As a blog owner, you have a platform to monetize. Of course, some bloggers do not think of their site as a means to make money. Instead, they treat it more as a means to express themselves and find an audience to connect with.
On the other hand, if there is money to be made, then why not do that so long as the monetization does not affect the content quality and other aspects that make your blog popular?
In certain cases, bloggers even go as far as adding multiple monetization methods to maximize profits, though it can backfire. If someone visits a blog and notices a clear pattern of the blogger trying to make money instead of focusing on content quality, it will not take too long before this visitor leaves the blog.
Having said all that, if blog monetization is on your mind and you are uncertain where to start, consider the methods mentioned below.
Custom Merchandise
It is likely that your blog has a logo or other distinguishable brand elements, such as a slogan. If so, you can put these brand elements on custom merchandise that you can sell to your fans.
From comfortable tank tops and t-shirts to face masks and mugs, there are a lot of different products that you can potentially use.
There is no need to really change the structure of your blog if you wish to sell custom merchandise. Creating a separate category on the website and properly naming it should be enough. Or you can have a simple banner on the side that redirects users to the merchandise store’s landing page.
You do not have to bother with starting an eCommerce store from scratch to sell merchandise. These days, the process is simplified thanks to marketplaces like Amazon that let you set up a simple merchandise page and start selling right away.
Guest Posting
The problem with guest posting is that you need to be careful about who you let publish content on your blog. You do not want to ruin the content quality on your blog, right? Therefore, even if someone offers a lot of money to publish a guest post, make sure that it meets the standards of your blog.
Some people interested in building backlinks might also be fine with inserting a link to an already published article on your site. It is simpler than an entire article. However, similar to the article quality, you need to be wary of links that you might insert.
If you pick guest posting as a monetization option, make sure to create a separate category on the blog that describes the requirements for potentially interested parties who wish to get a backlink on your blog.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate marketing is still a popular monetization method. Amazon and other affiliate programs give access to various products that one can promote.
The idea is pretty simple. If someone clicks on an affiliate link, they get redirected to a landing page that asks to download, install, or purchase something. So long as the cookies are active and this person completes the call to action, you get a commission for each successful conversion.
Be careful with spamming your blog with too many affiliate links. Do not make it too obvious because readers will identify your intent and might not be as interested in reading the blog after.
Ad Networks
Considering how many different monetization methods there are, it might be for the best to avoid ad networks.
For one, ads on websites are quite annoying for a visitor. Not to mention that they sometimes slow down the website’s loading speed. That is why more and more people are installing ad blockers on their internet browsers, making ads obsolete.
Nevertheless, if you can find a decent ad network that you believe is worth having on your blog, you can give it a go and see how the ads perform on your blog. If nothing else, disappointing results mean that you can simply plug the plug and stick to other ways to monetize the blog. You must add quality content to your site and relevant articles.
Crowdfunding Platforms
Thanks to Patreon and other crowdfunding platforms, content creators do not need to clutter their sites or video channels with unnecessary advertising to make money.
No, putting monetization in the hands of your audience is a common approach. You create a page on a crowdfunding platform and advertise it as a primary source of income.
Sure, for some bloggers, it might be easier to succeed from this method. There usually needs to be an incentive to attract more support. Various perks, such as custom merch or early access to content, are some of the best examples of perks content creators utilize to make more on crowdfunding sites.
