Why and How I Monetize My Blog
Welcome to the new blog design! If you have been reading CHK for a while you may have noticed a little (OK a huge) change around here that took place over the past few days. It’s been on my to-do list for far to long and I finally made the decision to knock that goal off of my list and jump right it and I’m so glad that I did!
It was a lot of work, in fact I spent so much time looking at coding that I thought my eyes where going to bug out! ๐ I can honestly say that I now know why bloggers pay others to design their blogs for them but… it just wasn’t in my budget to do that.
Even though it was a lot of work, I enjoyed it a lot too. It gave me the chance to evaluate everything that is on the blog and why I I felt they were necessary components to include.
This place is my online home, a place for me to share my heart and God with others so I wanted the design to reflect that as well. I wanted something that was clean, easy to navigate and helped point you, the reader, to the content that I am so passionate about. I hope the new design does that for you.
There are still a few tweaks that I need to do but after working so many hours last week, I choose to take a few days off and just let it be. ๐ With the new design I also wanted to share with you something that has been on my heart lately, why I chose to monetize (meaning that I make a small income) CHK.
I share a lot of products and eBooks on this blog and my social media channels, as well have ads placed on my sidebar. Every so often some get annoyed with it and I have even gotten an email or two about why I share so many resources or why the ads were present. I don’t mean to annoy or offend anyone but when I started this e-ministry over a year ago I knew that I would monetize this blog.
In choosing to monetize this blog I had to create careful standards of the types of products or resources that I would promote or allow to advertise here. I wanted to stay true to the mission and purpose of CHK and I wanted to stay true to myself. I’m not a sales person or a natural born advertiser who is always looking to make a quick buck and I don’t want to come across that way either.
Today for total disclosure and transparency, I wanted to share with you why and how I monetize this blog. First let me share why I chose to monetize then I’ll share some ways that I do seek to earn a small income from CHK.
I choose to monetize because…
1. It Costs Money to Maintain CHK
There is a certain amount of money that is required to maintain and support this ministry. I have to pay hosting fees, which is sort of like rent, every month that allows this blog to remain live on the internet. There are a few free blogging sites but I really wanted to own my writing and have complete control over how CHK appears.
I also have to pay a yearly domain name fee and there are a few other services that I pay a monthly or yearly membership to that helps this site run smoothly. I also had to save up and purchase this new theme and design that allowed my to redesign the blog to the look it is now. Knowing that we live off one income I knew that in order to justify those costs I would need to earn an income to offset those costs.
2. Itย Allow Me to Work from Home
Both my husband and I believe that the place for me to be in this current season is at home with our kids. So while I left my full time teaching job, I wanted to find a small way where I could earn an income yet still remain in the home and keep my family as my number one focus.
I didn’t want to sell a bunch of stuff ย nor spend a lot of time on the computer doing things that wouldn’t add value to my life. As my family started to grow so did the desire for me to start writing again. I needed some sort of creative outlet to nurture that desire so after much prayer, thought and research blogging came to be the clear choice. And in my reading other blogs and learning what they were doing I realized that you could potentially earn a small income from doing it as well but I didn’t want sell my soul and move away from mission of this blog either.
Which leads me to explain a few of the different ways that I do earn a little income from this blog…
1. Affiliate Advertising
Anytime I recommend an eBook, Bundle or other product, I am usually promoting a product that I have teamed up with. I don’t necessarily earn anything just by sharing the product but if you click through and purchase the eBook through the link I share, I earn a small income. (This is whyย at the top of certain posts that I have included a sentence like: This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.)
I only share books that I have personally read and loved or that I am planning on purchasing myself and reading. The same with other products I share. I don’t just share to make money and I certainly don’t share just anything. I’m careful to share only things that I think would add value to your life or, if it’s a deal, that would help save your money.
2. Placing Ads on CHK through an Advertising Network
There are a few ads that are placed on the sidebar, or in the footer that contain rotating ads that a third party advertising network places on my blog with my permission. While I do have filters set up to determine which type of ads I feel are appropriate for this blog, there have been occasions where an ad will be placed that doesn’t match my values.
3. Selling My Own Ad Spots
One way that I do have complete control of what type of ads get placed on my sidebar is to sell my own ad space to bloggers like you. For a small fee, you can have your blog or shop displayed on my sidebar and mentioned in my monthly newsletter and on social media accounts for a month. For all the details about how to advertise with me, you can head here.
