Is it worth it (financially) to start blog about Web Development?
Hi,
I'm a software developer currently working as a Front End Web Developer for a start-up SaaS company. A couple of months, I discovered Indie Hackers & I wanted to post since then but I couldn't make the time. Finally, I have decided to give a go & to start a project that I have been thinking on doing for a while.
As per the title suggests, I'll like to start a blog about Web Development. I'm planning to blog about JavaScript related tech stack for Web Development.
TOPICS:
JavaScript, Vue.js,(& it's ecosystem), Testing( Cypress.io), Node.js, Express.js, any tech stack based on JavaScript, etc..
I'm planning to build the blog with VuePress which is a static site generator powered by Vue. The cost will be none since I can host it in Github's Pages or other similar platforms for free.
My idea is:
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Making an income after 2 years of regular blogging, my target 1000$ - 3000$ per month.
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Use my blog to position myself as Senior Developer.
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Improve my own skillset & learning more through the process of research for writing the articles.
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Help other developers & use my own ressources as reference to solve Web Development challenges.
Now, that I have outlined my expectations. I would like to ask you, do you think that this is realistically doable or will be a waste of time? I'll appreciate any feedback that you can provide. Thanks in advance!
Very well thought out idea!
Quick question: how do you monetize it?
If your content is consistently on point, your ship is going to sail or sink by how you answer the above question.
Also, if you haven't had time to post on IH, bear in mind that blogging is going to require a lot more effort than interacting on here. Will you be able to render a sufficient amount of time to the research, writing, editing and audience cultivation necessary to grow a blog?
Lastly, maybe create an account on Medium and test the waters a bit. It will save you some development time in the long run.
Starting on Medium is a great suggestion. More time can be spent on research and writing articles.
Thanks for your tips, I might try it out with Medium or at least Dev.to(since they don't have a paywall). It shouldn't take too long to set a blog with VuePress or any other static site generator though.
If your goal is to share knowledge with others and earn a buck while doing that, IMO you should consider creating courses on other platforms like Udemy or Skillshare as an alternative. Blogs are great but are difficult to monetize to my knowledge.
Here are my reasons for that -
You will need to do less promotion yourself. They are a popular platform and have a community of students who are already paying to them. If instructors have a legit profile and students are interested in what you want to learn, I am sure students will pay for or watch your course and you will get a commission from these platforms.
Blogging requires consistency. Courses can give you more flexibility. Assuming you are doing this part-time, you can spend 6-8 weeks to build a course and just publish it on these platforms.
Thanks for tips! I have thought about doing courses, but that will required even more time. Doing the research, creating the project, document it, recording the videos, editing & much more. I'll like to avoid that for the moment there is so much I can do without burning out!