Monetize your blog

Part of my efforts in developing my blogs have been put to how I can make money doing this. After all, I put my time and energy into creating (what I hope) is interesting and/or entertaining sites. Also, I've never been comfortable with putting a 'tip jar' (asking for donations). So, using advertising/sponsorship seemed like the way to go.

A big part of monetizing my blogs has been putting google's adsense onto each of my sites. Unlike using affiliates, Adsense places targeted ads (ads relevant to what you're blogging) onto your site without any further effort from you in locating those advertisers/sponsors.

Signing up for Adsense was easy (especially for anyone using Blogger, which is owned by Google anyways). The trick after having signing up is making those ads accessible. I also continue to play with those ads as location and formatting are extremely important. Try to think like your readers and attempt to figure where and why they would want to click on your links. Continue to experiment, but make sure the ads always make sense aesthetically.

There are several points about the adsense Terms of Service (TOS) to keep in mind. Read them carefully if you sign up. Some of the most important ones to keep in mind are: Make sure you don't fool anybody into clicking onto ads. Don't muck with the code they give to you to place on your site. Don't let any other ads on your site look like they are trying to to be adsense ads. Keep your Adsense off on pop ups, pop unders or mass e-mails.

Your ads should not be displayed on content sites that promote illegal activity or tampering of the legal rights of other people or business. Included in this are the content that is considered adult and gambling ones. If you think that you may be breaking this rule, immediately remove your content or Adsense from the web page.

Again, make sure you read through the TOS to make sure you're doing the right thing. If you have any questions, contact google first. If something suspicious seems to be occuring, contact google. They're helpful and friendly unless they think you're trying to get away with something.