Monetize

Monetize

The technological world and especially the Internet were born as virtual spaces without any advertising and most sites were set up only to provide information to users. Even today it is like this and out of the total, the majority is made up of news, information and event sites without advertising as generically conceived.

From the perspective of Internet users, the majority of visitors do not appreciate advertising-heavy, monetization-driven websites filled with affiliate links, banners or other forms of advertising.

If you open a website/blog to monetize, you must know how to find the right balance between advertising and information. Especially at the beginning it is not easy and you may make mistakes that will have negative repercussions in the long term.

We recommend some rules to follow to always keep your image stable and not to lose the credibility achieved with your visitors.

General reserves

If until a few years ago, the monetization of websites/blogs was frowned upon, today we are moving towards the opposite and therefore a good part of websites/blogs are launched to monetize. It is also true that many users complain because the sites they visit are invaded by advertisements, banners and are also difficult to navigate and it is clear from the first page that their only objective is the final profit.

Monetization error

Especially at the beginning as a beginner you may make many mistakes, which later turns out to be common to all those who start monetizing. These initial mistakes can prevent you from building a good online reputation.

Too much monetization

The monetization of websites/blogs is now spreading at the speed of light and many affiliate programs, banner networks and a variety of other sources of income have been created. In a market that offers you so much variety in "earning online" with the installation of banners, affiliate links, etc., you are attracted by everything, but you have to think that your choices can lead visitors to be distracted by too much advertising and to don't go back to your website/blog.

Therefore you should always make sure that monetization is not predominant. The content needs to be front and center, along with good navigation throughout website. The purpose of a good website/blog is to provide answers and offer solutions to real problems.

Unsuitable advice

As already mentioned, banners and affiliate links can irritate your visitors, but it is really inappropriate to include in your website/blog any links to sources of income not related to your website/blog. If your website/blog talks about cars, it is inappropriate to include links to buy clothes or costume jewelery accessories. Visitors will be annoyed and will definitely never visit your website/blog again.

In addition to not making any sales, it will give you a bad reputation which will be reflected in your name and your entire website/blog. Always remember to advertise honestly and consistently.

Late integration

If you're wondering when to place ads on your website/blog, the answer is always. You can insert advertisements when the website/blog is launched, subsequently and during some "special" periods. You don't have to include ads, but if your website/blog has already been created a long time ago and you have never shown any type of ads, you will give visitors the feeling that they won't find any later either. Therefore, if you insert advertisements later, your visitors may be annoyed. We recommend placing ads at the beginning and if you haven't done so, first try to understand whether your visitors would be happy with them or not.

No indication

Although it is not mandatory in Italy, advertising is usually reported as what it reflects: just advertising. Try not to hide or place misleading links for the sole purpose of driving visitors to a seller's website. It's incorrect.

Maintain a good reputation

Good online sellers take a long time to build a good reputation. This is needed for a seller to make a website/blog successful. But as in reality, it takes a long time to create a good reputation and a second to destroy it. We give you 5 tips on how you can maintain a good reputation and make money:

1. Always think about the reader

Before acting, always think that you are on the other side and pretend to be a visitor and try to understand their opinion. If you find a new way to earn or get an offer to include advertising think about:

• What will they think of the new advertising medium?
• What long-term effect will this have on my reputation?

If the two answers are both positive then continue with your project, but if you have doubts, don't take risks, you could lose all profits.

2. Honest advice

Always on the visitor's side: would you buy the product yourself? What advice would you like? These are the two primary questions you need to ask yourself when you become a protagonist of an affiliate program. As in all good families, even in affiliate programs there are those who promote products simply to make money. These people know nothing about the product and it easily receives bad reviews. Your visitors are used to browsing and buying online, so they would immediately understand the deception and give you a bad reputation. We recommend that you always write honest advice that you can put your face to.

3. Don't be blinded by possible merit

If you have accepted an affiliate program, the joy of receiving your first earnings is indescribable. We recommend that you continue to recommend other products or offers that you really know about not only to earn even more commissions, but also to earn the good reputation.

Remember that if you recommend a product/offer just because you can earn a commission, or because that retailer offers you a higher commission, you are doing it wrong and could lose everything in a few seconds. It always remains true and intact.

Losing sales and reputation will damage your website/blog in the long term and then returning to success will be almost impossible. Focus on your visitors and don't just focus on earnings, although this can obviously be tempting.

4. Company information

If in your life as an affiliate and/or seller you receive banner requests from a company that wants to advertise its product to your visitors, first look for detailed information on this company.
The easiest way is to type the company data into Google, take a look at their website, the information on visitor opinions (reviews) and think before making a choice. Try to understand which companies are suitable and which are not, because as we said before you shouldn't simply add a company banner to get money in the short term.

5. Finding balance

Moving on to the visitor's side and still remaining to the seller/affiliate's side, you need to find a balance between the content and any type of affiliate link or advertising that you will place on your website/blog. In short, your website/blog must be balanced in terms of content, usability and honesty, advertising, affiliate links and banners.
The number one principle is to attract and retain visitors, they must get a positive experience and return to visit your website/blog, finally they must purchase.