How to Monetize a Website And Make Money
Do you want to know how to monetize a website? Maybe you want to know how to earn money from website visits so you can start making money from the site you are pouring your heart, soul, money, and time into? You have come to the right place! I will tell you all the secrets I know about how to monetize a website and share what has personally worked for both me and my husband, John.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure.
What is the best way to monetize a website?
The best way to monetize a website depends on what fits you best. Most bloggers and website owners use a combination of ways to monetize their website. To boil it down to the simplest form: you can monetize your website by connecting the right person to the right product. There are 4 main ways to do that, which we will discuss below.
How many visitors do you need to make money on a website?
You don’t need a ton of traffic to make money with your website, but it does help. It is possible to make money with one page view, but it has to be the right person. That’s why building your email list is so important – it gives you a way to contact and build a relationship with the people that really love you. I will share more details about building your email list in a moment.
How much money can you make from a website?
One of the great things about blogging is that there is no income cap. One of the most successful bloggers that I know in person is Michelle, from Making Sense of Cents. As of her last published income report, she had made 1.5 million from her blog in 2018. Lots of other very successful bloggers regularly make 6 figure incomes from their blogs. Make no mistake – it takes time, dedication, and a lot of hard work, but it’s possible.
Blogs like Michelle’s are remarkable and encouraging, even if they are not the rule. Not everyone that has a blog is making that much. Many of my own students are pulling a few thousand per month from their blogs. What would an extra $1,000 a month mean for you?
Which type of website is best for earning?
Blogs are one of the best types of websites for earning money online. There are other types of websites that you can create, but a blog can be customized to combine the best of them. You can make your blog a platform for your business and set up a web store right inside your blog. You could also use your blog to sell affiliate products. Most of all, though, your blog should be focused on helping people solve a problem and sharing something that you are passionate about.
How much does it cost to build a website?
It costs very little to build a website. Less than $5 a month with most hosting providers. I recommend starting with either Bluehost or Siteground. See all the details here on how to start your blog!
Ads
Ads may be the first way that you think of when you are searching for how to monetize your website. However, they can also be quite distracting to your reader and drive them away if not implemented correctly.
Many sites have ads that they make money from, but the most successful ones added them later after they had built up a following.
You can monetize your website with ads when you launch if you can do it in a way that’s not distracting to your readers. However, ads do best with high page views, which you will not have in the beginning.
How to Monetize Your Website With Ads
There are two main ways to monetize your website with ads. You can either manage the ads yourself or have a company do it for you. Many companies have page view requirements but there are a few that do not. Some popular ad companies are:
- Google Adsense – no minimum page view requirement, a good place to start!
- Sovrn – no minimum page view requirement
Both of these options are easy to apply to and do not have any page view requirements.
- The Blogher Network – manage your ads for you, increases income, but they have a 100K page view minimum
- AdThrive – manage your ads for you, increases income, but they have a 100K page view minimum
Both of the above options are popular with more experienced bloggers. Because the ads are managed, they do increase your income. However, they both have a 100K page view requirement over the life of your blog.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is where you sell another person’s product that you use, love, or really believe in and they pay you a portion of the purchase. This is usually done in the form of an affiliate link that you put into your site.
Affiliate links contain cookies that last for a certain period of time. If the person clicks through your link and makes a purchase within the life of the cookie, then you get a portion of that sale. Cookies can last anywhere from 24 hours to over 6 months.
You can find affiliate programs by googling the product name + affiliate.
How to Monetize Your Website With Affiliate Marketing – Programs to Join
The first affiliate program that comes to mind is Amazon. It’s one of the largest and easiest to start with. They have a pretty painless application process, but they do require you to sell a few things within 6 months to become a full affiliate. You still get paid for the things you sell, even in the trial period.
Amazon has one of the largest variety of products around, so I can recommend those that I truly love. The only bad part is that their cookie only lasts for 24 hours. When someone clicks your link and it takes them to Amazon, they must purchase something within 24 hours for you to get paid a commission. After 24 hours, the cookie expires and you will not get a commission off that click.
Some companies connect you with other affiliate programs. They are:
- ShareASale.com– Companies like Shutterfly and Tailwind (best tool to schedule your Pinterest pins!)
- FlexOffers.com– Companies like Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Priceline
Sell Your Own Products/Services
I have had a lot of success in selling my own products to monetize my website. I have a dedicated page on my site that shows all my products. These were a big game-changer for me in terms of blogging income. The types of products or services that you can sell are limited only by your own imagination.
Getting Started Selling Your Own Products
When you start selling your own products, your blog becomes a business. It doesn’t take much. You can use SendOwl to sell printables from your blog on day one that you can create for free with Canva.
I have also seen people that set up an Etsy shop for selling printables and other products as well. There are many ways to set up a shop on your blog. You can sell physical products, or you can sell virtual products.
Related: How to Create Freebies, Printables, and Opt-Ins To Grow Your List and Income
What Kinds of Virtual Products Can I Use to Monetize My Website?
Virtual products take some time to create, but you don’t lose any revenue to shipping or production costs. They can be fairly simple or simply massive. Either way, they are a great way to monetize your website and build some passive income.
