Blogging can bring more reward than just intrinsic self-fulfillment. What kind of reward? Money. The real revenue, though, is often rewarded only after a marathon of determination and hard work.

The point is you can generate income when you combine your passion for blogging with a working strategy and consistent effort. Put yourself in the shoes of the 5K runner who’s eager to push himself harder to conquer a marathon. Now imaging your move from being a humble blogger to a successful entrepreneur by training your site to be a lucrative moneymaker.

Getting Ready To Monetize Your Blog

Novice runners and first-time marathoners don’t cross the finish line without consistent weekly training. Without the proper preparation, a runner could fail to finish and may even develop an injury.

As an Internet entrepreneur, you wouldn’t want to risk your website’s credibility, integrity and financial stability by trying to monetize your site before it’s ready. How will you know when your blog is ready? These are some of the indicators:

• Impressive Google Analytics stats
• A community of loyal readers
• Superior hosting
• A properly functioning and well-designed site.

Keep reading to evaluate what kind of shape your site is in.

Solid platform:

Just like a quality pair of running shoes are necessary for safe running technique, your site needs a quality foundation for proper operation. Investing in a hosting account is first and foremost, advises Search Engine Journal. Reliable, hosting services like Mozy, Liquid Web, or HostGator prevent your site from being vulnerable to attacks and ensure dependable uptime and secure backup. Also, your site’s design should reflect your brand and attract your target demographic.

SEO:

An irrelevant blog hidden in the shadows of the virtual universe isn’t attractive for business, readership, or Google ranking. Optimizing your blog with healthy links and keywords keeps it relevant and boosts search engine results. Avoid allowing your site to become static by updating content weekly to generate regular inbound links.

Content:

Publishing and promoting valuable and informative content is a commitment, just as no one said running 24 miles a week is easy. Instead, it’s about consistency and keeping your eye on the prize. Focus on creating a content strategy for excellent user experiences, incoming traffic and a loyal community. Connections with users, brands and products start with content, according to The Guardian’s Media Network, and “content is the ethos.” When you execute a robust content strategy, the body of your site will transform into money-making shape.

The Fiscal Starting Line

After evaluating that your site is adequately prepared to make some money, it’s time to start getting excited because you’re at nearing profit starting line. Here are some ways to monetize your blog mile after mile during your marathon of monetizing.

Affiliate Marketing & Advertising:

Now that you’ve got an established and trusted site, you can engage in an affiliate marketing program. Without pushing readers, enlighten them about products and services you like and support. Search Engine Journal recommends that you offer a products and service resource page and promote affiliate products using your email subscriber list. You can also earn commissions through Amazon or eBay affiliations, too. In addition, PageCafe Internet Consulting, Inc. suggests that you blog about products or highlight them with a sidebar feature.

Merchandising:

Everyone could use a little more money. But how can we do that without sounding “sellsey”? Sell products or services within your specific niche that meet a specific need and are designed for your blog’s target market. If you love it, there’s a good chance your readers will too.

You can also boost sales and earn commissions by signing up with organizations like CJ Affiliate or Shareasale to help you partner up with affiliate programs. A site remodel may also be necessary to accommodate a shopping cart module and/or e-commerce add-ons.

Ad Space & Content Opportunities:

Once you’ve trained hard to acquire healthy traffic (10,000 unique visitors a month is a good measurement). You can sell your community of followers to advertisers. At this point, it’s best to ease into advertising with Google AdSense placeholder ads or some of the other reputable third-party advertising platforms like Chitika and Bidvertiser. Some blogs offer guest blogging and fee-based memberships to bring in some extra cash.

If you have questions about any of the above, feel free to contact The Sherwood Group, Graphic Design & Website Design.

Author: Mark Madison. Mark is an SEO expert for a small marketing firm and an avid snowboarder.

Also, if you’re thinking of getting a blog started to generate more business and increase your credibility, contact us to discuss the details. We can help you make this an easy process.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to check out these others:

Why Should You Care About Starting A Blog?
Email Marketing: How to Keep Your Messages Out of Your Customer’s Spam Box
200 of Google’s Website Ranking Factors [Infographic]
Combining Blogging and Social Media into a Truly Effective Strategy
5 Ways You Can Benefit By Using LinkedIn
How To Amp Up Your Visibility With Facebook

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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