Turn Your Blog Into Cold Hard Cash

If you enjoy blogging, you obviously spend some time doing it. So as the saying goes, "time is money". Therefore why is your blog time not accounted for? Why are you not getting paid to blog? Well if your blog isn't for business purposes you may think you can't make money from it - wrong! Personal blogs can bring in the green just the same and I'll not only tell you how, but also show you (and no this is not an infomercial, it's me sharing a little know-how for those who care to try this out). It's called AdSense at www.google.com/adsense

Google AdSense is a fast and easy way for website publishers of all sizes to display relevant Google ads on their website's content pages and earn money. Because the ads are related to what your visitors are looking for on your site, or matched to the characteristics and interests of the visitors your content attracts, you'll finally have a way to both monetize and enhance your content pages. It's also a way for website publishers to provide Google web and site search to their visitors and to earn money by displaying Google ads on the search results pages. The big secret to Google AdSense is…there is no big secret. Disappointed? Perhaps this list of tips will help you increase your AdSense revenue, but remember, there’s no one thing that “works.” For the most part, AdSense works because alot of different parts work. Follow these tips to test, test and test. Test until you know what works for your site/blog.

Make Your Ads Blend In
Make your ads blend into your site. Make the ad border and background color the same color as your site’s background color. Make the ad title’s the same color as your links. Make sure there’s plenty of padding around the ads. I’ve found the more white space the better. If you have an image or animated gif next to the ads I’ve found this too helps. Test, test and test different formats.

Specific Content
Make sure your content is specific. It’s better to have 10 pages about 10 things than 1 page about 10 things. Your content should reflect what’s on your site.

One Really Good Ad Is Better Than 3 OK Ads
I’ve found that it’s better to have 1 really good ad than 3 OK ads. I think this is because when you show more ads, you show lower paying ads. So if/when the visitor clicks, they’re clicking lower paying ads.

Ad Placement
Make sure you’re ads are placed in strategical spots. Reference Google’s heat map (shown above) for the best locations for ads.

Experiment
Just because something doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Experiment, test and track the results. Don’t change your ads more frequently than weekly. Daily figures can range dramatically – take the week’s average.

I must add that you shouldn't go off and quit your job because you will now be getting paid to blog. In all honesty, chances are you will not see alot of profit from using AdSense on your blog/site. There are of course exceptions to this rule and let's hope you are one of the success stories. Just don't bank on bringing in a note worthy amount of money or you may be disappointed. This is more of $20 a month deal if you are lucky. I thought it's only fair to state that fact. So with that said, may you continue blogging now with the added sound of, a little or perhaps alot, "cha-ching" in your pockets.