How to Monetize a Personal Blog

Although the spotlight is currently on blogs focusing on social media marketing, content marketing, and similar subjects, personal blogs are alive and kicking. There was a time when the idea that Facebook was killing personal blogging was being thrown about, but there are still many personal blogs out there; and while not everyone does not have monetization as the main goal, there is always that bonus if you want it. So why not monetize your personal blog while you’re at it?

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If you have a personal blog, and you want to monetize it, here are things you can do.

Google AdSense

For many, Google AdSense is the first step. Once you have your design and content plan down, install Google AdSense.

However, understand that making money doesn’t stop at installing Google AdSense and placing ad block units. You need lots of traffic. You need to try different placements in order to see what works best.

Here is a good article on tips to make good use of Google AdSense.

Sell advertising space.

While you can earn from Google AdSense, you can also add to those earnings by selling advertising space. Here is an example.

A couple of things to think about:

• You need good stats to get the interest of advertisers – unique views, page/domain authority, etc.
• If you don’t want to “sell your soul”, don’t accept just any advertiser that comes along. Get in bed only with reputable and related advertisers. This will also give more credibility to your blog.

You can also work with advertising networks, which work as intermediaries. Depending on their requirements, you can sell advertising for your blog via these networks. A popular platform is BuySellAds. (Note: they will keep a percentage of what you earn.)

Join Affiliate Programs

There are many affiliate programs you can join. Amazon.com Associates is one of the most popular and easy to join. It covers a wide variety of products, so you can specify what kinds of products you want to highlight.

Practically all sites offering premium WordPress themes have affiliate programs as well, so you can consider that, especially if your personal blog runs on WordPress and you write about the platform, too. Here are more options for affiliate programs.

Tip:It’s good practice to disclose to your readers that you may use affiliate links in your posts.

Sponsored Posts

This is a tricky one, as there is some stigma associated with the term, but it doesn’t have to be a negative thing. If you think about it, it’s just a different kind of advertising. Again, your blog has to be established with a decent amount of traffic before you can attract quality offers for sponsored posts. Also, make the disclosure that the post is sponsored – loud and clear.

Sell Yourself

That doesn’t sound quite the way I wanted to, but it simply means selling your services. For example, you are a blogger for hire, you can use your personal blog to showcase your work. Your personal writing can be a testament of the quality of your work.

For all of the above, make sure that whatever you do, everything is above board and that you won’t get into any legal trouble because of your activities and/or earnings. Personal blogs can be started just for fun, but they can also be a source of income if you want them to.

This post is by Pasadena divorce lawyer specialists, Khalaf Law Group.