Since 2007 I’ve been utilizing (TLA) on my hiking trail website, Virginia Hiker. All I’ve had to do is put up a small widget code on my site’s sidebar and let it run. Every so often I get an email from TLA saying that they’ve sold a link on my site and that’s it – I don’t have to do anything else. The links are automatically added through the widget and there is no maintenance on your end.  Then the following month the check just shows up!

Now, the amount that I’m making each month from Virginia Hiker (which is currently my only site that has sold links through TLA) is not anything to go crazy about and call my self an expert on. However, every amount helps at the end of the month and puts you on your way to growing your business!

Here are a few answers to common questions you probably have about TLA.

How long does it take TLA to review a submitted site?
It can take 24 hours to be approved. Then you need to add the code on the exact same page that was approved, then 1-3 days to get packaged on and placed on the site depending on number of submissions. Another great feature is that you can keep adding multiple sites if you have them and manage all your sites under one account. This can really grow your earning potential!

Can I control what links appear on my site?
Yes, you can choose to be emailed every time a new ad is sold so you can approve it or deny it from being published. This is great because it also helps you keep track of how many links have sold on your site by notifying you that a link has sold.

Can I run Text Link Ads along with other ad systems I am currently running?
If you’re link me, you are trying to expand your money making avenues and running multiple different ad programs on your site, or selling links and banners privately. Well, it’s great to know that Text Link Ads can be run along any contextually served product. They do ask that TLA be the sole provider of static HTML advertisements, as this will protect the value of the advertisements as well as give you the highest payout.

I hope this quick post has given you some ideas about different revenue streams out there. There is so much talk about making money on Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media sites, that sometimes people forget to monetize their own website!

Give Text Link Ads a try and let me know what you think! Like I said, I’ve been with them since 2007 and have only had great experiences. Their support has been great when needed too, so if you have issues with getting your widget to work on your site, just contact them and they will be quick to help!

Good luck!

5 Ways To Make An Empty Ad Slot on Your Blog Work for You on ProBlogger.net

7 Reasons Not to Have Empty Ad Spots On Your Blog on ProBlogger.net

Sold My Advertising, Now What? on Retire@21

Finding Your First Advertisers For Your Blog on Retire@21

5 Ways to find Direct Advertisers for your Blog on ProBlogger.net

If you are looking for an affordable and easy way to manage ads on your blog or website, I suggest checking out OIO Publisher. OIO Publisher is a plugin that I have used on some other sites of mine and will be implementing on the new release of Dorm Room Biz.

• ReviewMe: $15.00
• AdSense: $15.69
• Private Ads/Posts: $20.00
• Text Link Ads: $5.51
• CashCrate: $22.79

Total: $78.99

ReviewMe – ReviewMe is a great way to make some extra money from your blog by writing sponsored posts. Even though I did not have any high paying offers from ReviewMe to be posted on Dorm Room Biz, I utilized a couple of the different campaigns that came across my RSS feed reader. Had I jumped on more of them and spent time to write more posts on different websites and topics, this could have amounted to at least $50 for the month. However, when I consider different reviews to take on through ReviewMe’s campaigns, I try to keep the content relevant to Dorm Room Biz and the topics that you all are interested in reading about. This helps the paid posts to not be as obvious and to not be obtrusive to you all.

Google AdSense: Although it is not a major earner for me, it does bring in a few bucks here and there. I am going to be working on better optimizing the site to utilize AdSense in a couple different ways which will hopefully result in a higher CTR and a higher payout to me!

Private Ads/Private Posts: This is usually the category that is the biggest earner just because different businesses and bloggers are more interested in working directly with another blogger as opposed to working through a third party service. It also allows the blogger writing a sponsored post or putting up a private ad to make a higher amount rather than totally relying on a service like Text Link Ads. With the installation of OIOPublisher, I hope that I will be able to increase my private ad sales by offering other areas throughout the site that you can advertise in. For the current rates, please email me, but you can get an idea of where they are at right now by visiting the Advertising page. If you are not using OIOPublisher to manage your private ad sales, I definitely suggest you check it out!

Text Link Ads – I didn’t even realize that I had sold any for the month! I got my TLA integrated with my regular links sections and for some reason didn’t receive notification that I had sold one and never noticed it. Anyway, its nothing to quit a job over or even get paid for the month, but will eventually get paid out as more sell. I already had $25 worth of TLAs sell on another site of mine, so the end of June I should receive a combined payment.

CashCrate – I know I have said it before, but I really do love the way CashCrate works and the great system they have set up. CashCrate is a constant money maker for me and I can always rely on it to generate some extra money. If you haven’t already, take a look at the different reviews that I have done on CashCrate here and here and then sign up for the program so that you too can start making money! Once you get your account established and you make your money from completing surveys, get referrals signed up underneath of you so that your earning power continues to grow.

Besides these money makers, I have also joined up with Market Leverage to bring my readers different offers that will hopefully benefit you all, so look at for these different offers around the site. If you are looking to get into affiliate marketing and more serious advertising revenues, I strongly suggest you take a look at ML and sign up. Bloggers such as Zac Johnson, Ian Fernando, John Chow, and Shoemoney have had great success with them and they are a great group of people willing to help you out!

There are just so many ways out there to make money online from blogging that it is hard to test them all out. I am interested in any experiences that you all, my readers, have had from working with any of the companies that I have mentioned above or any others. Now that I am getting into putting more advertising on the Dorm Room Biz site, I am contemplating ANOTHER redesign (I know, I know – I just had it redesigned not too long ago). But, I would like to change up the side bar some and make it into a 2 column sidebar to utilize the space better as well as make for less scrolling just to see the sidebar items. We shall see!

I also have some other cool ideas planned for Dorm Room Biz over the next couple months, so be on the look out for some new releases of different items in the near future!

Here’s to blogging success!
Chris