Choosing how to monetize your blog is a huge decision! There are many different options and it can be difficult to judge which type your readers will respond to most. Take a look at these different options, and make your choice with your readers and the market overall in mind.
Option 1: Adsense
Adsense is probably the easiest way to monetize — and the most difficult! It’s easy because it’s just a simple code that Google gives you (they even automatically match up the ads for you!). You make money as soon as someone clicks on your ads, whether they actually go on to make a purchase or not. Adsense can also be incredibly difficult. You usually get paid a few cents per click and it can take a lot of traffic for it to add up to something that is even remotely worth your while.
Adsense might be a good thing to test, especially as you’re getting your feet wet with blogging. If you’re in the right market and find the right ad positions and colors, it can certainly turn into a nice hands-off income for you.
Option 2: Affiliate Products
Selling products as an affiliate is a great way to make money. For one thing, you get to earn money from the products without having to fulfill them yourself or deal with customer service issues. Nothing is better than that! The returns are usually higher than with Adsense, provided you’re able to find an offer that converts well with the people who visit your website.
You will have to decide if you want to promote digital or physical products. This decision will likely come down to what kind of niche you’re in and how your site visitors will respond.
Option 3: Creating Your Own Products
After you get a loyal following of readers it’s easier than ever to create and sell your own information product! You’ll have to fulfill the orders and deal with customer service issues, but the tradeoff is that you get to keep all the money! You are also the one who knows your readers best, so you’re likely to come up with an offer that converts extremely well since it’s exactly what they want.
You can write an ebook, create a membership site, deliver a paid e-course, create a video series, or record audio. If you want to make the package even better you can combine a few different approaches to add massive value. The options are endless when it comes to monetizing with your own products. Some of your blog readers might eventually want to become an affiliate of yours as well!
As you look at these different options you might start to feel overwhelmed. That’s perfectly normal! It’s hard to know what the best path is when you’re just starting out with a new niche. A good way to get a feel for the best way to do things is to see what other blogs and sites in your niche are doing. You’re not trying to copy them, you’re simply taking note of what works and using it yourself.