pm

Thanks for the mention! You’re the best – as always!

That’s definitely a nice hourly rate for John, isn’t it?

I’m truly fascinated by the “secrets to blogging success” and I just finished an analysis of the keywords John used on the Bankaholic blog, along with a couple of others. The Bankaholic blog is truly a study in how tightly targeting your content and carefully choosing your keywords and content.

I’ll probably be selling the report – but if you drop by my blog and tell me you found me via Cath’s blog, I’ll send it to you for free.

Because any friend of Cath Lawson is automatically a friend of mine!

Kathy @ virtual Impax’s last blog post..Google Page Rank Update – Should You Care?
Fast Track to Blog Success - 100% Discount Ends Friday | Virtual Impax on October 6th, 2008 12:11 am

[...] Cath Lawson did the math and the 26 month old blog netted that blogger a cool $3348 per hour. [...]
cathlawson on October 6th, 2008 1:33 am

Hi Kathy – it’s an awesome hourly rate isn’t it?

And it’s really kind of you to offer to share your report. I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading it. I’m guessing that John’s Google results for some highly relevant keyphrases is what got him such a massive offer.
Barbara Swafford on October 6th, 2008 7:48 am

Hi Catherine – I would be happy to make that amount in a month of blogging. Can you imagine?

This is a great story. I’m sure even he didn’t realize how valuable his blog would become in such a short period of time.

Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..A.S.K. Andy Bailey – What Was The Inspiration Behind The CommentLuv Plugin
Stephanie on October 6th, 2008 7:33 pm

At that kind of price, I’d sell too. I wouldn’t want it to be a blog with my own name, of course. Then again, anything that I had strongly associated my own identity with, no matter the site name would be hard to sell. But at that price, absolutely.

Stephanie’s last blog post..How to Confront Your Home Business Weaknesses
cathlawson on October 8th, 2008 11:51 am

Hi Barbara – His hourly rate would be a good monthly blogging income wouldn’t it? I guess he wouldn’t have expected to be able to sell for anywhere near that – it’s an amazing amount for 26 months work.

Hi Stephanie – I guess even if you were selling the rights to your name it would be a tough offer to turn down.
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South Park real estate on August 28th, 2009 7:35 am

Woah, a blog sold for $15 million! I am sure it would be real and the value of content is very high, thats why everyone stress on having a quality content at first. I don’t have a personal blog and I am planning to start one soon and adding it up with quality content. But writing is a difficult job lol!
Martin Percival on September 14th, 2009 7:14 pm

I’m running a blog with my own name attached and I’m planning on turning that into a regular income generator so I think it will stay with me – maybe that’s just vanity over the URL name!

Having said that, going with a niche blog does seem to be the way to build and sell to a hungry sector.

Martin Percival’s last blog post..Unleash Your Creativity – Sell Your Own Product
Houston Apartment Locators on October 7th, 2009 9:03 pm

I just checked out the bankaholic blog and I cannot even begin to fathom why bankrate.com offered 15 million bucks! Just goes to show you the opportunities in this country to make $$$ God Bless America!

Houston Apartment Locators’s last blog post..Alexan Eagle Creek newly constructed Humble apartments
Adil 123 on October 14th, 2009 10:06 am

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