Traffic is important. You obviously need it on your blog to make money. However, by creating multiple income streams, you can earn more money without increasing your traffic.
Here are some income streams to consider.
Ad Networks
Ad networks like AdSense are where many bloggers get their start in monetization. Bloggers are attracted to these networks because they’re easy to setup. You simply add a piece of code to your blog and you’re done.
Check out Publisher Spot for excellent reviews of many different ad networks. Also, check out Adify for niche ad networks.
Out of all the ad networks, AdSense is definitely the most popular network. However, many bloggers have AdSense as their only income stream. This is not a good strategy because you can add income streams that can earn as much money as AdSense.
Direct Ads
Direct ads take more work than ad networks. However, if you search hard enough, you can often find other webmasters that are willing to pay good money to place an ad on your site.
You can go to webmaster forums like Digital Point and V7N and create a thread telling everyone that you’re selling ads on your blog.
I like to contact sites directly. If you know your niche well, you should know of other sites in your niche that want more traffic and exposure. Contact static sites, blogs, online stores, and forums in your niche and see if they would be interested in purchasing an ad on your site. It doesn’t hurt to try.
Make sure you have a good advertising page. Here are some examples, Entrepreneur’s Journey and Dosh Dosh. Also, blog about your advertising page and you might get readers to advertise on your site.
Affiliate Products
Whether you sell ebooks through Clickbank or physical products through Commission Junction, many niches can be monetized well through affiliate products.
Go to the above sites and other affiliate networks like LinkShare and Azoogle. Then, find quality products in your niche that you can sell.
To find more affiliate programs in your niche, do a search on Google for “affiliate program [name of your niche]”.
Write reviews for products you would recommend and you’ll increase your affiliate sales.
Some of your favorite products may have an affiliate program. For example, if you’re an SEO blogger, you should sell Aaron Wall’s SEO Book LINK. If you have a blog about blogging, you should sell Yaro Starak’s mentoring program, Blog Mastermind.
Create Your Own Product
The paid content model seems to be underrated. But people are willing to pay good money to have a useful product.
You can create an ebook, videos, audio products, or even a membership site.
There are many advantages to creating your own product. You can set the price. You can tailor it to meet the specific needs of your blog audience. You can refer to your product more than an affiliate product. And you can create an affiliate program so that others can sell your product.
Services
Some niches lend themselves well to selling services like consulting. For example, Chris Garrett uses his blog to sell blog consulting and Patrick Altoft uses his blog to promote his internet marketing consulting services.
Feedback
What income streams have you used to earn money on your blog?