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For a lot of people, blogging seemed to be the logical step. It was a way to get involved in something they love while maintaining their hopes of earning a little bit of extra cash from it, perhaps one day even earning a living. But how do you go about making money from your blog?

Well, luckily for you, there are a few options out there, some of which may be used on their own and some that may work together to maximise your revenue. Just remember that, whatever route you decide to go down, it should be compatible - and appropriate - with your intentions, and what your blog is about.

Go With Affiliate Advertisements

This remains one of the most popular routes for bloggers to go down because there are thousands and thousands of affiliate programs offered by every type of retailer imaginable. The reason for this is, there are millions of different products and services on sale and some of them may be suited to your blog, making you perfectly placed to act as an online seller.

Of course, the only way you actually make money from this is if someone comes to your website, clicks on the affiliate advertisement and then buys the product, upon which you will receive a pre-agreed fee. But given there is no hassle to you, it is an easy way to make money.

Make Some Merchandising

A lot of blogs these days need to have a recognisable logo or image that sells what they are about. It is that very thing that people will associate with your blog. It will instil a certain feeling or association. Well, your logo may lend itself perfectly to being printed onto merchandise. So why not start out with a few tester items, like mugs and t-shirts and bumper stickers, that kind of thing? 

If they become popular, in which case why not apply for some short term business loans and capitalise on this revenue stream? Your blog could very quickly become an online store, somewhere that sells much more than just branded mugs. Somewhere that sells items people can’t find on the high street; it could sell anything from quirky art to homemade bits and bobs.

Start Selling Space

Selling advertising space on a blog has long been the standard bearer in reliable income, and a great way to earn a healthy profit. All it takes is the right conditions and proof that you have a healthy amount of visitors coming to your site, and you could see advertisers offer you a substantial amount of cash for a small banner at the top of your page.

Of course, the more reliable traffic you have coming to your blog the more money you will be able to command, so make sure your blog posts are popular. A great place to start is with Google AdSense, as this will start getting some money flowing in. Then you can move on to other networks like Izea that are looking for successful blogs like yours to produce content or share links for cash.

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Note: This post contains affiliate links.