Since building my blog in March 2006 I’ve tried various ways to monetize the pages. In the beginning I didn’t bother because there wasn’t enough traffic however as I constantly added new content the traffic increased. According to my statistics (viewed in May 2011) my blog received an average of 2500 visitors per day or approximately 7500 per month.
The main methods I use to monetize my blog include:
- Google Adsense
- Affiliate Programs
- Refer my own products and services
- Email Marketing
Let’s look at each of these methods:
1. Google AdSense
This brings in a few dollars each day however it’s somewhat inconsistent. For instance if I add a new post my Adsense income increases. This is probably because the search engines immediately index the new content. The days I don’t post any content I earn much less even though I have hundreds of Adsense ads on hundreds of pages. Other factors influencing my earnings may include:
Ad Blindness
Most of my visitors are internet savvy so they may have become blind to ads (don’t click on them). Websites unrelated to web design or internet marketing tend to do better because their visitors are unable to distinguish what is or what is not an ad and therefore have a higher click through rate.
Ad Placement
Currently I only place ads at the top and bottom of my content. Adding more ads may increase my earnings however I don’t want my blog to become cluttered.
Blog Structure
Most people find my blog pages through the search engines because I’ve optmized them for keywords people search on each month. This means they only see the ads for the page they land on unless they navigate to other pages.
2. Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs enable you to make a commission by promoting them. I often include a link to the affiliate site in the content or at the end. Writing a product or doing a case study helps pre-sell the product to visitors. For instance here’s my review of YMLP, a professional email list provider.
3. Refer my own products and services
Many articles link to my website design, search engine optimization and hosting services. I also promote the ebooks I’ve written which currently include:
4. Email Marketing
Recently I added a popup opt-in form to invite visitors to subscribe to my Marketing Tips Newsletter sent every 2 weeks. I offer a Free Report they can download to motivate them to subscribe. The software I use to accomplish this is Popup Domination. I initially had reservations about installing the plugin but after testing it for a few days I concluded it works very well. I currently receive 10 new subscribers each day which is 100% more than what I was getting before I had no opt-in form on my blog.
Read my review of pop-up domination
I often get new clients as a result of reading my newsletter because I promote my services and products within the content. The newsletter establishes long term relationships which helps build trust and generates sales.
If you didn’t monetize your blog yet consider using the methods mentioned above. Don’t paralyze yourself by thinking about it. Just do it otherwise you won’t know if it works or not.
Keep testing what method works best then improve upon it or add another one.
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This is an outstanding blog keep up the good work and remain positive, Sue Bride thank you for your input.