Picking Up Extra Money From Your Blog

katlupe · #61 01/20/11, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bebop

So I just signed up for Blogsvertise.. I haven't really thought about making money off my blog until recently.
My blog is just about our family: Military family that is trying out homesteading. We're not exactly new to gardening or farming, but this is a little different I suppose. We don't exactly have a lot of money either. My husband really likes online gaming and technology, but so do I, so we're trying to integrate that in, as well as scrounging money and materials for chickens, shelters, fencing and things like that.
I have been in a slump of sorts. I used to craft A LOT, but still new to juggling a baby, housework, taking care of the animals, etc, so I'm using the blog as an outlet for now. I hope this year will be different and I can post more and get more readers and support in my endeavors.

The Idle Jackalope
www.theidleidol.wordpress.com

Welcome and glad to meet you!

AnnieinBC · #62 01/25/11, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katlupe

When you login, it should show a page that says:

Alert: We noticed you have "grab bag" blog ads available that match up to your blog. Click Here and look for the grab bag icon. Click on the grab bag icon next to your blog to view the offers.

It is located on your "home" page.

I have never used them. One of the grab bag offers is for Vista Print. You can go sign up with them on your own, and get more $ than you'd get from blogvertise. That's what I did.

Another thing many of those grab bag offers are for guest posts than someone else has written and I won't accept them. I will never have someone guest post on my blogs.

I never do any of the grab bag offers because they just aren't the kind of offerers I'd like. Lots on insurance stuff and I will never put that on my blog either.

Thanks for that answer Kat. I have kept logging in to Blogvertise and Never see that.

I'm going to be moving my blog over to a different host, getting away from blogspot. At that time, I can go ahead with different advertising, more than just Adsense and Google Affiliated Networks.

AnnieinBC · #63 01/25/11, 11:38 PM

Hi Bebop...I am going to go check out your blog now.

Pelenaka · #64 01/28/11, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by How Do I

A lot of it has to do with ad placement. You might want to try placing ads in the body of your posts. That may turn some of your regular readers off. If you don't like that option, you could at the very least move your ads from the bottom of the sidebar up towards the top.

You'll most likely get the majority of your clicks from ads showing "above the fold". Above the fold means simply the portion of the website/blog showing in a browser window when the page initially loads. If you moved one of your ad units above your labels category, your ads would be showing above the fold. Some of your image ads are cut off in my browser, just FYI. I'd personally try some text ads above the labels category and see how that works out for ya.

Dislike adds in the body of the post.
I'll try placing an add above the fold. Thanks for the tip.
I have tried & tried to fix those image adds. Will switch them back to text then if it's just not my browser that there're cut off on.

Thanks for the tips.

~~ pelenaka ~~

AnnieinBC · #65 01/29/11, 01:35 PM

Making sure the Google Ads are "above the fold" is something I have read over and over. There is also supposed to be a certain size of ad that is by far the best (so They say)...They being an Adsense forum.

I made those changes over on my blog, if I can find the piece of paper that I wrote that "best" ad size on, I will come back and post it for you.

How Do I · #66 01/29/11, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelenaka

Dislike adds in the body of the post.
I'll try placing an add above the fold. Thanks for the tip.
I have tried & tried to fix those image adds. Will switch them back to text then if it's just not my browser that there're cut off on.

Thanks for the tips.

~~ pelenaka ~~

As far as your ad being cut off - It looks like you're using a 250 x 250 ad unit in a 220px sidebar. You can either change the width of your sidebar (width: 220px;) to 250px or use the 200 x 200 ad unit that you are using further down the page. Below is the code where you'll find the wrapper width for your sidebar:

Code:

/* Outer-Wrapper
----------------------------------------------- */
#outer-wrapper {
width: 660px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:10px;
text-align:left;
font: normal normal 100% Arial, sans-serif;
}
#main-wrapper {
width: 410px;
float: left;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden;     /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
}
#sidebar-wrapper {
width: 220px;    <<<<<---------------/////////////
float: right;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden;      /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
}

You'll have to edit the html in the template design for that.

Pelenaka · #67 01/29/11, 09:26 PM

HDI, I just removed it since I have no idea how to edit html.
But I do appreciate your help, thank you.

~~ pelenaka ~~

katlupe · #68 02/11/11, 09:34 PM

Here is a blog written about making money with your blog. She has some pretty good info and has a community on The Blogfrog too. On there you can ask questions and it is all about making money on the blogs.

Monetize Your Blog

Pelenaka · #69 02/13/11, 12:36 PM

Thanks Kat.
Stay warm or dry since today is 36 degrees & EVERYTHING is melting !

Halfway · #70 02/18/11, 09:11 PM

Great info Kat.

