How to monetize your blog in 2022? The Complete Guide

For many beginners, the first step in making money online is monetizing their blog. Unfortunately, this is also the time when many projects fail. In order to succeed, it's important to plan ahead and set yourself up for success from the beginning.

Here's our ultimate guide to monetizing your blog. You'll learn how to make money with your blog and we'll share the top 6 ways to get started.

Monetize your blog with affiliation

Affiliation can be defined as the promotion of a product or service to your audience in exchange for a fee. It is very often a percentage of the sale of the product or service. It should be noted that this does not affect the sale price.

There are many advantages:

• ✅ No product to create in order to sell
• ✅ No inventory to have so it is very easy to implement
• ✅ No investment to make which makes this monetization risk free
• ✅ Once you make your article or video, you'll start earning money right away

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ A low margin depending on the product or service being promoted
• ❌ Some sales may be unaccounted for
• ❌ Dependence on the company that sells the products and services

Please note that advertisers may set their own cookie duration. These are small bits of information stored on your device by the website you are visiting, which allow that site to remember your actions and preferences over time. It will vary, depending on the advertiser. For example, Amazon has a 24-hour cookie period while others like CDiscount have a 7-day cookie period. During this time, you will receive a commission for any purchase on their site. Beyond that, the sale will not be counted in your favor.

There are several ways to make money with affiliation:

• a percentage of the sale (which can be recurring in the case of a subscription for example)
• pay-per-click for which you are paid a certain amount for each click on your link
• a payment for each qualified lead. For example, you are paid when someone fills in a quote with his personal information

The biggest advantage of this way of earning money is that there's an affiliate program for just about everything:

• physical products that you can find on Amazon for example
• online courses that offer a higher percentage than others
• applications or subscriptions that offer a remuneration during its duration (also called rev share)

To find affiliate programs, you can test some affiliate platforms like System.io or Awin for example. You can also search on Google for programs by typing "affiliation + your keyword". Finally, you can also look at what your competitors are doing to see if it is interesting for you too.

So how can you take advantage of affiliation for your own blog? That's what you're going to find out now with all our most effective strategies.

Reviews & Tests

You can use your blog as a platform to review products or services that are related to your theme. You can therefore share your opinions about them or make a review to inform your readers on the subject. This type of article provides you with the opportunity to promote a product or service using your affiliate link.

In this example, tomsguide.com site is doing a test on the Samsung S95B OLED 4K Smart TV Review while also linking to retailers where you can buy it.

To make a good review, you must learn about every product you review. You should understand the qualities each product has, what sets it apart from the competition, and so on. In other words, if you present your readers with a product that interests them and make it easier for your readers to find the information they need, they are likely to trust you and purchase it.

We thought you might like to know: you don't have to have bought the product in order to write a review of it. Have all these TVs really been tested? 🤫

To sound more credible, it's important to be honest and balanced in your writing. Don't always give a perfect score to every product you recommend. Clearly stating the defects sets you apart from the rest. And it's easy to do: just read the customer reviews on Amazon or YouTube. You will be able to give an objective feedback having read the positive and negative comments on it. As a reader, you will not have to spend time researching the product yourself. Your review saves them time and effort in finding out how good the product is.

Product Comparisons

Affiliate marketing is also possible by making product comparisons. For example, you can compare software applications or services; banks or credit cards; or even products between them. You can earn commission on multiple products by marketing them through one site. This approach is a good complement to individual product reviews, which will allow you to develop several transactional pages that repeat the same product in each one.

Let's take this example:

This website compares different banks, with separate review pages for each bank. And if you click on "Read Review", you will land on a test page that presents in detail their offers, along with several links to affiliate programs.

By doing one, you'll already have the content you need to write the other. Pretty convenient, right?

Product Lists

You can also build trust by creating lists of top products/services in your niche. Generally, you can write a product description by quoting the product, describing it briefly and then indicating its advantages/disadvantages. You should include an affiliate link to the product as well as a link to a test that details it more.

For example, the Top 10 air fryers according to homesandgardens.com are as follows:

This is a great resource for readers looking to make well-informed purchases in their area of interest.

As you can see, you will be able to:

• write a detailed test about a product
• insert it in a list with the other good products of its category
• and make comparative articles between these products

So you can have more transactional pages that are there to make your readers' life easier. And the best part is that you can do this in ALL areas.

