Top Blogging Income Streams

There are many ways you can make money from blogging, with new streams popping up all the time—some worth their weight in gold and others … well … not so hot.

It certainly seems like for every winner among income generators, there’s a dud diversion ready to take you off the cash track. Following are some of tried and true ways you can trust to monetize blogs safely.

AdSense

Sure, some folks find it obtrusive, but it remains a big earner for lots of top bloggers. A favorite among many is the 250x300 pixel ad with a blended design.

Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates is a winner for blogs promoting related products and services. While commissions may not seem very high on a per-unit basis, on big-ticket items such as electrical goods they can quickly add up.

Private Ad Sales and Sponsorships

If your blog sees a decent amount of traffic, or targets a desirable niche, you may find you can make excellent earnings from private ad sales and sponsorships.

Text Link Ads

Text Link Ads are worth a look. Over 45,000 publishers reportedly use them, and there’s the added advantage of having editorial control over where in your blog they’re placed. But beware the wrath of Google—no friend of this competitor.

Smaller Affiliate Programs

Google, Amazon, et al aren’t the only kids in town. Smaller, niche affiliates are also definitely worth checking out. They may bring in less traffic than the big kahunas, but often it’s more targeted with better conversion rates.

According to SEO blogger Michael Gray : “Don’t limit yourself. Look for related programs in related industries wherever possible.”

Smaller Ad Networks

Again, it often pays dividends to suss out the smaller, niche ad networks. Think Bidvertiser or Vizu. There’s no harm in running a few tests to see how conversions via these networks stack up against the bigger players, now is there?