Easy, Effective Ways to Promote Your Blog

You may be content to post a few blog entries and only have them read by yourself and and your friends. However, if one of your goals as a blogger is to earn a little money, then you definitely need to attract more traffic, and that means promoting your blog online. People need to be able to find your blog before they can visit and click on your beautifully-placed Adsense or Widgetbucks ads. Unfortunately, most new bloggers don’t know much about promoting a blog. However, it doesn't take long to learn the basics of good blog promotion. With just a little effort, you can spread the word about your terrific new blog, get it linked to by other blogs, get it recognized and trusted by search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing) and increase your blog traffic. The nine techniques below are all easy and free, and will definitely increase traffic to your blog. --Mia

1. Building Search Engine Traffic Takes Time

New blogs generally take two to six months before they gain enough trust from search engines to produce any type of significant flow of traffic. Blogs come and go every day, so you have to demonstrate that you are a stable source of content before a search engine will trust you enough to send traffic your way. Many new bloggers get discouraged before the search engines recognize them, but if you're reading this, then you are probably more persistent. That's good. Just keep posting while the search engines learn to trust you. You don't have to manually submit your blog search engines any more. They will find you.

2. Quality Content is Essential

Building a blog that is search engine-friendly is critical if you want to maximize search traffic, so take care of that from the start and focus on creating great content that others will talk about and link to. Great content means posts that are relatively free from spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Yes, the Google software that crawls your pages notices these things and they do indeed count. You also need to write more than one or two words-- aim for at least 50-100 words per post. After all, the search engines need something to crawl and match ads to.

3. Not All Traffic Is Equal

No two sources of traffic are quite the same. My colleagues and I get a good percentage of our blog traffic through social media, but social media traffic is generally less responsive and less likely to stick around than visitors from most other sources. Focusing on numbers alone without considering other information can cause a bit of an illusion. Sure, lots of visitors is great, but are they leaving after being on the blog for 30 seconds and never returning?

Search engine traffic (search results from Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) is highly sought after because these visitors are actively looking for what you have to offer. Also, visitors who are referred from another blog will generally be more responsive since they have been recommended by someone they trust. Every source of traffic has pros and cons, so try to take these things into consideration when you are promoting your blog and watching the flow of traffic. I recommend using Feedjit widgets like the ones in the right side-bar of this blog to keep an eye on your blog traffic. The widgets can show you what sites are referring visitors to your blog, what search terms they use, how long they stay, what they read, and where they go when they leave.

4. Consistent Posting Is Key

Most bloggers need to keep publishing new posts in order to keep traffic at a certain level. Some bloggers are able to generate large amounts of search engine traffic to older posts to the point that traffic will be fairly sustained without new posts, but this is pretty rare. New posts keep subscribers coming back, they keep social media votes coming, and they keep adding new pages to search engine indexes.

Posting consistently doesn’t mean that you have to post every day, it simply means that you need to publish content on a somewhat regular basis, whatever that may be. Almost every blog that successfully draws traffic is publishing new posts with some consistency. Choose a time of day or days of the week so regular followers of your blog know when to expect something new.

5. Traffic is Inconsistent

Although posting needs to be consistent to keep traffic levels up, that doesn’t mean that it will keep traffic levels consistent. Don't worry about it. Every blog has ups and downs and two days are rarely the same. This is the nature of the Internet. Just enjoy the times when traffic is high, and keep on plugging away to get through the slower times.

6. Try to Attract Repeat Visitors and Followers

Yes, it’s great to see an impressive number of unique visitors arriving at your blog, but how many of them will come back tomorrow? Repeat visitors and RSS feed subscribers are the lifeblood of blogs.

Repeat visitors will not only help to improve your overall traffic flow and stats, more importantly they will be your most responsive visitors in terms of comments, social media votes, sales, and just about anything else. As they keep coming back and reading your blog, you will earn more of their trust, tell their friends, and your network will grow.

