You may be wondering why you would monetize your blog before you make it all fancy and stuff. I did not do this as my step first, and because of that, I lost out on advertising revenue for 5,000 views. That doesn’t translate to a lot of money, but since this is such an easy process, you might as well get started immediately. Every 1/100th of a penny is money you’re making, right? So let’s get started by adding Google AdSense to your Blogger blog. (If you are looking for information on how to monetize your wordpress blog, check out my e-book. It talks about optimization as well.)

Monetizing your blog with Google AdSense means that advertisements will show up on your blog – either in your sidebar or under each individual post. You will make money for every impression (time that someone views the advertisement) and even more money when someone clicks on the advertisement. Unless you are getting a lot of views, this doesn’t really get you much money, and you won’t get a check until you make $100, but if you are persistent in writing good content, making your blog Pinterest-friendly, and making your blog design intuitive and easy to navigate, you can definitely get to that point. When I first monetized my blog, I thought I’d never see my check, but at the rate I’m going now, I will see my first one in just a month or two, and then they should be coming in more steadily as my readership grows. Obviously, monetizing is not for everyone. If you want your blog to be private or do not want advertisements, then this is not the right option for you; however, if you want to start making money for your blogging, then this is the first and easiest step.

Adding Google AdSense to your Blogger Blog

Step 1: Go to the Earnings tab on the Blogger Dashboard for the blog you want to monetize. Click on the Get Started button for Signing up for Google AdSense.

Step 2: Create an account. Fill out the information that pops up in the next screen. Be sure to use a real address because this is where your checks will be sent. Once you fill out the information, you will have to wait until you are approved for a Google AdSense account. This can take awhile, but you will receive an email when everything is ready to go. Once you get that email, move to Step 3. Note: it is possible to have multiple blogs and/or youtube channels attached to one AdSense account. You are only allowed one account per person so make sure you link them all together. This will also allow you to reach $100 faster.

Step 3: Now that you are approved, it’s time to set up how the ads will display on your blog. Go back to the Earnings tab in your Blogger Dashboard. You will now see a few new options. Under Google AdSense, you can click “View dashboard” which will open a new page where you can see your Google AdSense earnings and statistics. This is how you keep track of your progress. To the right, you have the option to show ads on blog. To monetize your blog, click the “Yes” bubble, and choose a display option. You can either display ads in your sidebar, under your posts, or in your sidebar and posts. Choosing to display ads in your sidebar and posts will give you the most impressions and clicks – which leads to greater revenue, but you might not like the look of it. Try all three options and choose the one that fits your blog best.

Step 4: Sit back and watch the cash flow in. Okay, we know it’s not that simple. Now you have to make your blog look awesome, create Pinterest-friendly posts, and write awesome content to your well-designed blog. One step at a time, though. For now, just bask in the fact that your blog is set up to make you money. Check back soon for more tutorials on Building a Better Blogger Blog.