How to Monetize Your Blog

Been absent from posting here as am focused on my e.book on blogging for money.

Here is what happened. An online colleague asked me to be a guest speaker on her teleconference call on blogging. Of course I accepted and thought it would be great to sweeten the invite with a free report to all who registered. Well, that report on blogging is now a full blown e.book, and could be the draft for something more substantial. If you would like to get a copy of the "beta" version, contact me via the email option on this page. No cost. Feedback appreciated.

During the Q & A I was asked just exactly how does one monetize a blog and where does one find these advertisers. Duh! But of course! If you are blogging for money then you have to monetize your blog! I thought that would be a good thing to post on this blog as well. Listed below is a beginner's list but I feel that it will keep you well "affiliated" and monetized for a long time.

Google Adsense. You do need to have a published site in order to get accepted. So here is what you need to do.

1. Open your blog account with the platform of your choice.

2 If you are going with Blogger go into your admin area, click on settings and write something in the “description” part of your template. A similar option is available with other blog platforms and their templates.

3. Publish your fist post. When you are completing the application for Adsense with Google, the URL is your blog address: http://www.moneymusclegym.com It can take up to two weeks for Google to approve your submission. Don’t let that stop you from working on your blog and making posts.

Adbrite: This is an advertising service similar to Adsense. I just recently discovered it and what I like about it is that it can sit alongside your Google Adsense and will kick in its ads if the clicks will pay more than the Adsense ones. You can actually set a minimum per click pay once you have historical data to refer to from Adsense. For now, just set it up. I also like that you do not have to wait till you reach a minimum of $100 for a payout.

Amazon: Open your account. Select products that are compatible with your blog topic. Amazon will pay up to 15% on sales. If you opted for WordPress and have static pages this is a good place to populate them with your selection from Amazon.

Clickbank: Clickbank is a directory of suppliers of information that offer affiliate programs. Typically this means products such as downloadable courses, training manuals, how to videos, subscriptions to newsletters and so on. Commissions can be as high as 75%. When you are looking at the affiliate offers in your category, look not only at the commission rate but also at the conversion rate. You want something that converts well. After selecting my affiliates, I like to go to their sites and register through their sites (they will redirect you to clickbank). The reason being that you will then be given a password to log on with and get valuable banners that you can put up on your site.

Commission Junction: This is another affiliate directory but unlike Clickbank offers physical products as well. To register from the home page, click on the “publishers” tab and select “application” from the drop down menu

The above should be enough to get you started. There are many other sources of affiliates. To find more options Google “affiliate marketing programs” but honestly, I think the above will keep you busy for quite a while.

You will find that each offers good tutorials on how to best optimize your efforts in promoting these affiliates. Be sure to read them. It's a great way to pump up your blogging muscles.

Here’s to Blogging for Money.

PS… OK… what kind of cheese are we talking about?

Resources:
Google Adsense www.google.com
Adbrite: www.adbrite.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com
Clickbank: www.clickbank.com
Commission Junction: www.commissionjunction.com