We just stripped the small square ads along the right side of our site for a long, single Google ad. Our Adsense jumped through the roof (well, we're not independently wealthy yet from the site, but it doubled.....) with this one simple change. I think because it looks less cluttered this way more people click the ad.

Appreciate the tip Joe! I def want my site to have less clutter.

Hi Marvin,

Your traffic is likely considerably more than mine, but affiliate ads are just beginning to provide a return for me. I think you need quite a lot of traffic to generate meaningful (worth your time and effort) income. And, as others have suggested, affiliate ads within topic-centered posts I think are far more likely to generate interest than, say, a button on your homepage or in a sidebar. Just my 2 cents, I'm not very experienced with this stuff...

Good luck with your monetization!

I have been looking into affiliates for a while. So much to do in relation to blogging though. 

Your traffic is likely considerably more than mine, but affiliate ads are just beginning to provide a return for me. I think you need quite a lot of traffic to generate meaningful (worth your time and effort) income. And, as others have suggested, affiliate ads within topic-centered posts I think are far more likely to generate interest than, say, a button on your homepage or in a sidebar. Just my 2 cents, I'm not very experienced with this stuff...

Good luck with your monetization!

I would agree with Jon, honest and balanced reviews are great. I just started doing a series on brokerages I have used or currently use and I think it's key to be honest about the product/company in question. As a reader, those are the ones I play closer attention to and will be more likely to try it out if the review is balanced.

I've loved reading your posts/reviews on these brokerages John. It will definitely give me a baseline.

I would agree with Jon, honest and balanced reviews are great. I just started doing a series on brokerages I have used or currently use and I think it's key to be honest about the product/company in question. As a reader, those are the ones I play closer attention to and will be more likely to try it out if the review is balanced.

I've loved reading your posts/reviews on these brokerages John. It will definitely give me a baseline.

Another good idea is to write honest reviews on products - books and e books are a good start. You can join their affiliate programs and earn a commission for every sale generated by people that click to the product and buy it. Don't be tempted to write reviews that exaggerate how good a product is though, as your visitors will stop trusting you. 

I have thought about doing this for a while. I need to look into becoming an affiliate for those brokerages.

I also recommend using Google search instead of the search box that comes with your site. I've had a decent conversion rate and the search results are better. You have to do some extra steps in Adsense, but for me it's been worth it.

I just checked your site and the search box looks great, I'll check adsense to see how to implement it. thanks for the tip Justin

I also recommend using Google search instead of the search box that comes with your site. I've had a decent conversion rate and the search results are better. You have to do some extra steps in Adsense, but for me it's been worth it.

Thank you!

I'd start with a simple adsense block above or below your content (on individual posts). Test out some different ad units and find out what performs best. With adsense, I've found that less can be more.

 

Then I'd recommend a broker comparison page (i.e. short reviews of the best online brokers) which contains affiliate links.

 

In general, look at other similar sites to see what they are doing. That's the way I stay on top of the best monetization methods.

Thanks PT money!

Then I'd recommend a broker comparison page (i.e. short reviews of the best online brokers) which contains affiliate links.

In general, look at other similar sites to see what they are doing. That's the way I stay on top of the best monetization methods.

I have been blogging for a little over 8 months and am ready to monetize my site. I purposely did not include ads or google adsense as I did not want to clutter my blog but feel as if I have developed enough of a following.

What tips, advice, and/or words of wisdom do you have for someone looking to monetize their blog?

I appreciate any help you guys can provide.

Marvin