7. Links, Links, and More Links

Building inbound links is a priority for most bloggers, and for good reason. They drive click-through traffic from other blogs, increase your exposure around the blogosphere, and they help to boost your search engine rankings. Try exchanging links with other bloggers (I'll link to yours if you link to mine...hehe). Getting a few links from respected blogs can help with search engine traffic, but the added credibility that you get can be just as important, especially for newer bloggers.

8. Know Your Google Page Rank

Although the competition is heating up, Google still rules the Internet, so knowing how Google rates your blog is vital to understanding how search engine traffic is being sent to you blog...or not being sent to your blog, as the case may be. Check your Google Page Rank for free HERE.

9. Submit Your Blog to Blog Directories for Free

When your blog is a few months old and has plenty of content that you are proud to call your own, list your blog for free on blog directories such as Technorati, Blog Search Engine, and Blogdigger. Next, submit each of your posts to Digg.com or Dropjack.com. Remember, inbound links get new visitors to drop by, but attractive and high-quality content keeps them coming back for more

What is Widgetbucks and Does It Work?

WidgetBucks heralds itself as the ultimate Google AdSense alternative. The system inserts "dynamic ads that cycle through a handful of products in real-time, while displaying those products star ratings, descriptions and best prices."

I am not currently using Wedgetbucks on any of my blogs or websites, but it seemed worth investigating. Widgetbucks created a stir around the webmaster community with its aggressive, anti-AdSense advertising campaign, and promise of high click payoffs. But does it work?

With WidgetBucks, your income structure is based on pay-per-click, where you are paid for each click made on an ad by a legitimate website visitor. You do not earn anything for conversions, or products sold as a result of those clicks. The main thing about Widgetbucks ads is that they dynamically cycle through a list of products that you select, rather than showing a static ad that only changes with a page refresh. Widgetbucks ad code uses Javascript to generate its Adobe Flash-based ads.

Widgetbucks is a legitimate company, and is managed by the Mpire Corporation. "WidgetBucks is created by Mpire Corporation...Founded in 2005, Mpire is backed by Ignition Partners and former eBay executive and Pay Pal angel investor Richard Rock."

Widgetbucks officially launched on October 2, 2007. The first-ever round of payments have successfully been reported by Widgetbucks publishers during the first week of December 2007. The average waiting period for the first payment was approximately 45 days.

Adsense ads and Widgetbucks ads can coexist on the same page, so you are welcome to use both on your blog.

So is it worth using? Here is Squidoo has to say about that:

"Widgetbucks is a great alternative publishers' program for anyone looking to jazz up their blog or site with a graphical, ever-changing ad that displays multiple products. Note that it is not for those looking to blend ads with the rest of their site - these ads do scream "I'm an ad!", so - other tactics should be assessed for your website(s). Widgetbucks is a good alternative for AdSense users suffering from penny clicks. Even at the minimum, I was earning $0.07 per click for a video site that was previously earning penny clicks with AdSense. Widgetbucks' contextual option struggles, for the most part (it's the option that looks at your page, and displays items that it thinks would be most relevant). Selecting your own categories is highly recommended. Note that some Widgetbucks users complain about how Widgetbucks ads will slow down the load time of a web page. This matter was addressed by Widgetbucks in late October, with more optimized ads. Many webmasters have reported more success with using Widgetbucks ads near the bottom of a page (since the ad will be loaded by the time you scroll down to see it). It should also be noted that Widgetbucks works best on websites or blogs that review products - such as consumer electronics."

Calculate Your Google Page Rank Now!

Your Google Page Rank helps to determine how easily people can find your blog when conducting a Google search. Of course, relevance of content to their search counts, too. However, if I'm search for a particular topic, and there are multiple blogs or websites available that are equally relevant to my search, those with a higher page rank will tend to appear higher on the list. Read this previous post to learn more about exactly what Google Page Rank is, and use the widget below to find out the page rank of any blog or website. Enjoy! --Mia

Check Page Rank of any web site pages instantly:

