If you’ve been blogging for some time but aren’t making any money then there’s a reason for it. In the majority of cases it really relates to not having enough traffic but it’s not always as simple as that.

You could get thousands of visitors a day but if they aren’t targeted or they don’t like what you have to say it’s not going to equate to sales.

To start making a decent income online you need to step back and analyze your site to see what it is that is holding you back. Use the following list to get you started…

#1: You Have Little or No Traffic

We have some beautiful blogs with lots of content but they get very little traffic. As a consequence we don’t make much from them. When we see a burst of traffic to these sites (for whatever reason) the sales start increasing. A lack of traffic can affect not only product sales but also advertising spots you may wish to sell on your blog. Traffic is key to your blogs success and should be your number one priority. (For some solid methods for increasing traffic, sign up to our newsletter (in the right sidebar) to receive our free traffic generating ebook.)

#2: Your Site is Full of Ads

Now at this point you’re probably wondering how having too many ads can affect your income. Just remember that people are becoming blind to ads, especially banner ads. They are also more likely to click the back button when they see a blog full of flashing ads and Google Adsense plastered right in front of their face.

If you want to truly start making money you need to remove a lot of those banner adds and instead start using affiliate text links within your content. (You might want to take a look at our review for Ninja Affiliate if you want a quick and easy way to add affiliate links to your blog.)

#3: Your Are Not Reviewing Enough Products

It doesn’t matter what your blog is about, there are usually products that relate to it. If you have an internet marketing blog then it’s almost certain that you have purchased an ebook or signed up to a membership site of some sort. If so, write a review about it – people love to read real reviews. If you have a blog about travel then you can write reviews for luggage, airlines, hotels, restaurants. If you have a blog about dogs you can write reviews for dog beds, dog leads, dog food. If you have a recipe blog you can write reviews for recipe books, cookware, kitchen utensils. You get the picture!

#4: When You Do Write Reviews They Really Don’t Provide Value

I’ve been on the net since 1994 so I have seen a lot of product reviews in my time. The ones I like the best are the ones that have been written by people who actually use the product. You can pick them a mile off as they really provide a lot of detail compared to those short reviews you see where the writer only lists the features and benefits of the product and nothing more. Even if you have never used the product, you can write a review but make it different from everyone elses and make sure you really do your research well so that you can provide value to the reader.

#5: Your Site Looks Amateurish 

I don’t know what it is but it seems that no matter how nice a template is, there is always someone who can totally mess it up. They might add a header but it really doesn’t fit the theme width. Or they might change the colors so nothing matches or add some ads in the sidebar that are three different sizes so they look out of place. Or they will add Google Adsense to the top of each post but won’t left or right align it so that it fits in with the post.

The reason that you picked that template was that it looked good so don’t play with it. If you have to play with it and it doesn’t look right then hire someone from Rentacoder or Elance to fix it – it shouldn’t cost much. Remember that an amateurish looking blog doesn’t inspire confidence and readers can easily click away.

#6: You Don’t Inspire Confidence

People want to be told what to buy. They want someone who knows what they are talking about tell them that something is worth buying. If you aren’t confident in your approach then your readers won’t feel confident enough to buy products that you recommend. Become an expert in your field and it will reflect in your blog posts and in your reviews.

#7: You Aren’t Promoting the Right Products

How many blogs have you visited where the ads on the page have nothing to do with the content on the blog? This often happens when the blogger finds an affiliate program that pays big dollars and just throws the ad on their site in the hope of a sale. This will rarely if ever work. Promote products that relate to your blog topic and you will have better success.