If you’ve ever thought about starting a blog, but just don’t know where to start, this article is for you. Blogging has been around since the early days of the internet and it continues to grow as more people find new ways to make money online.
In this content we will explore 20 examples of blogs from different niches that are run on various blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Joomla! or Drupal. Some have made quite-your-day-job level money for their owners while others have failed due to lost interest or lack of time by their owner.
This list will contain blogs that are income generating web properties, full scale business, personal hobby blogs or just casual side projects. Let’s get started!
Start your own blog (examples)
When you’re ready to start your own blog, make sure to checkout our dedicated guide to how to start a blog. We also have numerous full length tutorials for creating a blog over at our YouTube channel (checkout our free video on how to start a blog with Bluehost).
I suggest you use Bluehost as your webhost because they are the #1 recommended web host by WordPress, for WordPress. Also get your .com at Namecheap as they have low prices and free WHOIS protection. Let’s get to the examples of blogs:
Examples of travel blogs
Travel blogs are a great way to get information about destinations all over the world. Although travel content has move more towards YouTube in recent years, travel blogging is a great idea to get started with as a blogger. Whether you’re looking for an adventure or just want to see what’s new, travel blogs can be informative and entertaining at the same time!
The best travel blogs often include travel tips, reviews of hotels and restaurants, as well as adventurous stories. You can earn an income through a travel blog with sponsored content, running display ads or selling helpful guides to your audience.
Nomadic Matt
The name “Nomadic Matt” is a nod to the original meaning of nomad, someone who moves location with no intention or obligation to stay in one place.
In 2008, Matt quit his job, sold everything I owned (except for two backpacks), and set off on what was supposed to be a year long trip through Asia. Twelve years later and he’s grown his personal travel blog into a massive business as one of the most popular travel bloggers on the internet.
Nomadic Matt has been traveling since 2010 and has visited over 100 countries during his travels. He shares his experiences through articles, videos, and social media posts. He is a well-respected and accomplished travel blogger. He has been writing about his travels for years, sharing the best tips as he explores various regions of the world.
In 2015, Nomadic Matt made it on Forbes’ list of top 10 most influential bloggers in the world.
One Step 4 Ward
One Step 4Ward is a travel blog written by Johnny Ward. His blog is a dedicated resource for travelers who want to read exciting and interesting stories about an unconventional life as well as anyone looking for more advanced tips on how to travel. Whether you’re looking for information about how to start planning your first international trip, or what it’s like living abroad as an expat, this blog has something for you.
Johnny is a rags to riches story which he has documented on his blog. From working at summer camps in the US, to being an English teacher in Thailand. Johnny eventually grew his travel blog to be a $5K a month income source which he then used to build a portfolio of websites that he used as a way to sell backlinks to business websites, making over $50K a month some months. He then expanded his income further into rental properties in the UK.
All of this because he started a humble travel blog as a 20 year old wanting more out of life than the traditional life path
Practical Wanderlust
Launched in June 2016, Practical Wanderlust has grown into a $8K a month income source. This blog is all about the best travel destinations and tips for an unforgettable experience. It’s designed to be helpful, informative, and entertaining. From booking your trip to packing your bag, these travel-savvy posts will help you make the most of every journey no matter where it takes you.
Practical Wanderlust makes their income primarily from a mix of advertising, affiliate marketing, Amazon Associates and sponsored trips. Overall an excellent example of how travel blogging can still be viable today even with the dominance of YouTube in the travel niche.
Examples of Personal Finance Blogs
If you’re looking for some financial advice, personal finance blogs are a great place to start. Personal finance bloggers offer all sorts of advice and tips on topics from saving money to paying off debt. It is important to find ways to create and maintain a solid personal finance plan in order to ensure that you’re able to live comfortably without having any type of financial worries.
Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available on the internet that can help you with your finances from finding out how much income tax you owe or what your net worth is all the way up through retirement planning and budgeting.
Making Sense of Cents
Launched as personal finance blog with the goal of documenting Michelle’s journey and process of paying off debt and earning money from various online activities like paid surveys and freelance, it’s now grown into a million dollar a year income source alone
Making Sense of Cents earns an income from selling courses, affiliate marketing and sponsored content. With a loyal following and a large email list, Michelle is a great example as to the lucrative potential of blogging in the personal finance niche.
