FAQS: How to Monetize a Website
- What does monetize mean?
- Why should I monetize my website?
- Can I do this without using ads?
- How much money will I earn?
- How do I monetize my website?
What does monetize mean?
To monetize your website or monetize a blog means to earn a revenue from it. It works in a variety of ways, from using platforms such as AdSense to creating content for a targeted audience that brings in those dollars!
Getting into the online world can seem daunting at first, especially for a newcomer. You might not even be considering monetizing your website–especially if you aren’t selling digital products or hadn’t intended for it to be as serious as it is. But, this is a great way to gain some money online from something you have put time and effort into, like all those time consuming blog posts.
Why should I monetize my website?
Consider the reasons why people begin their website:
- They were looking for a way to sell and promote a product and/or service to earn revenue
- They were doing something just for fun
Think of a small business starting out, their intentions are to earn a steady revenue right away and your website is your business. Of course, some websites are not businesses instead they are meant to hold content, but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a revenue from that. A company’s website or e-commerce website might be a great place to start with a monetization model.
When you ask yourself whether or not you should monetize your website, consider the benefits that come with monetization. For one, as someone new to earning revenue from their website consider platforms such as Google Adsense or Amazon affiliate programs that allow website owners to earn money for free and start bringing in some passive income.
Don’t be afraid to make your work worth something. If your page is generating a steady number of users every month the benefit in monetizing your website is that you will gain more exposure from other companies as well, and make some additional money blogging or off of your e-commerce store in the meantime. Do you have an influence with your target audience? Then you can consider using PPC advertising or contextual ads as a way of dipping into influence marketing.
Not only is revenue a deciding factor but consider all the things you will learn from the process. Building a website up is not always the easier thing. Finding out what works best with you and your website will help you utilize this knowledge later on.
Can I monetize my website without ads?
The answer to that is yes you can–however a lot of revenue can be generated from advertisements. The misconception with ads is that once you choose to display ads this will interrupt the traffic on your site–that isn’t completely true. With many platforms that display the ads there will always be a customization portion where you can choose where the app will be displayed.
But if you are set on not using ads there are other ways to monetize your websites by using endorsements that can still earn you revenue!
How much money will I earn?
A lot of the time the amount you earn is dependent on your website. The more people your website reaches the more advertising companies will pay. Companies want their products to be displayed on websites with a high amount of traffic and so they more you grow your website the more endorsements you will receive.
Many programs such as Adsense and affiliate marketing are based off of a percentage. Adsense is based on CPC (cost per click) so ads will give for example $1 per click. Google will then give you 68% and they will keep the remaining 32%. The more traffic you have on your website the better so the better your site the higher the probability of you making a higher revenue!
How to monetize my website?
The best way is to consider the platforms at your disposal. Remember that it doesn’t matter how early or how late you are to the monetizing game but you’re here now! Regardless of how new or old your website is consider starting off with a less intensive program and make your way up from there. Here are a few ways to get started:
- Google Adsense. Firstly, its free and time-efficient! You just have to put the ad code onto your website and Adsense will screen your content for keywords that match specific advertisements. For example; if you are a content marketing company they will place ads about SEO or other marketing tools on your website. These ads will pertain to your content, and you’re even able to customize where these ads are placed.
- Affiliate marketing allows you to gain money while promoting a product that you like. This keeps your integrity and allows you to choose what you want to endorse what you don’t want to. Basically, you promote a product that you like (endorsed by the company) and this allows you to have an affiliate link that users can click on to buy the product earning you money!
- Sell ad space. A timelier way of earning a revenue is through selling ad space. You are able to choose the cost and depending on how many visitors you get on your site advertisements can bid for a place on your website. The larger your following and visitor rate is the more money you will receive (an incentive to keep developing your website)!
- Sponsored Content. If you get sponsored content you may feel on top of the world because this means other brands are recognizing you! Companies can provide an offer for you to write a review or embed a link of their product/service, also known as sponsored content. As tempting as this may be it isn’t the most time-efficient way of generating a revenue because there are contracts as well as further research that needs to go into creating the content the company is asking for. There is also one downfall and that is – Google is able to punish you for using the embedded links that they often ask you to put on your website. Another thing is this for larger scale websites and blogs with a high amount of traffic.
