How to Make Money Blogging: 4 Proven Ways to Monetize Your Blog
There are quite a few ways to make money with a blog or website. Advertising, one of the most popular ways to monetize a blog, has been around long before the internet. But as the digital landscape has evolved, so too has advertising. New ways to earn money from your website are becoming possible every day.
In this article we’ll look at a few proven methods of monetizing your blog traffic. Learn how to make money blogging and start earning money from your website today!
Place CPC or CPM Ads on Your Blog
Advertising using programs like Google AdSense are some of the most popular ways to monetize websites. You’ve seen these ads before (some are on this site!). The ad network you use will serve advertisements which are based on your page’s content, the user’s browser history, etc.
CPC or Cost Per Click advertisements charge advertisers for every user that clicks on their ad. Say a visitor sees a CPC advertisement for miter saws from The Home Depot. If that website visitor clicks on the ad, The Home Depot pays Google, and Google pays you.
CPM or Cost Per Mille advertisements pay the website owner every time ads are viewed 1,000 times. Ad networks which offer CPM advertisements are a good choice for blogs with a high volume of traffic.
The advantage of this sort of advertising is that it is very hands-free for blog owners. You choose where you want ad units to be displayed, add the code, and Google takes care of the rest. Your website will begin serving optimized advertisements to your audience. You can sit back and enjoy the ad revenue deposits every month!
Affiliate Marketing & Your Blog
Affiliate marketing is the modern-day equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising. Essentially large companies pay for you to refer your readers to them. Today, these referrals come in the form of web links.
Large eCommerce companies often have affiliate programs which allow blog or website owners to partner with them. Amazon Associates is one of the most popular affiliate programs. When you join, you can place links and banners on your website to Amazon products. As your website visitors click through those links and make a purchase, you earn a commission. If a lot of your website visitors click through and purchase expensive items, you can earn a lot of money.
Examples of Affiliate Websites and Blogs
Some large companies that you’ve seen advertised on television (like ebates.com) are affiliate websites, which refer a high volume of users to online retailers and provide some of their commissions to their web visitors (to attract more users to their site).
Coupons.com is another popular affiliate website, enticing users to click through affiliate links (and earn them commissions) by taking advantage of the latest coupons.
Smaller websites and blogs can also earn money with affiliate marketing by choosing a profitable niche (one where your readers will be interested in purchasing more expensive products). If you want to get started in affiliate marketing, you could go the route of “Best Deal” websites like YourBestPicks.com or 10Desks.com, which offer curated reviews of products like standing desks (with affiliate links).
If you own a fishing blog, you can use affiliate links to link to fishing poles, lures, reels, or fish-finders the way BestBassFishingLures.com does. Fashion bloggers can link to the shoes, purse, or apparel featured in an image or article to let their readership “shop this look” (something a lot of people with big social media followings have success with).
The possibilities are endless, and the more trust you’ve built with your readers, the more you can earn with affiliate marketing.
Sell Private Advertisements on Your Blog
Of course, you don’t have to work with a large advertising network. If you have a large, dedicated following and your website covers the right topics, you may be able to sell banners, or contextual advertisements privately.
Leveraging your audience’s trust is a powerful tool. Large brands are keen to reach new potential customers by partnering with the right bloggers.
Travel bloggers can often be compensated well for reviewing a trip or service offered by a travel brand. Some can even score free trips in exchange for social media posts and article mentions.
The same is true for fashionistas, DIY bloggers, preppers, and “influencers” (the name for bloggers with significant reach in their niche) in countless other spaces. If you have a large, engaged readership you can do well. Try partnering with major brands who want to leverage your blog’s reach and trust!
Sell Your Own Products or Services
You don’t have to just push other people’s products or services. More and more savvy bloggers are selling their own products and services.
Backlinko.com offers a subscription SEO training course.
If you’re an expert writer, you can offer ghostwriting or editing services.
Builders or DIY enthusiasts can sell build plans and cutlists for different projects so your readers who love what you’ve created can easily build their own items.
If you have a special skill and want to teach others, sell that in the form of exclusive in-depth videos, online courses, or eBook downloads.
Crafty bloggers who write about quilting can sell some of their fabulous quilts or patterns.
Act Now & Begin Making Money Blogging
Monetizing an existing blog (or starting a blog of your own) is easier than you might think. If you have a blog, sign up for Google AdSense and search for “affiliate program [your blog topic]” to get started.
If you’ve found a great way to monetize your blog that hasn’t been mentioned here, please feel free to share it in the comments!