This free page rank checking tool is powered by Page Rank Checker service

Know What Pages Your Readers Are Viewing

If you have signed up for Google Adsense or have sold advertising space on your blog, then the next step is to find out what pages your readers are viewing. You can do this in Adsense by enabling Channels, but there are other ways, too. My favorite is some free software called FEEDJIT. There is a premium version that costs money, but the free version is quite sufficient. By customizing, copying, and pasting a few lines of HTML code into your blog's sidebar, you can have a widget that calculates your most popular posts/pages each day, records what post each visitor looks at, what search engines are finding your blog, and what websites are referring traffic to your blog and where visitors go when they leave your blog. You can also see the locations of visitors as pinpoints on a world map. And, as if that isn't enough, FEEDJIT can increase your blog traffic by promoting popular posts. Information like this can help you decide where and how to display ads on your blog, how much to charge for ad space, and more. Knowledge is power.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Just remember to use the "options" link in the widget to tell it to ignore your visits! Unless, that is, you want it to record your every visit!
Good Luck!
--Mia

The Best Guide to Making Money Blogging

Buying a reading a book may not be at the top of your to-do list as a blogger. After all, there is plenty of information online about blog monetization, right? Not exactly. How to Make Money with Your Blog: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Building, Optimizing, and Monetizing Your Blog is the quintessential guide to monetizing your blog. Authored by a marketing professional and a computer technical writer and published by the well-respected publishing house McGraw Hill. Click the icon above for more information and to order your copy now.

Whether you re an experienced blogger or an absolute beginner, you can make money with your blog. Simply follow the step-by-step advice of two expert bloggers and industry insiders who have launched many successful sites of their own. They ll walk you through every step of the blogging process, and they ll even share their most profitable tricks of the trade.

• Generate income using various types of ads
• Tap into the power of other blogs
• Maximize searches for more hits and more money

Where Should I Place Google Ads On My Blog?

One of my readers recently posed this very good question. After all, ad space in general is limited, but in a blog it's even more so. As a result, every millimeter counts. Don't waste space on ads where nobody will notice them. Obviously, your content needs to have first priority, or there is no reason for people to visit your blog. So, if you only have space for one or two ads on a blog, where should it/they go? Below is the answer from Google Adsense Help Forum. I have also posted previously on making optimal use of Adsense in blogs. I hope this all helps! --Mia

The best location for Google ads varies from page to page, depending on content. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering where to position your ads: What is the user trying to accomplish by visiting my site? What do they do when viewing a particular page? Where is their attention likely to be focused? How can I integrate ads into this area without getting in the users' way? How can I keep the page looking clean, uncluttered and inviting?

Certain locations tend to be more successful than others. This "heat map" illustrates the ideal placing on a sample page layout. The colors fade from dark orange (strongest performance) to light yellow (weakest performance). All other things being equal, ads located above the fold tend to perform better than those below the fold. Ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page. While this heat map is useful as a positioning guideline, we strongly recommend putting your users first when deciding on ad location. Think about their behavior on different pages, and what will be most useful and visible to them. You'll find that the most optimal ad position isn't always what you expect on certain pages. For example, on pages where users are typically focused on reading an article, ads placed directly below the end of the editorial content tend to perform very well. It's almost as if users finish reading and ask themselves, "What can I do next?" Precisely targeted ads can answer that question for them.

Ad Formats Best For Blogs

From the Google Adsense Team:

As a rule of thumb, wider ad formats tend to outperform their taller counterparts, due to their reader-friendly format. Readers absorb information in thought units (that is, several words at a time). The wider format lets them comfortably read more text at a glance without having to skip a line and return to the left margin every few words as they would be forced to do with a narrower ad. The wider ad format also lessens the likelihood of readers leaving the ad unit altogether.

If positioned well, these ad formats can increase your earnings significantly. The formats we've found to be the most effective are the 336x280 Large Rectangle, the 300x250 Medium Rectangle, and the 160x600 Wide Skyscraper. Keep in mind that while these ad formats typically perform well, you should use the format that best complements your pages.

Tip for making the most of a little ad space: Try one of our streamlined link unit formats, shown below. These formats are lean, mean, and versatile enough to fit in locations normal ads don't.

