Perfecting Blogging is a course created by Sophia Lee. Sophia provides the exact strategies used on her blog that helped it grow into a seven-figure business in 2024. The course covers fundamental concepts for beginners such as niche selection, keyword research, web design, content planning, as well as monetization through affiliate marketing and displaying ads. It also helps bloggers become accepted into Mediavine. Moreover, students will get support through the exclusive Facebook group and prompt chat assistance.
Based on a 2024 post from Demand Sage, from 2021 to 2025, the blogging industry is set to sprout by $417 billion. Despite the expected growth of this industry, what is the reality that bloggers face to turn their websites into a highly profitable venture? Statistics from the FinancesOnline Research Center show that only 1 out of 3 bloggers monetize their website, with full-time blogs amounting to an estimate of 13%. Will the Perfecting Blogging’s teachings be sufficient to make decent income? Moreover, profitable websites have a variety of monetization methods that include sponsored posts, membership sites, freelancing, consulting, as well as selling courses, printables, and books. Is Sophia Lee’s affiliate marketing and advertising lectures truly enough to make a blog lucrative?
In this article, I will share with you the advantages and disadvantages, modules, costs, refund policy, and bonuses of the course. I’ll also discuss results from real students of the program, the founder’s background, reputation, companies, and claims. Additionally, I’ll discuss if the Perfecting Blogging course is worth it as an investment and if blogging is your best option to make money online.
Perfecting Blogging Review: Pros And Cons
Pros
Teaches fundamental search engine optimization techniques: Perfecting Blogging contains lessons on how to grow traffic from search engines. It also gives an introduction on keyword research and blog formatting for SEO.
Has lectures on monetization through advertisements and affiliate marketing: Sophia Lee discusses how to monetize a blog through affiliate marketing and showing ads. Her course is also a great fit for those who want to level up to Mediavine from Google Adsense.
Affordable payment + lifetime access: The course is affordable and only requires one-time payments. Students also get unlimited access to it. Moreover, if there are updates and bonuses, they get it for no cost.
Great for beginners & those starting from scratch: Sophia’s Perfecting Blogging course covers tutorials on branding, image licensing, crafting interesting blog titles, coming up with topics, selecting a niche, creating a content calendar, and generating a recommendations page. Her training materials are both videos and written text, making it easier for beginner bloggers to go back to for reference.
Decent commission rate for affiliates: For students of the course that want to promote it, Sophia has a 40% commission rate. It also has 60-day cookies.
Cons
Outdated & inflexible techniques: In Sophia Lee’s tutorial, she does not use the current version of WordPress. Moreover, her method for images doesn’t put into perspective its impact on website speed. In addition to that, her website design tips aren't applicable for all types of websites.
Free YouTube videos contain some paid course content: Some of the blogging tips shared in Sophia’s YouTube channel are offered in the paid content. These topics are briefly covered and not as detailed as the course itself.
No in-depth discussion of SEO techniques & legal pages: The Perfecting Blogging course does not offer training regarding technical SEO. The course also barely touches upon privacy policy pages and legal pages. Discussion of these web pages are important for monetization.
Lacking diverse monetization methods: Perfecting Blogging doesn’t cover how bloggers can make money through brand deals, selling products, or having sponsored posts.
Refund Policy
There is a refund policy for the Perfecting Blogging course. It is only valid if filed within 30 days of enrolling in the program. Additionally, students who haven’t gone beyond Unit 1 are qualified for the refund.
Group
The Perfecting Blogging course has a dedicated Facebook group, which isn’t the most active.
Reputation
Despite Sophia’s fame as a blogger and influencer, there aren’t many third-party testimonials sharing results from the course. Most of the feedback is posted on her website and students that are also affiliates.
How much does Perfecting Blogging cost?
Perfecting Blogging costs $247 in 2024. Its price increased from the previous fee of $169. The course only requires a one-time payment. Moreover, payment methods accepted are PayPal, Google Pay, and cards (JCB, Visa, Discover, Mastercard, Union Pay, and American Express.) Members of the program also have lifetime access. They receive bonuses and updates free-of-charge.
What Is the Perfecting Blogging Course?
The Perfecting Blogging course is a training program centered on blog monetization through advertisements and affiliate marketing. It also covers search engine optimization, website design, niche selection, and content planning. The course is suitable for beginners as well. Moreover, it takes about 2 weeks to finish it.
It features 41+ screen recordings and video walkthroughs. As of 2024, there are 15+ chapters added to the program. The founder also states that she tests strategies for 1-2 months if there's a change in the algorithm. Moreover, a bonus section was included that addressed commonly asked questions on blogging. The course also has templates and checklists made available to the students.
