Launching and monetizing a website has never been easier than it is today: in the past it was rather difficult, and often reserved for people who knew how to code, because developing a site could be very expensive!
But today, it is possible to create a site, for example on WordPress, with very little investment, and to monetize it after only a few months.
But just because it has become easier to make money with a website does not mean that all bloggers earn money.
The best ways to monetize a website
If you are starting out this may seem difficult, but once you take the plunge, swimming will become very simple. Beyond simply repaying the cost of creating the website, a site can become a full-fledged source of income.
If many people think blogging is dead, know that of course that is FALSE! If you manage to capture a certain amount of traffic, you can monetize that audience using several strategies, which you should adapt to your situation.
Obviously, this does not happen in a day. You need consistent work to first get enough regular visitors, and it can be difficult to bring traffic to your site.
But let's assume your website receives enough traffic to justify its existence, and that the value of its content is recognized, then it's the right time to start monetizing.
We will therefore look at the most effective monetization strategies for making money.
1. Monetize your site with ads
This is perhaps the oldest and simplest way to monetize your website and start generating passive income: displaying advertisements. Obviously, the more traffic you have, the more likely advertisers are to want to place their ads with you. But if you are starting out, there are certainly options!
Start by signing up for Google's AdSense program, which will place Google ads in strategic spots on your website. As always with Google, registration is free and the engine takes care of everything so you only have to receive the payment.
Other companies, like Mediavine or AdThrive, work specifically with bloggers to help them display ads on their websites. Choose the one that suits you best!
2. Affiliate marketing
The Affiliate marketing is a somewhat more recent way to monetize a site, but quickly became the most popular. When you are affiliated with a brand or a site, you publish and share information about its products, and when someone buys a product thanks to you, you receive a commission.
Depending on the affiliate program, you can earn between 10 and 50% commission, but it all depends on the programs you join and your traffic. Affiliate marketing is particularly relevant if your site is positioned in a specific niche.
There are several thousand brands that participate in affiliate programs; it’s up to you to find the ones that suit you and sign up.
You can also join the program of a web giant: Amazon Associates, whose ads display products you use or want to promote.
3. Sell sponsored posts
Do you want to make money from your website but don’t like forcing ads on your visitors all over your pages? That’s possible too, thanks to this monetization method that lets you get rid of ads sometimes seen as unsightly on your site, so it can be as “clean” as possible.
Again depending on your traffic, sponsored posts can bring their author a lot of money, especially if combined with contextual ads or links to affiliate products on your site.
It’s very simple: someone has a product or service they want to sell to as many people as possible, they do their research and find a bunch of sites whose topics match their product, and your site appears in the results.
They contact you to ask if you will write an article praising their product or service: in return, they pay you a sum of money. They may also offer to send you the product in question so you can write an article giving your opinion on it. After that the product is yours — you can keep it, resell it, or even use it in a contest, which can be a new source of traffic and help grow your site.
4. Direct ad space sales
No, this is not the same as the contextual ad placements mentioned above. This monetization method lets you earn money by placing advertisers’ banners on your website, but by selling the advertising space directly.
You don’t have to go through an ad network like Google AdSense or another, answer to their rules and constraints, accept the payment amounts they decide, or wait for them to release your money.
Also read: 6 alternatives to Google AdSense to monetize your site
Why wouldn’t a company pay you directly to place its banner on your website?
This way you remove the ad network’s involvement and deal directly with the other party, and very often for more money.
5. Donation-based monetization
If your content is perceived as valuable to your audience and you need financial support to develop your site, why not ask for donations? It’s unlikely every visitor will donate, but if a small portion of a traffic of several thousand monthly readers does, you might be surprised when you check your account at the end of each month!
It’s very simple to create donation call-to-action buttons on your site that allow users to donate directly through payment processors such as PayPal, Stripe, or Fundly.
Create widgets from your preferred platform and place them wherever you want on your site, ensuring they are visible so readers can find them easily.
6. Premium membership system
Not convinced by the previous solution? Here is an improved donation method, which involves asking visitors for a contribution to grant them access to certain information on your site.
We all know the famous « paywall » used by all the major news sites, where readers must pay to access certain content on those sites.
If you produce a type of content and you think people are willing to pay to access it, you can turn to this monetization solution. There are several ways to do it:
- Standard subscription: users pay a set amount, monthly or annually, to access a website's "premium" content or enjoy various benefits.
- One-time transaction: a way to monetize by selling a specific, identifiable piece of content such as a tutorial video, an audio download, or training courses.
- The "Paywall": content is available for free up to a certain agreed point, beyond which the reader must pay a fee to continue reading.
If you have a WordPress site, there are plugins that cover each of these options.
Also read: 8 WordPress plugins to collect donations
7. Sell ebooks
Ebooks are a simple way to profit from your website, since the only cost is the time spent writing the book once.
Of course, for this to work you should sell a product directly related to the content of your blog.
Ebooks are profitable and steadily growing, which is why it has become hard not to come across a site that offers them.
Not to mention it’s easy to promote a book across your site by creating a CTA in the footer or main menu to encourage people to buy it.
And it’s something you can also promote directly on social media — it’s easier to say “look, I wrote a great book” than “come quickly to my site, I put Google ads on it.”
8. Sell courses
Selling online courses is another effective way to make money with a website. If you can develop useful courses in a field where you have authority, absolutely!
Courses work very well across a wide range of topics and skills (niche or not), including web development, digital marketing, graphic design, and starting a business in dropshipping, growing an Instagram account, setting up a saltwater aquarium…
Find the topic you excel at before building your program, and consider doing preliminary research: if the topic is already covered by others, make sure you offer something better.
There are specialized platforms where you can also sell your courses, potentially reaching a wider audience than your website alone.
Can every website be monetized?
Monetizing a website is not necessarily done the same way depending on the type of site you own.
Indeed, if you have an e-commerce site, it already allows you to generate revenue by selling your products or services. Conversely, a niche blog does not make money by default. You can nevertheless monetize it using various methods.
But keep in mind that an e-commerce site can also generate revenue outside of product sales, for example through sponsored blog posts.
Monetize a blog
The blog is probably the type of site (or part of a site) that is easiest to monetize. You can place affiliate links, offer paid guest posts, or sell sponsored spaces (text blocks or ad slots).
Monetize an e-commerce site
Here you need to be more careful! Monetizing your e-commerce site should not undermine your main activity, namely selling products or services.
Monetize a showcase site
If you have a showcase or corporate website, it is rare to try to monetize it. It should be a showcase for your company or activity. Monetizing it could harm your brand image.
Our tip for monetizing your website
Whatever solution best suits your site, to help you implement your site's monetization system, hire a freelancer !