Some examples of virtual products are:
- courses
- ebooks
- printables
- planners
- photos
- tutorials
- artwork
- patterns
- recipes/meal plans
- membership sites
- plug-ins
- apps
- website themes
- original music
- coaching recordings
- podcast subscriptions
- handmade crafts
- original videos
Digital Products That I Have Sold to Monetize My Website
I have personally had great success selling ebooks, courses, and coaching recordings. Teachable makes it super easy to create your own online course, or you can head to John’s website to see other ways to host your courses.
I have also written several ebooks. In fact, one of my courses is Ebook by Number, which shows you how to write and launch your ebook from beginning to end.
Beginning this year, I started hosting a different challenge each month. For the people that complete the challenge, I offer a private group coaching call. I also sell tickets to the group coaching calls for anyone that misses completing the challenge that still wants the coaching. Then, I sell the coaching call recordings.
What Kinds of Services Can I Sell to Monetize My Website?
Even if you are just starting out and have not had time to develop a product, you can still sell services to monetize your website. These are not quite so passive since you have to do something for someone else. When you start out, you will trade your time for money. (Later on, you will trade your money for time. ) Some possible services that you might offer could be:
- Coaching
- Assessments/Evaluations
- Freelance Writing
- VA Services
- Make Videos for Others
- Video Editing
- Text Editing/Proofreading
- Updating Websites
- Tech Support
- Speaking Engagements
- Mastermind Groups
- Consulting Services
- Create a Conference Around Your Website
- Keyword Research
- Managed Advertising
My Experience Monetizing Our Websites With Services
I offer blog coaching from my own blog, as well as the aforementioned challenges with group coaching calls. However, most of my products are digital. My husband, John, however, offers many services from his website
Among the services that John offers are custom website building, Facebook Ad management, keyword research, and hands-on consulting. Those have all done very well for us.
Sponsored Posts
When you write a sponsored post on your blog, you write a post promoting a specific product or company for payment. You have to disclose sponsored posts that you write on your blog, just like affiliate links.
Your audience will appreciate being connected to the right product. However, I do not recommend you back to back sponsored posts unless you know your audience very well and know they will love it. No one likes someone that is always trying to sell them something. Always put the needs of your reader first.
You can either approach a company that you want to write a sponsored post for and pitch to them, or you can go through a blog network that provides sponsored posts. Some popular blog networks are:
How to Get Started With Sponsored Posts to Monetize a Website
Most of the time, networks for sponsored posts require you to have built up a following. If you are just starting out, you will have a hard time landing a sponsored post. However, it is possible! ( Read Brynn’s success story about making money with sponsored posts in two months of blogging.)
To make money with sponsored posts you really have to put yourself out there. You can join a blog network, such as the ones listed above, or you can approach companies directly. A media kit that showcases your ability to advertise can be a great asset when you directly approach companies for sponsored posts.
Don’t be discouraged if you get refused a few times. Keep asking and someone will eventually give you a “yes.”
How To Monetize A Website: Other Ways
The four big ways to monetize are ads, affiliate marketing, selling a digital product or service, and sponsored posts. However, what if your website is not a blog? Here are some other strategies for how to monetize a website, even if it’s not a blog:
- ask for donations and contributions
- create an e-commerce store – right on your site!
- create paywalls for premium content
- generate and sell leads
- Do product reviews
- create a drop shipping e-commerce business
- Flip websites
- Build Your Email List
How Is Building an Email List a Way to Monetize a Website?
Building your email list itself will not directly bring you any revenue. However, when you launch a product, service, or want to sell something through an affiliate link, you need an audience that keeps coming back to your site. Your email list is your most loyal audience that loves you and can’t wait to hear from you. I have personally seen a direct correlation between the size of my email list my income.
If you have not already gotten started building your email list, then I suggest signing up for an email service like ConvertKit or MailerLite, and start building your list.
Other Great Resources on How To Monetize a Website With some Great Examples And Inspiring Stories!
- How To Start a Blog and Make Money
- 50 Ideas to Make Money As a Stay At Home Mom
- How 6 Stay At Home Moms Make Money Blogging (small, medium, and large blogs)
- 53 Blog Income Reports: The Ultimate List
- Tips That Grew My blog to $9,000 a Month
- Extensive List of How to Make Money Blogging Resources
The Last Thing You Need to Know About How to Monetize a Website
There are four main ways to monetize a website. They are:
- Ads
- Affiliate marketing
- Selling products or services
- Sponsored Posts
There are other ways, but those are the main 4. Most website owners use a combination of the four to monetize a website. Ads are usually the first way that comes to mind, but they can also be annoying to your reader if not managed correctly.
Affiliate marketing is selling another person’s product and getting a portion of the sales. Selling your own products and services is my favorite way to make money from my website. It has worked the best for me, though I do use a combination of ways. I also sometimes write sponsored posts for products that I really love, use and think my audience will find helpful.
What’s your favorite way to monetize a website? What’s worked best for you or what ideas do you want to try? Leave me a comment below!
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