Get Rich Slowly
Get Rich Slowly was launched by JD Roth back in the mid 2000’s during blogging’s height of popularity. It quickly grew in popularity due to it’s practical, down to earth advice for making money and investing.
We all want to get rich quickly and there are many ways to do it. But the truth is that most of these methods are not sustainable or realistic. The best way to become wealthy is by building wealth slowly over time.
One man who has done this successfully is JD Roth, founder of Get Rich Slowly blog and author of “Your Money: The Missing Manual.” A classic personal finance blog, JD is still to this day provides practical advice for getting out of debt and building wealth.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Ramit Sethi is a personal finance expert, entrepreneur and founder of the massively popular blog, IwillTeachYoutoBeRich.com. He has been featured on more than 500 television shows including The Today Show, CNBC’s Closing Bell, CNN, BBC and Fox News. His blog articles can also be found in publications such as Forbes, Business Insider and Time magazine.
His blog, I Will Teach You To Be Rich has been around since 2007 and started as a personal blog but has since grown into a multi-million dollar education business. He is also the author of a book by the same name that quickly became a New York times best seller.
IWT as it’s known as transformed from a one man blog into a diverse team around the world. The site primarily makes it’s money from funneling their organic traffic to their popular email list which then promotes related products and services.
Examples of Technology Blogs
Technology blogs are resources that dive into the latest trends in the industry. These blogs often provide readers with more than just information on what is new, they also provide commentary and opinions on how these changes will impact people’s lives and what new developments you should be aware of.
Mashable
Founded by Pete Cashmore at just 19 years old, he grew his humble one man tech blog called Mashable into a massive technology media company. Honestly, he is one of the most under-rated pro bloggers that does not get enough attention for what he did.
He started Mashable as a way to cover social media and tech start-ups as a teenager in his parents home in Scotland. His original goal was to connect with other individuals in the space with the hopes to found his own startup. Within a year, Mashable had grown to thousands of visitors per day and Pete eventually began brining on writers.
Over a few years, this once simple WordPress blog had grown into a massive media company that gets 30 million visitors a month. Pete eventually sold Mashable for tens of millions of dollars. Simply amazing and a story we wish more people knew about.
Digital Inspiration
Since 2004, Digital Inspiration (the name of the blog found at labnol.org) has been quietly producing helpful tutorials to a large online audience. Founded by Amit Agarwal, a computer science engineer, he became India’s first pro blogger.
Digital Inspiration servers a large audience, as such the website is able to make a sustainable online income through running paid ads, affiliate marketing of related tech products and providing helpful content and offers to his large email list.
Copy Blogger
Similar to Mashable, Copy Blogger was a one man blog for it’s first year of publishing. Founded by lawyer Brian Clark in 2006, he shared helpful copywriting and marketing advice for selling online. Copy Blogger quickly grew to thousands of visitors a month and multiple writers.
From Copy Blogger, Brian was able to leverage his influence and income to expand into related topics with dedicated business around WordPress themes, web hosting, an SEO agency and professional level copywriting courses.
Parenting Blogs
Moms are some of the most influential people on social media. They have an audience and a voice that is unparalleled by other demographics, which makes them perfect for blogging about their experiences with parenting or even just living as a mom.
As more and more mothers turn to blogging as a way to share their stories in this digital age related to parenting and relationships let’s take a look at some excellent mommy/ parenting blogs.
Dooce
Dooce was founded by Heather Armstrong over 20 years ago back in the early days of blogging. She was a mommy blogger before mommy blogging was even a thing. Heather is an immensely talented writer and was able to quickly build a massive following by standing out easily in a sea of amateurs.
Dooce was able to support Heather in all the classic ways of blogging through an email list, ads, affiliate marketing and selling her own books. All in all, Dooce to this day remains a blog still worth reading.
Rookie Moms
While a lot of bloggers focus too broadly on creating niche websites on cameras, technology or web hosting, Rookie Moms is a powerful example of building a helpful niche website the right way.
Rookie Moms is a classic style blog that focuses in on creating helpful content to assist new mothers. Specifically, they target search terms mothers are looking for. With content like “10 essential nursery items” or “9 beautiful oval baby cribs,” Rookie Moms is an influencer website backed by Reward Style. An advertising agency that pays a higher rate than compared to Amazon Associates with the right topic.
