Making Money with Your Blog
August 1st, 2007Most of you are aware of the big impact that the blogging industry has made on the internet. Blogging is an effective way to get your point across to the masses. Some people do it for the simple passion of writing and some do it to share their ideas with others. Whatever your case may be, you may have already thought of monetizing your blog.
There are hundreds of successful blogs already in existence. Many of them are owned by people who have already quit their day job and make enough money to do the blogging thing full-time. Yes, you heard right! These people make a 6 figure income and more. The two names that pop into my mind are ShoeMoney and John Chow. These guys have made a name for themselves in the blogging world as they share their strategies on making money via the internet. They’re both successful, and also well-known in the industry. They are also involved in other business ventures because they believe in the idea of “not having all your eggs in one basket.”
So, how do these guys make so much money? Well, I think its a combination of things that lead to these success stories. It takes more than just a simple blog. It is unique and fresh new ideas. It is the dedication and commitment to their readership. They take their blogging seriously. They put their names and reputation on everything they write about.
The first step to a successful blog is finding a niche that interests you. What hobbies or things interest you? My whole take on this is, if you already like talking about something, you’ll have a much easier and enjoyable time blogging about it.
The next important thing to do is to find a way to monetize your blog. There are many ways to do this, but I will share the few popular ones.
Google Adsense - This is probably the most widely used method of creating income through a blog. With this ad program, you make money every time a visitor clicks on one of your ads. The good thing about Adsense is that, the ads being served on your site conform to the subject of your site. So, if you have a blog about making money, then the ads shown relate to the subject of making money.
Bidvertiser - This one is similar to Google Adsense. The idea is generally the same as Adsense in that you generate income everytime someone clicks on your ad. Many webmasters who do not qualify for an Adsense account, will tend to use Bidvertiser. The drawback to this program compared to Adsense is that the CTR (click through rate) and CPC (cost per click) may not be as high. Despite that, many bloggers like using Bidvertiser because their payout threshold is only $10. Google requires you to have accumulated $100 in revenue before cashing out.
Kontera - This one is similar Google Adsense and Bidvertiser in the sense that you get paid on a “per click” basis. The main difference with program is that the ads are imbedded within your content. Once implemented on your blog, certain keywords within your content and article get converted to hypertext links. When a visitor slides their mouse over the link, a little ad pops up. Once that ad is clicked, revenue is generated. Although it is an innovative idea, I personally do not like anything that “pops up” on the browser.
Chitika - Much like the previous programs, Chitika tries to serve the most relevant ads on your blog or site, and revenue is generated through clicks. Unlike the others, however, Chitika mainly promotes electronic and computer related products such as laptops and digital cameras. A good feature is that the ads are served with images of the products.
Sell Text Links - There are thousands of webmasters willing to spend money on good advertising spots. If your blog receives good traffic, it is fair to assume that you’ll have no problem selling ad spots on your blog. How or what you charge is purely up to you. If you rather have someone else sell ad space for you, you can try ad networks like Text-Link-Ads.com or Adbrite.com.
Sponsored Blog Posts - Many bloggers do this to make extra income every month. Many marketers use this method to get the word out on their product or website. Typically, sponsored blog posts are charged a one-time fee for a permanent post.
Affiliate Programs - Promote products or services through affiliate programs. This is probably the oldest and most well-known way to make money online. Once you have a niche, find a product that relates to that niche. Relevancy is the key to conversions. Some of the more popular affiliate networks are: Commission Junction, Azoogle Ads, and ClickBank.
These were just a few of the many ways that a blog could be monetized. If you have anything other ideas, please let me know.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:32 am
That’s true; blogging has now become a fast growing activity to earn easy money. Lots of companies have already started their own blogs and some of them are also advertising their products.