According to Sophia Lee, the course contains the exact strategies she used on her blog. This helped her get 100,000 page views per month in her first year alone. After 3 years, she reached a six-figure monthly income, as well as 500,000/month page views. She adds that 4 years later, these methods helped her blog become a seven-figure business.
What Will You Get from Perfecting Blogging?
How Does Perfecting Blogging Help You Make Money?
Perfecting Blogging helps you make money by teaching the basics of blog monetization through affiliate marketing and advertisements. It will also teach you how you can upgrade to Mediavine from Google Adsense. Moreover, it provides lectures on keyword research that can help your blog grow traffic and increase your monetization potential.
Who Is Perfecting Blogging For?
Perfecting Blogging is for beginners and those seeking a supportive community. Individuals who have never written a blog and are looking to start one are also a good fit for the course. Additionally, it's for those who already have live blogs but want to improve them.
Who Is Perfecting Blogging Not For?
Perfecting Blogging is not for writers who already use keyword research. It is also not for experienced bloggers. Additionally, it's not for individuals who don't have passion in writing since blogging requires niche expertise. It's also not a good fit for people looking for quick methods to make money online.
Are Perfecting Blogging Students Getting Results?
Yes, Perfecting Blogging students are getting results. Delaney Smith noticed a 86.71% increase in organic search traffic, which appeared 3 to 4 months after implementing Sophia Lee’s blogging strategy. She also started making money 6-12 months into the program. Moreover, the unnamed owner of the My Opinion Flicks website shared that by August 2023, her page views reached its highest peak. The two Perfecting Blogging students posted articles of their results on August 29, 2023 and September 26, 2023 respectively. Both are affiliates of the course.
Delaney Smith is the author of the blog authenticallydel.com. She writes about affirmations, self-care, reading, and self-improvement. Prior to the Perfecting Blogging course training, she had zero views on Google.
As for the anonymous writer of the My Opinion Flicks, they began blogging in 2020. They posted a progress check in August 2021 stating that their blog has 3x more page views from March 2021. In follow up progress checks, they added the following page view increases stated below.
- January 2022, 8x more pageviews
- September 2022, no spike in page views
- March 2023, 4x more page views
Is the Perfecting Blogging Course Worth It?
Yes, the Perfecting Blogging course is worth it if you’re a blogger who is completely new to keyword research. If you’re also looking for an affordable program that will teach you the basics of blog monetization this is a good fit for you. Besides that, those who need guidance in terms of planning, design, and content will also find value in this course.
Is Perfecting Blogging the Best Blogging Course?
No, Perfecting Blogging is not the best blogging course. Although it has updated modules for 2024, it does not contain in-depth and dynamic knowledge on search engine optimization. SEO is ever-changing because Google constantly upgrades its algorithm. Its rules can drastically shift in a short period of time, especially following a broad algorithm update. It also lacks lessons on diverse monetization methods.
Who Is Sophia Lee?
Sophia Lee is a blogger, entrepreneur, interior designer, course creator, and influencer. She is the founder of the By Sophia Lee blog, The Dailee, and BSL studios. Her birth name is Sophie Zang. She has a bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture from Concordia University, Wisconsin. She also took part in a co-op program, minoring in Business, from the University of Concordia. Additionally, she was an intern in Nate Berkus Associates and Victory search group, as well as a design associate at the Pigments Art Studio.
By Sophia Lee blog was August 2017. She began writing during her sophomore year in college. She also stated that when she graduated, her blog had a five-figure monthly income.
The Dailee is a company that offers traditional paper and digital planners. It also sells accessories that include a font and stickers.
BSL Studios is Sophia Lee's female-led design firm located in Milwaukee. She founded it in 2021. It features designs and restorations featuring a modern flair.
What is By Sophia blog?
By Sophia blog is a website featuring posts about cleaning, decorating, and organizing. This includes tips for the home, college, apartments, and recipes. It has over 100,000 readers and 1,000,000 monthly visitors, and 182,698+ email subscribers.
Moreover, Sophia Lee shared her income on her blog from July 2018 to May 2020. She then moved this information only for her email subscribers. Based on her income reports, in 2018, she earned $788.88 in July, $2,149.98 in August, $2,553.85 in September, and $3,168.17 in October. As for 2019, her income was $9,349.60 for January, $6,053.18 in February, $7,814.89 in April, and $12,379.67 in May 2019. In 2020, she posted about her revenue in May of $43,000.