Blogging and Donations

Many bloggers add a donation button to their blogs asking readers to make a monetary donation to keep the blog going. Donations are sometimes solicited with clever taglines such as, "If you like this blog, why not buy me a cup of coffee?" If you decide to add a donation request to your blog, just keep it in line with your personal style.
The logistics of adding a donation request to a blog are really very simple. The easiest way is to sign up for a PayPal account, then paste the HTML code for the donation button into your blog's sidebar. The donation link (pictured above) leads your readers straight to PayPal where they can easily make donations. More information can be found HERE.

4 Easy Ways to Monetize Your Blog

Monetizing your blog means that you’re looking for ways to start to earn some money from all of your blogging efforts. Going overboard with monetization can turn away readers and damage your integrity as a blogger. However, the best kind of job is the job you love, so there is no shame in wanting to make money from maintaining a blog all about your favorite subject. Here are 4 easy ways to get started. For even more ideas, check out 101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog.

Affiliate Networks: Affiliate networks such as Commission Junction, ConnectCommerce, Linkshare, ShareASale, etc. offer opportunities to do business with major retailers. Some programs require you to apply, other programs you’re in from the get-go, but either way you can become an affiliate of a major retailer (e.g. Amazon.com, Ebay.com, Overstock.com). Once you’re an affiliate, you can run banner or link advertising. When someone clicks on a link and makes a purchase, you get a small commission.

Advertising Networks: There are several established advertising networks that you can sign contracts with, and they will take your advertising inventory, sell it as part of their network, and then ads will run on your site. Advertising networks take large cuts of the revenue, but this is just an easy way to monetize your blog without having to sell your own ad space.

Participate in Google AdSense: Sometimes you’re not ready for an advertising network, and Google AdSense is one of the easiest ways to start running some advertising and see what kind of money you can make. It’s easy to sign up for, even easier to run, and you can track your earnings daily using your Gmail account.

Sell your own ad space: It doesn’t have to be for huge amounts of money, and you don’t have to be an agressive salesperson. Assuming that you have access to your site's html code, put up a dummy ad that says “Ad Space Available” or “Your Ad Here,” set your rates, and wait for someone to inquire.

What are "Freemiums"?

The “freemium” model is a huge and growing trend in online income. It's basically the old membership program, but in blog or website form. What you do is provide plenty of quality content for free to your audience, and also provide a premium-level program to those willing to pay for it. You charge a monthly membership for people who want access to the "premium content", providing a steady income stream. It should come as no surprise that online porn sites make the most use of this business model. If you are considering using the "freemium" model to monetize your website or blog, be sure to have a contract in place that your members agree to by signing up for your service. Still not sure what I'm talking about? Well, Amazon Prime is another example. There is no membership fee to shop on Amazon.com, but customers who pay a small annual fee get free 2-day shipping on all of their orders. It's sort of like the next level of service.

More information and examples can be found at this FAQ.
Also, don't forget to consider affiliate programs such as Google Adsense!

101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog...Without Irritating Readers

OK, so you have a blog. You spend your time and energy posting, updating, and keeping it current and interesting. You post interesting things and well-written original content. There is nothing wrong with searching for ways to make a little money for your hard work. However, if your blog becomes overly monetized (such as with inane pay-per-post articles), you will find your readers drifting away. Therefore, what is the key to monetizing your blog without irritating and driving away readers? Start by striking a balance between high-quality content and monetization. Use a couple of different ways to earn money, but don't overdo it. For example, this blog uses a Google search field, one square of Google ads, a Donation button, and an Amazon widget. There are many more ways to turn your blog into cash and nobody uses ALL of them at once. Find the combination that works best for you and your blog.

The following 101 ways to monetize your blog (without irritating your readers) is from Inside CRM:

Merchandising

If you're a well-loved blogger, there's a good chance that your readers would like to show their support. Give them what they want and make money by taking advantage of merchandising opportunities.

