13 Simple Ways to Make Money from a Website
Making money from a website can seem like a daunting task. There are so many ways to do it, and it seems like everyone has their own method that they swear by.
This guide lists the most popular ideas on how to monetize a website. With the right approach, however, it’s a process that can be relatively easy and lucrative. So whether you are just starting out with your website or you have been running one for years, this blog post is for you!
Can You Make Money from a Website?
Absolutely! You can earn income from a site in various ways. Some strategies will make you money faster than others. But the good thing is that you can experiment with them all and find what works for you best.
How to Monetize a Website
Here are the best ways to make money online with a website.
1. Selling a service
Selling a service is the easiest way to earn from a site when you’ve just created it. At this time, it won’t be getting a lot of traffic, making this a suitable monetization strategy.
Some well-performing services you can sell are freelance writing, web design, and online consultations. It depends on your skills and what your site is about.
To sell a service, you can:
- Mention your services in relevant blog posts
- Create a service page for potential clients to check
- Find clients on other freelance platforms and show your website as a portfolio
2. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is another great website monetization method if you have just enough readers. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need hundreds of thousands of them. A few hundred or thousand well-targeted readers can easily click on affiliate links in your blog content and earn you income.
To start, you need to find niche-specific affiliate programs from affiliate networks or directly for brands. Consider the commission rates as well as cookie periods.
Generate your unique links and get paid whenever someone clicks and completes a particular action. It can be as simple as signing up or the user may have to make a purchase for you to earn a specific commission.
3. Selling physical products
Another way to monetize your site is by selling products. It has to be products relevant to your target audience. If you have a large audience, you can create your own products. But if you’re just starting out, it’s best to resell products that are already available on the market.
To do this, you’ll need to:
- Find a niche and understand your target audience
- Research what products they would be interested in buying
- Choose a product supplier
- Decide on the payment processor and shipping company
4. Selling an e-book
Another way to earn income from a website is to create and sell your e-book on it. If you have specific knowledge that’s valuable and fits your website niche, making sales from the traffic you get won’t be difficult.
To sell an e-book, you need to:
- Create quality content
- Format it into an ebook
- Add a buy button to your website or blog
Once a visitor clicks on the buy button, they will be taken to the payment page. After successful payment, they will be able to download the book. You can also offer it as a freebie in exchange for their email address.
5. Selling courses and webinars
Like e-books, you can also sell courses or webinars from your website. But this time, it will be a live experience for the buyer. This is a great option if you’re an expert on a particular topic and want to share your knowledge with others.
The process is quite similar to e-book selling. You plan it, record it, and promote it on your site. You can host your training on another platform and simply link to it throughout your website.
Another way is to capture user details and email them a link to where they can find the course.
Selling online courses and webinars has huge income potential if people trust you. You can reach more people and earn more income than from selling e-books.
6. Creating a membership website
This is one of the most common ways to monetize a website. You can create locked content that only paying members can access.
The type of content you put behind a paywall depends on your niche and target audience. But it’s usually something valuable that they can’t find anywhere else.
One way is to offer a members-only forum on the other side. But it can also be an ebook, video content, or an online course.
To make money from a membership website, you need:
- Content that’s worth paying for
- A mode of payment
- A way to deliver the content to paying members
7. Offering a subscription service
This is quite similar to a membership website. The only difference is that instead of locked content, you’re providing a service that people pay for on a monthly or yearly basis.
It could be anything from an online tool to software as a service (SaaS). If you have experience in web development, you can easily create a subscription service.
To start, you need:
- An idea for a subscription service
- A way to deliver the service (like email, Facebook group, or other channels)
- A payment gateway
It’s essential to promote the service on your website and social media platforms.
8. Joining ad networks
Ad networks enable you to display ads on your site and earn revenue passively. This idea requires significant traffic because you’re relying on page views and clicks. If your site is still small, use other monetization techniques like affiliate marketing.
Google AdSense is one of the earliest ad networks that many people use. You can easily join the program if you have enough high-quality content.
Various other ad networks can help you earn more ad revenue. They include Mediavine, AdThrive, and Monumetric.
All these ad network platforms have specific requirements that you need to meet, mostly along the lines of how many unique page views or sessions you get.
9. Selling advertising space
This is one of the oldest methods of monetizing a website. You simply sell advertising space on your site to brands who want to target your audience. The price you charge for ad space depends on various factors, such as your niche, the traffic you generate, and ad space location.
You need to figure out how much ad space you have and what the going rate is in your industry. Once you’ve decided on a price, reach out to brands that are a good fit for your website.
If they’re interested, they’ll provide you with an ad such as a banner that you can place on your site. Once the ad goes live, you’ll start earning income from it.
10. Writing sponsored posts
A sponsored post is a piece of content that a brand pays you to write. It’s similar to an advertorial, which is an advertisement in the form of a newspaper or magazine article.
Sponsored posts are usually between 1,000 to 2,000 words and include one or two links to the sponsor’s website. This can be a normal link or an affiliate link to make you even more money.
The price you charge for a sponsored post depends on various factors, such as your niche, traffic, and social media following (since you also promote the post there). You can have packages for it. For instance, charge one rate for publishing on your site and a higher rate for sharing the content on one or more of your social media pages.
To get started, reach out to brands that you think would be a good fit for your website. If they’re interested, they’ll provide you with a brief of what they want you to write about. Once the post is published, you’ll get paid.
11. Reviewing products
This is a popular way to monetize a blog, especially if you’re in the product review niche. Brands will send you their products for free and pay you to write an honest review of them.
Product reviews usually include affiliate links, which means you’ll earn a commission if someone buys the product through your link. It helps to be honest and not side with a particular business because of the reward that comes from it.
You can start by contacting companies with products that are relevant to your niche. If you have good traffic, some brands may be the first to reach out and propose such a partnership. You’ll get paid after publishing your review.
12. Taking donations
Did you know that you can take donations and make money with your website? This is a great way to monetize if you’re running a non-profit website or blog. The method works best if you have a loyal audience who believes in your cause.
You can use platforms like PayPal and Donorbox to set up donations on your site. Just add a donate button or link on your site, and visitors can choose to give as much money as they want. You can also add the button to specific pieces of content, such as blog posts and videos if you think they deserve extra support.
13. Selling your website
Yeah, you can just sell your website and make money from it. There are many willing buyers online that don’t want the stress of starting and building a website from scratch.
Keep in mind that you can only sell a site that already makes some money or has the potential of doing so. No one wants to buy a spammy site that Google has blacklisted.
Also, if your site is brand new, you’ll have a harder time finding buyers. You should consider adding value to the site, like posting more content or getting good backlinks, before selling it.
Conclusion
There are many ways to monetize a website and make money from it. The site monetization practices you use will depend on various factors, such as your niche and the amount of traffic.
You can write sponsored posts, review products, take donations, or sell your site. With a little effort each day, you can start generating income from your website.
