There are many ways to make money online, but the two major sources of online revenue for bloggers today are Google AdSense and Affiliate Marketing.
However, there is still no guarantee that you can easily and actually make money from these sources. Yes, some bloggers are now making hundreds of thousands of dollars from either of these two sources, but there are also digital players who are still struggling to earn enough revenue.
There are several factors that you need to consider in making money through AdSense or Affiliate Marketing. This includes blog traffic, ad relevancy or niche, and target audience. Moreover, you need to understand and implement the right strategy so you can see actual revenue.
Before discussing which platform can give you more money, let’s first take a closer look at each source.
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Affiliate Marketing
In Affiliate Marketing, you will use your blog or website to promote products or services of other brands. In this platform, you can select any third party brands as a niche then promote online so you can earn commission when your link contributed to a sale.
Benefits of Affiliate Marketing
- You can easily choose any niche that is aligned with your niche or market.
- Easy to figure out your revenue you can earn from each sale as this will depend on the percentage of commission for the sale of the products.
- You can be part of a blogosphere so you can nurture your audience
- The revenue can be long-term as it can pay you commission for years
- Brands offering affiliate marketing regularly conduct trainings and workshops for bloggers
- Brands provide high-quality marketing collaterals
- No one can stop or ban you from promoting any product on your own blog or website
Downsides of Affiliate Marketing
- Requires comprehensive market analysis and study to choose the best affiliate program and niche
- You can’t make money outright because you need to nurture first your audience
- You need to compete against other bloggers who are also promoting similar products or services
- You will earn commission only if the user successful purchased a product and not for merely clicking the link
- You need to use effective promotional and marketing skills to preserve your blog’s authority and also to nurture your audience
Why Most Bloggers Prefer Affiliate Marketing?
Most bloggers and website owners prefer affiliate marketing as their source of online revenue. Here are the competitive advantages of affiliate marketing over Google AdSense:
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- Most program ads from affiliate brands are more attractive compared to advertising banners of Google AdSense
- There is no need to wait for anyone’s approval as there is no central authority to control your ads unlike with Google AdSense
- Affiliate marketing provides more money than any other source of online revenue
- A few thousands of clicks can translate to significant revenue
- No clicks are invalid and the repeat sales would be a positive promotion in affiliate marketing
- You have control in choosing your niche product to promote so that you are more comfortable in marketing and promotions
Google AdSense
Google AdSense is an online ad placement platform of search engine giant Google where you can earn money for every click or impression on the ads on your web pages. This platform provides you a user-friendly process to start earning money.
Basically, you need to join the AdSense program and submit your blog or website on which you want to open for advertisements. Google will place relevant ads on your blog, and you can start it right away.
Benefits of Google AdSense
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- As soon as you get approval, you can start earning money against ad impression
- You don’t need to be an influential blogger or expert in online marketing. Even beginners can start earning money.
- There is no need to search for bestselling products. You just need to secure approval to join the program then allow ad placements from Google.
- You don’t need to encourage your visitors to do anything or push them to click on your ads.
- Your role as a blogger is to have high-quality content and bring high traffic back to your website
Downsides of Google AdSense
- You need to play by the rules of AdSense program. Basically, Google is now your boss.
- You are not in control of selecting your niche products for ads
- You need to be conscious in following the rules to secure approval and continuity in the program
- Google may ban you if they think you are violating the program rules
- You need to attract high traffic back to your website to earn substantial income
Why Bloggers Prefer Google AdSense Over Affiliate Marketing?
While most bloggers prefer affiliate marketing as an online source of revenue, some bloggers still join Google AdSense mainly because of stability and ease of use. Here are other concerns:
- In Google AdSense, you don’t need much research in selecting niche products while in Affiliate Marketing, choosing a product for your niche can be critical.
- In affiliate marketing, you may need to wait for years to earn substantial revenue. On the other hand, you can start earning money from AdSense as soon as you get approval and as long as you have enough traffic back to your website.
- As a new blogger, you can use AdSense to earn some decent income that will boost you to go further.
- In affiliate marketing, you need to be influential, while in Google AdSense, you don’t need to be an expert in online marketing.
Conclusion
With the competitive advantages over the other, bloggers have to choose between affiliate marketing and Google AdSense.
Yes, you can try both platforms to secure higher revenue. Just make certain that your blog will not be filled with ads and affiliate links. The key is to offer valuable and relevant content to your audience.
While affiliate marketing can provide you with more money, it is ideal to begin with Google AdSense if you are just starting out in the blogosphere.
Then focus on high organic traffic from search engines to earn decent income while testing the waters of monetizing your website. You can gradually build your audience strength or readers base to promote niche products.
After building your audience and nurturing your relationship with them you will start to see considerable progress in your online revenue through affiliate marketing.
