Add Amazon Product Links to Blogger Posts

In this tutorial you will learn how to deep link a specific Amazon product directly into your Blogger posts so that the link will appear either on every post page or alternatively only on a selected post page. By deep linking a targeted Amazon product directly to your Blogger blog you can expect to increase your Amazon sales and to make extra money from Blogger. If you wish to learn more about adding Amazon widgets to your blog please refer to my earlier tutorial Make Money Add an Amazon Widget to Blogger


This tutorial provides you with a complete walk through of the process of adding Amazon product links to Blogger. I have rated the tutorial as moderate as it involves setting up the Amazon product link, converting the code and adding a block of code to your Blogger template. All these steps are within the capabilities of the average Blogger user provided you follow the step by step instructions below.

How to Deep Link an Amazon Product to Blogger Posts
This tutorial will show you how to add an Amazon Product Link at the foot of every post in your Blogger blog. If you want your link to appear only on a specific individual post page see Tips and Troubleshooting below for instructions.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

1. Sign in to your Amazon Associates account. If you are not a member sign up is free to both Amazon.com and Endless.com
   
2. Click on the Links and Banners tab
   
3. Under the Product Links heading choose the Add Product Links Now link
   
   
4. From the Product Links page choose your Product Category from the drop down list and enter your search keyword phrase to identify the product you wish to link to. Hit the Go button.
   
   
5. From the search results choose the individual product you will linking to by clicking on the Get Link button on the right hand side of the product
   
   
   
6. You will now be taken to the Customize and Get HTML code page.
   
   
   • Select Link Type
     By default both the product image and text link will display but you can customize it to display the image only or the text only by checking the box alongside these options
     
   • Customize Link
     Choose the appearance of your product. With or without a border. Choose color options to suit your blog. I suggest you keep the default setting for the link opening in a new window. Amazon lets you see a live preview of your product on the right so that you can make any adjustments before embedding the code into your blog.
   
   
7. Once you are satisfied with the product's appearance click on the highlight code button at the foot of the page and copy the HTML code for the Amazon Product Link.
   
8. Open a Javascript to HTML converter such as Centricle. Paste your code into the content window and press the Encode button
   
9. Highlight and copy the code that has been converted
   
10. Login to Blogger if not already logged in
    
11. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML
    
12. Back up your Blogger template as a precaution
    
13. Check Expand Widget Templates box
    
14. There are several places you may wish your product link to appear. I have assumed for the purposes of this tutorial that you want it at the bottom of your post. Therefore find the following code in your template:
    
    

    <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>

15. Directly below this line paste the converted Amazon HTML code
    
16. Click on Save Template
    
17. Click on View Blog to view your link at the foot of every Blogger post including the home page view.

Tips and Troubleshooting
If you are writing about a lot of different products on your blog you may need to place targeted Amazon product links on your Blogger individual post pages. To have the Amazon Product Link only appear on a specific post page follow these steps.

How To Add an Amazon Product Link to an Individual Blogger Post
Before you get started you will need to know the full URL address of your Blogger post. To get this navigate in a new window to the specific post page of your Blogger blog and copy the address from the address bar at the top of your browser

1. Follow steps 1 to 13 as per adding an Amazon Product Link to the foot of every Blogger post.
   
2. Find the following code:
   
   

   <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>

3. Directly below this line paste the following code:
   
   

   <b:if cond='data:blog.url == "your blog post URL including http://"'>
   Paste your Amazon code here
   </b:if>

4. Replace "your blog post URL including http://" with the URL address of your blog post
   
5. Paste over "Paste your Amazon code here" with your converted Amazon HTML code
   
6. Click on Save Template
   
7. Click View Blog and navigate to the individual post page to see your Amazon Product Link at the foot of your Blogger post (Blogspot post)

In this tutorial you have learned how to add an Amazon Product Link to your Blogger posts (Blogspot posts). I have also shown you how to embed an Amazon Product Link directly into a specific Blogger post. By adding targeted Amazon product links to your Blogger blog you can expect to make extra money from your blog. I would love to hear from anyone about their experiences of adding Amazon widgets or product links to their Blogger blog so if you have the time please let me know how you get on.

Make Money Add an Amazon Widget to Blogger

In today's tutorial you will learn how to place an Amazon widget on your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) to enable you to add a further income stream to your existing Blogger earnings.

Adding an Amazon widget to Blogger is not difficult. No change or very little change to your Blogger template is required. There is some time involved in setting up the widget itself and choosing the products to link to and customizing the look to match your blog however. This tutorial will walk you through the steps involved but first a few need to know facts about Amazon's affiliate program.


Important Details For Bloggers About Amazon's Affiliate Program

• Amazon have 2 referral structures: Classic Plan and Performance Plan
  
  
  • For the Classic Plan - A flat rate commission of 4% is paid
    
  • For the Performance Plan - A sliding scale between 4% and 8.5% commission is paid on general product items shipped. Consumer electronics is paid at a flat rate of 4%. Kindle, MP3,video on demand and game downloads are at the rate of 10%. View fee structure for Performance Plan
• Sell 7 items in a month and you will receive 6% commission on sales. Sell in excess of 30 items and receive referral fees at the rate of 6.5%
  
• Affiliates earn commission on the total of items shipped not just the first product bought
  
• Payment options are direct credit, check or Amazon Gift Certificate. There is a $15 charge for the issue of a check.
  
• Payment of referral fees is made once your account reaches $10 provided you have opted for the direct credit or Amazon Gift Certificate option. Otherwise it is $100 for a check (cheque)
  
• Amazon offer a choice of 17 different widgets
  
• Amazon also offer links and banners and an astore option

Earning Money from Amazon Widgets
Linking to Amazon products on your blog can generate significant income depending on your blog topic and the type of links you choose. I personally find that my sales are not always related to blogging despite the Amazon widget on this blog linking to books about blogging. However I would strongly suggest that you try to match the products offerred to the general content of your blog so that your links are targeted to your blog's audience. Another option is to add a generic Amazon widget such as the Deals Widget to snag those bargain hunters and impulse buyers from your readership.

Placing Amazon Widgets on Blogger
There are 17 different Amazon widgets to choose from. The decision about which widget is best will partly be determined by the type of blog you have and where you want to place the widget.

