Article by Steve Nichols
Yes, you have read the headline correctly – it is now possible to make money with blogs.
Until recently, a blog was something that was perhaps a little self-indulgent, but definitely not a money-spinner.
Now you can link a Google AdSense account to your blog. Adsense will then pay you every time someone clicks on one of the display ads at the top of your latest post.
This is incredibly easy to integrate with a blogging service like Blogspot, but there are a few hints and tips. The first is to make sure that your blog is worth reading in the first place. Blogs that are entertaining work well, as do blogs that educate or inform.
My own blog at http://infotechcomms.blogspot.com/ is called TechNotes and helps people get the most out of technology. The idea is to ensure that people keep coming back on a regular basis and tell their friends too.
You can also make sure that the blog is available as an RSS feed. Again, this can be set up automatically with some blogging systems like Blogspot.
So once you have visitors how do you convert that to cash? Google Adsense pays you money in exchange for being allowed to publish paid-for ads on your blog. The clever thing is that the ads are related to what you write about. If used correctly they can both enhance your site and make you money.
So how does it work? Google automatically provides you with its AdSense code. Then, Google automatically “reads” your blog and decides on the best ads to display.
It uses a sophisticated algorithm that includes such factors as keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the blog.
If a visitor clicks on one of the ads they get taken to the advertiser’s web page and you get paid cash – easy!
Well, not quite. First you must have a site with plenty of visitors, otherwise it isn’t worth the effort. Secondly, your page must be set up in such a way that Google stands a chance of working out what you are trying to promote or sell. In essence, you need to look at your article title and initial copy to make sure that Google matches the right ads to your blog.
For example, on my blog, I wrote about digital photography. I made sure that the article title included the term – in this case “Improve your digital photography in five seconds”. Then I made sure that the words “digital camera” appeared in the first sentence and voila, Google threw up ads for digital cameras.
Don’t expect to earn a fortune though. Google is a bit cagey about its ad rates, but you typically earn a few cents per click.
On the downside, the very nature of Google Adsense means that users navigate away from your site, which may not be in your best interests, but Adsense is worth trying.
About the Author
Steve Nichols TechNotes blog is at http://infotechcomms.blogspot.com/ and is described as a regular ramble that tries to demystify technology and help people get to grips with new-fangled gizmos, such as the internet, streaming audio/video, DTP and digital imaging. You can get it via RSS at http://infotechcomms.blogspot.com/atom.xml