Affiliate marketing to make money with a blog.
How to make money online with a blog. A question I have been getting quite a lot lately. If you have been reading some of the posts on this blog. Then by now you should understand the crucial importance of profitable niche and keyword research. These however always have been and always will be the most important part of starting a blog in the first place. So if you would like to know how to actually make money with a blog. Then just continue reading. We will only be covering most crucial basics.
Because the step by step guide on how to make money with a blog. From start to finish would rather be a 100,000 word eBook. Or many hours of video guidance on a membership site. If you missed the niche and keyword part? Then perhaps you may want to check the post on Google ranking boost and strategic keywords
Affiliate marketing is among the easiest ways to make money online with a blog. But please do not be misled by the term “easiest”. Because it is quite the opposite. And the “easy” part is merely reference to the fact that you do not necessarily need your own products. Therefore you have to be prepared to really pay attention and take tiny objective steps in the right direction.
Product research and affiliate marketing.
Before you start displaying anything on your blog. It is very important that you are in fact using what you intend to promote. So yes, you are going to spend money to build credibility with your audiences. Because the competition you face is spending the needed money. And perhaps that is why they are making money and many people are not. Be sure the product and all the topics (Categories) on the blog holds direct relevance. But more importantly. Does the product offer a solution to a common need within the blog niche?
In order to offer something useful it first has to be useful to you. You need to have actually had success with the product you purchased and tested. Because if it worked for you. Then chances are it will be more likely to work for the next person. And that is why affiliate marketing is not as easy as is often suggested. But luckily nothing that research and commitment cannot remedy.
If your blog is about dieting for instance. Did you actually buy and use the diet product? Did the product deliver on promotional claims? Or did you read the eBook and the content helped you achieve a certain goal? This is important because you need to create (niche targeted) compelling content.
Regardless of your niche. Product knowledge is the key to compelling content. And that will never change.
How to leverage knowledge and experience.
To actually end up making money with your blog. You want to turn your knowledge into words. And your experience into information. Therefore establishing your profitable niche is equally important. Because your blog must be about what you love doing most. And preferably something you have some knowledge of. Which is why the right product research is so effective with gaining added knowledge. The how to make money online with a blog becomes easier as your knowledge increases.
Therefore although considered among the “easiest” ways on how to make money with a blog. The most difficult part of affiliate marketing and blogging. Is turning a click into a visitor and then into a buyer. It’s one thing to have 100,000 clicks or hits. But it is quite something else altogether getting 100,000 reads. Which can only be accomplished with knowledge and compelling content.
Use the knowledge you gather to write interesting blog posts. Offer solutions to problems without “sales pitching” everything. Because it never is about the sale really. But more about what your blog reader will remember about you. By turning your knowledge into professional presentation. You will never have to sales pitch ever again.
Because once your content solved a problem. Your blog reader will naturally want to know more. And will be more likely be curious to try the tools and affiliate products your blog have to offer.
How to make money online with a blog banner display.
Infesting your blog with banner html code will not end well. Therefore it is better to use a plugin called “WordPress Insert”, displayed as Wp insert on WordPress (dot) org. There are placement options like top of post. Center of post and after post for instance. Rather enter the banner html code into the plugin and display post and page banners professionally.
Next we move to side bar banner display. While you can use a text widget to enter the banner html as a side bar display. I honestly would rather you don’t. Instead use an “image widget” and upload the actual banner as an image. Into your media file inside the WordPress C-Panel. The image widget should allow an option to redirect to a specific URL. Or also in this case the affiliate product link.
This link should be professionally cloaked and tracked. Which can quite easily be done with the use of another great plugin called “Pretty Links Lite”. Also available on WordPress (dot) org. Once cloaked simply add this product URL in the “Image Widget” area provided.
This way you will avoid any html interference with onsite SEO. Because some affiliate products banner html can prove a problem. And result in dropping your blog SEO score in search engines. Like mentioned earlier. Tiny objective steps in the right direction. Which is why making money with a blog is not even possible in a few days.
Presentation and the importance of color and design.
The effectiveness of presentation depend largely on the first impression. What does your blog reader see first when visiting the home page or even a blog post? Therefore the first impression should address a need. But more importantly offer a solution. Be objective and precise because the first impression is not an article or eBook length read. But rather a summary highlighting compelling points of what to expect.
But presentation also require graphic content. Which is why using image design and editing tools like “Canva” is quite handy. Use color in your presentation. Which you can read more about on Google content and online search suggestions. Explaining the psychological effect of different colors. And the different moods that color can inspire.
The blog post content with regard to readability and how to make money with a blog. Will require the presence of “transition words”. And sentences not exceeding 20 words per sentence. Along with sub headings not followed by more than 300 words before the next sub heading.
This is all part of presentation. And you may want to learn a little more about readability with Yoast SEO premium WordPress plugin. Another crucial plugin if you’re going to have a profitable blog. Because you will need web visitors. And nothing drives web traffic like search engine optimization (SEO).
How to make money online with a blog conclusion.
Summarized you need compelling content based on product and niche research. Providing your audience is appropriately and relevantly targeted based on a common need within the niche. Furthermore you need an affiliate offer that directly relates to the blog topics or categories. And offer a solution to a problem. Along with the reason why it is what the reader is looking for.
Display banner images through plugins and image widgets. Instead of raw html code in a text widget. And in doing so preventing any html interference with your blog SEO score in search engines. And for more information on search engine SEO score. You may want to read. How to blog and increase SEO score in search.
Bringing us to the conclusion of this basic guide on blogging and affiliate marketing. How to make money online with a blog. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section. Or any questions you may have. Let’s build a blogging empire together. By starting a conversation we can all learn from.
