Money, Money, Money… That’s what most people have in mind when starting a website or a blog but is there real money in blogs?
A recent study by a British blogger on Adsonblogs finds that 35% of the top blogs have no Adsense, no donation buttons or any other way to make money. It’s possible to assume that some of the blogs are used are promotional tools only and others simply aren’t in business at all.
according to Mike Reardon,
There is a more secure income in plastic bottles in the mall, or sitting with a
cup in front of the market.
But some people claim they make Six Figures from blogging. So it’s worth a shot to list the potential sources of income.
How to make money from blogs
- Adsense – the google ads are popping out like mushrooms after the rain but do people really click on them? In many cases, people that snoop around are not interested on shopping usually but google’s sophisticated Adsense adapt to the content on the page. There are many services out there that can teach you how to incorporate the ads to your site and save you the learning curve.
- Donations – Services like PayPal or Amazon are using the honor system etc. The chances that someone will donate are slim, but hey – at least you are giving the opportunity. Side note: I noticed that many sites with a large number of members set up goals. A targetfor example “help us reach $1000 for the new search” and it works for them.
- Books – Come up with a recommended library in one big post with all the books you’d would like to read or have read and encourage reviews and suggestions for additions via the comments. All books will be linked by Amazon affiliate links. This actually works sometimes and it’s easy to apply.
- Other Online Ads – I recommend blogads but you need to reach a critical mass to carry ads -for advertisers find us a very cost-effective way or reaching a very specific audience and you make money by hosting the ads.
- Merchandise. blogs are quickly becoming brand names. Cafepress is a great service that will make t-shirts, mugs, posters and what not with your site logo on it. I will implement it soon with the new logo and site design that I’m about to launch, but for those of you with an established crowd of readers – it’s worth a shot. If you don’t get any sales you can always give it to your family for Christmas.
- eMiniMalls– Services like chitika offer you a chance to place a “sophisticated” ad on your site. MiniMalls are more informative than other ads, and it’s possible to catch good deals through them.
- Learn your crowd. So, everybody is selling ipods these days, but is it really what your crowd is looking for? You can ask them. Online surveys like Surveymonkey can make the task really easy if you have a news letter.
- Content is KING. it’s been said over and over again, but the post wouldn’t be accurate without it. Write about something that you are passionate about and will drive people, and more people = more clicks. Read blogs, subscribe to newsletters and get inspiration constantly. I often find myself talking to a colleague and than sitting down to take notes.
- Affiliate programs. These programs operate as B2B. The purpose is to transform readers into shoppers and there are many out there: Amazon, ClickBank, Linkshare and more.
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Sell your Blog. the ultimate wet dream of a blogger is to do “Blog Flipping”. Selling your blog is not an easy task, but it’s certainly possible. The other side of the coin is buying Blogs from others. Get a blog that is doing well by producing steady revenue from ads, and build up from its current point. (Relax, mine is not for sale).
Critics will say that blogs should not be used to advertise in. That people visit a blog to get information and the ads are like the annoying people handing you flyers in the mall. In my opinion blogs have incredible potential and the market is still trying to figure out how to use them. I’m interested to hear your opinion on blog revenues. I’d like to hear from any bloggers who are making money and others that are failing to. What works? Help compile the ultimate How To guide on blog revenue.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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