I have had some success with the Carousel Widget that I have on Blogspot Blogger Guide - another of my blogs. I have found under the header to be a prime location for this gadget and as it is displayed on every page the widget is getting maximum exposure. I have also had moderate success with a sidebar location using the I Recommend widget. I think it is true to say that you will need to experiment a bit to find the best type of widget for your blog.

How to Add an Amazon Widget to a Blogger Blogspot Blog

Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

1. Join Amazon's Referral Program and create an affiliate account at Amazon. You will need to supply your direct deposit details as Amazon charges to issue affiliate checks (cheques)
   
2. Once your affiliate registration is confirmed (this is a fast process) you will then be ready to start to create an Amazon widget for your blog. So go ahead and login to your affiliate account at Amazon and click on the widgets tab
   
3. Now comes the fun part - choosing a widget. Amazon currently have 17 different widgets to choose from. The Amazon help section is good and I suspect will answer most of your questions if you get stuck.
   
4. Choose your widget. For the purposes of this demonstration let's choose a Recommended Product Links widget. Click on the Add to Your Webpage button
   
5. From the drop down select a product line eg Cameras and Photo. Select a subcategory eg General Bestsellers. Click the Continue button.
   
   
6. Select the size of widget according to the location where it will be placed on your blog eg 160x600 in the sidebar of Blogger. Click on the Select This Size button at the right of the example widget
   
   
7. Now you will need to customize your widget. Click on Customize Link Appearance and enter link and text colors to suit your blog. Ensure that the widget opens in a new window unless you are quite happy for your readers to leave your blog. Leave this window open in the meantime as we will be returning
   
   
8. In a new window login to Blogger if not already logged in
   
9. Navigate to Layout > Page Elements
   
10. Click on Add Gadget in the sidebar and choose HTML/Javascript from the list of available gadgets
    
11. Copy the widget code which contains Amazon's tracking code and paste it into the content area of the gadget. Add a title if you wish. Click the Save button
    
12. Use the drag and drop feature to reposition your widgets in the sidebar in the order that you want them to appear. Save any changes
    
13. Click on View Blog and admire your new widget in the sidebar of your blog

Tips and Troubleshooting
Some placements of Amazon widgets will require tweaks to your Blogger template. For instance the Carousel widget which I mentioned earlier I inserted under the header in my blog. To place an Amazon widget or for that matter any widget below the header and above the first post in Blogger do the following:

1. Login to Blogger if not already logged in
   
2. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML
   
3. Find the following line of code
   
   

   <b:section class='crosscol' id='crosscol' showaddelement='no'/>

4. Replace the no with yes and click the Save button
   
5. Navigate to Layout > Page Elements
   
6. You will see that you can now add a gadget below the header

In this tutorial you have learnt about adding Amazon widgets to a Blogger Blogspot blog in order to earn cash from referral fees. Most bloggers earn around 4 to 6.5% in commission for items shipped from Amazon. While not the best affiliate scheme Amazon referral fees can add up to tidy sum at the end of the month. I would recommend giving it a try. You will need to experiment to get the best fit of location and widget. Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Add Affiliate Banner Below Post in Blogger

In today's Blogger tutorial you will learn just how easy it is to place an affiliate banner at the end of each post of a Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). This is a relatively easy task but does require adding a short snippet of code to your Blogger template. For those new to Blogger or without much technical knowledge don't worry as I have broken down the steps so that anyone can follow them even virtual beginners.


How to Add an Affiliate Banner Below a Blogger Post
The instructions below will place an affiliate banner below each post in your blog. The banner will appear on all pages including the home page. If you want faster loading times and the banner to appear only on individual post pages see tips and troubleshooting below for instructions on how to restrict the banner display to post pages only.

1. Login to Blogger if not already logged in

2. Navigate to Design > Edit HTML

3. Back up your Blogger template as a precaution by downloading to your computer

4. Check the Expand Widgets Template box

5. Find the following lines in your Blogger template with CTRL + F to bring up the search box

<div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>
</div>

6. Paste your affiliate banner code between these two lines

<div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>
Place the affiliate banner code here
</div>

Once you have finished your code should like something like the following which places a horizontal banner (468x60) in the post footer but any size banner can be inserted below each post provided your template is wide enough to accommodate it:

<div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>
<a href='https://chitika.com/publishers.php?refid=XXXXXX' style='text-decoration: none;' title='Get Chitika | Premium'><img alt='Get Chitika | Premium' border='0' src='http://scripts.chitika.net/eminimalls/logos/468x60.png' title='Get Chitika | Premium'/></a>
</div>

7. Save Template

8. Click on View Blog to see your new affiliate banner in action


Tips and Troubleshooting

• If your template does not have these lines it may only have two post footer lines in which case you can do one of two things
  
  
  1. Add these lines to your template:
     
     

     <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>
     Place the affiliate banner code here
     </div>

  2. Or place the affiliate banner code between the following lines:
     
     

     <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'/>
     Place the affiliate banner code here
     </div>

• If you would like the banner to appear below your post only on the post page and not the home page then you will need to add an if statement to the code as follows:
  
  

  <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'/>
  <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
  Paste affiliate banner code here
  </b:if>
  </div>

• If you are having problems adding the affiliate banner code to the template make sure that only single quotes are used. The Blogger template code is sensitive to this and usually doesn't accept double quotes

In today's Blogger tutorial you have learned how to place an affiliate banner at the bottom of a post in a Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). This banner will be the same for each post and only displays on the individual post page. If you would like to know more about adding banners to Blogger please consult the list of tutorials below.

Add Chitika Ads to Blogger Blogspot

this tutorial you will learn how to add a Chitika ad unit to a Blogger Blogspot blog. To put a Chitika ad unit on a Blogger blog you will need to add the Chitika ad code directly into your Blogger template. Full instructions are set out below so that even beginner bloggers and Blogger newbies can follow these to install Chitika advertising program on their blog. If you are not already signed up for Chitika read about some of the advantages of advertising with Chitika at Blogspot Blogger Guide.


