{"id":2531,"date":"2015-02-17T12:04:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T06:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.adpushup.com\/blog\/?p=2531"},"modified":"2024-01-16T15:17:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T09:47:30","slug":"monetize-blog-newbies-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Monetize Your Blog: A Newbie\u2019s Guide","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Okay, so you want to make money from your blog.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that you\u2019re in great company\u2014there are many professional bloggers out there who have turned blogging into their full-time job. Heck, some even earn six-figure incomes. So you know it\u2019s not a goal that can\u2019t be achieved; there may be hiccups along the way, it may not buy you an Aston Martin DB9 in six months, but making money is fairly in the realm of possibility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Consider this post your detailed, step-by-step guide on how to monetize your blog<\/strong>. We\u2019ll start with the basics, and then move over to discussing strategies, understanding online advertising jargon and lingo, useful tools and services, and advice from industry experts.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Building_a_strong_foundation\" >Building a strong foundation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Create_a_content_plan\" >Create a content plan<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Choose_the_right_platform\" >Choose the right platform<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Invest_in_great_design\" >Invest in great design<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Focus_on_gaining_traffic\" >Focus on gaining traffic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#How_to_monetize_your_blog\" >How to monetize your blog<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Sign_up_for_PPC_or_CPM_advertising\" >Sign up for PPC or CPM advertising<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Sell_your_own_ads\" >Sell your own ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Join_an_affiliate_program\" >Join an affiliate program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Accept_sponsored_posts_and_articles\" >Accept sponsored posts and articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Generate_leads_for_businesses\" >Generate leads for businesses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Sell_products_and_services\" >Sell products and services<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Run_full_page_or_mobile_interstitial_ads\" >Run full page or mobile interstitial ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Set_up_in-text_advertising\" >Set up in-text advertising<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Use_related_content_services\" >Use related content services<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/#Do_what_the_experts_are_doing\" >Do what the experts are doing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_a_strong_foundation\"><\/span><strong>Building a strong foundation<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before we jump into the business of money making, let\u2019s consider a few other important things. Just like a stable building needs a strong foundation, so does a blog. If you skip this stage or don\u2019t give it as much attention as it needs, you won\u2019t succeed, no matter how much effort you put into implementing the actual monetization strategies.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Create_a_content_plan\"><\/span>Create a content plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cFailing to plan is planning to fail,\u201d said author Alan Lakein, and there couldn\u2019t be a more apt way to think about content creation. Spend some time planning your strategy before you fire up the editor and start typing away your masterpiece\u2014it\u2019ll help you save both time and headache later. If you don\u2019t have a plan, you\u2019ll just be throwing things at a wall hoping that something sticks.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few questions to ask yourself &#8211;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What niche am I going to target? (Like fitness, personal finance, psychology, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>What kind of content do they engage with and share the most?<\/li>\n<li>What type of content are other well-established players in the niche creating?<\/li>\n<li>How often am I going to publish? Will I work according to an editorial calendar?<\/li>\n<li>How will I present my content? Lists, how-tos, guides, opinion pieces?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Answering these questions will get you think in a more organized manner about your blog.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve given this some thought, go ahead and create a list of topics that you\u2019re going to cover on your blog\u2014categories basically.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, content on an automotive blog may be divided into the categories cars, bikes, features, DIY maintenance, advice, etc. This will help bring focus into your content creation process and help you avoid making the mistake that so many hobbyist bloggers make\u2014i.e., talking about cheese one day and chalk another.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Choose_the_right_platform\"><\/span>Choose the right platform<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There are a lot of platforms out there when it comes to blogging, perhaps even too many. There\u2019s WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Medium, Svbtle, Quora, Google+, Facebook Notes, Ghost, Squarespace, Typepad, LinkedIn influencers, and more.<\/p>\n<p><b>Let me cut to the chase. <\/b>If you\u2019re serious about blog monetization, your only real option is WordPress. Phew, that wasn\u2019t so bad to hear, was it? More than just a blogging platform, WordPress is a full-fledged content management system.