4. Sponsor Posts
Occasionally I will accept a sponsor post from a company or product and write ย a post, in my own words and with my own opinions, that highlight the sponsor’s brand, message or product. I am very choosy about what type of sponsor posts I accept and have actually turned down more than I have accepted.
5. Selling My Own Products
With the redesign of CHK, I have also opened my very own printable shop and have also been writing my first eBook which I hope to have finished to sale this fall. While I do still have many free printables that I offer (and will continue to do so), I also have some that I have spent a lot of time on creating that I feel are worth selling for a small amount of money. I know that inspirational prints aren’t for everyone but they are something that I enjoy creating and hopefully others will enjoy as well.
In sharing why and how I monetize my blog, I wanted to be completely open with you about my heart and my intentions. I also wanted to share with you that while I am earning a small income, it’s definitely not the reason why I blog. I spend a lot more time and energy here writing posts from my heart and working behind the scenes then I have ever been compensated for.
Thank you for supporting this blog simply by coming back day after day to read, share and encourage. Through God’s grace, you have helped me grow this ministry and earn a small income to help me maintain this blog and help support my husband and family.
Thank you for sharing your heart. I completely understand where you are coming from. In fact, as I was reading, I was thinking, I could have written this. I’m very happy to have found your blog and will continue to support it as I can. Thank you! It looks great!
Thanks for all your kind and encouraging words Heather, you are such a blessing ๐
It was wonderful to find you through the Thrive Thursday link-up! I started my blog almost 4 months ago and am considering monetizing for many of the same reasons you mentioned above. I am also a Christian blogger, but many have suggested not writing about my faith to attract more viewers and to ultimately make money. I refuse to sell out so it is a blessing to see a Christian blog that is doing what I hope to. I would love to have you share your heart with my growing community at the Saturday Soiree Blog Party @http://faithalongtheway.com. I am a new follower of yours and I look forward to reading more of your content!
Sarah Ann I think it’s absolutely possible to write about and share your faith while monetizing your blog. While I do write a lot about home tips and family, my faith is a central tone in my voice and my posts here reference my Christian faith. While a lot of my readers are fellow believers, there are many who aren’t. I’m sure I could be making more money and driving in more traffic if I strayed from some of my guidelines, but I don’t and I really feel like God has blessed this blog as a result. So don’t be afraid to monetize your blog if it’s faith focused, pray and ask God to lead and guide you through the journey. Best wishes to you ๐
This is interesting. I haven’t monetized my blog, but I’d like to eventually. Thanks for sharing how you’ve done it! # saturdaysharefest
Glad it provided some insights for you ๐
Great post! Love how you are sharing this with your readers bc I get asked a lot… “so you do make money off your blog?” Thinking I need to do a similar post to keep readers in the loop! I love how a hobby can provide some extra spending money ๐
So true!
I found this post at #SaturdaySharefest, and clicked on it because I have started thinking about monetizing my blog. Like you, that is not the reason I blog, but a little income would help justify the many hours spent blogging!
Good luck as you head into monetizing and hopefully some of these tips will help you out ๐
Thanks for sharing. I how there are a lot of us out there who want to monetize for all our hard work.
You’re welcome Patti!
Thanks for sharing! Found you through thrifty Thursday link ups at living well, spending less.
Somehow, the idea of faith and business are often seen as incompatible or conflicting. But I say, hooray for quality standards and excellence while supporting your family. I love the new design!
Thanks Shay ๐
thanks for your insight…I often wondered why people decided to monetize their blog! Good answers. ๐
Thanks Jenn ๐
I’m a newish reader & LOVE your blog! This is my favorite post so far, as I am wanting to eventually monetize my blog as well. I know I will be coming back to this post again in the near future!
So glad to hear Heather! Best wishes as you go about learning more to monetize your blog ๐
This was so helpful! I am in the planning stage of revamping and monetizing my blog, so this is a great reference. I came to your blog from your interview with Ashley Wells and am looking forward to exploring your blog and following! May God continue to bless your blog!
I just stumbled across your blog and am glad that I did….
Its really inspirational!
Just added you to my Feedly list …. will get your updates pronto ๐
Thanks so much Sonia and welcome! So glad you found this little corner of the internet ๐