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A good blog can do far more than provide an engaging read. It has the power to disseminate vital information across the internet, building brands and connecting with audiences far and wide. But a good blog also has the potential to earn its creator revenue. The trick is figuring out what to give your blog to ensure it generates the most lucrative income possible.
You probably started your blog for two reasons: As a hobby to keep you busy or to make money. If you belong to the latter group of bloggers, your number one concern should be how to maximize your revenue, rather than simply sustain it. And this means figuring out how to increase your RPM as a blogger – more on RPM later. While it may look great to have thousands of visitors seeing your blog every day, all of that means nothing if you’re not making any money from your blogging efforts.
This article unpacks and examines 14 tips and strategies to help your blog do better to increase page RPM. Read on to discover the most critical areas affecting your RPM blogging potential – the blog itself, your audience, the ads you’re running, and your blog’s website.
How Blogs Make Money
Blogs earning revenue have been ‘monetized.’ When you monetize a blog, you have a couple of options on the menu, including offering something to your readers in exchange for a payment or fee:
- Selling physical or digital products – where you sell products online via eCommerce platforms, with the blog functioning as the principal marketing machine for an online store.
- Subscriptions – where people pay a recurring fee to access your high-quality blog content. These include newsletters, templates, editorials, articles, and eBooks.
- Coaching – where you can offer online courses or training packages from your blog.
While these business models are very methods for how to increase your RPM as a blogger, they require intense there are two others responsible for the majority of blogger income online:
- Affiliate marketing – where bloggers promote a product or service on behalf of a business. Every time someone buys something by clicking on the affiliate link on the blog, the blogger earns a commission or cut of the transaction.
- Display advertising – where bloggers partner with display ad networks, allowing them to advertise on their blogs, providing exposure for their advertisers’ products to your audience. You can also promote a business directly, but display ad networks are your most profitable and sustainable option.
eCommerce, subscriptions, and coaching offer exciting (and growing) revenue streams for bloggers. But when it comes to taking advantage of your blog’s traffic, display ads and affiliate marketing are tried-and-tested passive income and high-RPM blogging options that require minimal effort and offer great returns.
It is here where RPM matters most. But what is it?
Page RPM Basics
Revenue per mille – AKA “RPM” – is a measure of how much money you’re able to earn from every 1,000 sessions (or pageviews and impressions) your blog receives. This metric essentially tells you how well your blog is doing. Increase page RPM – more money. It’s that simple.
Two important traffic metrics directly influence your RPM:
- Click-through rate (CTR) – CTR is measured as a percentage or ratio describing how many times people clicked on an ad from everyone who came across it. Higher CTRs mean advertisers are prepared to pay more because they get more for every dollar they spend. A site boasting a high CTR means that ad placement is working, and people are converting from leads to prospects more frequently.
- Cost per click (CPC) – CPC describes the dollar amount advertisers are willing to pay every time someone clicks on one of their ads on your blog. CPC can vary significantly and depends on the ad itself, its context, and your niche.
These two metrics are primarily, though not exclusively, responsible for determining a blog RPM. While high CTR and CPC numbers mean better page RPM, many other factors can influence how much your blog earns for every 1,000 visitors who see it. Bounce rates, previous earnings, social media exposure, and which ad network you belong to are also important players, adding value to your blog real estate.
To work out your current RPM, divide your estimated earnings and revenue by the total number of page views for a particular period and multiply that by 1,000.
How to Increase Blog RPM: Changes to Make to Your Blog
We begin by looking at the reason we’re all here – the blog. Good RPM starts with crafting a blog that people want to read. When people flock to your site, advertisers want to be there, too, putting their ads right in front of your audience.
1. Long Form Content is Always Better
1,500 to 2,000 words. That is the ideal blog post length to increase page RPM, according to the internet, with even longer posts in the 2.1k to 2.4k range even better for SEO. While shorter and longer blogs still have their places on microblogging sites and in ‘advanced article’ categories, the sweet spot is somewhere in that 500-word range, though longer is always better.