Informational Articles

Informational articles are there to provide value to your readers. They are not meant to sell them something. They are there to inform them, to pass a message or to teach them something.

However, it is still possible to make money from these informational articles. For example, if you wrote an article about the use of plastic in our daily life, you can take the opportunity to put an affiliate link to a stainless steel straw, an insulated water bottle, etc. And it works in all areas! If you've written a complete guide to doing strength training exercises at home, you can link to a gym mat, dumbbells, etc.

There is always the possibility of slipping an affiliate link somewhere. On this kind of article, the conversion will be less important. The reader is there to get information and not to make a purchase.

But it will still allow you to get a little more profitability on your site. We advise you to have on average 70% informational pages versus 30% transactional pages. This can clearly make a difference at the end of the month!

Let's now move on to the second way to make a blog more profitable.

Monetize your blog with ads

One way to make money with a blog is to place ads on it. This can be done through one or more advertisements that are run in exchange for fees. An ad might appear as an image, which can be animated or not. You can earn money from ads by clicking on them or based on the number of visitors to your site. Of course, the type of ads you choose and the amount of traffic your site gets will influence how much money you make. For example, ads for children or trading are more profitable than others.

There are many advantages:

• ✅ It is a true passive income since you don't have to do anything
• ✅ No exchange with customers, no stock, no product, etc.
• ✅ Ads are adapted to your niche

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ You need some traffic to your site to make it profitable
• ❌ Readers don't necessarily like advertising
• ❌ You don't know what's going to be displayed on your site

Let's see how you can implement this solution on your site.

Advertising Platforms

To be able to put advertising on your blog, you can go through an advertising platform. They will ask you where they can put their displays. In exchange, you will get some income.

The most famous one is obviously Google AdSense. To join this program, the criteria are very simple: you must be at least 18 years old and propose a unique and interesting content. For more details, you can consult the rules of the AdSense program.

But we do not necessarily advise you to go through this one. Indeed, the profitability is not very interesting. Instead, you can opt for Ezoic. It is an AI program that will test advertisements on your site until it finds the most profitable ones for you. On the other hand, it requires that your blog attracts at least 10,000 visitors per month. We advise you to advertise only when you start to have several thousand visitors on your site.

Partnerships

It is possible to sell advertising space yourself. For example, you can put forward a site or a service through advertising banners, an insert on the sidebar or a popup for example. The advantage is that you manage what is displayed on your blog, so you don't have to promote anything.

Generally, you are paid a fixed amount for a determined period of time, which is less random than advertising via a classic advertising network.

Product Placements

A company may contact you to promote its product or service through an article. It is a good way to make money from your blog, but you should keep in mind that it is a one-off payment. In other words, you will have to leave the publication on your site for as long as you receive payment for it.

Sell your own digital products

An infoproduct can be defined as a dematerialized good such as an online training, an audio file or an ebook for example.

There are many advantages:

• ✅ You become completely independent
• ✅ You can offer them as an affiliate to earn even more money
• ✅ You keep 100% of the profit knowing that the margin is much better than a physical product

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ It requires you to have many skills: marketing, customer service, design, etc.
• ❌ It will take you time and knowledge to come up with a quality infoproduct
• ❌ You'll have to handle a lot of things: refunds, customer requests, etc.

It is clearly easier to start with affiliation. But in the long run, creating your own infoproducts will take you to the next level. You'll be able to generate more income. This is your chance to create a brand for yourself. This strategy will help you increase the value of your company in case you ever decide to sell it.

Here's a little secret: You can hand off the creation of your infoproduct to someone else 🤫

Let's see what you can do with infoproducts.

Write your Ebook

This is the easiest way to solve your readers' problems. Think about your topic and the problems your readers face, and then write an ebook that can answer those problems.

Few examples:

• For weight training to be effective, it is often necessary to gain weight. And this is a difficult task for an ectomorph. So why not write an e-book about effective weight training routines for ectomorphs?
• For people who want to shed pounds without spending hours in the kitchen to prepare recipes that don't appeal to them, an ebook of 50 delicious and healthy recipes that require just 15 minutes of prep time could prove a valuable resource.
• For financial investments, it can be a complete guide on checking out all the things you should do before buying any cryptocurrency. A lot of people are afraid of running into a scam.

