A blog is a valuable resource to own, a place where you can pen down what you think freely, without inhibitions and external influence. It is a true reservoir for the inner workings and musings of your mind. But are you satisfied? Maybe you are.
But, how about earning from what you really like doing? Now, the question you might be having is “How to make money?” with your WordPress blog. Let us help you understand how you can maneuver and manipulate this leading CMS according to your will to make the most returns out of the same.
One can use WordPress in either of the two forms offered:
- WordPress.com: An Open platform where one can start blogging.
- WordPress.org: A Self-hosted platform having one’s own server.
You may be surprised to know that many people are making a living by running a blog on WordPress. Have you ever wondered how you can do the same? Well, there can be many ways by which you can make money using WordPress. Listed below are few of the easiest and most popular ways:
USING WORD ADS
One of the easiest ways to generate decent revenue from your WordPress blog is by using WordAds. It is the advertising solution for WordPress.com which can be used by anyone. However, one of the prerequisites, in this case, is that you need to apply for it and wait until your request for WordAds gets accepted.
Some of the things that one should keep in mind while using WordAds are:
- You can monitor your earnings from WordAds very easily by tracking the same from the dashboard.
- The payment you receive from WordAds is based on impressions and not clicks. Thus, higher traffic leads to more earnings.
- It works better when the web traffic is from North American and European countries.
- Minimum denomination to receive payment is USD 100.0 and payment is made through Paypal account.
“Tip” of the Digital Iceberg: Note that you cannot use Google Adsense on a WordPress.com blog. However, if you are using an enterprise version of WordPress.com, you can definitely apply for AdSense.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Another lucrative and intriguing way of earning through your WordPress blog is through the use of affiliate links. Now, what is affiliate marketing you might ask? Simply put, it is promoting other web pages on your blogs and helping them generate revenue. But, how? You help your affiliate site by generating higher web traffic and channelling the same to their blog or website, thus increasing the probability of higher sales. One of the best ways to go about affiliate marketing would be to use backlinks or hyperlinks in your article to link your content with your affiliate partners. However, an image with a backlink to an affiliate partner is not a lucrative option. Through affiliate marketing, you also gain a share of the returns that you help your affiliate partners produce. This method can generate quite a substantial amount of revenue in a very short duration.
THE BEAUTY OF AFFILIATE MARKETING IS THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO INVEST THE TIME AND EFFORT TO CREATE A PRODUCT TO SELL. YOU CAN BEGIN SELLING SOMETHING AS AN AFFILIATE AS SOON AS YOU HAVE A PLATFORM TO SELL IT ON. @patflynn
SPONSORED POSTS
This is another method for generating money. However, this works better in the case of established blogs. One of the best ways of garnering a sponsored blog would be to write a review on some other blog with the consent or mutual agreement or writing or posting sponsored content related to similar interests, products, services or more.
Few important things to consider in this case are as follows:
- It is advisable to use self-hosted WordPress platform, especially in case one wants to run a third-party advertising program.
- You can get yourself suspended if you are caught violating WordPress.com advertising guidelines.
CREATING AND SELLING PLUGINS
WordPress blogs are mostly run by using one or several plugins. Thus, you must have realized the importance of plugins. There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress – some of them are absolutely free and the remaining are premium ones. Well, if you manage to create your own plugin, be sure to generate revenue from it by properly advertising the same.
You can sell your plugins at CodeCanyon or similar sites, or, you can also sell them from your own website. You can also opt to do freelance projects for developing plugins, on some of the major freelancing sites out there, such as Freelancer, Elance, Odesk, etc.
“Tip” of the Digital Iceberg: If you are thinking of making money by selling WordPress plugins, make sure to create them by focusing on a specific need, especially one which is faced by almost all bloggers but is still unsatisfied to a large extent.
DEVELOP WORDPRESS THEMES
You can also make money by developing WordPress Themes. You can do this by going solo or by joining a team. After developing a theme, you may sell it to websites such as Themeforest, Creative Market, Mojo Themes and more. These themes can also be put up for sale on your own website
OFFER WORDPRESS CONSULTING SERVICES
Another revenue-generating stream would be to offer consulting services for bloggers who are lost in the virtual realm. It can be related to anything from creating custom designs for clients or creating and teaching WordPress tutorials to beginners or even advanced users.
START YOUR OWN BLOG
You can use these tips to launch yourself into the world of blogging and emerge as a professional in your field of choice. So, what are you waiting for?
Are you making money through WordPress blog? Please share your experience and your methodology and help others join the bandwagon.