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the most successful blogs and magazines on the Internet such as Ars Technica, Gizmodo, Wired, Techcrunch, The New Yorker, Fortune, Time, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and many more (you get the idea) are powered by WordPress.<\/p>\n<p>The Next Web calls it, \u201cThe big daddy of all blogging platforms.\u201d And for good reason. The level of customization that WordPress allows to its users in the form of themes and plugins is just unparalleled compared to any other platform.<\/p>\n<p>One thing you need to be careful about though, there are two versions of WordPress\u2014one is WordPress.com, which is a freemium version, and the other is WordPress.org, which is the CMS that you can download and setup on your own domain and hosting.<\/p>\n<p>You need to go for the latter. If you already have your blog on another blogging platform, consider moving it to your self-hosted WordPress blog, it\u2019s pretty easy to do with import and export tools.<\/p>\n<p>Be aware, there may be a slight learning curve, or you may just be used to the familiarity of another platform, but once you start getting the hang of it\u2014you\u2019ll never go back to anything else.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Invest_in_great_design\"><\/span>Invest in great design<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Design separates average blogs from great blogs. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to break the bank to hire a top designer to do a custom job for you, there are many out-of-the-box themes in the market that you can buy and then tweak according to your specific needs.<\/p>\n<p>Most such premium themes will cost you somewhere between $40 and $60, which is a pretty good deal. A few good places to look for them are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/themeforest.net\/category\/wordpress\" rel=\"noopener\">ThemeForest<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/wptiger.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">WPTiger<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.elegantthemes.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Elegant Themes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The investment in great design doesn\u2019t just end at the price of the theme though, you will need to invest your time making customization in order to make the theme your own.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t half as difficult as it sounds, especially with all the helpful information out there. Still, if you can\u2019t can\u2019t seem to get your head around it, request a geek friend to help you with understanding the basics like theme appearance, widgets, and plugins to begin with.\u00a0A few things to consider when buying a new theme are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is the theme responsive?<\/li>\n<li>What level of customization does it offer?<\/li>\n<li>Does it support WordPress Menus?<\/li>\n<li>Is the theme widgetized?<\/li>\n<li>How secure is the theme?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In case you need it, here\u2019s a more <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/adsense-optimized-wordpress-theme-features\/\" rel=\"noopener\">detailed guide to the things you need to look for in a WordPress theme<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Focus_on_gaining_traffic\"><\/span>Focus on gaining traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve got your content plan, blogging platform, and design all sorted out, give yourself a high five\u2014you\u2019re well on your way to becoming a problogger.<\/p>\n<p>Now we come to the most important bit, i.e. getting traffic. Making money from blogging is pretty much a pure numbers game. All things being equal, a blog that gets 500,000 unique monthly visitors will earn 10X more ad revenue compared to one that gets 50,000\u2026 it\u2019s really that simple.<\/p>\n<p>So if you want to make a sizable amount of money from blogging, you need to figure out and do what it takes to have a sizable amount of traffic rolling in. But that\u2019s a topic that deserves an entire post in itself, and till the time we get around to writing that post, let\u2019s, for the sake of argument, assume that you already have a sizable amount of traffic coming in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_monetize_your_blog\"><\/span><strong>How to monetize your blog<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Finally, after that essential primer, we come to the information that you came here for. There is not one but many way to monetize your blog, and you\u2019d be much better off using a combination of them instead of using just one. Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sign_up_for_PPC_or_CPM_advertising\"><\/span>Sign up for PPC or CPM advertising<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As the name suggests, pay-per-click (PPC) ad networks pay publishers a certain amount of money for every reader who clicks on an advertisement.<\/p>\n<p>In most cases, you get a code during signup that needs to be inserted on your blog and you\u2019re ready to go, though approval from the network may involve some steps and usually takes a little time.<\/p>\n<p>Almost all professional bloggers use the services of some or the other PPC ad networks as a primary means of generating revenue. Google AdSense is the most widely used PPC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/the-best-ad-networks-for-publishers\/\">ad network<\/a> in the world, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/google-adsense-alternatives-top-11\/\" rel=\"noopener\">though there isn\u2019t a dearth of options<\/a> in the market.<\/p>\n<p>CPM ad networks are similar, but instead of clicks, they pay based on every 1,000 impressions an ad receives\u2014where impression means that the user viewed the ad, even if they didn\u2019t click on it.