- Why? – The internet loves long-form content, and people prefer resources rich in helpful, comprehensive information, keeping them engaged for longer.
- Effect on RPM – Longer-form content means higher ranking on search engine result pages (SERPS) and more impressions on your site.
2. Make the Most of Your Headings
H2, H3, H4, anyone? Headings are more than just signposts for people skimming through a blog; they help search engines find your content faster and open up spots where ads can be served on the page – excellent for boosting RPM blogging numbers.
- Why? – Clearly defined headings allow search engines to find important information and people to scan a blog, lowering bounce rates by converting impressions into sessions.
- Effect on RPM – More headings mean more opportunities for people to stop at an ad and click.
3. Increase Blog Font Size & Line Height
Believe it or not, your blog’s font size and line height with how to increase your RPM as a blogger. Why? One word – mobile. Ad networks and search engines are looking for mobile-friendly content, and optimizing your blog’s structural elements is the best way to get this right.
- Why? – Larger, sharper, easier-to-read fonts, spaced correctly, display well on mobile devices, and improve UX.
- Effect on RPM – Most advertising is viewed on mobile devices, and advertisers want ads that play well on mobile, not just desktop.
4. Add Internal Links
Blogs living lonely digital lives are destined to be ignored. Google wants to know what else you have to offer beyond your latest blog, and internal links allow the search engine to crawl between pages, figuring out if your blog is a one-hit-wonder or part of a credible, high-DA portfolio.
- Why? – Links allow people to navigate to related content you own, gifting them additional resources on the topic they’re exploring.
- Effect on RPM – Credibility is important, and ad networks are looking for bloggers who can demonstrate a pattern of sustainable, high-quality content. Internal links are the perfect way to show them.
5. Create More Video Content
Video is fast becoming the defining medium online. And while video used to slow sites down and cause problems, today, audiences want more of it. Embedding a video into your blog will attract more visitors and provide you with an opportunity to double down, telling the story with words and clips, giving you a nice avenue to increase page RPM.
- Why? – Video offers bloggers a new medium, appealing to a broader market without compromising content and keeping people engaged for longer while they watch.
- Effect on RPM – Videos are great for revenue-loving brand building. Bloggers can open a YouTube channel, adding yet another revenue stream and leads magnet to the mix.
6. Images Matter, Too
Boring blogs featuring low-quality or – worse – no imagery are going to struggle. Tools like Canva have transformed how bloggers are able to enrich their sites with pictures, graphics, and images that tell the story while serving a functional purpose.
- Why? – Pictures build brands and allow blog readers to form a view of the narrative while keeping them engaged. Plus, search engines can now ‘see’ images too.
- Effect on RPM – Visually engaging content is always a winner among audiences, and advertisers want to see images complimenting their ads.
How to Increase You Blog RPM: Cultivating The Audience
Next, we unpack what we can do not only to entice more people to your blog but to attract the right ones. While it may seem that attracting as many people as possible to your site is the way to go for figuring out how to increase RPM as a blogger, in fact, it’s really about attracting a niche audience that your advertisers want to reach.
7. Pick Your Topics Carefully
Anyone can jump in and write about mainstream topics. The problem is that everyone else has already done that, and you will have difficulty getting people to notice you. Choosing the right topic also means gaining better access to your niche market, attracting people who understand and recognize your expertise.
- Why? – Well-researched topics give relevance to your content, allow you to tap into your niche readership, and rank better.
- Effect on RPM – Ad networks and affiliate programs are looking for bloggers writing about things related to what they’re advertising. Offering carefully chosen content is a high-RPM lightning rod.
8. Work Your Niche
Once you’ve got people’s attention, engage with them. Fostering a community around your content is essential to scaling your brand, and the right social media channels, communication tools, and platform engagement features make it easier than ever to increase page RPM by leveraging your niche.
- Why? – Building a community around your brand and blog is the best way to ensure they keep coming back, delivering high CTRs and, ultimately, RPMs in the long run.