Sophia owned the website since she was 17. She aimed to monetize it. In 2017, she finally revamped it during college.
Apart from articles, she posts her links to her blogging courses on the By Sophia Lee blog. She also features her other companies, The Dailee and BSL Studios on the website. Additionally, she offers free printables.
What is By Sophia Lee Planner?
By Sophia Lee Planner is a collection of paper and iPad planners. They are designed for type A personality types, teachers, bloggers, travelers, and college students. Besides planners, The Dailee also sells stickers. Moreover, the company offers a digital recipe book and the handwriting font. An iPad accessory bundle is available as well, which includes stickers and planners.
Does Sophia Lee Have a Good Reputation?
Yes, Sophia Lee has a good reputation. She is popular on social media. International and local news outlets also covered her BSL renovation projects. She has hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. Yahoo and Austin Business Journal also featured Sophia Lee. Local outlets TMJ-4 and Milwaukee Business Journal published articles about her too.
Sophia Lee social media presence
Sophia Lee has 606,600+ followers on TikTok, 140,000+ followers on Instagram, and 124,000+ subscribers on YouTube. She also has 101,300+ followers on Pinterest, 565 likes on Facebook, and 265 followers on LinkedIn.
Sophia Lee news coverage
Yahoo news wrote in 2022 how she sold a renovated home for $1,089,900. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Austin Business Journal covered the second home Sophia bought. It added that she received an offer two months in, while still doing renovations. Local publication TMJ-4 published an article about her first-bought home in 2022, which she documented on YouTube. Meanwhile, Milwaukee Business Journal wrote a post about Sophia buying a second home with plans for renovations in 2022.
What are Sophia Lee's Other Offers?
Sophia Lee's other offers are free printables. These are available on her website bysophialee.com. They range from art, planners, lists, labels, bundles, gift ideas, and schedules. Examples include the following listed below.
WiFi Prints
Bar Cart Art
Leaf Wall Art
Meal Planning
Fall Printables
Spring Printables
Bathroom Wall Art
Homework Planner
College Packing List
Christmas Printables
Apartment Packing List
College Products Bundle
Dorm Cleaning Schedule
Valentine's Day Printables
Monthly Budget Organizer
Apartment Cleaning Guide
Fridge Organization Labels
First Apartment Grocery List
College Packing List for Boys
Apartment Excel Budget Sheet
Dorm Spring Cleaning Checklist
Graduation Party Planning Timeline
Sophia Lee's digital downloads
Sophia Lee’s digital downloads are the iPad blogging planner and the Beginner’s Guide to Blogging. The former contains over 500 organization sheets. This includes a branding guide, yearly content plan, and reader profile avatar. It costs a single payment of $18. Whereas, the latter covers blog setup, web design, Pinterest, and monetization. Additionally, its price is $15, for a one-time fee.
Sophia Lee's courses
Sophia Lee's courses are Perfecting Blogging, Perfecting Pinterest, and Perfecting Email. The first one covers blogging strategies for beginners. As for the second course, it discusses the use of Pinterest for blog traffic, as well as SEO techniques. Meanwhile, Perfecting Email provides lessons on building a profitable email list.
Perfecting Blogging costs $247. Additionally, Perfecting Pinterest is also priced at $247. And Perfecting Email costs $299. All courses only require one-time payments. There are also bundles that help students save $95 or $146.
Sophia Lee's bundles
Sophila Lee's bundles are the Beginner's Blogging Bundle and the Ultimate BSL Blogging Bundle. The first one includes the Perfecting Blogging and Perfecting Pinterest courses. It is priced at $399, giving $95 savings. Whereas, the second bundle has both mentioned courses, plus Perfecting Email. It costs $647, providing $146 price slash.
Sophia Lee's Claims: Earn More Than Five-Figure Per Month In Blogging
In Perfecting Blogging’s Teachable page, Sophia Lee states that she provides the exact method that enabled her blog to earn six figures. However, the By Sophia Lee blog was founded in 2017. In the constantly-changing world of search engine optimization, techniques that were applicable during that year, no longer apply in 2024. There are also a host of reasons why the strategies presented in Perfecting Blogging make it hard to earn more than five figures.
Sophia Lee's Claims Debunked: Why Earning More Than 5-Figure Per Month In Blogging Is Difficult?
Sophia Lee’s claim of earning more than 5-figure per month in blogging is difficult because published posts that are 1 to 3 years old populate Google’s top ranking pages, existing traffic is needed to make money, and there’s strong competition with big companies.