<\/p>\n<p>Your mileage will vary, both between PPC or CPM and amongst different networks, so you may want to try multiple ones and then settle on the one that works best for you.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sell_your_own_ads\"><\/span>Sell your own ads<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>PPC\/CPM and banner advertising are the same in principle but differ in functionality. Whereas there\u2019s a lot of automation involved in the PPC\/CPM ad serving process, banner advertising gives you more control over it.<\/p>\n<p>It essentially involves selling space on your blog directly in standard banner sizes such as 728&#215;90, 468&#215;60, 120&#215;600, and 160&#215;600. You can sell your own space units by putting it on offer on a page with a media kit, or you can sell it via one of the many banner ad networks on the Internet such as <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/buysellads.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">BuySellAds<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/web.blogads.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Blogads<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1VR3a6b\" rel=\"noopener\">MediaNet<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Join_an_affiliate_program\"><\/span>Join an affiliate program<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Affiliate marketing is a form of performance based marketing where a blogger (\u201caffiliate\u201d) gets paid for a product that is sold through his or her own promotional efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, an affiliate receives a link to the product\u2019s sales page, which they place somewhere on their blog in the form of a link or a review, although other methods such as email marketing, content marketing and in some cases display advertising are also used.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever a reader ends up buying a promoted product, the affiliate earns a commission, which can range from anything between 10% to 70% of the product or service price.<\/p>\n<p>If done right, affiliate marketing can easily become the second largest source of ad revenue for a blogger after display advertising, and often times even surpass it. Some of the most widely used affiliate marketing companies are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cj.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">CJ Affiliate<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clickbank.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">ClickBank<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from these, major retailers such as Amazon and eBay run their own affiliate programs as well.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accept_sponsored_posts_and_articles\"><\/span>Accept sponsored posts and articles<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you have a blog about cars and most of your readers are consequently car enthusiasts. If you have a good amount of traffic, a manufacturer of car performance upgrade kits may be interested in promoting their products on your blog.<\/p>\n<p>One way to go about it could be to place an ad, but that\u2019s not the only way. You could review their products on your blog in exchange for a certain amount of money, or even announce the launch of a new product range.<\/p>\n<p>A form of native advertising, this is a win-win for everybody, you\u2019re providing valuable information to your readers, you\u2019re helping a business market their products, and you\u2019re making money in the process. What\u2019s not to like?<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there has to be some relevant link between your blog\u2019s content and the content of the sponsored post for this to work. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.payperpost.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">PayPerPost<\/a> is one place to find people who are looking to get their posts sponsored.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Generate_leads_for_businesses\"><\/span>Generate leads for businesses<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Lead generation is like affiliate marketing, except you don\u2019t need to sell any product in order to earn money. You just have to generate \u201cleads\u201d. What are leads?<\/p>\n<p>Imagine that you run a blog about guitar lessons, and you have a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cognism.com\/blog\/lead-generation-companies\" rel=\"noopener\">lead generation partnership<\/a> with a manufacturer who sells guitars\u2026 if any of your readers provide their information (such as name, email, phone number etc.) and opt to be contacted by your business partner\u2014that\u2019s a lead. And you can get paid for every lead that you generate.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.maxbounty.com\" rel=\"noopener\">MaxBounty<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/neverblue.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Neverblue<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/peerfly.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">PeerFly<\/a> are a few networks where you can seek such offers.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sell_products_and_services\"><\/span>Sell products and services<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is a great way to supplement your blogging income and diversify. What\u2019s your specialty? Do you blog about yoga? You could consider taking classes. Or you could create an eBook on the subject and sell it for a price. Do you blog about personal finance? You could offer to work as someone\u2019s personal finance adviser or portfolio manager, for the right price. Or you could start a paid email course that teaches people how to build their asset base.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Run_full_page_or_mobile_interstitial_ads\"><\/span>Run full page or mobile interstitial ads<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Interstitial are web pages that are displayed before or after an expected content page, usually for the purpose of display advertising. It has an advantage over other forms of advertising in that it usually commands the full attention of the user. On the other hand, this is also seen by some people as being too obstructive.