- Effect on RPM – Niche markets represent money. Loyal followers are happy to spend when they trust your affiliate recommendations and can relate to the accompanying ads.
9. Location, Location, Location!
While other markets are catching up, the US is still king when it comes to online spending. Blogs with majority-US traffic earn more, while most affiliate programs are linked through US companies.
- Why? – Most premier ad networks work almost exclusively with US businesses and list US-based audiences as a pre-requisite to joining. The same goes for affiliate programs.
- Effect on RPM – US traffic almost always tops the RPM list. A pageview from a US visitor usually generates far more revenue than one from any other country. It’s simple math.
How to Increase Blog RPM: Optimizing Ads
Once you’ve got your blog looking great and know how to target the right readers, you’ll need to kick things up on the ads front to boost your RPM blogging. Ads are the real money-makers here, and ensuring they’re working for you (and your advertisers) is critical to increase page RPM.
10. Apply to Top Tier Ad Networks
The right ad network can make or break your RPM ambitions. And while gaining entry to the RPM big leagues like AdThrive or Mediavine is tough, there’s more to display ad networks than Google AdSense. Think about going with more than one ad network.
- Why? – Different networks pay varying RPMs and focus on diverse niches. Know who you’re partnering with and pick based on what they have to offer you.
- Effect on RPM – Ad networks often allow you to advertise with more than one. Choose the networks that employ different strategies to maximize your RPM potential.
11. Give Your Ad Strategy a Revamp
Ads can be more than a couple of display banners randomly planted around your blog. Improving ad viewability by making prime space available, increasing the number of ads, and getting creative in how your sticky ads behave is a sure-fire method to increase page RPM.
- Why? – Mixing things up and optimizing your ad placement, frequency, and layout can improve viewability and conversion rates.
- Effect on RPM – While some networks take care of your ad strategy for you, most don’t. Give your RPM a lift by employing the right display ad tactics.
12. Be Relevant
The wrong ads can hurt your blog, driving audiences away and leaving your site looking like a flea market of random advertising. On the other hand, ensuring that your niche gets only the ad content it can use is a great way to improve your blogging RPM metrics.
- Why? – Nothing frustrates readers more than being offered something that has nothing to do with them. Relevant ads mean better CPC and higher RPM.
- Effect on RPM – Advertisers are willing to pay more when the blogs they’re advertising on target interested customers. Speak to your network to ensure that your ads are relevant.
How to Increase Your Blog RPM: Optimizing Your Website
Even the best-looking blogs featuring engaging content, a captivated audience, and a great ad or affiliate link balance can fall short in their RPM blogging goals if the site supporting everything isn’t working right. Site optimization is key to maximizing your RPM and, if done right, can boost SEO, further increasing page RPM.
13. Improve Website UX
With so much competition out there, UX (user experience) is critical to maintaining a stable audience. Staying up to date with UX trends is a valuable ally in ramping up your RPM. Shorten the sidebar and optimize your sticky ad placement to deliver what users want, exactly where they want it.
- Why? – Good UX encourages longer sessions and returning visitors. SEO gold.
- Effect on RPM – Better rankings and more engaged, satisfied visitors translate to advertiser and affiliate appeal.
14. Focus on Your Website’s Speed
There’s no excuse for a slow, laggy site anymore. Visitors expect fast load speeds, and so do search engines. Give your blog everything it needs to perform well by ensuring everything optimized for speed is essential.
- Why? – Search engines love websites with lightning-fast page load speeds, and networks offer lazy loading features allowing ads to load at the right moment.
- Effect on RPM – Time is money, and even a page loading delay of a few seconds can drive visitors away, and with them, their money.
Conclusion
Monetizing your blog is tricky, and, once you’ve gotten that right, finding ways to increase page RPM is even trickier. Whether using it to sell products, offer subscriptions, coach, conduct affiliate marketing, or advertise, figuring out how to increase your RPM as a blogger is hard. But with a few tweaks to your strategy, the right tools, and some careful planning, you’ll soon see improvements in your RPM blogging efforts in no time.
