You put a lot of work into making your blog successful. You’ve probably put blood, sweat, and tears into getting it off the ground, defining your purpose, and growing your audience. Yes, you are furthering your mission for better health in the world, but you also want to help support yourself and your family financially. And that’s a noble desire, to be rewarded for your work.
When it comes to blogging, many people monetize their blog by including ads on their site. There are a variety of ad networks and platforms that you can join in order to place ads on your site, but we really don’t suggest doing so.
Here are three reasons why ads on your blog are a bad idea:
- You cannot control the content of the ad. Some ad networks will allow you to note which kind of content you do not want showing on your site; but at the end of the day, you relinquish control over that. So you may end up with ads on your site that are completely contrary to your message and mission.
- It can hinder your authority. Again, you’re allowing outside content into your site which can diminish your authority and authenticity. This can create a sort of competition between your content and the ads on your site.
- It can damage your relationship with readers. This is the most important factor. Establishing trust with your readers is what is going to make them lifelong readers. If you are constantly bombarding them with ads, they are not going to want to continue to visit your site. Don’t overwhelm them by being in their face all the time.
- It can slow down your website. Practically every website that runs ads will will see an increase in page load time and a decrease in overall site speed. This is because ad networks have to load external scripts and code, which use up server resources and slow down your site. Since Google is now using site speed as a ranking factor, having ads on your site can indirectly negatively affect your search engine ranking.
Monetizing your blog is important, but how you do it is even more so. Pursuing a strategic affiliate promotion strategy is almost always a better way to make money with your site than through the use of ads.