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the popular opinion about interstitials may be, the fact is that they work\u2014often times much delivering performance much higher than any other type of online advertising. According to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/venturebeat.com\/2013\/08\/09\/interstitial-mobile-ads-are-killing-it-25x-video-views-7x-conversions-9x-revenue\/\" rel=\"noopener\">an article on VentureBeat<\/a>, mobile interstitial ads can drive up to 25X increase in video views, a 7X increase in conversions, and 9X increase in eCPMs. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.admedia.com\" rel=\"noopener\">AdMedia<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tapgage.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">TapAge<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clicksor.com\" rel=\"noopener\">Clicksor<\/a> are just a few companies that let you run interstitial ads.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Set_up_in-text_advertising\"><\/span>Set up in-text advertising<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In-text advertising help publishers generate revenue by converting the text in their pages into paid links to products and services. This isn\u2019t something that you could depend on as a primary source of revenue generation, but if you\u2019re looking to make a little extra money, you could give it a shot.<\/p>\n<p>Although you need to decide whether the money that you earn this way is worth alienating a few users because in-text advertising is generally considered by web usability experts to be misleading way of advertising. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.infolinks.com\/join-us?aid=2573898\" rel=\"noopener\">Infolinks<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vibrantmedia.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Vibrant Media<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.builtintext.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">BuiltinTEXT<\/a> are some in-text ad networks that you could consider using.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_related_content_services\"><\/span>Use related content services<b><br \/>\n<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Showing related content under your posts is a great way to monetize your blog below the fold. A related content service will typically scan the text on a page, and then recommend similar stories from all over the Internet\u2014once a user clicks on an external story, you get paid by that publisher for the traffic that you just sent their way.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a simple system that works without making the user feel like they\u2019re being shortchanged in some way or are being bombarded with irrelevant advertisements. The main players in related content monetization are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.outbrain.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Outbrain<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.taboola.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Taboola<\/a>, and they both operate on a similar model except for one small difference.<\/p>\n<p>While Outbrain filters the content recommendations to maintain a higher level of quality, Taboola, instead of filtering links, lets users offer feedback on what recommendations they don&#8217;t like.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In conclusion, this is not an exhaustive list of strategies, but it is enough to get a beginner started into the world of blog monetization.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind, it\u2019s never a good idea to sacrifice your blog\u2019s user experience in order to earn a few more bucks.<\/p>\n<p>While all the strategies discussed above are great in their own right, if you try to implement all of them at the same time, there\u2019s a good chance that your pages might end up looking like a hot mess.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, begin with one or two, and once you see some success with them, add others gradually into your mix.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_what_the_experts_are_doing\"><\/span><strong>Do what the experts are doing<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s a great thing to have the enthusiasm to want to make apple pie from scratch, but if you have a professional chef\u2019s recipe at hand, you just save yourself days and weeks of trials and error experiments.<\/p>\n<p>Same goes with blog monetization. Instead of trying to figure out everything on your own, why not use the knowledge of people who have been there, done that? Here are a few amazing nuggets of monetization advice that\u2019ll help you see results faster, with less legwork.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;When it comes to squeezing the most out of monetizing your blog what\u2019s most important is that you choose more than one income stream. You need to have multiple methods of generating income to fulfill\u00a0relevant needs your visitors are looking for. You never want to put all of your eggs in one basket in any situation. This applies to monetization as well.&#8221; \u2014 Matt Banner of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.onblastblog.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">On Blast Blog<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI prefer to sell my own products because you always sell more of something you created yourself, plus there is wonderful sense of fulfilment when you sell something you created. It\u2019s the dream of an artist or writer to make a living from their own craft, which is what I get to do today as a blogger, and recommend all other professional bloggers focus on too.