Chitika and Google Adsense - A Winning Combination
One of the main questions that bloggers ask about Chitika is can it be used with Google Adsense. The answer is most definitely yes. Chitika and Google Adsense can be used in conjunction as there is absolutely no conflict because Chitika ads unlike Google Adsense are non-contextual.

By adding Chitika to your blog you will increase your revenue from pay per click advertising. The CPMs are reputed to be higher than Google Adsense making it possible depending on your blog theme to make potentially higher earnings than with Google Adsense. For those looking for the highest possible earnings the new 550x250 mega units from Chitika are a particularly good choice if you have the space to display them. Best of all the earnings payout threshold for Chitika is only $10.00 making it a very achievable target for even the most modest blogger.

How to Add Chitika Advertisements to Blogger Blogspot Blog
Following these instructions will put a Chitika ad unit at the end of your blog posts but before the post footer details.

1. Sign up with Chitika Advertising Program and set up your ad unit following the online instructions

2. Highlight and copy the premium ad code. It needs to be parsed before entering it into the Blogger template so go ahead and paste it into the code window at Centricle.com and click on the encode button


3. Login to Blogger if not already logged in

4. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

5. Back up your template as a precaution by downloading it to your computer

6. Check the Expand Widgets Template box

7. Find the following line of code by entering it into the search tool (Use CTRL + F)

<p><data:post.body/></p>
or
<data:post.body/>

8. Copy the parsed Chitika code from Centricle.com and paste it into your Blogger template immediately after the above line

9. Click Save Template

10. Click on the View Blog link to view your ad unit. You will need to add the following to the end of the URL address in your browser to see your ad unit as ads are only served to North American visitors.

#chitikatest=yourkeyword

for instance I would enter

http://blogknowhow.blogspot.com#chitikatest=blog

to see how my ad unit would display ads for this keyword. Don't forget to refresh your page using CTRL + R

Summary
In this tutorial you have learned how to add a Chitika ad unit to your Blogger Blogspot blog. If you would like to start taking advantage of the Chitika advertising program on your blog and earn some extra money you can sign up to Chitika by following this link.

Tips and Troubleshooting
If you want to place your Chitika ad unit in another location other than below the post it is possible to add the code directly into a gadget in which case there is no need to parse it.

Add Google Adsense Below Blogger Post

Today's article is for anyone who would like to maximize their Google Adsense revenue of their Blogger Blogspot blog. I will show you how to use a very simple trick to place Google Adsense below the post content but above the post footer credits. This article continues the ongoing Google Adsense series about the placement of Google Adsense ad units in different positions within Blogger.

What's Involved in Inserting this Tweak?
The level of difficulty for inserting this Google Adsense ad placement is rated intermediate. You will need to enter the Google Adsense code directly into your Blogger template after parsing it (conversion of the Javascript into a format readable by Blogger). However I am assuming that virtual Blogger beginners might be interested in this Blogger tutorial so I have broken it down into very easy and manageable steps that even the non-technically minded can follow.

Below is a detailed step by step tutorial on how to place Google Adsense within a Blogger post which will appear below the post content but above the post footer credits. The Google Adsense ad unit will not appear on the main page. The ad unit will only appear on single post pages. This means that any existing ad placement on the home page will not be affected by adding this tweak unless the number of ad units for content is exceeded (3 are allowed on any one page).

Advantages of Adding Google Adsense to Single Post Pages
Currently Blogger displays Google Adsense below the embedded comments form on a post page where Google Adsense between posts is enabled. This is an awful position in terms of revenue earning power. This tweak will add an ad unit in a much more visible spot.

It is widely held that placement of Google Adsense ad units within the post is a superior position to generate revenue so adding an additional placement of an ad unit will boost your earning power.



How Many Google Adsense Units Are Currently Displaying on Single Post Pages?
Google Adsense permits 3 Google Adsense ad units on any given post page. How many do you have displaying at present? Navigate to a single post page in your blog and check. Chances are that you will have either none or one ad unit displaying within your post content. If there is a Google Adsense ad unit it should be displaying below the embedded comments form.

You may also have Adsense widgets in your sidebar so count them too. Remember to only count the content units not the linked units as you can have up to 3 of those as well. If you have 2 or less you will be able to add this tweak without changing anything else. If you have three already counting Google Adsense widgets then you will have to make a choice about which Google Adsense placement will render the best results. In my experience Google Adsense units in lower positions in sidebars are not particularly good performers anyway so you probably won't be losing too much to eliminate these units and concentrate on adding ad units within posts.

Steps to Place Google Adsense Below Post Content and Above Post Footer Credits in Blogger
Follow Steps 1-11 if you don't have a Google Adsense ad unit.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE UNIT SKIP TO #12

1. From the Blogger Dashboard click on the Google Adsense link at the bottom of the page

2. Proceed to Adsense Setup > Get Ads or sign up for Google Adsense if not already

3. Choose Adsense for Content from the Ad Setup screen

4. Choose Ad unit from the Adsense for Content screen. In most cases you will want an ad unit.

5. Choose the Ad Type from the dropdown menu depending on your needs. I often select text only because I think they are better performers but you may have a different experience. Click on the Continue button

6. Choose the Ad Format. Most likely this will be between 336x280, 250x250, or the 468x60 banner sizes.

7. Choose your color palette according to your blog color scheme.

Tip: I find the best way to get the colors for my ads if I am not sure is to create an Adsense unit in Blogger and transfer that color scheme to the new ad unit in Google. Alternatively you can accept the default and change the color scheme later. Changing the color scheme won't affect your ad unit code for your template.

8. Accept the default font in the meantime unless you know the font that you need. You can always check this out later by reviewing your template

9. Click on the Continue button

10. Create an Ad Channel by clicking the link add a new channel. By default Google will add this to Your Selected Channels. Click on the Continue button

11. You may need to give your ad unit a more detailed name. I recommend keeping the dimensions of the ad unit in the name as it makes the unit easily identifiable. I usually add the name of the blog to the name because I have several blogs. Save and Get Ad Code by clicking on the Submit and Get Code button.

