How To Make Money With Your Website or Blog

Most publishers are familiar with Google's Adsense program. By virtue of their size and online presence, Google Adsense continues to dominate the PPC ad market with the biggest pool of advertisers and publishers. However, a quick search on online forums and chat boards will also tell you that Adsense is NOT a perfect fit for ALL types of websites. Many publishers have found success monetizing their websites with Adsense alternatives. It all boils down to your niche, your content and your visitors.

Every website and Ad Network combination is different so to optimize your earnings, you've got to experiment with ad networks, placement and formats. The best method to track the performance of ads on your website would be to perform an A/B Split test. If you're not sure about how to do this, then another simpler (but slower) alternative would be to run each ad for a fixed test period - for example, run one ad for a month, then switch to another ad for another month. Do a comparison after the 2 month period. Too short a test period would probably not produce sufficient data for you to make an educated comparison.

• Google Adsense Info



• Yahoo! Publisher Network Info



• LinkWorth Info



• MiVa Info



• Kontera Info



• Infolinks Info



• AdBrite Info



• Bidvertiser Info



• Fair Ads Network Info



• Shopping Ads Info



• Widget Bucks Info



• Kanoodle Info



• Chitika eMiniMalls Info



• Clicksor Info



• Etology Info

CPM stands for "Cost Per Mille" which means "Cost per 1,000 impressions". When you display CPM ads, you will be paid according to the number of times the advertiser's ad is displayed within a given time frame (usually calculated on a monthly basis).

For example, if your blog generates 50,000 page views per month and you are displaying an ad with a $3.00 CPM, you will earn :

(50,000/1,000) x $3.00 = 50 x $3.00 = $150

Rates can vary anywhere from $0.05 to as high as $10 or more per 1,000 impressions. Several factors affect the CPM rate, mainly :

• The Ad network. Reputable networks are obviously able to offer higher value CPM ads simply because they have a wider network of advertisers and publishers.



• The position of the ad (where it is displayed on your website). When ads are displayed higher to the top of the page, the CPM will generally be higher.



• The format of the ad. Obviously bigger ads (in pixels) mean higher CPM

• sign up for a newsletter.


• fill up a form.


• download a product.


• buy a product.

Generally, publishers opt for CPM ads when they have pages with high page views per visitor ratio - for example, each visitor views at least 10 to 20 pages. Such page view to visitor ratios are common for online forums, magazines and personal blogs. Many publishers use a combination of PPC and CPM ads on their websites - PPC for pages with a high CTR (click-thru rate) and CPM ads for pages with low CTR rates. CPA ads generally work well on niche websites where the visitors are interested in specific topics are are likely to buy a product or request a service related to that niche.

In the end, whether you choose to use CPM or CPA ads depend very much on a myriad of factors unique to your website or blog which only you can decide. Here's a list of CPM and CPA ad networks. Most CPM ad networks have a pre-requisite page view requirement so check out their specific needs before you sign up.

• AdPepper Info



• Ad Smart Info | FAQ | Requirements



• AdsDaq Info | FAQ



• AdTegrity Info | Requirements



• Banner Connect Info | Requirements



• Burst Media Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Casale Media Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Canep Media Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Click Booth Info | FAQ



• CX Digital Media Info | FAQ | Requirements



• CPX Interactive Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Direct Leads Info | FAQ



• Gorilla Nation Info | FAQ | Requirements



• InterClick Info | FAQ | Requirements



• InterClick Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Leader Markets Info | FAQ



• Platform A Info



• Right Media More Info



• Real Cast Media Info



• RealTech Network Info | FAQ



• Tribal Fusion Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Value Click Info | FAQ |

The beauty of the Internet is that the WHOLE world is your marketplace. You don't even have to have a physical store to sell products. This is why affiliate marketing is one of the easiest and most popular ways of monetizing a website or blog.

The idea is simple. You look for sellers who need affiliates (sales representatives) to help market their products and sign up with their affiliate program. Then you promote a product that relates to you website's niche by placing links (banners, icons, buttons or text links) to that product page on your website. The advertiser will have a software or tracking system so that if a sale is made, they will know which publisher referred that customer. You will then be paid a commission based on the agreed rate. Most affiliate programs work on the CPA (cost per action) or CPL (cost per lead) system - where you get paid ONLY if they potential customer that you refer to them completes a sale or specific action.