To sell your e-book, you can use the Gumroad platform which will manage everything for you. They collect the money, send the ebook to the customer, host your sales page, etc. It's simple!

Create an online course

An online course can be in audio or video format. This solution is most appropriate for those who are more comfortable because they will have to perform or speak in front of an audience.

This type of product enables you to immediately raise your prices. An ebook can be sold for up to 27$, as long as you clearly demonstrate all the benefits it brings to your clients. For an online course, you can multiply your prices by 10. It's not uncommon to see online course at 297$, 997$, or more!

Start a subscription club

To ensure long-term revenue, you can opt for a subscription solution. Instead of offering different infoproducts separately, you can create a subscription where you'll offer live sessions, exclusive videos, etc. every month. Some themes are well suited to this, such as online dating or coaching for example.

Sell your newsletter

There is a growing trend of offering newsletter subscriptions. Some infopreneurs have managed to generate thousands of dollars every month with newsletters. The advantage here is that it's easy to do: you just have to write emails. However, they have to be of sufficient quality that your customers will be satisfied with them. If you are afraid to show your face or voice, this is perfect for you. You can use Substack for this.

Create your web app

For most of us, this solution is out of reach. Creating a software or an application requires a certain budget and especially coding skills. On the other hand, it's a great way to ensure recurring revenues if you manage to do it. Again, it is not recommended for a beginner but it was important to mention it in this guide.

Make a donation appeal

You can let your readers know that they can support you by making a donation. Some platforms like Tipee are well-suited for this. It's quite easy to set up, and you'll be totally dependent on the goodwill of your visitors. However, it's difficult to anticipate how much money you'll make! You could offer some incentives in exchange like early access to your next articles, one-on-one time with you or an exclusive live per month with your community.

Sell your services

One of the easiest ways to make money today is to offer your services on your blog. If your blog is good and readers like it, you'll have a reputation as an expert among them. It would be a shame not to take advantage of this, right?

There are many advantages:

• ✅ Quick and immediate profitability
• ✅ Generally easier to sell than an online training
• ✅ It's very easy to set up

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ It takes you time, so it's impossible to scale infinitely
• ❌ This time prevents you from working on your website
• ❌ You have to manage your clients directly which is not always easy

Let's discover the different ways to offer your services.

Coaching

It may seem simplistic, but some readers need to be reassured or to have an outside opinion on their situations. This can be about anything: sports, relationships, money or health.

Offering them an hour of coaching by phone so that you can help them is a good idea. Plus, talking directly with your customers will allow you to understand their problems and hang-ups more deeply. This will allow you to offer a better infoproduct later on. This is a very good way to start your monetization before moving on to more passive solutions.

Offer your services

Depending on your niche, you can directly offer your services. For example, if you have a blog about writing, you can offer :

• a proofreading service
• writing articles or ebooks
• advice on writing style

People come to your blog because they want to learn things. They already think you're a competent person. It's easier to sell a service than approach people who don't know you.

Selling your notoriety

Having a relevant blog to your field allows you to be recognized as an expert in that field. This status allows you to sell your presence at certain events, such as conferences and workshops, as well as sell your services as a speaker in other bloggers' trainings. When you blog, people will come to know who you are and this will attract even more visitors to your site in the long run!

Monetize your blog with email marketing

In marketing, we often say that "the money is in the list." That is, having an email list made up of people interested in your subject is the assurance of income in the future.

There are many advantages:

• ✅ Keep in touch with your visitors more easily
• ✅ Create a real relationship of trust with them thanks to exclusive content
• ✅ Increase your profitability when you launch a new product

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ It can be time consuming depending on the pace of your mailings
• ❌ You have to use a paid autoresponder to do it effectively
• ❌ It requires certain skills

Now let's see in more detail how you can do it.

Capture leads

To capture your visitors' email, you need to offer them something in return. This is called the "lead magnet". This can be an exclusive content sent by email, a video or audio training, an ebook, etc.

The idea is to encourage readers to opt in by providing an incentive. For example, you could provide a free ebook, or some other piece of valuable information. Just make sure that you ask for the reader's email address. You shouldn't ask for anything else, like the reader's name. Just use the email address—it's more than enough! Once you've created your lead magnet, you'll need to be sure to have a few "landing pages" on your blog where you invite the reader to leave his email address.