1. CafePress.com: This perennial favorite makes it easy for you to put your blog's logo on shirts, bags, coasters and other items.
2. Self-Published Books: If your readers like your content, they may want to have something they can own offline or even share with friends. Create a book with self-publishing services like Lulu, and you'll earn profits even without a huge book deal.
3. Printfection.com: Design and sell custom products with Printfection.com.
4. Hard-Copy Content: Create a CD-ROM "book" with cleanly organized content that can be accessed offline. You can take things a step further and sell subscriptions for future updates to the system.
5. GoodStorm: Like CafePress.com and Printfection.com, GoodStorm is a nice way to create and sell your own merchandising products.

Paid Content

Paid content is a good monetization method for bloggers that regularly offer useful information — especially if this information helps others make money. As with all monetization methods, it's all in the approach. Don't create misleading previews of content that requires a membership to read in full. Rather, devote special sections of premium content to readers who are willing to pay for the information.

6. E-Books: Whether it's a compilation of your best tips or a new idea altogether, an e-book is a good, reader-friendly way to package content.
7. White Papers: Like e-books, white papers are a smaller, more technical version of your content.
8. Phone Calls: Sell one-on-one phone calls for advice and other consulting through Ether.
9. Miniguides: If you've just run a particularly helpful series, package it up into a miniguide.
10. Tutorials: Gather your knowledge and compile it into a tutorial that relies upon your expert advice.
11. Members-Only Sections: Whether you're providing access to published items or just ad-free content, make sure you're delivering a product that your readers are willing to pay for.
12. TextMarks Inc.: Charge readers to get text-message alerts about your content through TextMarks.
13. X-Events: Project physical events online and create revenue by charging admission, attracting sponsors and selling subscriptions to future events.
14. Podcasts: Podcasts may be a novelty to your readers, and many of them are probably willing to pay to be able to hear your entries on the go.
15. Videos: Like podcasts, videos are value-added extras that readers may be willing to pay for.

Begging

It never hurts to be straightforward about earning money from your blog. Ask your readers for donations — in a polite way, of course — and the ones that truly value your work will likely be more than willing to help support your ongoing success.

16. PayPal: PayPal's system allows you to place a donation button on your blog.
17. Amazon Honor System: Like PayPal, the Amazon Honor System allows you to accept online donations.
18. Mailed Checks: Of course, good old U.S. mail works just as well. Provide readers with a P.O. box that they can mail donations to.
19. Buy me a beer/coffee: Asking for donations in the form of a beer, coffee or other special item allows readers to reward you with something tangible.
20. Amazon Wish List: Although it's not cash, asking readers to buy you items from your Amazon Wish List will save you from having to buy things yourself. Again, they'll feel more rewarded knowing they've given you something tangible.

Opportunities

Becoming a successful blogger means becoming an expert in your field. You can use this status to earn money through opportunities, while increasing the value you provide to your readers.

21. Writing Gigs: By showcasing your writing talents on your blog, you've provided a living resume to any blog network or news site that might be interested in hiring you.
22. Seminars and Workshops: As an expert, you can invite readers to visit with you in person for seminars and workshops.
23. Bloggers for Hire: Get yourself hired to blog for a corporate Web site.
24. Blogger Jobs: Like Bloggers for Hire, Blogger Jobs can connect you with sites in need of a blogger.
25. Go Offline: Take your blogging skills offline as a columnist in a newspaper or magazine.
26. Guest Blogging: Fill in for fellow bloggers as a guest writer for a nominal fee or just future reciprocation.
27. Job Board: If you're an industry leader, set up a job board that your readers can use to hire or be hired for positions in your field.
28. Create a Radio Station: With a radio station, you can feature podcasts, sell showcase spots to budding artists and even sell audio advertising.
29. Consulting: If you've found success as a blogger, you probably have a lot of knowledge to share about mastering both the Internet and your field. Freelance as a consultant and get paid for sharing what you know.
30. Speaking: Your blog can get your noticed by industry leaders and can land you speaking engagements at conferences and meetings.
31. Book: A number of popular bloggers have landed lucrative book deals.
32. Interviews: Share your knowledge on a new medium and go on radio or TV interviews.

Offline

The benefits, monetary and otherwise, of writing a blog extend well beyond the Internet, particularly if you operate an offline business. Take advantage of these benefits using the following methods.