A good thing to keep in mind when looking for affiliate products is this : It's better to promote a product that's relevant to your website's niche and traffic THAN to select one that just pays a higher commission. It's all about common sense - knowing your niche and what people visiting your site are looking for.

• AffiliNet Info | FAQ



• Azoogle Info



• Buy.At Info



• ClickBank Info | FAQ



• Commission Junction Info | FAQ



• Cyber Bounty Info



• DealDotCom Info



• Deal Group Media (DGM) Info | FAQ



• Fine Clicks Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Floppy Bank Info | FAQ



• Google Affiliate Network Info



• LinkShare Info



• Market Leverage Info



• Max Bounty Info



• PayDotCom Info | FAQ



• PepperJam Info



• Trade Doubler Info | FAQ



• WebGains Info

A great way to monetize your website is to promote books that complements the general niche of your site or topics on each web page. However, you don't have to confine yourself to just books. Suggesting (promoting) ebooks, reports, software downloads, video and audio downloads are also great ways to monetize your website.

The list below contains some of the more popular sites to find books and products that relate to your site. These sites contain literally millions of products from a myriad of sellers, so you will need to be patient to find the right ones.

If you're a Squidoo publishers, you might be interested to know that you can earn a higher commission rate if you sell a product listed on Amazon via a Squidoo lens because they are rated as a Premium Amazon Associate. eBay needs no introduction. This is a giant marketplace where you will easily find millions of products to complement your website.

• Amazon Info



• eBay Info



• World Wide Brands Info



• Chapters (Amazon alternative) Info | FAQ



• Overstock (Amazon alternative) Info | FAQ



• Barnes and Noble Info | FAQ

Computer and Tech based affiliate programs are coming on the scene by the hundreds every day. With online money making becoming a hot topic, it seems that everyone is interested in starting their own website to make money. You'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a product to promote that complements your website - from computers and laptops from DELL and Lenovo to 3D screen savers. Remember though, that the technology niche is a very competitive one. To be successful in being an affiliate promoting computer and tech products, you either have to have a high traffic website or a website in a very specialized niche. One great way to promote computer or tech related products is to write comprehensive reviews about software and hardware when it hits the market.

The list of affiliate programs here isn't a very comprehensive one (simply because there are so many it would fill a whole website) but will be updated with more in due course.

• Apple iTunes Info | FAQ



• DELL Computers Info | FAQ



• HP Computers Info



• Lenovo Computers Info | FAQ



• Toshiba Info



• The Tech Zone (TTZMedia) Info



• BraveNet Info



• Ultra Website Hosting Info



• The Tech Geek Info



• 3D Passion Info

Print-on-demand services like Cafepress and Zazzle present a great way to create your own promotional items to sell on your website. They're also an easy way to create a spin-off website and branch out into making money with your own online store. You don't have to create your own products and promote them - you can promote ANY product that matches your website's needs.

All of the print-on-demand services below are FREE except for Cafepress which charges an affordable annual fee for a Premium store if you want something more substantial than their free store.That's not to say that Cafepress' free stores are not good but if you are using Cafepress mainly to sell your own promo t-shirts and items (meaning Cafepress is NOT a main source of income), then their free stores are adequate. However, as free stores go, you would probably be better off with Zazzle or SpreadShirt.

Posters are also a hot item that you can promote if you have an entertainment or youth oriented website and the sites in the list below have really funky posters to suit this niche. However, they also carry superb posters of just about anything (from pets to scenery), so you'll be spoilt for choice. Just remember to take your time and find the right product to complement your site or topic.

• Cafepress Info | Info



• Zazzle Info



• SpreadShirt Info | FAQ



• AllPosters Info



• ARTina Info



• IcePoster Info



• PushPosters Info

There are definitely good affiliate programs and bad affiliate programs. It's important to find out all you can about the affiliate program before you waste precious time and effort promoting them. Here are some things to consider :

• Find an affiliate program or product that complements your website niche and visitor interests.



• Consider the commission rate, payout level, method and terms. Generally, it's more important to find a relevant product than it is to find one with a high commission rate.



• Find user reviews and conversion rates. These are tell tale signs of the quality of the product or service level.



• Take a good look at their sales page and their website. If it turns you off, it's going to turn your potential customers off too.