START HERE IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE AD UNIT
12. Copy the Adsense code by right clicking the mouse while it is in the code box. Choose select all and then right click again and choose copy. Make sure you get all of the code


13. Open the Ad Converter by following this link at eblog Templates.
14. Paste the Google Adsense code into the converter and press the Convert Ad Code button. This will parse the code so that Blogger will read the Javascript properly. Leave this window open for now as we will be returning here. Note that pasting Google Adsense code in to your Blogger template that has not been parsed will produce errors

15. Login to Blogger if not already logged in

16. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

17. Back up your Template (recommended) by downloading it to your computer

18. Check the Expand Widgets Template checkbox

19. Bring up Blogger Search using CTRL + F. Copy and paste the following line of code into the text box to locate the block of code in your template beginning with this line:

<div class='post-footer'>

20. Return to the Ad Converter and copy the converted code by right clicking your mouse and choosing select all followed by right clicking again to copy it

21. Paste this code directly after <div class='post-footer'>

<p>
<!-- Start Google Ad-->
<!-- End Google Ad-->
</p>

22. Paste your Google Adsense ad code between <!-- Start Google Ad --> and <!-- End Google Ad -->



23. Click the Save Template button

24. Take a look at your extra Google Adsense ad unit in your blog by following the View Blog link. The ad unit will appear below the post content and above the credit lines in the post footer

Troubleshooting Your New Google Adsense Below the Post Content

• Note only a placeholder will show up for about the first 10 minutes or so. If no placeholder appears go back and retrace your steps to make sure you haven't forgotten something. Check you have copied the code exactly.
  
• If you need more white space above the ad unit add this html tag <p> before your Google Adsense code and this </p> after the last line of your Google Adsense code
  
• Remember that if you have more than 3 Google Adsense ad units on a page Google will display a placeholer. If you have Google Adsense ad units in other parts of your blog you will find that only 3 Google Adsense ad units will display on one page at any one time according to Adsense rules. For this reason you may get a placeholder appearing where the ad unit would appear.

In this tutorial I have covered how to add a Google Adsense ad unit to a Blogger post below the content along with detailed instructions on how to create an Adsense ad unit at Google.

Add an Affiliate Banner to a Blogger Header

If your intention is to make money from your blog chances are you will want to add an affiliate marketing banner to your Blogger Blogspot header. Doubtless you have seen plenty of websites sporting advertising banners which are creating revenue for the author by way of banner clicks. With a small amount of tweaking to your Blogger template you too will be in a position to boost the revenue earning capacity of your Blogger blog.


Add an Affiliate Banner to Blogger Header
There are a variety of good places for a banner but the header of a blog is by far the most prominent area. Unfortunately Blogger does not have an easy facility for inserting an advertising banner into your Blogger header. To manage this issue you have two choices:

1. Use a custom template that comes banner ready. (There are a number of templates out there with this feature built-in)

2. Or customize your existing standard Blogger template.

This article focuses on choice 2 - how to go about manually editing your template to add an affiliate banner ad. By the end of this tutorial you will have the necessary knowledge and know how to insert a banner into the header of your Blogger blog. The level of difficulty for the additions I am proposing I have rated as easy to intermediate. You will be adding a snippet of code to your template plus pasting in the affiliate marketing banner code.

For the purposes of this example I will be using a 468x60 banner. I have tested this method of banner insertion on the following standard Blogger templates:

Herbert
Rounders
Denim
Thisaway
Son of Moto
Sand Dollar

It will also work on custom templates that don't already come with an advertising banner in the header built in.


How to Insert an Affliate Marketing Banner into a Blogger Blog

1. Login to Blogger.com and navigate to Layout > Edit HTML page of your blog

2. On the Edit HTML page you will see the option to back up your template by downloading it to your system. I strongly advise that you take this opportunity to backup as you are about to make a change to your template where if something goes wrong you may not be able to restore it.

3. Once you have backed up your template place a check in the Expand Widget Templates box

4. Search your template and locate the following lines of code within the header section of the template:(note you can search by using CTRL + F and entering <b:includable id='main'> into the search box

<b:includable id='main'>
<b:if cond='data:useImage'>

5. Now insert the following 2 lines of code directly below <b:includable id='main'> and before <b:if cond='data:useImage'>

<div class='ads'>
</div>

6. Place your merchant affiliate code between the lines of code you just inserted. You will need to copy the code from the affiliate program provider to your template. If you are yet to sign up for an advertising program such as Linkshare you will need to do so before you proceed. Alternatively you could use my banner code in the meantime to test this banner and later substitute it for your own.

<div class='ads'>PLACE YOUR BANNER CODE HERE
</div>

7. Review the code you have entered. If you have followed the steps above you will now have code that resembles this. (Your affiliate code will of course be different):

<b:includable id='main'>
<div class='ads'>

<a href='http://www.linkworth.com?a=23734' target='_blank'><img align='right' border='0' height='60' src='http://www.linkworth.com/adm/affiliate_manager/affiliate_banners/bann-36.gif' width='468'/></a>

</div>
<b:if cond='data:useImage'>

8. When you are sure you have correctly inserted the code into the template scroll up until you find this line in your template ]]></b:skin>

9. Immediately before this line add the following lines:

/* Header Banner
----------------------------------------------- */
#header .ads{width:480px; height:80px; float:right; padding:20px 0px 0px 0px}

10. Click on Save Template.

11. Click on View Blog to view your new banner.


Troubleshooting

• If you need to change the alignment or padding around the banner to your own specifications you will need to change the CSS stylesheet code entered in Step 9
• You can change the alignment of the banner by changing float:right; to float:left; if you would like your banner to left align.
• If you change your template for another standard Blogger template you may need to re-enter the code in Step 9.

In this tutorial you have learned to how to insert a 468x60 affiliate marketing banner into the header of your Blogger Blogspot blog and will now be on your way to earning revenue from multiple income streams. Well done!!!

5 Easy Ways to Make Money from Blogger

If you invest a lot of time and effort in your blog you probably want to monetize your Blogger Blogspot blog to reap some financial reward for all that hard work. In this article I explore 5 easy ways to make money from Blogger so that your blog will pay its way.

