Step 5 - How To Make Money From Your Web Site
Monetizing Web sites - an introduction
Once you've lovingley designed your website, put it on a decent web host, got visitors through pay per click or search engine optimization, its time to start earning some money from your labours.
Unless you plan on selling an item on your site that you either manufacture or act as an agent for, the best method of earning money from your site is through selling advertising. Just like television, newspapers and magazines you are now in the publishing business and publishers earn the majority of their revenue through selling advertising. The content that you create on your site attracts visitors, who will then hopefully click on the adverts on your site, which then earns you money.
There has been a huge increase in online spending over the last few years, because advertisers are able to measure and target their advertising. This means that their advertising budget is moving over from newspapers and television and onto the internet, which is very good news for you - more online advertising spending = more money for you.
The Top 2 Ways To Make Money From Your Site
1. Google Adsense - Google Adsense is a fantastic way of earning money from your site. Basically, all you do is add a little bit of code onto your web pages and Google then sends out something called a "media bot", that scans your web page to see what it is about. It then puts text adverts on your site, which are highly relevant to the content on your page. The result of this is that your web visitors see highly relevant ads that match the content they are reading, so are highly likely to click on one of your ads, now this is the best bit.....whenever someone clicks on those ads you get paid! The person doesn't have to buy anything or do anything apart from click on your ad and you earn money - how easy is that?
Now unfortunately, not every click is created equal, sometimes you may only earn 2 cents a click, sometimes it can be 20 dollars or more per click. What determines the commission for each click is the advertiser. If the advertiser is in a highly competitive or lucrative market they will be willing to pay more per click. So if your site's content is related to these lucrative markets, you can expect to earn some very good money from Adsense. So your next question is....What are the lucrative markets? To find the answer to this you can either find out yourself by searching the web and guessing or buy specialized software and information that will let you in on these secret money making markets. Apparently, the best software to unlock those secrets is Adsense Gold. Adsense Gold is a mixture of software and information that helps you to easily create profitable Adsense web sites. I haven't received my copy yet to review it, but those people that have invested in it - mostly web professionals have been very complimentary about it - more info
2. Affiliate Programs - Affiliate (or associate) programs have been around for a number of years. Amazon was probably the first online company to create a successful affiliate program. This is by far the best way of earning money on the web and is probably the most popular. It works like this:-
You sign up as an affiliate to a company such as Amazon, Apple Store etc, you tell them how you want to be paid (direct bank transfer, cheque or PayPal). They then give you a special tracking code. You then put a banner or text link with the special tracking code on your site that links to the online merchant you are promoting. When one of your visitors clicks on the banner or link, it puts something called a 'cookie' (A cookie is a packet of information sent by a server to a web browser and then sent back by the browser each time it accesses that server. Cookies are used for user authentication and maintaining user-specific information - preferences, electronic shopping cart, etc.) on their computer, which lets the company you're promoting know that you referred that customer. If the customer then buys something on that site - you receive a commission - its that simple!The best place to start with affiliate programs is with Commission Junction. They are the largest affiliate network in the world. Once you sign up with them, which is free, you are able to advertise and get commissions from top companies such as ebay, Yahoo!, Citibank, Verizon and many others. Top Tip - make sure you have finished your web site before applying, as they will only approve you if its finished. More info here....
Why Affiliate Marketing is Win-Win
One of the big reasons why affiliate marketing is so popular is that it benefits not only the webmaster (you), but also the merchant eg. Amazon. Amazon only have to pay you a commission when someone you referred actually buys something, so its a very cheap way for Amazon to get new visitors to its site and a great way for you to earn money through referring people. The advantages to you are:-
- You don't need to manufacture or store inventory - the merchant takes care of that.
- You don't have to get involved with customer service issues - refunds, faulty items, complaints etc.
- No handling or shipping of products.
- The start-up costs are non-existent - affiliate programs cost nothing to join.
If you are serious about making a living online through affiliate programs you might want to check out Rosalind Gardner's "Super Affiliate Handbook" . Rosalind is considered to be the expert on affiliate marketing and is very successful - she earns $435,000+ per year online through affiliate programs. In the book she reveals the secret tips and tricks that will help you become successful promoting affiliate programs. You can find more information here! .
Related Articles & Resources:
Super Affiliate Handbook - Rosalind Gardner's superb affiliate book
Adsense Gold - Making big money through Google Adsense
Commission Junction - The world's biggest affiliate network.
Amazon Associates - Amazon's affiliate program
Making money through Adsense - Adsense explained in more detail
ABestWeb - Affiliate marketing forums