Web logging, or blogging, has become a popular pastime for writers around the globe, and many bloggers have attempted to monetize their work with advertising. While online advertising on blogs is still a developing business model, blog writers have several methods of finding revenue for their websites. Some bloggers may approach businesses directly to see if they will sponsor the blog in exchange for exposure on the site. Other writers may use a service that embeds ads within the blog and shares a portion of revenue with the blog owner. Bloggers also may employ affiliate advertising links that direct readers to view or purchase a product from another website.
Writers who specialize in producing content about a marketable subject or geographic region may find it best to approach businesses directly to find advertisers for their blog or website. Ideally, there should be some relationship between the content of the blog and the goods or services being advertised, but this is not always necessary for direct ads. In some cases, a company or advertising agency may approach a popular writer hoping for some positive exposure on the blog. In return for sponsoring the site, the company usually receives a banner ad at the top or alongside the main body of content. While this is one of the most potentially profitable methods of online advertising on blogs, it usually requires the most work on the part of the writer in locating potential advertisers.
Those bloggers who can't find a sponsor for direct advertisements can sign up with a service that will embed ads in their website. Some services feature contextual ads, which relate to the content of the blog, while others link to specific keywords within an article. Writers receive a small amount of revenue each time a user clicks on one of these ads. Other services that conduct online advertising on blogs compensate the writer for every thousand views or impressions the advertisement receives. Some of these services require a certain level of page views per day before they will advertise with a blog.
Affiliate links offer another method of online advertising on blogs. With these ads, the writer typically selects a few products that his readers might be interested in purchasing and places a link to them on the website. If a reader clicks on a product and completes a purchase with the online vendor, the blogger will receive a small percentage of the sale. Affiliates ads represent a potential revenue stream for niche blogs that may not have thousand of readers but can reach a dedicated audience.