Elysia Cartlidge resides proof that success will come in the event you work arduous and do not hand over.
As a registered dietician with a full-time company job and two small children, Elysia had a full plate and never a lot time. However she began her web site, Haute & Healthy Living, initially as a passion. A number of years later, when she realized she might monetize it, she shifted her focus to wholesome recipes, doubled down on search engine marketing, and labored extraordinarily arduous on the weekends and when her children have been napping or sleeping.
At the moment she has a thriving web site incomes as much as $15k per thirty days.
Hold studying to search out out:
Why she began her weblog
What occurred after she took her first running a blog course
How lengthy it took her to hitch Mediavine
The place her revenue comes from
How a lot she works on her web site
Her advertising and marketing methods
Her ideas on search engine marketing and social media
How she approaches key phrase analysis and hyperlink constructing
How she creates content material
Her favourite assets and instruments
Her greatest problem
Her biggest accomplishment
Her essential mistake
Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Elysia Cartlidge
My title is Elysia, and I’m a spouse and mom to 2 little boys, Leo and Max, who’re 5 and a pair of ½ years previous. I’ve a Grasp’s in utilized vitamin and have been a registered dietitian for 11 years. I used to be a retail dietitian for 8 years earlier than making the choice to give up and run my on-line enterprise full-time in January 2022.
Why She Created Haute and Wholesome Dwelling
I made a decision to create my web site Haute & Healthy Living, again in 2015 strictly as a passion. I had simply began my first company job as a dietitian and was on the lookout for a artistic outlet to work on exterior of my day job.
After I first launched my web site, it was meant to be a life-style weblog. I posted about recipes, health, dwelling decor, DIY tasks, and sweetness – just about all of the issues that I beloved. I by no means had any plan to show my web site right into a enterprise.
I posted about random matters for about 8 months after which I fully stopped posting on my weblog throughout 2016 and 2017 as a result of I obtained engaged and was busy with marriage ceremony planning. Then shortly after the marriage, I obtained pregnant and had no power or need to weblog.
Throughout my maternity go away in 2018 with my first son, I made a decision to start out dipping my toes on this planet of running a blog once more. My mother despatched me a hyperlink to a course referred to as Elite Weblog Academy, and I made a decision to take the course since I had a while whereas my child was sleeping. Via the course, I discovered that you possibly can monetize a weblog and switch it right into a enterprise, which to me was fully mind-blowing!
From that time on, I made it a objective of mine that I’d monetize my weblog and sooner or later give up my job and weblog full-time. My husband, household, and pals have been supportive, however I believe everybody questioned in the event you can really generate profits from a weblog. I made it my private mission to show that I might do it.
I niched down to only posting more healthy recipes and began implementing a few of the methods from the course. I managed to develop my weblog site visitors to a degree the place I certified for Mediavine a 12 months later, in March 2019.
That was the sport changer. Since being with Mediavine, my month-to-month income has continued to develop to the purpose the place I used to be capable of give up my full-time job after my second maternity go away in January 2022.
Though I began out protecting a variety of matters, I now deal with posting straightforward and wholesome recipes for busy households.
How A lot Cash She’s Making
As I discussed, each month my weblog income continues to develop, but it surely’s at present bringing in about 10-15K per thirty days, relying on the month. I’m on monitor to make round $130-150k this 12 months.
Nearly all of my income comes from advertisements, however I do make some cash from promoting my ebooks (a couple of hundred {dollars} per thirty days) and from internet online affiliate marketing as effectively (round $100/per thirty days).
I can even launch one other web site within the subsequent couple of months, which I hope to monetize within the subsequent couple of years to assist additional diversify my revenue.
Though I launched my web site in 2015, I began really taking it severely and treating it extra like a enterprise in 2018, so it’s taken me about 5 years to succeed in this income stage.
I needed to work on it very a lot part-time throughout this time interval since I used to be additionally working full-time at my company job and tending to 2 younger kids.
I just about constructed my enterprise at night time when my children have been sleeping, on weekends once I wasn’t working my different job, and through my maternity leaves whereas my children have been napping or sleeping.
On common, I in all probability work on my enterprise 35 hours per week, although it varies weekly relying on how a lot my children are dwelling with me.
Elysia’s Advertising and marketing Technique
I don’t actually have any distinctive advertising and marketing technique that I’m utilizing. My objective is at all times to provide high-quality content material and to make use of key phrase analysis to assist individuals discover my content material. That’s my main advertising and marketing technique.
I’m at all times attempting to enhance my meals images as effectively, which can assist with advertising and marketing since individuals can be extra more likely to wish to attempt a recipe if it appears good.
Lastly, I exploit Pinterest to assist share my content material, which additionally brings in some site visitors.
Her Ideas on search engine marketing and Social Media
search engine marketing is extremely vital for my enterprise since most of my site visitors comes from search engines like google and yahoo.
Except for Pinterest (which I outsource), I at present don’t use a lot social media to develop my web site. When you noticed my variety of followers, you in all probability would assume that my web site isn’t very profitable since I’ve lower than 5000 followers on Instagram and Fb mixed and don’t also have a TikTok account.
