Typically, I advise my clients to maintain a blog because it\u2019s good for SEO and, as a result, site traffic. But once your blog starts to bring in a predictable view count, you might wonder about monetizing. Monetizing a blog refers to anything that can lead to indirect, passive income, which includes directing your readers to your own products. But it also means selling ad space and using affiliate marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this blog, I\u2019m going to talk about the pros and cons of monetizing your blog as an author, artist, crafter, or other creator. I\u2019ll also go over a few suggestions for getting started and maintaining an ethically monetized blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The obvious reason to monetize your blog is to increase your income. Selling items from your online store might be your main goal in starting a website, but it\u2019s not the only way your web presence can earn you money. Once you\u2019ve established yourself in a given field, you can use your skills as a creator to bring in some passive income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My clients are authors, artists, crafters, and other creatives. Their reason for starting a website is usually to sell their creative work. So it\u2019s not always intuitive to start thinking about affiliate marketing for a secondary project like a blog. There\u2019s an impulse to say, \u201cI\u2019m an author, not an influencer. Why would I start shilling just to earn a few bucks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I understand the fear of selling out. It was something I seriously considered when deciding whether or not to monetize this blog. What persuaded me was realizing that if I was going to recommend web builders to some of my readers (rather than insisting that my custom design services were the only way to go), there was no reason I shouldn\u2019t vet and recommend a specific builder and get compensated for that. Many of the free image providers I use for my designs are affiliates for iStock\u2014why shouldn\u2019t I do the same thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earning passive income seems like a simple and straightforward way to earn some extra cash. After all, no one wants to be a starving artist. But there are a few potential downsides to consider before you dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For starters, no one likes seeing ads. If you sell ad space, you run the risk of making your blog an unpleasant reading experience. There are ways around this, of course (I\u2019ll talk about that in the next section), but even the most artful and low-bandwidth ads will change the feel of your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As to affiliate marketing, I think this is far more tolerable on a blog than, say, a YouTube channel. For one thing, it\u2019s easy to scroll right past a link or skim over a few sales-y sentences. That\u2019s a big difference from having your video interrupted with a two minute ad. However, some of the problems with affiliate marketing show up no matter the medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many times have you seen a new company suddenly being advertised everywhere, only for it to seemingly disappear overnight? I can\u2019t tell you how many times a channel I subscribe to has started a video with a mini apology for previously working with a sponsor that turned out to be shady at best, and scammy at worst. Remember when BetterHelp seemed to tank overnight once its poor business practices were revealed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there\u2019s the issue of promoting a product or company just for the money. I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019m not convinced that Raycons offer anything different than your average mid-cost earbud. Would any of these influencers try to sell me on them if they didn\u2019t get a commission?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personally, I don\u2019t hold it against anyone who takes a sponsorship for a product they secretly dislike, but it\u2019s not something I\u2019d want to do. It just feels weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering how opaque some companies are about their practices and how hard you\u2019ve worked to earn your audience\u2019s trust, monetizing might not seem worth the risk. And that\u2019s fine. Your blog is still (hopefully) bringing new people to your site and improving your overall rankings, so it\u2019s doing its job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having said that, if you are interested in monetizing, there are ways to do so without feeling guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve decided to monetize, here are a few suggestions to help that shift go smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can avoid obnoxious designs and dubious products, keeping your blog pleasant. This is more time-consuming than simply putting ad code on your website, and it may be difficult to find companies interested in working with you if your blog is still small. On the other hand, it\u2019s a great way to promote other businesses within your niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t just for your own peace of mind\u2014it\u2019s almost always a legal requirement. You\u2019ll generally need to have a notice in the blog post itself stating that it contains affiliate links, and you\u2019ll likely need to have a linked page explaining the affiliate relationship in detail. The information you\u2019ll need to include will vary from one company to the next, so make sure you read the fine print carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there is no ethical consumption (and very little ethical employment) under capitalism, we must all strive to be as close to ethical as possible. Avoid businesses that are openly horrible (I am no longer an Amazon affiliate), and try to choose products that seem like they would be genuinely helpful to your readers. For instance, I\u2019m glad to offer affiliate links for website builders, because I really do believe they\u2019re a great option for people who are just starting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m also an affiliate for products that I use myself. My rule of thumb is this: If I would recommend something to a friend I know in real life, then I can sleep easy recommending it to my readers. (In case you were wondering, SkullCandy is my preferred low-cost earbud. Sadly, this is not sponsored by SkullCandy.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, should you monetize your blog? If you can do so in a way that doesn\u2019t compromise the function and design of your website and won\u2019t make your conscience prick you, I say go ahead. Just be sure to do your due diligence by looking up reviews of any affiliate program you\u2019re interested and and make sure you\u2019ve read and understood all the terms of service (boring, I know) before you sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n