Online business is a rapidly expanding industry, one that many people are finding success with even if they are not associated with a big brand. Entrepreneurs thrive in the digital world because your audience and personal website can grow in the same environment and with many of the same tactics as larger corporations. But not all online business is the same. Some people are great at running online marketplaces, some are freelance software programmers and some just love to put words to the page. If you're a natural blogger and already want to build a personal brand, your next logical step is to find a way to make money with the hobby.

Monetizing Your Blog

You might be surprised just how many of your favorite bloggers (wink wink nudge nudge) out there are earning a sizeable amount of income for sharing their thoughts and knowledge. People who have made their names on friendly easy to read articles can get a lot of traffic and in the digital age, that traffic is worth something. When understanding how blog monetization works, think about your personal website like a popular shop on a busy street. A lot of people come and go. They will casually read your articles, click your links, and at least glance at any ads that are present on your website. This traffic is very valuable for advertisers and brands whose target audience falls inside your reader base.

But you're probably thinking “I don't want to junk up my blog with banner ads”. The good news is that you don't have to. The new trend is affiliate links and they can be used in a way that always enhances your reader experience instead of taking away from it.

Affiliate Links are the New Banner Ad

An affiliate link is anchor text or a link image on your blog page that is paid for by a company. Every time one of your readers click the link, they are taken to your affiliate's page and you receive some payment for the traffic. These are often used like reward codes, so that you can choose where to drop the link and then receive payment for every referral you send your affiliate's way. While this tactic has been used lazily, with the right choice of affiliates and attention to use, you can actually enhance your content with affiliate links. Pointing readers to a product you already like and were going to recommend, for instance, is a popular use and review blogs are highly valued in today's online shopping environment.

How Trusted Reviewers Handle Affiliates

The key is to not come off as a bought review, and therefore not to be a bought review. As you may have already figured out, great bloggers make their name on having a strong personality that comes through in their writing. Review bloggers are often trusted to give evaluations based on known priorities. One review blogger might be the go-to source for durable camping gear because they like to go deep-woods camping and test everything under the sun. Another might be a parent who becomes a trusted reviewer of baby products. Giving paid reviews is not acceptable for the reviewer blog audience. But an affiliate link isn't a paid review.

Many trusted reviewers are still involved in affiliate links and that can be okay with their readers as long as the entire deal is transparent. Your readers need to know that there was no exchange for compensation to write the review itself or to come to any particular conclusions. Many bloggers get their affiliate connections after they write a review, ensuring that any compensation for traffic doesn't color the review that they write. Others may become affiliate partners for brands they already like and as long as they are open about this, readers often don't mind.

To make the difference, be very clear when and where you use affiliate links. Mention that you were not paid or endorsed for the review but that if your readers find the mentioned products through your links, you will be rewarded through affiliate deals. This ensures that you're not ‘feeding off of' your readers. Merely working with them for everyone's benefit.

Becoming a Trusted Reviewer

It's important to have your affiliate strategy planned out from the start but for any of this to matter, first you need to become a trusted reviewer. The best way to do this is simply to start reviewing things. People like a blog that is well-filled-out with content when they first visit so don't worry about driving traffic to your articles right away. Just start writing reviews for products and services that you have tried. Document from beginning to end why you chose the product, how you bought it, what the unpackaging process was like and how you feel about using it. This could be anything from backpacks to software, whatever you use and are good at evaluating.

You will also want to decide on a theme for your review site, the traits that your audience will associate with your reviews. Use real traits about yourself that qualify your reviews, no matter how mundane that might be. You could be the cyclist-reviewer, weighing the pros and cons of bikes, cargo, and cycling gear from the perspective of someone who cycles to work. You could be the mother-of-three reviewer, evaluating everything based on how well it serves a family with several children. Just pick something and make that the angle you take with all your reviews. It gives your audience a reason to trust what you have to say. You don't have to be an expert, just someone they would relate to whose reviews reflect what they might think of a product.

Adding the Affiliate Links

Review what you're going to review. Choose products you would normally try and then make your experience with them public. Then, when your post is finished and your opinion is codified, look for affiliate opportunities. You may already have a contact or you may want to connect with a few established affiliate programs that make it easy to promote the products you were already going to recommend to your readers. When you add the links, also add a disclaimer at the top or bottom of your blog letting readers know that your review is honest and pre-affiliation but there are affiliate links to support the blog in your content. This will ensure transparency and make sure your readers don't feel like you're sneaking promotions past them in trusted content.

Being a trusted reviewer is a great way to build an online audience and start to monetize the blogging you already love to do. For more ideas about how to go from independent blogger to entrepreneur, contact me today!