Day 4.2: Six Ways to Improve Monetization

First a disclaimer: As I already said in my last post, I am incredibly sorry if you suffered from the horrible ads that I had on this site. I was checking my Reddit account and saw that someone had posted a comment for an earlier post, saying "how ironic." There was a screenshot then of my blog with the ads. Yes, it was ironic, and in the worst of ways. I want to discourage those sites, not help them out. I want people to stay away from them. I did not know that those would be the ads that would show up when I joined BidVertiser, and I myself was offended at the sight of them. I have removed them now. I respect you as readers, and so from now on the only ads I'll show are for sites and products that I myself support and am an active part of. Keep in mind that I'm still fairly new to this and am learning. The intrusive ad problem was a bad mistake and will probably not be my last. I am sorry, and thank-you for staying with me.

Monetization is new to me, if you can't already tell. I'm still working out the best way to do it. As I've been trying to compose a list for my own (and your) reference: How to get good ads on your site:

1. Have a reason to trust the monetization site. Look it up and research it before joining blindly, like I did.
2. Do not assume that all ads are good ads. This was another mistake on my part. The ads I had actually harmed my traffic as well as offending me. Find out what your getting before getting it!
3. Think about your audience. While many monetization sites say that they will match their ads with your content, that is not always true. That was yet another mistake I made. If you can find a way to show ads/banners only from sites that you know and genuinely think people should join, go with that instead.
4. Think about what would attract you. Are the ads you're looking at getting good enough for you to click on? Would you click on them if you saw them on another website? That should be an indicator for whether others will be interested.
5. Make it personal. If there's anything that you yourself actively support, see if there's a way you can advertise that instead of a product you don't have any experience with.
6. Sell your own stuff. If you have something to sell--say, a self-published book--sell that. That's the best way to get a profit from ads.

Basically, my theory is this: if you support it, chances are others will too. Don't walk into something as serious as monetization blindly. It could ruin you in the long run. Hopefully these tips will help you if you're interested in monetizing your own site.