Blogging can be a lifetime endeavor of love, passion, and creativity. Yet, the reality of everyday living is that these aspects will hardly prosper in the absence of “filthy lucre” that makes the world go around. Therefore, bloggers are faced with an eternal dilemma integrated into their quest for the self-sufficiency of their web property: how to make money posting ads that keep my blog’s cogs oiled while preserving my integrity as a content creator and author? The answer to this question lies in perfecting the craft of posting ads in the manner that will rake in enough money for you, without compromising the awesomeness level of your blog. Stay with us to see what can be done in order to achieve this.
First of all, let it be known that to make money posting ads can be an endeavor that is based on an age-old and trusted model of working with ad networks. These platforms have long existed as a reliable workhorse for many bloggers who are turning their blogs into money-making machines that earn them profit around the clock, in line with what David Bayley once said about becoming rich.
Their monetization business model is based on the utilization of your blog’s advertising space for the purpose of placing advertisements for the brands and products an ad network considers most compatible with the general content orientation of your blog. Advertising other people’s stuff and brands is a two-fork path whose final destination will ultimately depend on the stage of development of your site/audience as well as your preferences. Bear in mind that not having to work with advertisers directly will free up much of your time and resources dedicated to posting ads, leaving you with more time to focus on the content.
In case you opt for this path, finding and joining an ad network means that these will become the main platform for serving ads on your blog. In addition to being a “blogger”, you will assume the role of the “publisher” who uses the blog to run ads for other people’s stuff and brands. Globally popular Google AdSense is probably the first thing that comes to your mind, but you should be aware of the fact that you will need to meet its demands before becoming its partner. As said here, Google can ask you to prove that your website is at least six months old and that it does not infringe on its privacy policies.
In case you are not interested in meeting Google’s demands you might want to consider alternatives to Google’s ad network. Yet, having networks with lower admission criteria does not mean that you can just randomly pick any of them. Ad networks have to offer you a clean bill of health for their payment practices, dedication to transparency and the quality of ads on offer. Just make sure to take your time in their evaluation, as the reckless forging of business alliances in this process will hardly make running ads on your blog a wholesome effort.
Similarly, prior to choosing an ad network, the best course of action is to start from yourself, i.e. from considering your target audience. If your website serves or aims to engage global audience in contrast with what can be described as a “niche. So, if you mostly address and draw an audience with a specific interest, you may consider working with so-called vertical ad networks, as opposed to horizontal networks that are usually non-specialized. Some of these networks use ad serving technology based on scanning online ads and analysis of the publisher’s performance. Thus, your approach to marketing strategy needs to be informed by precise conclusions about best performing offers, helping you as the publisher increase earnings in the process.
Understanding where on your site to place the ads is also crucial. There are countless articles out there, discussing ‘best practices’ and ‘proven methods’, but in reality – every site is different. So instead of reading about it from another person’s site – learn about it from your own. Use heat map tools to see where your readers stick around when they arrive, and place the ads around that information. That will give the ads maximum exposure, and you won’t end up wasting precious blog space.
Working with an ad network means that, occasionally, less relevant ads could appear on your blog, despite your defining filtering policy with the ad network. So, yes, having Burger King ads on your Paleo diet blog is a theoretical possibility, which makes it necessary to sort out and filter ad content on your site. At the same time, you need to strike a balance between having a blog that caters to visitors who demand a solid user experience, while ensuring ad placement in the first place. This also concerns the need to address the issue of ad content moderation in the context of its impact on the website loading time.
So, if you want better flexibility while feeling that you no longer need the logistical benefits provided by ad networks, you can try to sell your ad space directly to advertisers. This option makes it possible for you to establish a higher level of control over the ads posted on your blog. At the same time, you’ll need to be aware of the fact that you are now effectively running the show, which means that reaching advertisers and pitching the idea of posting their ads on your blog is now solely your responsibility. Be prepared to engage in frequent cold contacts with them, as well as deal with their demands related to match your blog’s content with their general marketing orientation.
Source: eMarketer
Finally, if you think the ads shown on your blog are too detached from its content, joining an affiliate marketing program can be another method of earning by posting ads. In this case, you will receive a commission as a share of sales of products offered by the affiliate partners on your blog. In other words, you will get paid a percentage if your blog successfully refers visitors to the company that offers advertised products or services. Commissions are based on the value of sales of the items that you recommend to your audience with highly variable rates.
There are numerous quality programs that you can pick from. The likes of ClickBank offer valuable affiliate program options for various products, with payout rates going up to 75% of the earnings for top affiliates. Some of the alternate choices include Rakuten Marketing, Commission Junction, Share-a-Sale and others. Make sure to check the popular Amazon Affiliate Program as well.
There is a thematic alignment aspect here, as your blog on health and fitness, for example, can become a desired partner for retailers selling food supplements, dietary books or exercise machines. If your blog is relevant to what these advertisers offer, this model can be turned into a desirable source of revenues for your web asset while demanding little in terms of marketing efforts and resources.
At the end of the day, your safest course of action in becoming a pro who makes money from posting ads is to approach this process as a viable business model which is an indispensable part of your overall web monetization efforts. The key aspect that an established blogger has to take into account relates to the need to carefully study each facet of all of described approaches. The line separating the path to success from the gutter is thin, but fusing the willingness to experiment with an eagle eye for monitoring outcomes remains an unbeatable combo.
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