Juggling the Jenkins
With over a million followers on Instagram, a million followers on Facebook and multiple national television appearances, it’s pretty staggering to view the massive mommy blog that Tiffany Jenkins built from scratch starting in 2017 called Juggling the Jenkins.
As a struggling opioid addict and mother of 3 with a regular job at a building company, Tiffany got help and turned things around. She launched her blog, created viral Facebook videos and wrote a book. In a few short years she was able to build her massive online presence you see today.
Personal Development
With people looking for ways to grow and improve their lives, there is an abundance of personal development blogs out there. Personal development blog posts cover topics from health and wellness to career advice so it’s easy for anyone who needs help with any aspect of life to find something they’ll like on these sites.
While each one has its own unique personality, the best blogs have certain qualities that make them stand apart from the rest.
Steve Pavlina
A classic personal development blogger, Steve Pavlina launched his website and blog back in 2008 in his late 30s. Steve’s writing at the time was compelling and unique with a creative take of simple topics that went against conventional wisdom at the time.
Steve later wrote a book called Personal Development for Smart People and continued to grow his websites traffic. Originally, Steve heavily leveraged affiliate marketing and display ads as a way to make money from his website but has since focused more on his own programs and email list.
Penelope Trunk
Penelope Trunk runs a career advice blog that is honest, witty and helpful. Her writing mixes in her personal experiences and she is helpful in giving readers a real view of what it takes to be successful in any vertical.
Specifically, we like her focus on that you can’t have someone’s business without having their life. Too many want to by a pro blogger, YouTuber or digital nomad because they like the idea of it but don’t actually take into consideration the type of lifestyle that goes with it.
Bold and Determined
A now defunct personal development blog for men, Bold and Determined was one of the most popular personal development blogs in the world. Aimed at helping young men with money, women, fitness and everything that makes a man great, it had a unique and sometimes humorous take.
The founder of the blog, Nick Kelly (who wrote under the pen name Victor Pride) was an excellent writer who loved to “life weights and eat steaks.” A masculine blog ahead of its time, Nick eventually closed down Bold and Determined when he became a born again Christian.
This high traffic website made it’s money from selling Nick’s low priced books and affiliate marketing of related products.
Food bloggers
A food blogger is someone who creates content related to cooking and eating. This topic gained massive popularity in the mid 2000’s as a lot of travel bloggers stumbled upon this topic and figured out that there is a huge audience for this content. As such, the food blogging (and food YouTuber) industry is well developed now.
Creating food related content for blogs and YouTube is a proven topic. So what are some noteworthy blogs? Here is a small selection I think anyone looking to get into blogging on food and creating YouTube videos should be aware of.
Migrationology
Founded in the mid 2000’s by Mark Weins, he actually got his start by attempting to make his blog, Migrationology into yet another travel blog. Over time through posting food related content, he noticed his audience responded much more to that and has since pivoted away from generic travel advice to focus primarily on food.
In addition, Mark also launched a YouTube channel under his name to post videos and integrate those videos into his content. His YouTube channel has now grown to over a million subscribers and has surpassed his blog in terms of traffic and income. However, he still maintains and updates his blog and email list as a way to sell his digital products and to connect with is audience.
Legal Nomads
Created by Jodi Ettenberg back in the mid 2000’s during blogging’s height of popularity, Jodi creates content on food and travel. She used to be a lawyer but like many disliked her job and made a radical change by quitting and traveling. Hence the name of her website, Legal Nomads.
Originally a travel blog, she like Mark Weins pivoted to food after noticing that this style of content got a lot more attention. She was able to turn her blog into her primary income source after only a year through advertising, affiliate marketing and her own digital products.
Roasty Coffee
Launched by Matt Giovanisci, Roasty Coffee was originally a side project to prove to Matt that his building of Swim University to a $200k a year income was no fluke. He followed the same process for content creation he did before, going after high traffic phrases and creating best in class content.
The end result was building Roasty into a niche website that was making thousands of dollars a month from Amazon Associates. He later sold that website for $55K.
Roasty Coffee is a great example of how to approach a food oriented niche with regards to content and that you don’t have to create yet another tech or personal finance blog to have success.
Example of blogs conclusion
So that’s it for our overview of successful example blogs. It may seem like a small, simple thing to start but a blog can be life changing.
If you’re ready to start a blog why not watch our free tutorial on how to create a blog and website. We also have professional level courses on how to create a blog from scratch that can make $1K a month in 18 months.