1. Advertising Programs

Google Adsense
Google Adsense is probably the best known advertising program available to Blogger webmasters since Google Adsense can easily be inserted into your blog with a couple of clicks. Google Adsense is a good choice if you are starting out and want to earn a bit of extra cash. Don't expect too much at first though or you may be very disappointed. In my experience you will probably only get about 1 click for every 200-300 impressions. Therefore you will need plenty of traffic to make Google Adsense work for you. See my tips on building site traffic if this is an area you would like to develop on your Blogger blog. For more about Google Adsense please refer to Blogger Guide to Google Adsense Placement

You can also add Google Adsense to your Blogger feeds giving you additional advertising opportunities. If you haven't burnt your blog's feed at Feedburner make it a priority. That way you can have Google advertising appearing in all your feeds. Please refer to my tutorials on How to Burn a Blogger feed at Feedburner and Blogger RSS Feeds and Feedburner for help on this subject.

Other Advertising Programs/Networks
There are plenty of other advertising programs to choose from if you decide against Google Adsense. Adbrite is worth considering if you are in the market for an alternative to Google Adsense. Another alternative worthy of consideration is Widget Bucks as they claim a higher CPM than Google Adsense. Linkworth offer a range of publisher choices to fit your blog and also have a generous referral program. Yet another possibility and one which I am using on my blog right now is to try out Chitika which allows you to insert ad units along with Google Adsense or Adbrite offerring even greater advertising opportunities for your Blogger blog.






2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Programs are free. They provide banners you can place on your blog which when clicked on earn you revenue. Typically these programs either give you a percentage of the sale eg 5-10% or they pay a set commission per lead. Some of the largest affiliate programs are Commission Junction and LinkShare.com. Most have a referral program too whereby you can earn revenue by referring other publishers and advertisers. For example Linkshare pays $1.50 for every valid publisher (afffiliate sometimes called vendor) signup who generates a click-through to Linkshare within 30 days.


With so many good merchant programs to choose from it is easy to go a bit overboard on banner advertising. Be careful not to overuse banners as they can detract from the look and feel of your website.

3. Place a Donation Link or Button on Your Blog
Donations can bring in a few dollars depending on the generosity of your visitors and the quality of your blog. You may have seen that a number of Blogger bloggers have a donation link or button on their blog. These are equivalent to a tip jar on a counter. If a visitor particularly likes your blog or has benefited from your help in some way they may be only too happy to slip you a couple of bucks. Offerring a Paypal link on your blog is an easy and straightforward method for visitors to make a donation large or small. See my step by step Blogger tutorial on How to Add a Paypal Donate Button to Blogger

4. Sell E-Books or other Digital Media on Your Blog
One sure fired way to increase site traffic is to offer some digital product on your site that visitors are prepared to pay for. There aer heaps of examples of Bloggers who have made a good return using this method such as Yaro Starak's Blog Mastermind, Rob Benwell's Blogging to the Bank 3.0 and Atomic Blogging by Alvin Phang.

5. Sell Advertising Space on Your Blog
If your blog is moderately successful in terms of the volume of traffic it receives you might consider selling advertising space to a company for its advertising campaign. The advertising slot can be leased on an ongoing basis or is good for a given number of impressions.

In this article I have discussed 5 easy ways to make Blogger blog pay its way. Do yourself a favor and start earning some revenue today.

Blogger Guide to Google Adsense Placement

There are so many places to position Google Adsense in a Blogger Blogspot blog. This article covers the most common places to add Google Adsense ad units and linked units in a Blogger blog together with links to the various articles which explain in detail how to insert the Google Adsense ad unit into Blogger.

Included in this article about Google Adsense placement are articles that cover positioning in the header both above and below the title, in the sidebar, in the footer, between the posts, between the header and the first post, below the post title, in the middle of posts, between the end of an article but before the embedded comment form

Format of Google Adsense Ad Unit

Google Adsense Ad Units

728x90 Leaderboard
728x90 leaderboard under Blogger header
728x90 leaderboard above Blogger header

160x600 Vertical Wide Banner
160x600 vertical wide banner in sidebar or 120x600 or 120x200

336x280 Large Rectangle
336x280 below post title or 250x250 or 300x250


Google Adsense Linked Units

728x15 Linked Unit
728x15 linked unit in Blogger footer or 468x15
728x15 linked unit in Blogger header or 468x15
728x15 linked unit above Blogger header or 468x15


Placement of Google Adsense on Blogger

EASY - CHANGE SETTING ONLY

Add Google Adsense Between Posts in Blogger
Blogger has a setting which allows you to add Google Adsense between posts. Read more about how to Add Google Adsense Between Posts in Blogger


EASY - ADD WIDGET ONLY

Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Sidebar
It is extremely easy to add a Google Adsense ad unit to a Blogger sidebar using a HTML/Javascript gadget or widget. For instructions on adding an ad unit to the sidebar please refer to Add Google Adsense to Blogger Sidebar

Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Footer
It is not so popular to place Google Adsense ad units in a Blogger footer however with the increased use of footers as a place that contains valuable information it is becoming more common to place an ad in the footer particularly a linked unit. For instructions on how to place a Google Adsense 728x15 linked unit in the footer refer to Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Footer


EASY-INTERMEDIATE - MINOR CHANGE TO TEMPLATE CODE AND ADD WIDGET

Add Google Adsense or Banner Above Blogger Header
If you have occasion to display either Google Adsense or an affiliate banner above the Blogger header you can by adding a section to the Blogger template. You can add any kind of Google Adsense content or linked ad unit although I suggest that a 728x90 leaderboard would be ideal for this spot.

Add Google Adsense or Banner Above Blogger Header



Add Google Adsense to Blogger Header
The header of a Blogger blog is a popular place to add Google Adsense particularly a linked unit. I have good success adding a linked unit below the blog title in the header of my blog.

Add Google Adsense Above the Title



Add Google Adsense Below the Title



Add Google Adsense Between the Header and the First Post in Blogger
Some templates lend themselves well to having a full length banner below the header. The Minima template for example suits a 728x90 Google Adsense unit just below the header and before the first post. Instructions on how to Add Google Adsense Between the Header and the First Post in Blogger



INTERMEDIATE - INSERT GOOGLE ADSENSE CODE INTO TEMPLATE

Add Google Adsense to Body of Post
Positioning Google Adsense within the body of the post in Blogger is a bit more tricky as it requires adding the Google Adsense code to the template. Before adding the code it must be parsed so the Javascript can be read by Blogger

Add Google Adsense Below Post Title



in this article I have pulled together a number of Google Adsense articles I have written in the past about adding Google Adsense to a Blogger Blogspot blog so that it will provide an easy reference for anyone wanting to find out about Google Adsense placing on Blogger.

