It wasn't that long ago most people had never heard of a blog much less knew what a blog is for. Today it seems nearly everyone is expressing themselves with this type of online journal. Subsequently, advertisers have jumped in and created ways for bloggers to earn an income just from blogging. There are several ways you can make money from a free blog and here are some just to mention a few.

The Google Adsense program is always a favorite as they automatically match related ads to the content of your blog. Just submit an easy application at www.google.com/adsense. Once you are approved, you just add some html code and small text ads will appear on your blog. When a reader clicks on a Google ad, you earn a portion of the fee paid by the advertiser. The amounts vary and clicking on the ads yourself is strictly prohibited. Google also offers a free blog www.blogger.com and so does www.wordpress.com to help get you started.

Affiliate marketing is another great way to make money by blogging. Most companies have an affiliate program, where they pay people to advertise their product online. In most cases, you will be paid a percentage of the sale of an item. Most affiliate programs have many different ad types that you can choose ranging from full-color graphic ads to simple text ads. You can find affiliate opportunities through Linkshare www.linkshare.com and Commission Junction www.cj.com. Visit www.amazon.com as well.

Pay per post is somewhat controversial, but still a way to make money blogging. When you are being paid to post, you are actually paid to write about a certain product. In a nutshell, you can register your blog with a company and they will give you a list of things you can choose to blog about. Once you have completed your post, you send a link back to the company and if they accept your post, you will be paid. There may be certain guidelines to be approved, such as the amount of time your blog has been online, how many times you have posted in the last 90 days, and if it is indexed in search engines. Visit

www.payperpost.com for more details.

The most important thing to remember is to keep your target market in mind. If your blog is targeted to scrapbooking enthusiasts, you will want to keep your ads focused to things that would appeal to them. Do not try to create a blog that appeals to the masses. If you have several different target markets in mind, it will be easier and more profitable to create several different blogs that cater to individual markets.