33. Market Your Services: Your blog is a great forum for marketing your business. Post about current promotions, new interests and other business-building information.
34. Create a Voice Behind Your Business: A blog is a great way to grow your business through personal dialogue. By presenting yourself as a friendly authority, your business becomes more approachable.
35. Deepen Customer Relationships: Beyond providing a friendly voice, a blog can help you connect with customers. Link to their blogs, write about their interests and give them special attention in your writing.

Ads

Ads are generally the bread and butter of bloggers. However, they're also the most likely to irritate readers. To keep a happy balance, focus on relevance and make sure that you're not overloading your blog with too many ads. It should go without saying that you should absolutely not use every single one of these ad programs, either. Rather, pick a handful and rotate them until you find what that works the best for your blog.

36. Yahoo! Publisher Network: Display contextual ads on your site via the Yahoo! Publisher Network.
37. ValueClick Inc.: You'll get quality advertisers, support and advanced technology from ValueClick.
38. Tribal Fusion: Tribal Fusion's impression-based ad service focuses on targeting and optimization.
39. eXelate Targeting eXchange: This program relies on delayed ad cookies.
40. Clicksor Inc.: Clicksor focuses on contextual ads that can be presented in a number of different ways, such as text, graphics and in-line links.
41. Indeed: Post job listings from Indeed and get paid.
42. Chitika eMiniMalls: Promote products through interactive merchandise kiosks and provide both relevant content and comparative shopping to readers. You'll get paid per click.
43. AdSonar: Attract advertisers and build relationships with them individually through this platform.
44. ExpoActive: Get freedom, from specific ads to style, with ExpoActive.
45. AdVolcano LLC: Using AdVolcano's platform, you can design your ads, set your own prices and screen your advertisers.
46. eXelate Targeted Links: Pick and choose the advertisers you want on your site with this program.
47. grokAds.com: Set your price and choose which advertisers to accept with grokAds.com.
48. Adify: Get editorial control and high-value advertising on your site with Adify. You can even set your own prices.
49. AdBriteInc.: Using AdBrite, you have the option to approve and reject ads that will appear on your blog, and you can even use it to sell directly to your own users.
50. BidVertiser.com: These ads are highly customizable, and you have the option to block any ad you don't want displayed on your blog.
51. Blogads: Get invited to this exclusive network of bloggers, and you'll have high-quality, relevant advertising on your blog.
52. Casale Media Inc.: Get high-quality advertisers and control with Casale Media.
53. DoubleClick Inc.: DoubleClick offers differentiation and lots of solutions for publishers.
54. BlueLithium: Get great ad targeting, selective partnerships and better ad performance with BlueLithium.

RSS Ads

A more specialized advertising method, RSS ads give bloggers a way to monetize feeds. Most readers generally react to RSS ads the same way they do with regular ones, so if you stay relevant and limited, it should work out just fine.

55. Pheedo Inc.: This RSS advertising platform offers interactive triggers and video options.
56. Feedvertising: A part of Text Link Ads, Feedvertising embeds ads in your RSS feed.
57. CrispAds: This blog-focused ad network allows you to place ads directly into entries so they'll show up both on your site and in feeds.
58. FeedBurner Inc.: FeedBurner's ads are embedded in RSS feeds,and feature high-quality advertisers like Discover Band, Best Buy and Comcast.
59. FeedM8: FeedM8's service makes your blog ready for mobile content and embeds mobile-appropriate advertising.

Text Ads

Text ads are one of the the most reader-friendly type of ads you can serve. Their small size and text-based nature makes them less offensive and in-your-face than graphic ads. Try out these services to put this type of subtle ad on your blog.