Place Google Adsense Below Post Title in Blogger

I have had a lot of interest in my articles about placement of Google Adsense in a Blogger Blogspot blog. Today I continue the Google Adsense series with an article about how to place your Google Adsense ad unit below the post title in Blogger.

This ad placement requires pasting the Google Adsense code directly into your Blogger template. While not difficult I have rated the skill level as intermediate as it requires parsing (conversion of the Javascript into a format readable by Blogger) of the Google Adsense code first before pasting it into your template. For the benefit of newbies and beginner Bloggers I have broken down the steps to simplify the process and make it more manageable. What follows is a detailed step by step tutorial on how to place Google Adsense below the post title in a Blogger blog including how to create a Google Adsense ad unit if you don't already have one.


Steps to Place Google Adsense Below Blogger Post Title
Follow Steps 1-11 if you don't have a Google Adsense ad unit.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE UNIT SKIP TO #12

1. From the Blogger Dashboard click on the Google Adsense link at the bottom of the page

2. Proceed to Adsense Setup > Get Ads or sign up for Google Adsense if not already

3. Choose Adsense for Content from the Ad Setup screen

4. Choose Ad unit or Link unit from the Adsense for Content screen. In most cases you will want an ad unit.

5. Choose the Ad Type from the dropdown menu depending on your needs. I often select text only because I think they are better performers but you may have a different experience. Click on the Continue button

6. Choose the Ad Format. Most likely this will be between 336x280, 250x250, or the 468x60 banner sizes.

7. Choose your color palette according to your blog color scheme.

Tip: I find the best way to get the colors for my ads if I am not sure is to create an Adsense unit in Blogger and transfer that color scheme to the new ad unit in Google. Alternatively you can accept the default and change the color scheme later. Changing the color scheme won't affect your ad unit code for your template.

8. Accept the default font in the meantime unless you know the font that you need. You can always check this out later by reviewing your template

9. Click on the Continue button

10. Create an Ad Channel by clicking the link add a new channel. By default Google will add this to Your Selected Channels. Click on the Continue button

11. You may need to give your ad unit a more detailed name. I recommend keeping the dimensions of the ad unit in the name as it makes the unit easily identifiable. I usually add the name of the blog to the name because I have several blogs. Save and Get Ad Code by clicking on the Submit and Get Code button.

START HERE IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE AD UNIT
12. Copy the Adsense code by right clicking the mouse while it is in the code box. Choose select all and then right click again and choose copy. Make sure you get all of the code


13. Open the Ad Converter by following this link to Centricle.

14. Paste the Google Adsense code into the converter and press the Convert Ad Code button. This will parse the code so that Blogger will read the Javascript properly. Leave this window open for now as we will be returning here. Note that pasting Google Adsense code in to your Blogger template that has not been parsed will produce errors

15. Login to Blogger if not already logged in

16. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

17. Back up your Template (recommended) by downloading it to your computer

18. Check the Expand Widgets Template checkbox

19. Bring up Blogger Search using CTRL + F. Copy and paste the following line of code into the text box to locate the block of code in your template beginning with this line:

<b:if cond='data:post.title'>

Code Block to Find

<b:if cond='data:post.title'>
<h3 class='post-title'>
<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='data:post.url'><data:post.title/></a> <b:else/>
<data:post.title/>
</b:if>
</h3>
</b:if>

20. Return to the Ad Converter and copy the converted code by right clicking your mouse and choosing select all followed by right clicking again to copy it

21. Paste this code directly after the above code block:

<p>
<!-- Start Google Ad-->
<!-- End Google Ad-->
</p>

22. Paste your Google Adsense ad code between <!-- Start Google Ad --> and <!-- End Google Ad -->


23. Click the Save Template button

24. Take a look at your new Google Adsense ad unit in your blog by following the View Blog link.

Troubleshooting Your New Google Adsense Below the Post Title

• Note only a placeholder will show up for about the first 10 minutes or so. If no placeholder appears go back and retrace your steps to make sure you haven't forgotten something. Check you have copied the code exactly.
  
• If you need more white space between the ad unit and the start of the first line of your article add this html tag <p> before your Google Adsense code and this </p> after the last line of your Google Adsense code
  
• If you have Google Adsense ad units in other parts of your blog you will find that only 3 Google Adsense ad units will display on one page at any one time according to Adsense rules. for this reason you may get a placeholder appearing for some of your earlier posts which appear further down the page. To counter this problem I suggest you set the number of posts on a page to 3 if you have no other ad units anywhere else and 2 if you have another unit some where else. Linked units are not included in this only ad units.

In this tutorial I have covered the steps involved in creating a new Google Adsense ad unit at Google Adsense. I have also provided a detailed walkthrough of the steps involved in adding a Google Adsense ad unit below the post title in a Blogger Blogspot blog. Let me know how you get on.

Add Paypal Donate Button to Blogger

If you want to make a few bucks from all the hard work you are putting into your Blogger blog then consider adding a Paypal donate button to your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog).

Adding a donation button will encourage all those happy readers to say a big thank you for helping them out. Not everyone will donate but you will get the odd generous soul who will willingly donate some chump change to shout you a coffee.

In this Blogger tutorial we will be adding a gadget to the Blogger sidebar or alternatively you could place it in the foooter of your Blogger template. We will be using a widget to contain our Paypal Donate Button and will not be changing your Blogger template. If you wish to place the donate button into your Blogger posts see the end of this Blogger tutorial for details.

Skill level is rated easy.

How to Add a Paypal Donate Button to Blogger (Sidebar or Footer Gadget)
Note: Updated on January 20 2012 to take account of new Paypal interface

1. Get yourself a Paypal account if you don't already have one

2. Login to your Paypal account

3. Click on the Merchant Services tab


4. Choose Donations from the list of key features displayed in the right sidebar of the PayPal Website Payments Standard Option (first of 3 payment solutions)
Note Paypal have changed its interface. You now need to select PayPal Website Payments Standard from Merchant Services drop down and then under the buttons in option 1 you will see in pretty tiny writing I must say "There are also buttons for donations and gift certificates." Click on donations.



