The majority of bloggers out there want to make some money. Now, doubtable that we all could get to the level of Darren Rowse or Yaro Starak, but maybe we’d like to earn a sizeable income. That being said, I’ve identified the two primary ways most bloggers make their money: Through donation or through ads. A third option would be to sell one’s stuff, which are things that people like Seth Godin or Lorelle VanFossen succeed with, but for those without the material or the patience, it’s basically ads and donations. Let’s look at each.

Advertising

Advertising provides a quick and easy way to make some money through the use of ads on the net. People click on these ads and you make money, which is the strategy of AdSense. Or, you can also sell advertisements directly either on your own, or through the use of a service like Text Link Ads. (My referral in link.) 

Problem is, most people are quite used to ads, and don’t often click on them. It takes a long time for people to seriously click on your ads, or sell on your blog. When the net first came to be popular, there were ads known as pop-ups, which literally popped up and drove you away from the site you wanted to watch. Pop-ups are still around today, but with browsers such as Firefox and Opera blocking pop-ups, they’re no longer a good media to advertise with. Unfortunately, they’ve done their damage to advertising already.

Donations

You see those things at the end of some bloggers’ posts that ask for beers, or cups of coffee, or whatever. These bloggers try to get people to donate money to their blogging cause. Sometimes, it works well. Otherwise, for the most part nobody even bothers to care. However, donations often aren’t seen as much annoying as advertising is.

My thoughts

A little of both is always good, but I believe a blogger should know when enough is enough on both counts. The right combination or choices depend solely on your blog.