Displaying CPM (Cost Per Mille, or 1,000 impressions) advertisements is a common, and sometimes quite lucrative, technique bloggers use to make money online.
The secret to generating this kind of revenue depends on one thing- your page views. Increasing your page views is not always an easy task to master- did you know that the average blog reader only views 1-2 pages per visit?
Not every blogger has thousands of loyal readers visiting every day, let alone several times a day, but there are some simple ways to squeeze more page views out of your already existing traffic. Here are a few:
Link to earlier posts.
When writing, link to some older posts that are relevant to the topic at hand. If your readers enjoyed your post, it's very possible that they may be interested in reading more on the same topic. Create a short list of links at the bottom of your posts, or perhaps link keywords and phrases within your main content, to make it simple for your readers to further explore your blog.
Write a series.
Writing a series of posts is a great way to increase the page views on your blog because if you interlink all the posts in the series, there's a good chance that people will visit the other pages that interest them.
It's a great way to encourage people to return, too. If you can manage to build a strong sense of excitement around your series, some of your readers are bound to come back for more.
Add a search box.
Make it easy for your visitors to explore your blog, or find something specific- add a search box. Google AdSense users can install a small search box and earn some extra cash from searchers who click on the ads in your search results.
Or, for those who are less concerned about making money with Google and want to focus more on keeping people at their blogs, Lijit offers a nifty search feature. I have used it here at IGTB for quite a while, from the early months until recently, and am very pleased with the widget. I think you'll like it too.
Encourage comments.
When readers comment on your posts (if you're not a Blogger user), that's two page views because the page refreshes every time someone clicks the submit button and their comment is posted. Two page views may not seem like much to some you, but it can add up quickly once an intriguing conversation is started.
Publish partial feeds.
Publishing only partial feeds is a great way to get more visits from your RSS subscribers, but before deciding to do so, give it some serious thought. A lot of people would rather not receive partial feeds, and it's very possible that they may unsubscribe.
Some blogs, like news blogs that are updated several times a day, do just fine with partial feeds or headlines, because not everyone will be interested in all the news that is presented. (It's like that on all blogs, but moreso with the newsy ones.)
Post polls.
Sometimes it's a little more difficult to get your subscribers to visit; they'd rather read your posts by email or through a feed reader. And what better way to draw them to your blog than to get them involved with polls, surveys, etc. that allow them to share their opinions? Encourage them to voice their ideas and discuss the poll subject with them. This can not only increase your page views, but it also makes your readers feel more welcome on your blog, and is a great way for you to get to know your audience better.
The real secret to increasing your page views (with your current traffic levels) is to encourage reader participation and making your blog easy to navigate. Focus on providing the best content you can and building a community around your blog, and you'll find that those page views will take care of themselves.
How do you do it? Do you have any other tips to share?
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