5. From the Paypal Create a Donation Button screen choose Create Your Button Now link (one of two).



6. Stick with the default button unless you wish to customize it

7. Choose your currency depending on your needs and location

8. Choose Donors enter their own contribution amount radio button unless you want to have a set amount


9. Ensure the Secure Merchant ID radio button is selected. This will prevent spammers getting hold of your email address

10. At Step 2 it is worth saving your button

11. At Step 3 Customize your checkout page by allowing donors to write a short comment by selecting the Yes radio button to special instructions to seller

12. Select the No radio button for Customer's Shipping Address

13. Select the Create Button button

14. Once Paypal creates the donate button code copy it by right clicking your mouse and choosing copy

15. Logout of Paypal

16. Login to Blogger if you are not already logged in

17. Go to Design > Page Elements

18. Click on the Add a Gadget link in the sidebar

19. Choose HTML/Javascript widget from the list provided

20. Paste the button code into the Content box of the dialog box that appears by placing the mouse inside the box and right clicking the mouse and then paste

21. Select a title like "Shout Me a Coffee Today!" or whatever you would like

22. Click on the Save button

23. Drag and drop your new donation gadget into the spot you want it to appear in

24. Click the Save button to ensure your changes are saved

25. Click View Blog to see your new donate button in the sidebar of your Blogger blog

26. Click on your new donate button and you will be taken to the Paypal Checkout screen



Tips and Troubleshooting

1. To Add a Paypal Donate Button to Blogger Posts
   The following instructions will add a Paypal Donate button to all new Blogger posts. Note previous posts will not be changed. You will need to hard code the button into your Blogger template to have the Paypal Donate button added to every Blogger post. (Please ask if you need help with this)
   
   
   1. Follow the directions (steps 1-16) as above to get your Paypal button code
   2. In Blogger go to Settings > Formatting
   3. Paste the Paypal Donate Button code into the Post Template box
   4. Save changes
   5. Click on New Post to see that the code will be automatically inserted at the foot of each new post. (you will need to be in Edit Html mode to see the code)
2. To Add a Paypal Donate Button to Individual Blogger Posts
   
   1. Follow the directions (steps 1-16) as above to get your Paypal button code
   2. In Blogger go to the post you wish to insert the button code into
   3. Insert the button code taking care to change all instances of double quotes to single quotes
   4. Save post and publish as normal. (If you have trouble with the preview post button in the old editor in Blogger click on compose and then edit html)

This Blogger tutorial has walked you through the steps needed to add a Paypal donate button to your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) including how to configure your Paypal button at Paypal. I have covered adding the button as a sidebar gadget or footer gadget or alternatively added to Blogger posts. Have fun!

Related Posts

Better Placement of Google Adsense in Blogger

Bloggers Guide to Google Adsense Myths

I get a lot of interest in my articles about Google Adsense on Blogger Blogspot blogs. In this article I discuss 6 common myths about Google Adsense that will help you get real about placing Adsense on your Blogger blog.

Google Adsense Myths Every Blogspot Bloggers Needs to Know
There are a number of myths about Google Adsense which can lead new bloggers in particular into believing that they need only slap a few Google Ad units on their blog and they will become instant millionaires. The reality can be a lot different especially when you consider that 95% of all blogs receive less than 100 visitors per day. Adding Google Adsense to your blog can generate some income but there is a need to be realistic. Here are 6 myths about Google Adsense that every blogger needs to know:

Myth 1. Google Adsense is a Get Rich Quick Scheme
False. Only a small percentage of bloggers actually make a living from their blog. It is definitely possible to make some money from Google Adsense Ad units but bear in mind that making money from your blog is commensurate with many factors such as types of advertising, placement of advertising, quality of your content, regular posting, number of articles, SEO, backlinks to your site, number of visitors to your blog to name just a few. The more articles you write, the more posts indexed in search engines like Google and Yahoo which may lead to increased traffic but not necessarily. The bottom line is that for your ads to be effective your blog needs to receive traffic so concentrate your efforts in this area and make sure that your blog is worth visiting once your visitors get there.

Do Your Sums
As Google Adsense itself says it is difficult to predict earnings however there are some general pointers to guide you. For instance if your blog receives 100 visits per day your likely revenue from Google is probably about 10 cents per day assuming that 1 in 100 people click on some form of Google advertising on your site and the page CTR is about 0.20%. Over a year that equates to about $36.50. Not a fortune in anyone's book. Likewise if your blog is fortunate enough to receive 1000 visitors per day you are looking at an annual income from Google Adsense of $365.00.

100 Visitors per day = Earnings $36.50 per year

1000 Visitors per day = Earnings $365.00 per year

5000 Visitors per day = Earnings $1825.00 per year

10000 Visitors per day = Earnings $3650.00 per year

The above figures are an optimistic view. I have not allowed for the fact that many of your visitors will be repeats so the likelihood of a repeat visitor clicking on an ad unit is less than for that of a new visitor. On this basis your earnings could be much less.

Google Adsense and Affiliate Marketing
About 95% of Bloggers would have less than 100 visitors to their blog a day. If your blog is in this category then Google Adsense alone will not allow you to quit your job and become a full-time blogger. You will need to display other forms of advertising on your blog as well before your blog will start to pay. Check out my article on other forms of advertising that may be suitable for your Blogger blog including displaying Affiliate Marketing banners.

Affiliate marketing banners can work as a form of advertising. Consider that if 1 site visitor in 100 actually buys something worth $50.00 you will immediately earn $5.00 assuming you receive 10% of the sale as a commission. Even if only one in 500 clicks through to the merchant and buys something you will still be ahead of the revenue earned from Google ads for the same number of visitors. $5.00 from Affiliate Marketing versus 50 cents from Google Adsense. In many ways Affiliate Marketing is a more profitable marketing strategy than having heaps of Google ads on your blog. However, in my experience a good mix of both is the way to go


Myth 2. Displaying More Ads on My Blog Will Earn More Money
False. Some bloggers mistakenly believe that placing more Google Adsense units on their blog will yield higher earnings. Sadly this isn't the case at all. By putting more Ad units on your blog you may actually reduce your earnings. There is a risk that the highest performing Ad units will shift to positions that are less frequently clicked on. For instance while the top right hand corner is a prime place for an advertising banner because it gets viewed by the most eyeballs it is also a spot that tends to get disregarded by savvy visitors who recognise it as an advertising zone and avoid it. At the same time a 336x280 Ad unit with a higher CTR is likely to display Google Ad units which pay less because the highest CTR has been transferred to the 468x60 Ad unit.