Sell your leads or rent your email list

A new trend is emerging: renting email lists. Basically, you can offer to rent your email list to infopreneurs in exchange for a fee. This practice is untested at the moment, but it allows you to see the potential of capturing the email addresses of your visitors!

Sell Backlinks

It is possible to make money with your website through link selling. This means making an article that includes a link to someone else's blog. Sometimes you don't even have to write it because the publisher wants to have his link on an already existing article:

There are many advantages:

• ✅ Increase the profitability of your already existing site;
• ✅ Some platforms do everything for you;
• ✅ You can make a site that has not been working this way profitable;

As for the disadvantages:

• ❌ You shouldn't sell links on every page at the risk of Google detecting it;
• ❌ Dealing with requests from some site editors are sometimes a pain;
• ❌ It takes time if you want to write the articles yourself;

If you already have a large visitor base and are well-referenced, you can try this way of making money. It is less noticeable to your reader than a large advertisement, though it can be more profitable!

Who buys links?

SEO professionals use links to their websites to increase the visibility of their content. They can do this by getting links within their content, or they can buy these links directly from platforms. Google officially discourages this practice, but it is impossible to rank without links to your site, and as it is increasingly difficult or impossible to get links naturally, buying links has become the norm.

Selling links directly

If you want to sell links, many publishers will contact you directly to make an offer. You can deal with these publishers directly if you know how much to ask for, but it is probably safer to go through a platform. In case of problems, you have a professional on your side. There are also Facebook groups where many SEOs propose and search for sites to place their links.

Selling links via platforms

The easiest way to sell links is through platforms. If your blog has good referring domains or Trust Flow, it's better to sell links on Semjuice or Rocketlink. On the other hand, if your site has pages that are well positioned on Google and attract many visitors, you can go to the Nextlevel. Each type of contract has its own rules. It would be too long to go over them all here. Still, it's a good idea for sellers to work with a professional who can act as an arbitrator in case of a dispute with the buyer.

Step by step guide to monetize your blog

Once you know all the different ways to monetize your blog, we'll show you how to do it. A lot of people ask us when they should start monetizing their blog, but that's the wrong question! You need to know how you're going to do it BEFORE you start your blog. Here are the steps:

Find a niche and analyze it

We'll go into more detail in a later guide, but at this point you should look for competitors on your topic. The idea is to analyze their content, how they monetize their site, how many visitors they have and so on. The first step is crucial because it helps you judge both the SEO potential of a niche as well as its economic potential. In addition, you will look for other ways to monetize your site. The idea is to have a file where you list all the information you can find on your competitors—as well as other possibilities that are available according to your research.

Anticipate monetization

Once you've evaluated your competition and made a list of your options, you'll need to choose which program to promote, how you're going to monetize it, etc.

For example, for a site talking about crypto you can :

• start collecting emails
• do an affiliation with Binance
• and tell yourself that you will end up selling online training on the subject

In a few words, you're going to draw the line that will guide the direction of your blog.

Organize your content

Once you've anticipated the type of monetization you'll use on your site, you need to align your content around it. This is where many publishers make their biggest mistake. They'll make content first, and then think about monetization. The opposite of what needs to be done.

This is where you will use all of the research that you have done in terms of SEO. You will select keywords—those that are easiest to rank for and that highlight the different offers you've chosen. If you can create compelling titles for your articles and blog posts, people will be more likely to click on them, which will help you increase traffic to the pages where you sell products.

Write great content

A lot of website publishers use AI or cheap foreign writers to create content. It's not our place to judge them, but this can hurt your chances of monetizing your site in the long run. If you want to succeed with SEO and make money from your site, you should write articles that your readers find valuable and give them lots of useful information.

Find your audience

Now that you have a website with relevant content and well‐referenced on Google, you can move on to the next step. To get more visitors to your website, it's important to find people where they are. Join Facebook groups related to your niche and interact with people in real time. Share articles from your site that people will be interested in, or post videos on YouTube or TikTok. Using different formats will help you reach a broader audience and make your site even more profitable!

Conclusion

Thanks for taking the time to read this guide on how to monetize your blog. We know it was a big one, but we really wanted to give you as much value as possible so you can see it more clearly. Too often bloggers and website publishers who are just starting out stop their online activities because they haven't tested the right strategies. We hope that with this guide you can generate your first money online. And eventually, make a living out of it of course!