1 to 3-year-old pages dominate Google’s top results
Existing traffic is a required for monetization
High-quality traffic is also needed as part of the requirements for blog monetization. For instance, Mediavine requires 50,000 sessions per Google Analytics from the past 30 days. Moreover, for Google Adsense, you need organinic and quality traffic. And for Amazon Affiliates, as part of the application process, a minimum of 3 sales within 180 days is needed.
Novice bloggers compete with big companies
Beginner bloggers compete with business blogs that have bigger budgets. According to 2023 data from Demand Sage, blogging, compared to traditional marketing, is 60% more inexpensive. To add to the low cost, it also helps get 55% more traffic. Additionally, blogs enable 97% more backlinks, which increases ranking. This is why having blogs is common practice for big companies. Over 54% of Fortune 500 companies have blogs. Moreover, this marketing tactic is used by 93% of marketing managers.
What Exactly Does Blogging Mean?
Blogging means writing about a subject, situation, or event through a website. The purpose of blogs is to share personal points of view. It is also used to educate readers. Blogging is also a popular method of increasing website traffic.
History of blogging
According to Notre Dame of Maryland University, one of the earliest blogs was in 1994. Justin Hall wrote the first post, which was a HTML examples review. Links.net published this post.
In 1998, blogging was only about commenting on the work of other individuals. Open Diary made this popular. The platform launched an online community with members allowed to provide feedback.
The word "blog" is a condensed version of "weblog." "Weblog" stands for "web" + "log," referring to logging into the internet. Peter Morholz shortened it in 1999.
In the same year, founders Meg Hourihan and Evan Williams made Blogger. It provided opportunities for online publishing. This enabled first-person sharing, not only commenting on others' works.
Following Blogger's founding, it was in 2002 when "mommy bloggers" rose to fame. This has led to the current format of blogging. Individuals can share their experiences and opinions, educating readers in the process.
In 2023, blogging is a common practice by companies, businesses, and shops. Professionals and industry experts also take part in blogging. It is no longer limited to a single person alone or a particular niche.
How Big Is the Blogging Industry?
The blogging industry is big with over 600 million blogs on the web in 2023. 32 million+ of these blogs are from the US. Moreover, every single day, around 8 million blog posts are published worldwide. And from 2021 to 2025, the industry of blogging is expected to grow by $417.85 billion. This is according to a 2023 article by Demand Sage.
How to Become A Successful Blogger?
- Write as a subject matter expert: To become a successful blogger, you need to craft posts as an expert. Demand Sage statistics show that 44% of online shoppers read blogs before buying. They want to learn as much as they can about a product or service.
- Understand your audience's pain points: As part of your research, you need to discover your readers' challenges. You can achieve this through review mining and conducting surveys. Talking to audiences is another option for gathering data.
- Implement new & best writing practices: Besides solution-based and information-packed writing, tweaks regarding word count and formatting achieve this. It’s also crucial to be up-to-date with blog trends to make your posts more appealing.
- Proofread your posts & fix page errors: Proofreading is essential and a step that should not be skipped. Over 50% of audiences leave when they run into issues while reading blog posts. You should also ensure that your site does not have loading issues.
- Publish blog posts frequently: Based on your availability, you can publish daily, 4+ times a week, or once a week.
- Develop technical know-how: Part of being a successful blogger is developing technical know-how, which includes learning about content management systems, hosting providers, and domain name registration.
- Learn about search engine optimization: Learn about search engine optimization is crucial. You need to learn about topics such as keyword research, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and link building.
- Generate traffic for your blog: You can promote your blog in a wide variety of mediums. This includes paid ads, emails, collaborations, and social media.
Perfecting Blogging Alternatives
- Scale Your Travel Blog Review is a course that features SEO services, community, group coaching, and courses for travel blogging. It is founded by Mike and Laura Peter Abalos.
- Freak Yeah Freelance Blogging Review is a blog course with a focus on landing high-ticket clients. It was made by Jorden Makelle.
Best Alternative to Blogging: Less Saturated + More Profitable
Perfecting Blogging is a suitable course for beginners looking to improve their site. However, the business model of blogging itself is problematic. The industry is highly saturated and takes time to be lucrative. With blogging, you have to compete with established websites with thousands of backlinks and top quality posts. It also take up to 2 years of consistent writing to profit from your blog.
That's why my top recommendation as an alternative to blogging is local lead generation. It targets specific locations and cities, so there's significantly less competition. Moreover, it only take 3 to 6 months to earn with this business model. In addition to that, it's less risky compared to a blog because creating a new one only takes 10 hours.
If you want to learn how to get started, check out my lead gen course.
