Independent research on how Americans make money online
Data refreshed Nov 3, 202633 methods · 98 sourcesModel v0.2
Independent research on how Americans make money online
Data refreshed Nov 3, 202633 methods · 98 sourcesModel v0.2
Publishing & affiliate · Rank 32 of 33
Build an SEO-driven content site that earns from display ads and affiliate commissions.
One person in the US, about 10 hours a week, after 12 monthsData updated Nov 3, 20264 sourcesModel v0.2
Suits
Patient writers who can build search traffic over a year or more.
Not for
Anyone who needs income this year or depends on one traffic source.
What would change our view: A platform reversing its restrictions, or demand data turning up again.
One person in the US, about 10 hours a week, after 12 months
Recalculated daily from the latest data; the history chart appears after the second daily update.
60% the method's unit economics ($15 a month for an active practitioner), 40% the US side-hustle distribution.
| Earnings per 1,000 pageviews (display ads)Self-reported AdSense/Journey RPMs; affiliate income on top is not reliably sourced. | $3.58–$11.66 | Source |
| Hosting and toolsHosting and domain run $10–30 a month, which can equal a newcomer's revenue. | 0.25 | BRI assumption |
| Pageviews a month after 12 monthsBRI assumption: 96.55% of pages get no Google traffic (Ahrefs); ~50 posts at 10 h/week yields low thousands of views. | 3,000 | BRI assumption |
A small blog's first Mediavine Journey month: 13,866 sessions, $104, $7.50 RPM; second month $11.66 RPM
danny-cph.comRaptive's minimum is 25,000 monthly pageviews
PPC LandClick rate on results is 8% with an AI summary vs 15% without (68,879 searches)
Pew Research Center1.74% of new pages reach the top 10 within a year
AhrefsAhrefs found only 1.74% of new pages reach Google's top 10 within a year (May 2025), down from 5.7% in 2017.
