You want to make money with your blog, right?
Of course you do.
Everyone wants – and needs -to make more money.
So you started a blog since you’ve heard it’s an easy way to make cash, but you’re not quite sure how to actually make money doing it. Or maybe you already have a blog and you’re exploring ways to monetize it.
I started my blog (BloggingBasics101.com) all the way back in 2006, and I knew nothing about blogging and even less about making money with a blog!
Now I know a ton about them, and my blog’s doing pretty well – I receive more than 300,000 unique visitors per month and make over $10,000 per month which makes me consider myself someone you can listen to and learn from when it comes to starting and making money with your blog. I’m not some sort of Guru, but I certainly do know the basics.
No matter which group you’re in, making money with a blog – whether it’s a hobby blog or a business blog -is possible. It’s not a get rich quick scheme, but if you do it right, you could make enough to support your family and more.
Let’s dive in and see how you can make a profit with your blog.
Monetize with CPC or CPM Ads
One of the most common ways bloggers make money is through placing ads on their site. There are two popular types of ads:
- CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per click) ads are usually banners that you place in your content or sidebar. Each time a reader clicks on the ad, you are paid for that click.
- CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per 1,000 impressions,” are ads that pay you a fixed amount of money based on how many people view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for placing these types of ads is Google AdSense. With this program, you do not need to be in direct contact with advertisers; you simply place the banner on your site, Google chooses ads relevant to your content, and your viewers click on the ads. There are countless similar programs available if you find that AdSense doesn’t work for you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.
Sell Private Ads
Working with advertising networks isn’t your only option when it comes to selling ads. If you end up with enough traffic, advertisers may come directly to you and ask you to place their ad on your site. You can also contact advertisers yourself. The biggest difference from the above mentioned option is that there is no middle man, which means you can set your own ad rates.
Selling private ads can come in the form of banners, buttons, or links. You can even make money writing sponsored posts where you write about or give a review of an advertiser’s product or service. Another option is to write an underwritten post or series, which is where you can write about any topic, but the advertiser pays for a “Brought to you by” mention in the content.
The ways you make money with this can vary. For instance, you might charge a one-time fee for a link within a post. If you are hosting banner ads, you might charge your partner monthly.
Bonus tip: To maximize your income, you can also choose to sell sponsorship space in your email newsletters (here are 5 best email marketing software), podcasts, and videos.
Include Affiliate Links in Your Content
Affiliate marketing is also another great tool for monetizing your blog. Here is how affiliate marketing works:
- An advertiser has a product she wants to sell. She agrees to give you a commission from each sale if the buyer is coming from your site.
- She gives you a unique link that tracks your affiliate code. That way, she knows when a buyer used your link to make a purchase.
- You include your affiliate link on your site. You can do this directly in the content or through banner ads. If a reader clicks on your unique link and buys the product you have recommended, you earn a percentage of what she purchased.
You can utilize affiliate marketing through ad networks like Amazon Associates, or you can create private partnerships with advertisers and businesses with an affiliate program.
Sell Digital Products
If you would rather not advertise other people’s products on your site, or if you are looking for another stream of income, consider selling digital products. This can include items like:
- eBooks
- Online courses/workshops
- Images, video, or music people can use in their own content
- Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to choose one of these avenues that you make it relevant and useful to your readers. A lot of bloggers make the mistake of assuming they are developing a product their readers need; listen to your readers first, and then create a digital product that will meet their needs.
Use it as a Content Marketing Tool for Your Business
It is also possible to sell physical products on your blog and to make money that way. Instead of thinking of it as making money from your blog, however, think of your blog as a content marketing tool that will drive visitors to your business website.
The possibilities are practically endless when it comes to developing a business blog. You could sell hand-made products, books, manufactured products, and so much more. Or you might already have a business and decide to start a blog to convert loyal customers.
Lets say, for example, that you refurbish and resell used smartphones out of your home. You could use a blog to attract visitors to your website where you list your current phones for sale. Your blog might cover topics about DIY refurbishing. On one level, it seems counterintuitive because you want people to buy your phones, but it also helps you build a brand and gain recognition. Social media guru Jay Baer explains the concept on Copyblogger:
I was at a conference a few years ago, and this is where I first sort of started thinking about this concept, and their founder, Robert Johnson, was speaking…
He said, “Well our best customers are the people that think they can fix it themselves.”
But eventually you are going to get out of your depth either on that project on a project down the road, at which point who are you going to call? Are you going to call somebody randomly that you discovered on Google or are you going to call the guys who you just watched their logo in the corner of a 14-minute instructional video?
This concept can also be applied to services in all types of industries. For instance, if you offered electronic repair services as opposed to physical products, you could still use the same blogging concept to increase brand awareness and convert more clients.
Sell Memberships
Another option to make money is to sell memberships to exclusive corners of your website. For instance, a career blog might charge $10 per month for users to gain access to their job board. A startup business blog might sell memberships to their forums where people can get personalized advice about their business.
The key here is that your exclusive membership has to be more valuable than something your visitors can find for free somewhere else, so be sure you’re developing something of value and worth the price.
Use it to Build Your Credibility
Blogging to build credibility can lead to many money-making opportunities. For instance, let us say you start a blog in the finance industry. People start reading your content, and your blog becomes very popular. You are now a recognized figure in the finance industry.
Once you have that authority, people might approach you to co-author a book on debt management, or you could charge to speak at conferences or to run employee financial training days.
