Blogging Tips

Whether you have set out to create a blog for profit or you’re just blogging for fun, no blogger is going to say no to making a little bit of extra cash. The truth is—there are many opportunities to bring in some revenue if you have a successful blog; however creating a successful blog isn’t always easy. There are many factors that go into making a successful blog, and many ways to get there, but there is one thing that almost all successful blogs have in common: traffic.

So what happens when you find yourself with a successful blog—you work hard, earn a lot of traffic, you’re excited about the number of people reading your content and visiting your site—about you’re not making any money? Shouldn’t increased conversion rates come with an increase in traffic?

Why Your Blog Might Be Missing the Profit Boat

In theory, high traffic to a site should mean higher conversion rates and therefore a higher profit; however this is not always the case. You site could be popular but not give you much revenue for a few different reasons:

• Entertainment: People may simply like your content, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the products or services you sell. They come there for pure entertainment.
• Research: Your website could be a great place to research. You might have clear articles that report on the latest news, but this audience isn’t necessarily one that needs whatever it is you’re selling.
• Poor Navigation: Your website could be difficult to navigate. If you have great SEO strategies and managed to get on the top of a Google SERP, then you’re sure to get a lot of clicks and traffic; however this doesn’t mean much if they spend most of their time getting lost trying to move from one webpage to another.

Fortunately, the hard part is over. Getting the traffic and the readership is the most difficult aspect of creating a really successful blog. In other words, trying to make a profit is a little bit easier; so don’t sweat it. There are still plenty of ways to make sure that you’re taking full advantage of this traffic.

Tips and Tricks to Help Turn Your Traffic Into a Profit

Below are a few suggestions to help you optimize your website for conversions:

     1.  Place special deals above the fold.

If your blog is offering any deals or trying to promote a Twitter chat, make sure you place a call to action above the fold. Don’t tell visitors about your event or your deal at the end of an article. Instead, give this message a good place on your website where it will really show, such as above the fold. Do not make the message obnoxious and loud in the middle of an article, but put it next to the article.

     2.  Give your subscribers something extra.

People who have subscribed to your blog are usually pretty loyal readers. In other words, they really like your content. Offer your subscribers “special” content that comes at a cost. Do not ask them to pay for something that was once free of charge, but rather create something extra such as a newsletter or a new line of content that features interviews. Even $10.00 per month for this content will make a big difference.

     3.  Make sure that your traffic can easily navigate their way through your sales funnel.

Sometimes the problem is as simple as going through and making sure your site is intuitive. This may seem too easy, but many are surprised to find that people actually have no idea where to go when it comes time to shop. You already know where to go, so ask a friend who has never been to your site to go through and test it out. Take notes, and change your layout accordingly.

     4.  Put out a piece of content that discusses some of your services.

If you have loyal readers, they might not notice (or care to notice) the extra tab you have on top of your website because they are always going straight to the blog. Therefore, it might benefit you to write a piece of content that discusses your services and put it into your blog. Try to keep the piece short, but with the same style as the content you usually write, and then at the end of your content make sure you ask readers for referrals.

The most important thing to remember is that you want to keep your numbers high. Do not scare your readers off. If people came to your site because you post funny content, keep the content funny! Make sure that anything you do to help monetize your site is done discreetly.

Have you ever had to deal with a lot of traffic but little revenue? What helped you convert this popular blog into something profitable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Amanda DiSilvestro is a graduate of Illinois State University. Although she graduated with an English Education degree, she found herself working as a full-time blogger at Highervisibility.com, nationally recognized as one of the best seo agencies in the country. Connect with HigherVisibility on Twitter to learn more!