60. Vibrant Media: Vibrant Media's ads are in-text and completely user driven.
61. Google AdSense: Ads from Google are the most popular and often the most profitable source of income for many bloggers. They're relevant to your content, and many blog readers expect it, so you're not likely to run into lots of negative feedback.
62. LinkAds: These text ads come with lots of control.
63. PaidTextLinks.com: Sell links on your site and retain editorial control over what's posted with this service.
64. One Monkey Inc.: You can host highly targeted, text-based ads and earn a great percentage of revenue with One Monkey.
65. Kontera ContentLink: ContentLink turns relevant keywords within your content into a hyperlink ad.
66. Text Link Ads: Text Link Ads' simple, nonintrusive ads are a good choice for many bloggers.
67. TAGword: Select your ads and set your prices with TAGword.
68. LinkAdage Auctions: Sell text links through private online auctions with LinkAdage.
69. LinkWords: LinkWords offers pay-per-click revenue embedded in your content, highlighting keywords that are relevant for advertisers.
70. Textlinkbrokers.com: Get unobtrusive, small link ads, as well as a steady monthly payout that doesn't depend on traffic from Textlinkbrokers.com.

Sell Your Own Ads

Self-advertising is a method that trumps all others in terms of reader friendliness. By selling your own ads, you'll get complete control and will be able to determine the method of ad serving that your readers respond to the best.

71. Individual Advertisers: Your advertisers should be ones that your readers will genuinely be interested in. Solicit ads from major, respected players in your industry for the best results.
72. Actively Sell Individual Advertising: To attract advertisers, let it be known that you're looking for them. Put links on your site, contact potential advertisers directly and post on industry message boards.
73. Create a Media Kit: Make it easy for advertisers to buy from you. Create a kit that includes your rates, ad policies, demographics, traffic, testimonials and contact information.
74. Offer Free Ads: To get things started, seek out competitive companies in your niche and give them free ads for a specific amount of time. This will get other companies interested in advertising with you.

Affiliate Programs

Most bloggers end up dropping product names at one point or another. Whether it's software, books or trinkets, you're probably linking to them for free. Affiliate programs offer a way to profit from your name-dropping, often without changing much more than the URLs you point to. Keep affiliate programs reader-friendly by sharing only products that are truly relevant to your discussion and not going overboard with the quantity.

75. Amazon Associates: Amazon Associates earn up to 10 percent in referral fees for revenue made through blog links.
76. Chitika ShopCloud$: With ShopCloud$, you can list popular products in a tag cloud format.
77. WidgetBucks: These shopping widgets offer popular products, lots of relevance and plenty of customization.
78. LinkShare Corp.: LinkShare's affiliate program will hook you up with programs for companies like Apple Inc., Dell and Disney.
79. zanox: Set up a zanox online shop, choose your products and earn a percentage of every sale.
80. uSuggest LLC: Suggest relevant products to your readers and get paid for doing it.
81. Chitika RPU: If you've discussed a product in a post, make money by putting a link to the product at the end of your text.
82. Auction Ads LLC: Place relevant eBay auction ads on your site to earn money.
83. Recommendations: If you're a fan of a particular product or service, why not ask them directly to pay you for linking to their site?
84. Commission Junction Inc.: You can promote a wide variety of products through Commission Junction, so you'll be able to find something that's relevant to your readers.
85. Chitika Linx: Chitika's Linx identifies keywords in your blog's content and links them to paid product listings.
86. shareasale.com: Sign up with this network and choose which merchants you'd like to promote.
87. ClickBank: Through ClickBank's program, you choose the products you want to promote.
88. iTunes Affiliates: Keep your readers up-to-date on new releases and earn a commission on revenue with the iTunes Affilliates program.

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts often rub readers the wrong way, usually because they're blatant cash grabs, but it doesn't have to be that way. Use these methods and programs that allow you to carefully pick and choose what you'll write about. That way, you can stick to products and services that are relevant to your readers and that you truly support.

89. ReviewMe: Pick and choose your ReviewMe posts and earn up to $200 for each.
90. PayPerPost Inc.: Use PayPerPost to earn money from writing about the sites, products and services that you support.
91. Payu2blog.com: Sign up with this program, and you'll get above-average pay, as well as a steady stream of work.
92. Self-Sold Paid Reviews: With paid reviews, the key is to be selective. You shouldn't accept every offer that comes to you, and if you have nothing nice to say about the product or service, don't bother. Be sure to offer an opposing view as well so your readers know that you're not just blindly supporting the highest bidder.
93. SponsoredReviews.com: Review items in your own tone and as critically as you'd like with SponsoredReviews.com.
94. Blogsvertise: When you get an assignment for Blogsvertise, you'll just put three links in a blog entry. This is a great way to make advertising look natural and unobtrusive.
95. Smorty: Choose your subjects and get paid weekly with Smorty.
96. Solicit Book Reviews: Another way to get something from your blog through reviews is to take on books. You'll get them for free while providing a valuable service to your readers.

