As outlined in a previous section of this report, a blog can be monetized using one or more of the following methods:
- Pay Per Action (PPA). The best-suited such method is Pay Per Click advertisement (PPC) - ads placed throughout the blog, which bring profit to the blogger every time a user clicks on them. The most popular PPC program is Google Adsense. To participate in the program, one must submit an application and their site has to be evaluated before they are admitted.
My blog is built on Blogger, which is owned by Google and therefore integrated with AdSense. This makes applications easier, as they can be submitted directly through the blog's control panel. Before applying, I would need to fill the blog with good content, as Google would not admit websites they don't consider valuable. They are also less likely to admit completely new websites, and it is advisable to wait a month or two before applying. Moreover, even when I get admitted to the program, I would need high traffic to make considerable profit. The ads generally have a conversion rate of about 10%, and each conversion brings in $0.01 to $0.10. Thus, one needs at least 1000 views per day to generate actual profit.
There are other PPA methods, such as Pay Per Download (PPD) or Pay Per Install (PPI). However, these are better suited for software, game and film niches. They also often require black hat techniques or illegal downloads to generate real profits. - Affiliate Marketing. This is a method I can use right away, and it only wakes a short time to set up. I have created account is VigLinks and Clickbank, and will include links to their products in posts, as well as in the widgets. Whenever a user buys a products, I would earn a comission.
Other options I could test later on are Google Affiliate Network, Reward Style and Fashion Traffic (the last two are tailored for the fashion and lifestyle niche).
When the blog has been developed and established, and is bringing a lot of traffic, I could sign up for customized affiliate programs with different companies in my niche. - PR Posts / Paid Links. Unlike the previous two methods, this is not a program I can sign up for and experiment with. To be able to use this monetization method, I would need to have my blog established as "popular." I would need high traffic, highly developed optimization, and a loyal following. Then, I would likely start receiving requests for PR posts and paid links.