I made a decision to cease posting on Instagram a little bit over a 12 months in the past and solely publish on FB once I consider it. I discovered that social media was a significant time suck, the algorithms stored altering, and the ROI wasn’t there. So I switched gears and centered nearly all of my time on search engine marketing and growing weblog content material, and that’s once I began seeing probably the most progress.
When you examine this January and February to the identical time final 12 months, my site visitors is up about 80%. The ethical of the story is you’ll be able to nonetheless achieve success and see progress with out having an enormous following, so don’t get caught up within the vainness metrics.
Key phrase Analysis
I seek for my preliminary concepts utilizing keyword research to find out which recipes to develop. I implement methods from Stupid Simple SEO and Cooking with Key phrases, two programs I took to assist me higher perceive key phrase analysis.
I attempt to goal decrease competitors key phrases so that individuals can discover my content material, moderately than going for tremendous aggressive key phrases, which will be tough to rank for.
Hyperlink Constructing
Hyperlink constructing is essential, though I in all probability haven’t devoted as a lot time to it as I ought to, as there aren’t sufficient hours within the day. I hope that specializing in search engine marketing and getting content material to rank in high positions on Google will assist organically generate backlinks.
I additionally present hyperlinks to my content material in roundup teams that different bloggers can use on their websites in the event that they select to assist with backlinks. Moreover, I exploit my experience as an RD to generally contribute to publications like Insider, Livestrong, Ladies’s Well being, Eat This, Well being, and so on., when the chance presents itself to assist construct up authority since these websites have a excessive DA.
Her Content material Creation Course of
Presently, I attempt to publish about 2 new recipes and replace one previous recipe per week. I’d like to do extra, however at this level, high quality is extra vital to me than amount. This quantity is what I discover to be probably the most manageable throughout this busy part of life with younger kids.
Relating to my course of, first, I’ll give you preliminary recipe concepts by conducting key phrase analysis. Then I’ll choose a recipe thought from my listing and take a look at it (often a number of instances) and make any obligatory tweaks earlier than photographing it, modifying the images, conducting further key phrase analysis, developing with a publish define, drafting up the publish, and inputting the pictures.
A number of work goes into creating every publish, so it’s positively extra than simply developing with a recipe and posting it on the weblog.
Her E mail Listing
I do have an e-mail listing that I e-mail weekly. I largely develop it by utilizing opt-ins on my web site. Individuals who select to subscribe can be added to my e-mail listing.
Elysia’s Favourite Sources
A few of my favourite podcasts are EatBlogTalk, the Running a blog Millionaire, and Meals Blogger Professional. I additionally just like the TopHatRank webinars for studying about greatest practices for search engine marketing.
Her High Instruments
I exploit KeySearch for key phrase analysis and discover that it’s reasonably priced with out being overly sophisticated like a few of the different instruments on the market.
I additionally like Asana for constructing my content material calendar since I can simply transfer issues round.
Lastly, I exploit Excel spreadsheets. I discover monitoring my content material in spreadsheets is the easiest way to maintain monitor of content material concepts and key phrases since I’m continuously including new concepts.
Her Greatest Problem
The largest problem I’ve confronted is staying updated on the most recent greatest practices, the fixed fluctuations with algorithms, and the unending Google updates.
Within the running a blog world, issues are continuously evolving, so you need to be ready for a little bit of a curler coaster trip.
Her Most Spectacular Accomplishment
My most vital accomplishment up to now has been build up my enterprise to the purpose the place I might give up my company job after my maternity go away and pursue my on-line enterprise full-time.
This not solely allowed extra flexibility and time to spend with my kids, but it surely additionally proved to myself and people round me that you could accomplish something you set your thoughts to.
Rising my enterprise so far was all finished whereas having a full-time job and a really demanding new child and a toddler. It was not a simple journey, however I really feel extremely blessed figuring out that the arduous work has paid off and that I now get to get up each morning and work on one thing that I’m really enthusiastic about.
What She Needs She Knew When She Began
I want I had recognized that you need to publish content material that individuals are trying to find. When you fail to do that, chances are high individuals received’t have the ability to discover you, which might positively sluggish your progress.
I in all probability would have been a lot additional forward if I had recognized this from the beginning. However studying and errors are all a part of the journey!
Her Greatest Mistake
Talking of errors, mine just isn’t specializing in search engine marketing sooner. To start with, I posted random recipes that had catchy titles, moderately than specializing in what individuals have been really trying to find.
After I began specializing in search engine marketing and assembly my readers’ wants, my enterprise started to develop. I’m nonetheless going again now and fixing the errors that I made.
Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
You’ll be able to accomplish something you set your thoughts to.
The secret’s exhibiting up persistently and placing the work in.
The distinction between those that succeed and people who fail, is those who succeed are the individuals who proceed to place the work in even when the percentages are towards them.
Do extra of what’s working and fewer of what’s not. Via consistency and often assessing and refining your technique, you’ll finally discover success.
