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
