So you’ve decided to get into the world of blog monetization, but you want to learn how to stand out of the crowd.
What do you know about Search Engine Optimization?
In order to have a profitable blog, you’ll want to optimize your content to be picked up by search engines. Below is a list of helpful tips to optimize your content for search engines to increase traffic and revenue from your blog.
Important: You should also go for building quality backlinks for your blog. As per specialists of SEO Melbourne, creating 1 quality backlink is 100% beneficial than creating non-relevant backlinks for any business blog or website
Write a Killer Featured Snippet
Google has a new feature called the “featured snippet.” If you write the very best featured snippet, your blog automatically jumps to the top of the search results.
You’re probably already familiar with Google’s featured snippet, it’s the clipped answer in the answer box that the search engine has best matched to the user’s query.
Google’s search engine uses two types of featured snippets: paragraph snippets and list snippets. These are intended to answer two different types of questions.
Paragraph Snippets
A paragraph snippet is a 300-character paragraph that best answers the search query. This is used for search queries that have complex answers.
For example, if you search “why isn’t my puppy eating,” Google will provide an answer at the top of the page. Write the best one, and you jump to the top of search results.
To write a good paragraph snippet, write a paragraph near the top of the page that best answers the question in 300 characters. Effective featured snippets are factual in tone (think Wikipedia) and answer the question clearly.
In order to write a good featured snippet, start with the search query and consider what the searcher wants to know. So if the search query is “why isn’t my puppy eating,” they probably want to know if the puppy needs to go to the vet. Then you write a featured snippet that tells them what other signs to look for that would indicate a need to go to the vet.
So a good featured snippet for “why isn’t my puppy eating” could be:
“If your puppy is not eating, it could be a sign of illness or a sign of stress. If your puppy is exhibiting other signs of illness, such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or you suspect they have eaten something toxic, take your puppy to the vet.”
Notice how that paragraph both directly answers the question and elaborates on the reason for the search query.
List Snippets
If the answer has three or more items, the Google search engine will probably aim for a list snippet.
For example, if you type in a search query “What foods are toxic to dogs?” Google provides a list of food items that dogs should not consume. Ideally, list snippets should contain 9 or more items to encourage the reader to click on the link.
Conduct A/B Tests to Track Results
Now that you’ve got your killer featured snippet, how do you know it’s actually driving traffic to your blog? With the magic of A/B testing!
A/B tests, also known as “split tests,” are a great way to determine if changes made to your blog are effective or not. Let’s say you’ve got two great webpage designs, but you want to see which is more effective at converting viewers.
How it works is you make two versions of your webpage, one with design A, the other with design B. Using A/B testing software, users are randomly shown either of the two webpages, and tracks the results.
It’s worth keeping in mind that your A/B tests may be affected by the demographic that you’re targeting. Certain segments of a demographic may convert well with certain designs or copywriting, and other segments may not.
A/B tests are the most effective way to stay on top of unpredictable marketing trends. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of monetization: you know what works and what doesn’t.
Write Your Blog In a User-Friendly Format
How the content of your blog is presented is as important as the content itself.
- Keep important content towards the top of the page
Most people visiting your blog are pretty internet-savvy and will leave your webpage if they do not find the answer to their query near the top of your page. You want to convince readers to stay on your page by offering both the answer and further information about their query.
- Keep paragraphs short
Paragraphs should be no more than three sentences.
Your blog needs to keep its content optimized to be read on any device. Short paragraphs are best for readers using a mobile device.
Keeping paragraphs short prevents intimidating walls of text, which drive viewers away.
- Put affiliate links towards the bottom of the page
Google tracks the time viewers spend on any given page when determining the best search results, so you’ll want to encourage readers to spend as long as possible on your page.
If you have monetized your blog using Amazon’s affiliate program, you’ll want to put those links towards the bottom of the page. This both encourages people to stay on the page for as long as possible AND click on the link.
Join Amazon’s Affiliate Program
Speaking of Amazon’s affiliate program, if you haven’t joined already, you are missing out on a great opportunity for monetization!
The Amazon affiliate program, also known as “Amazon Associates,” is a super-simple way to monetize your blog by making Amazon product recommendations.
So let’s say you write a blog about dogs and pet care. Once you’ve written an excellent SEO blog post about puppy care, why not recommend some puppy food towards the end?
When the customer clicks the link and buys products from Amazon, you get a referral fee.
While the Amazon affiliate program isn’t necessarily a tip regarding SEO, it is a great way to make money from your blog. When it comes to monetization, you want to take every chance you can get!
Final Thoughts
Making money off your blog can be an easy process. With a few basics of SEO applied to your blog, you can gain more traffic and generate more revenue. Are you ready to say yes to success?