If you are somewhat internet-savvy, you must already be aware of the fact that WordPress is one of the market leaders as far as blogging platforms are concerned. Polls conducted by top bloggers show that over the past three to four years, WordPress has repeatedly featured in the top 3 platforms preferred by bloggers. Not only is WordPress free, it is highly customizable, fairly secure, interactive, and search engine friendly.
For serious bloggers who are planning on generating some revenue out of their blog, WordPress proves to be an excellent choice. Having recently turned to full-time blogging myself, I decided to put in my research hours and get my facts right before jumping headlong into the world of blogs. WordPress was the natural choice of blogging platform for me, since I’m really into experimenting with my blog. I also planned to monetize my WordPress blog and a lot of my research revolved around that area. There is plenty of information to be found on the subject and I’ve summarized some of the tips that I found most useful, as follows:
Tip #1: Understand the Rules
WordPress.com and WordPress.org are the two different blogging options available from WordPress. The former is just like any other freehost, allowing you to create a blog and start adding content. However, advertising is not permitted here and is against the Terms of Service. The latter on the other hand, provides free blogging software that can be downloaded and installed on a web server. This allows room for a lot of customization in terms of adding plugins and themes. This is what you are looking for if you plan on monetizing your blog.
Tip #2: A Quality Blog
It is a good idea to give serious thought to why you are blogging and what value add you plan to provide to your readers. Rather than blogging about random topics, choose a niche subject, preferably one that you are knowledgeable about. Make sure you know what your USP is, i.e., what value add you provide over the countless other blogs that have already been written on the same subject. It helps to research other blogs to see what has already been talked about and what more can be said. At the end of the day, quality content will lend credibility to your blog, which is what will keep the readers coming in the long run.
Tip #3: Know your Options
There are several options available to monetize your blog. While AdSense from Google is the best and most popular online advertising program, there are other such programs that can be of great help. You can use your blog to promote products that are relevant to your content through services such as Clickbank. Amazon and eBay provide great affiliate programs that you can make use of. You can also explore Affiliate Marketing from programs such as Linkshare and Commission Junction.
Tip#4: Choice and Placement of Ads
It is not a good idea to clutter your blog with irrelevant ads. This can make you seem insincere, and put off people from visiting your blog again. Make sure you choose the correct ads and products to promote depending on the nature of the content. Once chosen, the ads should be placed in such a way that visitors can find them easily and yet, they should not look spammy. It’s a good idea to keep changing the ad placement until you find what works well for you. Use the ad background color so that it blends in well with the rest of your blog. Ad placement is a key factor in successfully monetizing a blog.
Tip #5 WordPress Plugins
Plugins can be used on WordPress to extend blog functionality as you please. In order to monetize as well, there are several WordPress plugins available free of cost on the internet. Different plugins work in different ways, some allowing you to customize while some are automatically place ads between blog posts. Several plugins allow you to add AdSense to your WordPress blog, while there are others for different advertiser programs. Lorelle’s blog provides comprehensive information about WordPress plugins and is a great place to start learning.
Working with WordPress does require a bit of technical knowhow. The process of creating and monetizing a WordPress blog is however, a rich learning experience in itself. The amazing themes and features, the neat and user friendly interface, the overall reaction to your blog will contribute to making WordPress a choice that you cannot regret.
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