I know there is always a bit of controversy surrounding monetizing your blog.
You either are for it or you hate it.
Personally? I love it.
It’s no secret that my blog is monetized. I try to be as upfront about it as I can so people can make the decision themselves about whether they want to click my links (please do!) or not.
Monetizing my blog allows me to get paid for doing something I love. It allows me to get paid for something that takes time away from my family. It allows me to get paid for helping a store get a sale, or a sign-up or simply helping get a site NOTICED!
I decided early on that I wouldn’t ever promote anything I:
A. Wouldn’t take advantage of myself (not to say I take advantage of every deal I post…I’m not made of money!)
B. Wouldn’t fit in with my own moral standards (for instance, you’ll never see me promote anything that is illegal!)
C. Would be considered spammy or unhelpful to my readers.
My goal is to enrich your life by providing deals, access to special offers and links to coupons…and I get paid a bit for it. I’m not ashamed of it. I own it, and it works for me.
Now, am I making enormous wads of cash doing this? Absolutely not. I know there are people that make 6 figures blogging. I am certainly not one of them! Do I even make a living? No, not by any stretch of the imagination.
In time though? I do hope to earn enough to allow me to work from home even after my children are in school so I can be more available to them. Every time a reader supports my efforts, I get a step closer to that goal.
I think because I am so upfront about my affiliations and have my disclaimer right at the bottom of all of my posts, I get a lot of emails asking HOW I monetize my blog.
Here are a few links to companies I am affiliated with:
- Google Adsense-If you have a blog, this is the easiest ad network you can sign up with.
- ShopHer– I don’t use this affiliate network that often, but often when I link to a coupon, I use their coupon printing links.
- Commission Junction– a network with Best Buy, Restaurant.com, Torrid, etc
- Linkshare– Toys R Us, Itunes, Walmart, etc
- Amazon Affiliate – This is my favorite! Who doesn’t love Amazon? It’s actually really easy to make money as an Amazon affiliate just by sharing the things you love.
- RewardStyle – RewardStyle can be a bit tough to get into for a new influencer, but it’s worth it!
- ShareASale – I love ShareASale for online retailers such as Jane and Proozy. I link to the great deals on these sites on a regular basis and ShareASale helps make this a win/win for me and my readers!
Looking for more resources on starting a blog and monetizing a blog? Click the links below!
I think it is just fine to monetize your blog. I have very few ads on mine because I'm just starting out. Thank you for posting the companies you use. I will be checking them out to see if they would be a good fit for my blog.
That's great Ashley! I think if done right, a monetized blog can benefit everyone. Reader and author!
Thanks so much for sharing that info!! I appreciate it! I am a new follower! Would love for you to check out my blog and follow back!
Thanks Heather,these are great suggestions that I will certainly be checking out. Definitely going to follow your blog…I love saving money as much as making money:)
This blog post came just at the right time as I've just decided to start monetizing my maths blog. I'm redesigning my site to make space for a few block ads but in the meantime, I've put a 468 x 60 ad at the bottom of a few posts. What positioning and size of ad have you found to work best for you?
The ad right up on the top left works really really well for me. Since we read left to right, it gets seen pretty early on!
The ones between my posts do okay, but not as well. I find the larger ads seem to work better for me 250×250 and 768×60 (I am not 100% positive on those #'s!). When I had my blog redesigned, I lost the top ad space above my header. That did pretty well for me as a banner ad, but I don't know how to get it back!
Thanks for the advice, Heather, on monetizing your blog. I have book marked it.
Interesting…I always wondered how this works. Good info!
I'm like Amy. I always wondered how this works. Thanks for linking up with Saturday Sampling. You've got your self a follower in me – because it will take me some time to learn everything you're explaining!
If you have a chance – stop by my blog. My contribution to Saturday Sampling is from my resurrected original blogspot. I'm hoping to gain some followers. I'm #15 – Hearten Soul For You http://heartensoul4u.blogspot.com
Glad I could help Amy and Sharon. If you have any other questions, shoot me an email. It can be confusing to start out!
I'll come check out your blog Sharon!