Myth 3. More Traffic Equates to Higher Google Adsense Earnings
Not necessarily. Depending on your blog's content it might not always be possible to drive a lot of new visitors to your blog and you rely more heavily on your repeat traffic. However, due to the familiarity of the ad placement on your blog repeat visitors are less likely to click on your Ad units than new visitors. While you can expect more clicks on your ad units as traffic increases there is no guarantee that Google Adsense on your blog will deliver the kind of earnings you might expect.

Myth 4. The Ad Format of Google Adsense Ads is Not Important
False. The ad format you display on your blog is very important. You can earn more from some ad formats than others. For instance it is generally considered that the wide Google Adsense ads (336x280, 300x250 or 250x250) perform best. I like to position one of these directly above my first post.

Link units can be profitable too if strategically placed. One of the best locations for link units is in or just below your blog header as many people are used to looking there for a navigation menu. A 728x15 linked ad unit just below your horizontal navigation menu will very likely yield good results.

Myth 5. Placement of Google Adsense Ad Units Doesn't Matter
On the contrary where you place Google Adsense can be critical to earning revenue from your blog. One of the best places to position Adsense is above what's known as the fold. The fold is the top area of your blog visible to your visitors without them having to scroll down. A 336x280 ad unit in this space works well because on arrival at your blog the visitor sees what they are looking for and clicks on it. For instance if your blog is about mountain biking then Google Adsense will very likely serve up ads about cycling equipment, cycling tours etc. For the visitor seeing exactly what they are interested in on arrival is a definite bonus which may lead them to click on your Ad unit.

Myth 6. To Make Money from My Blog I Need to Add Google Adsense
False. While Google Adsense is by far the most popular Advertising Network it is not the only advertising option. There are some good alternatives like AdBrite and Chitika. Let the type of blog you have govern your decisions around which advertising mix you employ rather than just going for Google Adsense because its the easiest.

In this article I have explored 6 common myths about Google Adsense that every Blogger Blogspot blogger needs to be aware of when placing Google Adsense on their blog. This article will hopefully help you do a reality check and help you recognise that while you may be one of the 5% of bloggers sitting on a goldmine Google Adsense won't transform you into a millionaire overnight.

Related Articles
Make Money - Add Affiliate Banners Ads to Blogger
Google Adsense Tips for Blogger Blogs


Resources - Blogger EBooks
Blogging to the Bank 3.0 - The Best Blogging EBook on the Net!

Learn How To Make Money Blogging - Blog Mastermind Led By Yaro Starak

Add Google Adsense to Blogger Header

In this Blogger tutorial you will learn how to add Google Adsense to the header of your Blogger blog. This article assumes no knowledge of Blogger and provides a walkthrough of the steps involved to add Google Adsense to the header of your blog.

This is the third Blogger tutorial in a series on adding Google Adsense to a Blogger blog (Blogspot blog).

1. How To Add Google Adsense to the Header (Above the Title)
   If you want to add Google Adsense to your header for instance above the title you can by adjusting your template to give you the option of adding more than one widget to the header area.
   
   
   1. Login to Blogger and navigate to Design > Edit HTML
      
   2. Back up your template as a precaution by downloading the full template to your computer
      
   3. Using CTRL + F to bring up the search box find the following line of code. For default Blogger templates - Layout (2006) such as Minima, Thisaway and Sand Dollar and for many custom templates find <div id='header-wrapper'>
      
      For new Blogger templates such as Simple and Awesome Inc find this line <div class='region-inner header-inner'>
      
   4. Replace the following code in red:
      

      <div id='header-wrapper'>
<b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='1' showaddelement='no'>

      
      with
      
      

      <div id='header-wrapper'>
<b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='3' showaddelement='yes'>

   5. Save Template
      
   6. Navigate to Design > Page Elements (previously Layout > Page Elements) and view the new option to add a gadget to the header area
      
      
      
   7. Click on Add a Gadget and select the Google Adsense gadget.
      
   8. Choose the type of ad unit you want. For this example I chose a new linked 728x15 ad unit from the dropdown format menu for an Adsense ad that would sit above the blog title. Configure colors if necessary. Color blending is usually done automatically by Blogger according to the color schema of your template.
      
   9. Click Save
      
   10. Click View Blog to see your new Google Adsense unit in place. All going well your new ad unit should appear look something like the image below
       
       
   
   
2. How to Add Google Adsense to the Header (Below the Title)
   To have your new Google Adsense linked unit appear below the title the steps are the same as above. The difference is that you will need to shift the ad unit into position by using the drag and drop feature to move the widget below the header title in the Design > Page Elements page.
   
   
   

Tips and Troubleshooting
By default Blogger will left align these ads so if you want to center the Adsense unit then use the <div align='center'>

How to Center a Google Adsense Unit in Blogger

1. Once you have created your Google Adsense unit go to Design > Edit HTML
   
2. Check the Expand Widgets Template box
   
3. Find the code you replaced in Step 4
   
   

   <b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='3' showaddelement='yes>

4. Directly below you will see lines of code that resemble the following:
   
   

   <b:widget id='AdSense2' locked='false' title='' type='AdSense'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<div class='widget-content'>
<data:adCode/>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>

5. Add the following code shown in red
   

   <b:widget id='AdSense2' locked='false' title='' type='AdSense'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<div class='widget-content'>
<div align='center'><data:adCode/></div>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>

6. Save template and view your Adsense widget which will now be centered

In this Blogger tutorial you have learnt how to add a Google Adsense unit above and below the blog title in the header section of your Blogger blog (Blogspot Blog). I have also demonstrated how to center the Google Adsense unit. As always any questions please ask.