Blogging is a lucrative venture for anyone who wishes to make money online. It is a perfect online job for you, especially if you have a passion for writing.
But how can you monetize your blog?
Follow these steps and tips so you can start earning money through your blog:
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1. Create a blog:
This should serve as the first step towards your blogging venture. Just make sure that you know a thing or two about blogging before you start.
You need a blog and a working knowledge about this field to make it work in your favor, especially in terms of generating income. To do this step, you need a blogging platform or something that can help you put up your content on the web.
A great choice is WordPress, which is free to use and easy to set up. Starting your blog also requires you to secure a domain name for it. Configuring and designing your blog site should come next.
After that, you can start posting valuable content that can help a wide range of readers.
2. Establish your readership:
Monetizing your blog is easier once you gather a reasonable number of visitors. However, if you are still starting out, you may need to attract the attention of as many readers as possible.
Ensure that your blog’s first-time readers will return. Having returning readers can help establish a sizable audience where you can generate your profit from.
To build your readership, you need to keep in touch with them. One way to do that is to ask for their e-mail addresses so you can send updates.
Having the e-mail addresses of your readers from the start can also help you build a big mailing list and allow you to contact them.
Do not forget to fill your site with really useful content, too, so you can encourage your readers to come back. Update it frequently to prevent it from stagnating.
If possible, post a blog at least once every week. You can also attract more readership by posting links that direct people to your blog on your social media accounts.
3. Take advantage of a contextual ad service:
After filling your blog with useful content and attracting your target audience, you can start taking advantage of contextual ad services, like Google AdSense and Google AdWords.
These programs can generate ads automatically based on your specified placement, size, and amount. The ads will also match the topics in your blog.
You can expect advertisers to pay you based on the number of clicks from your blog readers. When using the ad services, make it a point to use the most appropriate keywords.
Note that keywords are essential for bloggers who use third-party ad services because the ads will be chosen depending on the used keywords. Insufficient or inaccurate keywords may lead to ads that do not suit the interests of your readers.
4. Build an online store:
Do this if this is appropriate to your blog.
For instance, if the main focus of your blog is arts and crafts then you can build an online shop through a service that sells such products, like Etsy.
If you are an illustrator, then you can look for a site, which sells shirts that incorporate your drawings or slogans. While having a blog does not necessarily mean that you should sell something, you can do so if it perfectly fits your theme.
5. Take advantage of affiliate programs:
Look for an affiliate program, which perfectly fits your blog. Once you sign up as an affiliate marketer, you will need to include links in your blogs that direct to the products of an affiliate company.
As a return, you will receive money for every reader who buys the product from the link you posted on your site. One affiliate company that you can acquaint yourself with is ClickBank.
Just make sure that you are fully aware of how affiliate marketing works prior to signing up in a program. If your blog hosting service is free and you do not have your own domain name then it is necessary to post high-quality content containing relevant links.
However, the number of links that you can include, in this case, is limited. If you go beyond the limit, then there is a higher risk that your blog site will shut down.
If you wish to write quick and short product reviews to generate income then hosting your own blog is necessary. Another thing that you have to remember about affiliate marketing is that some programs only pay those who post the first or the last link.
This is the main reason why you have to understand the terms in a particular affiliate program before you take part in it.
If the terms say that you will only be paid if your link is the last one clicked prior to a purchase then avoid linking to intermediate web pages, like the product review of another blogger.
6. Look for companies that are interested to post ads on your blog:
Some companies prioritize putting their products in front of their prospects. In this case, they may be looking for a blog where they can advertise their products, especially if its readers are the ones they are targeting.
You can tap these companies if you want to increase the money-making potential of your blog.
One way to include advertising on your blog is to display ads. You can post the ads in the footer, header, within your blog content, and in the sidebar.
And You may also take advantage of the free products and possible monetary compensation provided by companies by highlighting such products on your site. You can also try podcast, video, or newsletter sponsorships.
These come in the form of ads incorporated in emails, as well as in podcast episodes and mini video commercials.
At Last:
Aside from the steps mentioned, it is also essential to keep your readers engaged. Note that you cannot expect your blog to continue acting as a profitable source of income if you no longer have readers.
This means that in addition to finding ways to monetize your blog, you also have to look for ways to continue engaging your readers.
You should interact with them, giving them a more enjoyable experience when visiting your site. This will surely encourage them to come back plus they might refer your blog to their network, further expanding your readership.
