As blogging continues its seemingly unrelenting march towards ubiquity, it is no surprise that more and more people have begun dabbling in digital entrepreneurship by creating their own blogs online.
Blogging is free for anyone with a domain name and hosting plan under their belt, leading to an increased amount of competition among blogging platforms and bloggers themselves over the past few years. A large population of bloggers struggle to gain traction and monetize their blogs because of the fierce competition in the industry.
Fortunately, as new resources become available each day and technology continues to evolve, the average person can make money from their blogging efforts with much less difficulty than in the past. Let’s take a look at 5 ways you can start monetizing your blog starting today.
1. Generate Revenue with Affiliate Marketing
So, you’ve built your blog and published a few posts. Now what? How do you turn your newfound traffic into money? You can start by using affiliate links to monetize your website in a few different ways.
Affiliate marketing starts with a click. When someone clicks on an affiliate link from your site, he is redirected to the linked website where they can purchase products (or services). After making their purchase and clicking through an affiliate link, you get money for driving traffic or leads – either as a percentage of that sale or a flat fee.
To set yourself up for success, you should choose an affiliate network with verticals relevant to your blog. For example, if you write about baking and cooking, then Amazon Associates could be the best choice for you. However, if your niche deals with e-commerce or digital marketing resources, then ShareASale may better suit the content covered in your posts. Don’t feel the need to commit. There are many options, so try out a few networks and see what feels right for you.
2. Create and Sell Digital Goods Such as Ebooks, Learning Resources, Templates, and More
Digital goods are a great way to earn passive income from your blog. You can sell digital products like eBooks, learning courses, templates, and more, which allow you to turn hours of work into sustainable, passive income over time. Providing your customers with digital products helps drive additional traffic to your site and ensures that people are investing in something of value when they visit.
What Are the Benefits of Selling Digital Goods?
Digital products are a great way to earn passive income. Once you’ve created the product, it can continue generating money for as long as you have an audience willing to buy your content.
Digital goods usually require less of an investment, and they’re easier than physical goods or services in terms of delivering them after purchase; once someone has purchased your digital product, there is minimal extra work required on your part (besides promoting what you sell).
Digital products like ebooks and learning resources can also help you drive more visitors to your blog. They are effective at building an engaged, loyal fan base that will keep coming back for more information from you — the expert.
3. Advertise on Your Blog Using Ad Networks Like Google Adsense
If you have a blog and want to make money through advertising, Google Adsense is one of the most popular ad platforms that can help.
Ads can be set up in just a few minutes, and you’ll get paid for every ad someone clicks while they’re visiting your blog. Be conscientious when choosing what kind of ads go onto your site to avoid negatively impacting the overall user experience.
Keep in mind that it’s crucial to have significant traffic for this strategy to be effective. It’s not enough for a few people here and there to click on a random banner; you need hundreds or even thousands of clicks, depending on how much each ad is worth per impression or click.
4. Host a Webinar or Virtual Summit
If you’re a new blogger, hosting a webinar or virtual summit may seem like an intimidating prospect. However, it’s a great way to promote your blog and monetize incoming traffic. Ultimately, this strategy is an effective method to demonstrate your knowledge while educating your audience about your services and products.
You can get started by setting up a registration page on your website with some basic details about yourself or even inviting local businesses to speak during the session for free in exchange for promotion.
By hosting a live webinar or virtual summit, you can also encourage more sales of your digital products. A lively presentation will help deepen the relationship with your existing customers and attract new ones who are interested in what your blog has to offer.
5. Publish Sponsored Posts and Content
Publishing sponsored posts on your blog can be a little trickier than some of the other methods, but it’s a great way to establish trust amongst your audience as well as connect with like-minded entrepreneurs.
Here’s how it works: business owners pay blog writers to publish content on their behalf. The goal of the post? To engage with readers and get them interested in a product or service offered by that business.
Sponsors are more likely to want to work with you if your blog provides content relevant to their niche, as well as an active and engaged audience. Likewise, you’ll want to make sure your sponsors are a good fit for your blog. It’s important to discuss expectations upfront, so neither party is left disappointed by miscommunication.
Takeaways and Next Steps
Now that you know how to monetize your blog, and have learned about the different strategies available to you, it’s time to choose what will work best for your business. There are plenty of ways to generate revenue with your blog, and there’s no shortage of advice on the internet about what marketing strategies work best. It all boils down to this: Find out what works for you.
Ultimately, this will depend on your goals and what type of content or products you want to promote with your website. Do you have any unique skills? Maybe promoting those skills online would be worth considering. If not, then consider blogging about topics in demand so that people are willing to pay for information from experts like yourself. Whatever option suits your needs best, start monetizing your blog today by following these tips and strategies outlined above.