Thank you.

katlupe · #71 03/06/11, 10:12 AM

If any of you are an Amazon associate, you may already know this, but this is for anyone who does not know. You can add an astore from Amazon to your blog. I have added one to Solar Baby and one to Homesteading On The Internet. I handpicked the products that suit my blogs. Solar Baby has products for someone wanting to build a small alternative energy system. Such as solar panels, wind turbines, charge controllers, inverters, books, etc. Homesteading On The Internet has cast iron cookware, books, gardening products, canning products, etc.

If you are not an Amazon associate, it is easy to sign up. You can not hit your own links though to buy. Can't make money off your own purchases. If anyone has a store on their blog, let me know and I will be sure to use your links to make my purchases on Amazon. If we can share this way to help each other have success and make money that will be good.

Another thing I have done recently is to make a list of how much I charge for advertising on my blog. You can do this easily too. The more posts you put on your blog, the more valuable it will become. I am starting out with low prices but believe as I add more followers to it, I can charge more. My smallest one link text ad is $7.00 a month. Not a lot, but it brings in a little bit of $.

If anyone needs help doing this or has questions, feel free to ask here or PM me or contact me through my blogs. I have a contact me on the side of both of them.

Pam6 · #72 03/06/11, 02:28 PM

I just signed up for Google AdSense for my blog...after reading this thread. Now I am just waiting for my blog to be approved.
http://www.pamspride.blogspot.com/
I am going to change up my blog some and add more cooking, baking, sewing, and homesteading stuff to it so it is not just about my family. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

katlupe · #73 03/09/11, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pam6

I just signed up for Google AdSense for my blog...after reading this thread. Now I am just waiting for my blog to be approved.
http://www.pamspride.blogspot.com/
I am going to change up my blog some and add more cooking, baking, sewing, and homesteading stuff to it so it is not just about my family. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Good for you! Just writing blogs about every day things seem to bring the traffic. If you post a recipe, take pictures of you making it and then the finished product. I get the most traffic from those type of posts. Same with the garden. You would not believe how many times the keywords that bring people to my blog are "antique wheel hoe." We use one for our garden and I wrote about it and put pictures on of my husband using it. Just look at your life.

The most important thing to make $$ a blog is to post often and consistently. That is why I can tell Blogvertise I will not do a post for low amounts. Plus, now I am getting web designers coming to me for their client!

Don't give up and have patience! Join the Blogfrog where other bloggers like you will assist you in many ways.

Good luck!

Pam6 · #74 03/09/11, 01:06 PM

Thanks Katlupe! I am still waiting on approval. I have TONS of ideas for posts! The last couple of days I have been commenting on lots of other blogs to bring some more traffic into mine.

Does my most recent recipe post look okay? I think that was my first one I have ever done with food.

Pam6 · #75 03/09/11, 01:09 PM

How do I find out what key words are bringing people to my blog?

ETA: Okay I think I found my answer:

blogger
22
quail hutch
21
pams pride
15
pamspride.blogspot.com
7
www.pamspride.blogspot.com
4
pam's pride
3
pams pride blog
3
quail hutches
3
breakneck bridge
2
chicken coop
2

I have this under referring sites:
asouthernfairytale.com
31
How can I tell why I was referred from there?? All of the other referral site links make sense.

katlupe · #76 03/09/11, 06:24 PM

Quote:

I have this under referring sites:
asouthernfairytale.com
31
How can I tell why I was referred from there?? All of the other referral site links make sense

.

Did you make a comment there? Did you have some kind of interaction with the writer of that blog? She has a food blog.

I get hits in my stats from sites I would never go to. And if I go there, one is a single dating site and when I go there you have to sign up. But there is no link to my site from it. Oh well. I am not going to worry about it.

Pam6 · #77 03/09/11, 06:32 PM

I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!

I have posts prepared now for the next two days!
Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.

katlupe · #78 03/09/11, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pam6

I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!

I have posts prepared now for the next two days!
Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.

Go to your blogger page where you write your post. Go to Post Options. It is right there. Go to Scheduled At.

AnnieinBC · #79 03/09/11, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pam6

I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!

I have posts prepared now for the next two days!
Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.

Hi Pam, I will go check out your blog tonite. I just wanted to mention about that one referral you got. If someone leaves a comment that mentions your blog, on another blog, and someone else clicks on the link to your blog, that will count as a referral - does that make sense? So it's not that You had to have visited.

Also, about the Post Scheduling....I often have a problem with Blogger in that way. I do a post and then schedule it and then hit publish. Then I go into Edit Posts and see that somehow it got saved as a draft instead.

So I go Edit the post again to get it to show up, scroll down to the bottom, and then make sure it is scheduled then publish it again.

I don't know why, but it sometimes takes a couple times for it to "stick" as a Scheduled Post. Never use to have that problem with Blogger, it's just a recent thing.

Pam6 · #80 03/10/11, 12:20 AM

Thanks for the info and comments Katlupe and Annie. The scheduled post thing is just not 'sticking' for me. I have tried it several times. I guess I will just have to manually post them. At least they are prepared...that is 99% of the battle! LOL!