Whether you are already a seasoned blogger, or are just thinking of starting one, the idea of making money from your blog has no doubt crossed your mind. While every blog is different, the following tips are appropriate – and necessary, for any blogger who wants to successfully make money.

Below we discuss some conventional, new, innovative and even surprising ways your blog can make you money:

Advertisements are perfect to make money blogging
This one is the most obvious one of the bunch, but before we get into increasing your actual following and views, we need to talk about advertisements. If you have a blog or website, make sure to utilize advertisements to potentially make money with every single view.

It doesn’t matter how much traffic your website has – if you are trying to make money, you need to have active advertisements on display that can be clicked on. Ads on a blog usually show up as images and are positioned anywhere on your blog from the header, sidebar, or within your posts to break them up.

Ad networks – with the most well-known one being Google AdSense – connect content creators with advertisers so that you all benefit from the relationship. You can choose how many ads you want, where they are placed, and they are even usually tailored to your audience’s preferences, keeping them subtle yet relevant.

Just remember, while it is a good idea to have ads on display throughout your blog, be mindful and don’t overdo it, as this can really overwhelm your visitors!

Collaborate with other blogs
Now that you have your ads in place, it’s time to start thinking about other ways to invest in your blog. One such way is to keep a steady flow of followers and views coming to your blog. Collaboration with other bloggers, companies, and organizations is one of the best ways to introduce your blog to an entirely new audience.

One of the more common ways to do this is by cross posting and guest posting. When you invite another content creator to guest blog, or accept a guest-blog request, that person’s social media channels and following will flock to your blog in order to see the content they created for you. This means more views, more visibility, and potentially many more followers.

The same applies when you offer to guest blog on another person’s blog. If the readership likes what they see, they may soon become your readership as well. Another option is to organize contests. You can work with organizations and events that are relevant to your blog’s content, and organize giveaways and contests for your readers.

This is a surefire way to bring more people to your blog who want to stay updated on its future content, and will result in a win-win for both you and your readers.

Affiliate Links can make money
While affiliate marketing is not necessarily something you “add” to your blog, it is way in which having a blog can make money for you. Affiliate marketing is when you promote, sell, and/or endorse another company or person’s product or services, for a commission or flat rate.

The commission or rate will differ depending on a number of factors–including your blog’s reach, but it is still a great way to make money as a result of having a blog. If your blog is focused on natural makeup, you can work with a variety of companies that are in line with that and by promoting their products and making sales, you earn money as well.

Keep in mind that it is best to work with companies or individuals that sells products or services that are at least relevant to your blog, otherwise it may turn your readers off and send mixed messages.

SEO will get you traffic to make money
You’ve heard this word countless times before, but what does it really mean? SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of gaining traffic from organic searches made on search engines. While you may have a loyal base of views from your already established fans, this is more focused on bringing in new traffic.

Think about when you search for a “how-to” article of blog post on any topic in Google. As a search engine, Google will rank as many options as you want by pages, and you then choose the one that looks the best. With SEO, your goal is to get on those pages–and preferably on the first.

The main key here is how you write your content. Make sure you are using common and ‘searchable’ terms when writing a blog post or in your various pages/sections. This will get your website’s ranking up and will help people who are looking to find content similar to yours actually track your blog down.

Find The Best Keywords To Rank In Google

Another key aspect for SEO is to make your blog an “authority.” What this means is to essentially write good quality and useful content so that your blog is linked on other pages. This will again increase your chances of being featured in search results and be seen as an expert on your topic. Informative and useful content coupled with commonly searched words are the keys in getting you on the front page and for bringing in organic views.

Earn Money Online? Stay Active
While all of the points mentioned above are very important tips to focus on, never put increasing your followers on the backburner. The best way to go about that is to remain active – on your blog, on your social media channels, and in your responses to emails or comments.

With a great blog comes great responsibility and losing people’s trust, or interest, can mean losing a loyal fan for good. Followers want consistency, and if you cannot provide it, they will take their time and views elsewhere.

Keep their trust by keeping your blog and social media channels active. Even if you are busy, there are now so many platforms available that allow you to post a week, or even a month’s content in advance.

All of the information mentioned above on ways to make money with your blog will mean nothing if you do not offer your readers (and potential readers) a reason to keep visiting your blog.

While there are so many different ways to make money off your blog, the tips mentioned above are the best ways to ensure that your blog is also working for you. By keeping your content active and consistent, placing advertisements on your pages, collaborating with other bloggers, and utilizing both SEO and affiliate marketing, you can make sure your blog is not only a labor of love, but an actual source of income as well.