I was reading some of the posts on the Associate Programs forum today and saw a post about blog monetization. The post was on four ways to monetize a blog for the newbie. The list contained the usual suspects, Adsense, Affiliate products, Amazon. It made me think about the motivational force that makes us want to write a blog in the first place.

Blog Monetization

I think its good to think about ways to make money from your blog, but it should not be the sole motivation. Many newbies have dreams about making a living off of their blog. They see sites like Shoemoney, John Chow and Problogger and get the idea that its easy to replicate their success.

The problem with the newbies mentality though is that they want to put up ads on their blog from day one. They make a couple of posts, update every couple of days and then just sit back and wait. They are often disappointed with the results.

Quality Content

A newbie to the blogging game should not focus on monetization from day one. Instead, you should focus on creating quality content that people will be interested in reading and want to come back for more.  Focus your efforts on updating your site daily with fresh content for the first six months. Then consider placing ads on your blog.

Marketing

The other key when starting your blog in the beginning is to market. Visit blogs that are related to your niche and leave comments to build up back-links. Also do a search for do-follow blogs and comment to help your page rank. This will help you rank better in the SERP’s.

Make videos about your blog and post them on YouTube with a link back to your site. You need to build a readership for your blog. No traffic will earn you no money.

The Big Picture

Creating a blog about a niche you know and care about is key to being successful. Update it frequently with quality content and market your blog. After six months, see where you stand. What kind of traffic do you have visiting your blog? Consider implementing ads slowly and then see how your readers react. Blogging success is a process that takes many months and can take years to achieve.