Other

These are just a few more ways you can monetize your blog in a reader-friendly way.

97. Sell Your Blog: If you've put a bunch of work into your blog and it has great stats, get a lump-sum payday from a buyer.
98. Shareapic.net: Host your photos with this service, and you'll get paid for the number of views they get. That means that you can publish them on your blog and get paid every time someone reads a post with one of your Shareapic.net photos on it.
99. Scoopt Words: Sell your content to mainstream media with Scoopt.
100. Use Your Blog to Create a Mailing List: If you sell products, you can use your blog to generate a mailing list of people who are interested in buying from you.
101. Vizu Corp. Answers: Host polls on your site. Visitors will enjoy sharing their opinion, and you'll earn some extra cash.

Google Page Rank Matters

While your Google Page Rank (PR) might not seem to affect your blog-related income, it does have an indirect effect. The PR of any website (including your favorite blog) is one of the factors determining how close to the top of the screen your site appears when someone uses Google to search for keywords. Sure, the relevance of your content matters a great deal, but so does your page rank. Page Rank also plays a role in determining the price of Adsense ads on your blog or other website.

What is Google PR?
PageRank is a link analysis algorithm used by the Google Internet search engine that assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web, with the purpose of "measuring" its relative importance within the set. The algorithm may be applied to any collection of entities with reciprocal quotations and references. The numerical weight that it assigns to any given element E is also called the PageRank of E and denoted by PR(E). Incidentally, "Page Rank" is an exclusive trademark of Google, and the calculation process is patented. The patent is held by Stanford University, but the licensing agreement grants full rights of ownership to Google.

How can I find my Google PR?
There are several websites offering to calculate your Google Page Rank for you. Some work and some don't. I recommend using Google Page Rank Checker. Although a third-party service, it's free, fast, and easy. No sign-up or other nonsense required. You can even grab a free button, if you like, to advertise your PR on your bog or other website.

How can I improve my Google PR?

1. If your blog is fewer than six months old, don't be surprised if you Google PR is zero. Be patient. Google wants to be sure that you have a sustainable and reliable site, not just a fly-by-night vehicle for ads.
2. Create internal and external links. Link your blog posts to each other. If you have multiple blogs, link them to each other. Exchange links with other blogs and websites. You link to them, they link to you. Links tell Google that your site is safe to visit.
3. Write good content, free of spelling errors, grammatical errors, and typos (yes, all that stuff you learning in high school English classes IS relevant!).
4. Update your blog frequently, as google likes fresh content.
5. Tell your friends about your blog. Use word-of-mouth advertising, and include a link in e-mails that you send.
6. Add your site and posts to social networking sites such as Facebook, and social bookmarking sites such as Digg. Add a button to your blog to facilitate this.
7. Readers, what other suggestions do you have?
   

Google Only Permits Ads on Top-Level Websites

Are you wondering why you can't add Adsense ads to your Google Site? Here's why:

There are some great ways to register free websites out there. A popular one is Google Sites, which recently replaced Google Pages. Google Sites is an easy and free platform for building simple, informative web pages. Unfortunately, while Google Pages supported Adsense, Google Sites does not, blocking that avenue of monetization. Why? Because with Google Sites, you don't get a top level domain name and Google doesn't permit the use of Adsense on such pages.

For example...

Google Sites name looks like this: http://sites.google.com/site/YOUR SITE NAME HERE/, and Adsense ads currently can't be inserted. You can insert the html code, but it will be rejected. I'll let you know if this changes.

Other names look like this: http://www.YOUR SITE NAME HERE.com
or like this: http://YOUR SITE NAME HERE.com
Adsense ads are permitted on both types of domain names, assuming that you can insert html code.