• Read the Terms and Conditions CAREFULLY. Many affiliates learn too late that the merchant has put sneaky exceptions clauses in its terms and won't pay for sales under specific conditions.

• Astrology.com Info



• CartoonStock Info



• ZZSounds Info | Info | FAQ



• Prestige Property Info



• Spare Room Info

Text links were a popular way to generate income. The idea was to sell "advertising space" that appeared as text-links on your website. No different from selling image ads or so everyone thought. However, Google (and other search engines, so they say) had a different idea. Google declared that they had a problem with sites that bought and sold text-links as a means to "game" the system to increase their page-rank.

After Google started penalizing sites that sold text links without the nofollow tag, this monetization method became less popular. However, there are still publishers who use Text Link Ads and other text-link marketplaces to sell text link ads based on relevance to their sites because it's a convenient, non-intrusive and automated way of generating income. I would recommend practising due dilligence before you use this monetization method.

• Text Link Ads Info | FAQ



• TNX Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Text Link Brokers Info



• BuySellAds Info

If you have a blog, you could accept sponsored posts - posts written about an advertiser's product or service and paid for by them. They're sort of like one-page ads. PayPerPost was the first to offer this advertisement model and much like text link ads, soon became a target of Google.

The problem began as small publishers accepted any and every paid post offer they could irregardless of whether they were related to their niche. Popular bloggers also contributed to the problem by leveraging their popularity and getting paid higher rates to publish posts on topics that were obviously off-topic.

Becoming a member of sponsored review marketplaces offers you the change to write sponsored posts on a wide variety of topics. If your blog commands a high traffic rate, you could accept paid posts or one-page ads directly from advertisers, cutting out the middleman fee that you need to pay to sponsored review sites. However, before you participate in writing paid posts, I would recommend you find out all the facts of what is required. Practising due dilligence is after all part and parcel of maintaining editorial credibility.

• PayPerPost Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Izea Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Sponsored Reviews Info



• Review Me Info



• Blogvertise Info | FAQ | Requirements



• Smorty Info | FAQ | Requirements

A great way to build your reputation as an authority on any subject would be to publish a book. With the wonderful software available online these days, it's easy to produce e-books that you can sell at online marketplaces like eBay and ClickBank. However, nothing beats that touch of class that comes when you are a published author of a real, physical book. These services allow you to do just that plus more - you control every aspect of your self-published book, from the way it looks to how much it's priced.

But what if you don't have the time to sit down and write a book? Well, nobody said that you HAVE to write a book from scratch. Your self-published book can be :

• a compilation of the best articles you've already written for your website(s).


• a compilation of your grandmother's best recipes.


• a compilation of DIY tips you've learnt over the years.

• Lulu Info



• Blurb Info



• Self Publishing Info



• WordClay Info

People are always looking for better job opportunities. If you have a popular website or blog that draws heavy traffic, this monetization method may work for you. After signing up as an affiliate with one of the services below you will be given the code to create a job board that displays job opportunities. Most job boards allows you limited customization so you can match the look of your website. You earn money based on the requirements set by the job board service provider - which could be on a PPC basis or upon completion of a specific action by the visitor. Job boards are ideal for websites in the education or training industry because of the targetted traffic it attracts. If you're technically inclined, there are open-source scripts that you can download and deploy so that you have full control over your own job board. Best of all, since you aren't hooked up with a middleman, you can keep 100% of the fee you charge for job listings.

• Job-a-matic Info



• Simply Hired Info



• Job Thread Info

Everybody LOVES freebies.

Giving freebies away to your website's visitors is a great way to make money. A great example is RevResponse - a service that provides website visitors with a selection of free magazines. When you sign up as an affiliate, a catalog page will be created for you where you can link to. You can choose the types of magazines you want to offer based on your website's niche. You earn money when your visitors sign up for a magazine subscription or to receive their offer for a Free magazine/report. The beauty of this monetization method is that there are lots of magazines and reports that you will find are relevant to your website or blog.

eZone is also another great way to make money by offering your visitors free games that they can try out.

Check out these sites :

• RevResponse Info



• Catalogs.com Info



• 123Greetings Info | FAQ



• eZone Info



• SurfNetKids Info



• Enkord Info



• NCBuy Info