How did you think I was making money with this blog?
Last Friday we talked about the pages that generate the most subscribers on my blog – up to 50% conversion rate.
Today, we’ll talk about money.
Where does most of my blog income come from? Which page is the winner?
One of the most underused pages in the blogosphere: Tools/Resources page.
You can find it at this link: http://www.TrafficGenerationCafe.com/Internet-Marketing-Tools/
That’s the page where I post about all of the products that I use in my online business, with affiliate links of course.
I don’t advertize it in any way, I don’t shove it down my readers’ throats. It just sits there quietly, with only two links to it: one in the navigation bar at the top of my blog and one in the sidebar.
And yet it’s the best money-maker on my blog.
How to Build Your Resource Page
Here are some tips to make the best out of yours:
- Only talk about products that you know and have tested yourself – credibility is the key. Not everyone will like what you have to offer, but at least you’ll sleep well at night.
- Form the products into groups for easier reading/scanning.
- I like to give my readers a quick synopsis on why I like the product: be very brief and to the point, if you choose to do that as well.
- In my opinion, this is one of those cases where banners help. They provide some nice visuals as well as form product recognition.
- ALWAYS use tracking of sorts to make sure you know how your page is performing.
Tracking: I use a free version of the plugin called “Pretty Link” for all my ad tracking needs. It allows me to create links that look nothing like the affiliate monster links we sometimes get. It also tracks all the clicks on any link anywhere. Just make sure you create a separate link for each position on your blog: tools page, sidebar, above posts, below posts, etc.
A Word on My Sidebar Ads
I get a lot of questions about those ads – yes, they are custom created for my blog.
Why did I have them done this way?
Simple answer: banner blindness.
These custom ads work great, produce a lot more clicks than the regular banners ever did, and I love the look.
Anticipating the question: Ian Belanger of Ian-Belanger.com did them for me and he did a marvelous job, I must say.
Marketing Takeaway
I suppose now I know what you are doing this weekend, huh? 
Do you have a tools page? Any great tips on creating one? Comment to show me that you’re alive!
I thought the term “toolbox” should be quite a draw card.
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