Not that long ago, it was really hard to start your business. The only way to earn for many people was to grind their way at their workplace. But these days, what was unimaginable is pretty easy to do. You can simply buy a domain, set up the whole thing, and then monetize your website. That’s the only thing you need to do to make a recurring income.
In fact, this has been a side income, or even main income, for many people. For some time, enthusiastic entrepreneurs with great ideas have been setting up websites. And whatever they had on them, there’s always been a way to earn money. Sounds like a dream come true, right?
Well, sure, you can even earn a living without having to go to work. Instead, you just monetize your website. But this is far from an easy task. Plus, you’ll also need some luck!
Either way, we’ve decided to help you in this endeavor. Here’s a simple guide on how to monetize your website or a blog. We can’t guarantee that you’ll become a millionaire this way, but it will certainly work in your favor.
Google AdSense
Almost every website these days has Google Ads. And how wouldn’t they? After all, it’s a company that every internet user relies on.
For quite some time now, they’ve provided very useful tools called AdWord and AdSense. Although people sometimes mix them up, they do two opposite things. If you’re a business that wants to promote their stuff, you use AdWords. You pay a certain amount and your ads show up on various websites.
But if you’re looking to earn money by typing and starting a blog, you’ll use AdSense. It’s the reverse of the AdWords system. You let Google put up ads on your website, and you earn money! Of course, people need to click on these ads in order for you to get paid.
But either way, this is the basic way for you to earn through your own website. Almost every website or blog owner uses AdSense. The rates vary, but it depends on what kind of ads show up on your website.
Affiliate marketing links
Another very popular way to monetize your website is with affiliate marketing links. The basic principle is very similar to Google’s AdSense.
But the only difference is that you put product links instead of ads. And, the best part is that you choose the product and where it can be located on the page. You can use a specially designed ad or just insert it as text.
Amazon is the most popular option for affiliate links. When you set it up, you’ll get a special tag for Amazon links that you put on your website. When a visitor clicks on the link and purchases anything in that session, you get a small commission.
That’s how it works for any other online retailer. What’s great about affiliate links is that many big retailers do them. Some specific niches will do it as well, like music instrument retailers.
Sell your ad space directly
Although Google is awesome for ads, they’re still an intermediary business. This means that they take a pretty significant cut of the profit. So why don’t you just offer space on your website directly to a business?
Now, there are plenty of ways how to do this. One of the common ways is to have banners on the left and right sides of your content. You can arrange a price per one day of the banner on your website.
Aside from banners or embedded pictures as links, you can also write articles. Use the power of your website’s following and charge this. And having successful social media channels helps. You can charge for sharing these articles.
However, there’s one downside to this method. It’s not something that you can do straight away. You first need to have a developed and successful website or a blog. Otherwise, no one would really give you money for ads.
Google’s AdSense and Amazon’s affiliate program are the best options for new websites. But once you grow, feel free to set things up directly with companies.
Crowdfunding
Depending on what exactly you do, crowdfunding can be a great way to earn some money. Do you put up engaging and interesting content all the time? You can ask your fans for donations.
After all, if you bring something entertaining or engaging, they’ll want to see more. And this requires working hours, expensive software, hardware, even tools and materials.
There are plenty of crowdfunding platforms to do this. Or, you can ask them to pay directly to your PayPal. But crowdfunding platforms can be more interesting. You’ll be able to create special offers at different prices.
Sell exclusive content
If you’re a content creator with an independent website, offer exclusive content. This means that you can give them one-time art pieces, music, or anything else. You’ll charge per request.
Of course, this model works for specific niches. It’s not like you can do this as a regular blog or news website.
One of the most common ways to implement this is to write e-books. Plenty of experts are earning money through this model. This is very widespread among fitness instructors and music teachers.
The good old eCommerce
One of the most common methods to monetize your website is to get into eCommerce. What used to be complex is now available through simple tools. This is super useful for smaller and medium-sized businesses. They can set everything up using WooCommerce, Shopify, and many other services.
However, creating this kind of website will require some investment. Unless you’re a web developer yourself, you’ll need to have someone do it for you.
Dropshipping is becoming increasingly popular as well. Essentially, you design simple products, stuff like t-shirts. And you then work as an intermediary service. You connect a manufacturer, shipping service, and a buyer.
The brand is yours and these are essentially your products. But you just outsourced all of the difficult work and you’re left with most of the profit.
Finding the right market
Here’s the tricky part. Although not directly about monetization, you need to get it focused. It can be a very specific niche, a part of the market that you know isn’t covered well.
It’s easier to be successful in a certain area you’re interested in. You’ll know what the audience or this target group wants.
As mentioned, this isn’t directly related to monetization itself. However, focusing your website on something makes it easier to earn money from it.
Website flipping
We all know about house flipping. You buy a house, renovate it, and then sell it for profit. Or, you can even build a house from scratch and then sell it, right?
Well, the same thing can be done with websites. You start something, build it from the bottom up, and then sell the business. Of course, you’ll need to invest in making the website in the first place. And, you’ll have to have something that brings money.
Interestingly enough, you can even sell your blog or news website. If it’s generating a solid amount of revenue, then it has a potential buyer.
After you sell it, you invest in something new. Then you make it even bigger and earn even more money. And, if you do it right, the cycle can go on for as much as you like.
RSS Feed ads
If you have a blog of any kind, RSS Feed Ads can help. Essentially, an RSS Feed is something that’s updated whenever you publish something new. And your followers can subscribe and get notified when you post new stuff.
They can see the feed and when everything was posted. In between, you can place ads. Once again, we have a model that can bring money through an intermediary service.
Various monetization widgets
Aside from Google, there are plenty of different ways to promote other content and get paid for it. There are plenty of awesome widgets for WordPress websites. These can essentially help you get more earnings.
These widgets are offered by some bigger services. For instance, Amazon does this stuff in combination with links.
Grow your brand and sell merch
When you create a brand, new monetization options just keep popping up. If your brand has that special something, you can sell branded merch. You can either make your own or hire another company for this. Or, you can even use the aforementioned dropshipping method.
The process may be slow, but be patient and persistent
One of the hardest things in business is staying persistent. It takes a lot of time and effort to start earning decent money. Unless you’re lucky or very competent, it can take years.
But at the end of the day, this is how some people are making a living. Sure, it can be a side gig, $400-500 on the side. But if you focus and dedicate your time, it can be a full-time effort.
Just be persistent and patient and you’ll get there.