Ask nearly anyone that has never created a blog or website, and they will probably tell you that it is impossible, or at least “too good to be true” to make a living publishing content through blogs. Even though you want to tell them that it is possible, you might not be able to if your earnings are not at the level you want them to be.
There are a few simple ways to ensure that your earnings increase proportionally with your traffic, links, and subscribers.
#1. Make sure that you are focusing on a single topic.
When you focus on more than one topic, or subjects outside of your main niche, you begin to get into the grounds of where your visitors don’t know what to expect each day. One day, you could be talking about blogging, where the next you are reviewing your favorite TV show. They really aren’t related, no matter how hard you try to explain to your readers that they are.
#2. Your ads aren’t related to your content.
Even though many ads are placed through third party networks (AdSense, for one), you don’t have too much control over which ads are displayed when they are generated from your content (contextual).
Despite the fact that you want to “accept” all advertisers who want to place an advertisement on your blog, you have to realize that some might not be completely relevant to your readers and some may even compete against your blog. In this case, you may need to reject an ad or two, but you have to be aware that these advertisers will likely never return.
#3. Where are your ads placed?
Before you can even begin looking at where to place your ads, you should look at a heat map or click path that visitors follow when browsing your site. Based on the findings from this, adjust where your ads are placed and where your content is.
It might be contrary to popular belief, but placing content “out of reach” can help you increase earnings, as visitors are now diverted to clicking solely on your ads, then clicking on additional content.
#4. What are you providing to your readers?
This is a popular question that you should ask yourself at times when you begin to notice decreases in traffic or revenue. When you say “content,” you should think about changing your focus. Advertisers look for something unique that you can offer, whether that is a high conversion rate, a high number of subscribers compared to traffic, or services that you offer in addition to content.
#5. Increase your site’s traffic.
Not easy for some, increasing a site’s traffic could take some time. The more traffic you get, or the more high-quality traffic you receive, the more likely a visitor is to click on an ad. Additionally, if your ads are targeted towards your visitors, they will be more inclined to click on them, if you offer CPC advertising.
#6. Diversify your revenue sources.
Focusing solely on AdSense earnings won’t help you in the long-term, unless you are able to quadruple your traffic each month, which is nearly impossible. Add affiliate links to your content through reviews, banner images in your sidebar linking to the program, or include them in your feed’s footer. Although many frown upon this form of advertising, it is one of the easiest to make money from, and you are getting free traffic form your blog flowing to the pages.
Conclusion
Everyone’s blog is different, so there could be underlying problems that eliminate some of the potential from your earnings. You have to think about why your visitors aren’t clicking on ads, why advertisers aren’t finding your site, and other reasons that might affect your earnings. At the end of the day, you have to realize that blogs take more work to maintain and keep active than a traditional static website, but can see more benefits over the course of your blog’s lifespan.
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