When you feel you are ready to move to the next level and start earning some revenue from the blog, you may wish to consider hosting advertisiing on your blog. There are a few different resources out there that you can use to host ads and generate revenue from your blog. Three popular programs are:

• Google Adsense
• Amazon
• Microsoft pubCenter

Google

The process to sign up for Google Adsense is quite simple.

1. Simply visit http://google.com/adsense and sign up for a free account with your gmail address (you can use other email, but gmail makes it easier).
2. Adsense will then look at your blog and decide if you are worthy of their ads...if approved you will be sent an email with directions.
3. Once approved create an ad unit (easy to do on adsense) and add the code to your site.
4. Google has clear direction as to how many ad's you are allowed to server and what locations they should be placed in.
5. You are able to customize ad units as per the design of your site so they look better placed and more friendly to the visitor.
6. Once someone visits your site and clicks through an ad, you will earn revenue.
7. Adsense can also be integrated into your feedburner (http://feedburner.google.com) rss feeds, so that you can serve ads to all of your feed subscribers. Feedburner is free and easily integrates to adsense.

Amazon.com

Amazon has a free affiliates program which allows you to assist them in selling products and getting a percentage for each sale.

1. Sign up for your free account, customize a widget and add the code to your site.
2. Once visitors come to your site they can click on an item you recommend or search for an item and buy it through your affiliate link.
3. You get credit for the sale and Amazon pays you via gift cards, direct deposit to your checking acct, and or a check. (Quick Note: charges you $15 to process a check and the minimum payment amount is $100. Direct Deposit is free and the minimum amount is $10. Gift cards are free and there is a $10 minimum.)

Microsoft pubCenter

Microsoft has now also gotten into the game of serving ad's but their program is in limited beta. You can visit the site and sign up for an invitation and start serving ads once approved. The details are similar to those of Adsense, however, Microsoft does not yet provide the ability to integrate ad's in to your RSS feeds.

1. Never ever ask your readers to click on ad's so as to help you gain revenue sharing from the ad. This is a big no no....your readers should only click an ad if they like it, not because you have asked them to help you.
2. Never place more ad's on your site then the terms and conditions of the advertiser allow for. This is another reason for immediate ban/rejection.
3. Never use your publisher ID's for friends websites. You were approved for your site and you are not allowed to share on sites that you do not directly own/control.
4. Never offer anyone anything and never solicit anyone for the purpose of increasing your revenue via ad clicks.
5. Always report something suspicious to your advertiser so that they do not hold you accountable for the mis-haps of the internet.

The payment methods are usually by check and or direct deposit into your checking / savings account. Sites will usually make a small deposit (pennies) into your account and then ask you to verify the amounts deposited. Most, if not all, will also mail you a post card with a pin number on it as a form of double verification.