This certainly isn’t a direct form of making money blogging, but it has worked for many well-known bloggers, and it can work for you, too. If you’re looking for a direct revenue stream, popular blogs have sold for 4-7 figures (sometimes more) by selling their branding and content.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that making money blogging is not possible by putting your site up and letting it sit there. The “if you build it, they will come” mentality doesn’t work here, so be sure you’re willing to put in the time. Most bloggers don’t see a spike of income for several months (sometimes years) after starting their blog. Before you dive too deep into blogging, remember these little bits of advice:
Create Quality Content
You are not going to make any money from your blog if people don’t read it. After all, your readers are the ones who are going to make you money, whether they’re clicking on your ads or buying your products. Always put your readers first.
Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on Your Blog
Developing a successful blog has a lot to do with building relationships. That can include relationships with sponsors, affiliate partners, or simply other bloggers who will direct traffic to your blog. Be sure some of your time is spent on forums and other blogs (or whatever works for you) to build these relationships and your blog.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Not all of these tips and avenues of income are going to work for you. Don’t be afraid to tweak your methods to see what works best for you and your readers.
Making money blogging can take a lot of persistence, but it can pay off in the long-run if you’re starting out from scratch. Just remember that you don’t have to use all of these money-making avenues at once. Consider what other people in your industry are doing, and start from there.
Over time, you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. If you’re looking to make money from your blog, which option will you start with?
Let me know in the comment section :).
I’m a blogger/entrepreneur specialising in blogging to women 35 – 65 who are AB demographicI’ve been researching this topic for the past month. I’m making about $500 a week from my 4 month old blog for paid placements, but would like to make more through affiliate marketing but am still building my content and traffic.
Basically the options to make money from a blog seem to be:
Advertising (PPC) – I have never had sucess with this on any site, mine or a client’s
Affiliate sales (I used to make about $300 per month on a really high ranking site)
Selling virtual products – books/courses etc
Selling your professional services. I used to have great success as a web designer, and graphic but the industry has changed and people are doing their own small business sites. Yes, they all look the same but the clients don’t know the difference. Logos? People are going to fivrr.
Writing for other blogs
Writing for link content and linking strategies for SEO companies.
Anyone had any other suggestions that work?
Amazing! I am happy I read through this! I am right now utilizing AdSense and amazon offshoots, however, I discovered that I can do as such a great deal more! Much thanks to you for the greater part of your marvelous guidance!
Wow! I am glad I read through this! I am currently using adsense and amazon affiliates, but I learned that I can be doing so much more! Thank you for all of your awesome advice!
Indeed a great post about making money online.
Nowadays people are getting very much creative and wants to make some extra money from home.
The topic ” Make money from home ” is very much interesting and people get very much excited when they get to know about it. But people should understand, this isn’t that much easy as they are thinking.
According to me, Making money through Blogging and affiliate marketing is the best ways among all others explained here.
But to earn through blogging and affiliate marketing, You must need to work hard with lots of dedication.
You must have to follow these important steps.
1. You have to choose a profitable niche from which you can earn by promoting affiliate products.
2. Build a blog on that niche and provide helpful content to others.
3. Promote your content among potential readers
4. Drive traffic to your site and make money through it.
These are the basic steps you need to take to earn through blogging.
BTW Thanks for sharing such a wonderful post with us. 😀
Affiliate marketing is for me the best way to earn money with a blog. The main issue and challenge is to drive enough traffic as conversion is very low when it comes to affiliate links…
Great article!
Personally I prefer monetizing my sites with affiliate offers.
Making money blogging can take a lot of persistence, but it can pay off in the long-run if youre starting out from scratch. Just remember that you dont have to use all of these money-making avenues at once. Consider what other people in your industry are doing, and start from there.
wow!! i am really overwhelmed with this article, i just got an affiliate ad and decided to check it, and i browsed through and found out that i can add my code to my website blog, of which i had none, so i googled on how to set up a blog to do the business and also make money to support myself and family and i got this web. it blew my mind and as i am starting i am sure to use the ideas u have given and explore. and i pray to be successful in it in Jesus Name. Special Thanks to Jessica Knapp and God Bless YOU.
Just started an idea and discovered your info. Very helpful. I am over 50 and a little late in the tech game because of past jobs that required little or no time in front of a computer. I am a very good writer with many a published article to my name over the years BUT now journal writing by hand does little or no good in the world of tech. When I get this blogging thing going, it is gonna explode.
I really appreciate your advice. All the best! Walter
I hope this guide has helped – thanks for the comment
very nice article, thank you so much.
Thanks for tip x
I have just removed my ads from my blog. It was looking too spammy. Now the focus is on my calls to action. I am finding that affiliate sales and content marketing are working for me. My long term goal is a membership site.
That is great to here Emma – good luck!
I have get a lot of site from this article and i will apply for my site.I think all of them Google adsense and info-links are the best way for earning money from a website.
The kind of info i’ve been searching for!
Thank you for this.
Excellent article with a lot of details for blogger
Just like a paid membership , private forums may be created to focus on your target audience . Members can pay an annual/monthly payment to access the online community and communicate with the members of the group .
There are numerous free forums out there , in order to charge members a fee to access your forum you have to offer outstanding , private content that isn’t available elsewhere .
Email marketing may generate you lots of money . The important is to develop a large subscriber list of your customers/visitors . When people signup to become a member , you get their email address . When people join your weekly newsletter , you get their email address . The a lot more ways there are to get someone’s email address the much better .
With an email list , it is easy to build a brand , highly recommend products , promote any events/workshops that you can be holding even more importantly to can really encourage people to keep coming back to your website .
Personally I think that Sell Memberships( Private Forums ) and Email marketing
are the most suitable income for blogger because you can earn residual income .
hi all,
I think Well said,Money making online is changed in a dramatic way. We can say it as a new revolution too.
******************
jessicap,
Money
Well said. Money making online is changed in a dramatic way. We can say it as a new revolution too.
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