Over the past few months I've been investigating ways to make more money from my blog. While there are tons of ad networks and affiliate programs, it can be overwhelming to sort through them and choose the right ones. It's definitely a trial-and-error process, but there are some popular places to start your testing process. I will share with you what I've found so far. Disclaimer: I have a small blog that is not updated very often. My PageRank is 2, I have about 200 subscribers, and about 2,500 visitors a month.
- Google AdSense. Not much to say here. Everyone knows about AdSense and has seen it in action on blogs. I'll be testing it out in the near future. Check out ProBlogger's AdSense Tips for Bloggers series.
- Commission Junction offers affiliate programs, meaning you get paid when someone clicks through your site and buys something. CJ has a lot of advertising options so you can choose the ones that are most likely to catch the attention of your audience. I find it a bit complicated to navigate and choose ads and I have made no money in two months.
- Amazon Affiliates. Not a huge money-maker for smaller blogs (4%-8% commission rate), but the program is very easy to use and Amazon is a respected brand, so people feel confident buying from them.
- Individual affiliate programs. If a web site sells something, it's likely they have an affiliate program. You probably won't make a lot of money from these, but if you find something that you know your readers will like, it might be worth giving it some space on your sidebar and see how it performs for you.
- Blog Networks. Joining a blog network is an easy way to start making some spare change. Networks will often provide code that you place once on your blog and ads are rotated for you, leaving you little work. I've tried BlogAds and BlogHerAds and made a about $10-$20 per month. Keep in mind that ad networks sometimes have strict requirements about where you place their ads and even what kind of content you can post on your blog. (This is the main reason I stopped using both BlogAds and BlogHerAds.) Sparkplugging has an informative article about what to look for in an ad network, as well as a list of networks you can investigate.
- Text Link Ads. People use Text Link Ads because they are non-intrusive, don't take up a lot of space, and don't make your sidebar look busy. I started using them about 6 months ago and I'm making about $30/month. There is that whole Google Page Rank penalty thing, so if Page Rank is critical to you, take that into consideration. I'm still testing out how valuable Page Rank is to me vs. the money I can make with Text Link Ads.
- Sell it yourself! Try a clever graphic in your sidebar like the one below (and feel free to save and use that one on your blog). Link it to a page with your rates and a way for potential advertisers to contact you.
The most important point to consider when looking for income sources for your blog is if the program is a good fit for your audience. I'm working on finding a balance of advertising that my users will find useful, but that won't look like a circus on my blog. For more updates on my quest for increased blog revenue, check out my 30 Day Life/Blog Happiness Project.
Daily Blog Tips also has a comprehensive post on ways to make money blogging.
What have I missed? What works for you?
Photo credits: Microsoft Clip Art and PHAT Mommy.
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Thank you for a spot-on article! I believe that the tips are very much accurate. The final suggestion, "Sell it Yourself", is very good. If you know a lot of individuals or entrepreneurs, that is a very good idea.
So far, I only use Google AdSense, but I think I'll try to "sell it myself", too.
Regards,
Scott Hampton, The Active Daddy
Thanks for listing these ways. Adsense is still the first choice of many bloggers.