\u201d \u2014 Yaro Starak of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneurs-journey.com\/\">Entrepreneurs Journey<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to our research, the bloggers who reach six figures in revenue the fastest begin with some type of coaching or consulting service. Unlike creating courses or writing an e-book, there\u2019s no preparation. You can decide to start selling coaching services and have your first client by this evening.\u201d \u2014 Jon Morrow of <a href=\"http:\/\/boostblogtraffic.com\/\">Boost Blog Traffic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy favorite way to monetize my blog is to create inspired, in-depth content. I relish publishing helpful, long, inspired blog posts to help my audience because hey; your content is the most important blog monetization tool, or strategy. The channels vary, but you proving that you know your stuff, through the free content you share, is what puts money in your pocket.\u201d \u2014 Ryan Biddulph of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloggingfromparadise.com\/\">Blogging from Paradise<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy favorite thing is to grow a mailing list around a tightly targeted niche by buying traffic through ad placements on relevant sites, or guest posting on relevant topics. My aim is to make my guest posts on authoritative sites rank on Google for at least 5 years so I get a constant stream of referrals.\u201d \u2014 Ramsay Taplin of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtyrant.com\/\">Blog Tyrant<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI earn commission from reviewing products, creating tutorials, and recommending products I use. I used to dislike this method because I wasn\u2019t sure how to do it properly. I thought it was super complicated\u2026until I watched how the pros do it, and figured how to actually work it. It may seem hard at first but once you learn how it works, it\u2019s a lot fun and you\u2019ll be amazed at how simple it is. Sure, it may take a lot of work, but it\u2019s worth it.\u201d \u2014 Pauline Cabrera of <a href=\"http:\/\/startbloggingonline.com\/\">Start Your Blog Online<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSelling my copy writing and digital marketing services works great for me. That\u2019s my main form of income and has been for the last 17 years. It earns me more than all my other forms of blogging income, it\u2019s a service my readers need and it gives me job security. I don\u2019t really like the advertising model. Although it\u2019s a great way to supplement blogging income I wouldn\u2019t want to earn all my income that way.\u201d \u2014 Annabel Candy of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.successfulblogging.com\/\">Successful Blogging<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI use a mix of AdSense, affiliate marketing and selling my own products. In fact this is the first rule I try to follow: diversification. If you rely on a single source of income your risk of getting in trouble is too high. As far as advertising goes I think AdSense is still the best option, as their rates tend to be the best in the market, and the payments are always accurate and timely.\u201d \u2014 Daniel Socco of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailyblogtips.com\/\">Daily Blogging Tips<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What kind of success are you currently seeing with your monetization efforts? What are the challenges that you\u2019re facing? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>Image by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/76657755@N04\/\" class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Tax Credits's photostream\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"25\">Tax Credits<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Okay, so you want to make money from your blog. The good news is that you\u2019re in great company\u2014there are many professional bloggers out there who have turned blogging into their full-time job. Heck, some even earn six-figure incomes. So you know it\u2019s not a goal that can\u2019t be achieved; there may be hiccups along<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":18,"featured_media":2542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\""},"categories":[6447],"tags":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v18.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Monetize Your Blog: A Newbie\u2019s Guide | Adpushup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you&#039;re looking to learn how to monetize your blog, start here\u2014from setting up a good foundation to advice from industry experts, we&#039;ve got you covered.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/monetize-blog-newbies-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How To Monetize Your Blog: A Newbie\u2019s Guide | Adpushup\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"If you&#039;re looking to learn how to monetize your blog, start here\u2014from setting up a good foundation to advice from industry experts, we&#039;ve got you covered.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/7214510228_1096e5a758.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adpushup\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adpushup\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shubham Grover\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"AdPushup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adpushup\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AdPushup\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/adpushup\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdPushup-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdPushup-logo.png\",\"width\":3294,\"height\":893,\"caption\":\"AdPushup\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.adpushup.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"AdPushup Blog\",\"description\":\"A\/B Testing, Monetization &amp; 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