How to Make Money with Domain Names and Websites
I’m going through this exercise for myself, for one of my websites, so I thought I’d share it with you. This is good information for beginners and a refresher for people skilled in domain monetization. Personally, I have a site that has a solid traffic – and I’m considering my options. I don’t want to elaborate too much on these ideas. I just want to give you the ideas and let you roll with them if they fit what you need.
Note: For domain names only, your options are limited to: Parking, Selling/Leasing the domain, Leasing the traffic and Building the site out.
Here are a few ideas on website monetization.
How to Make Money with Your Website:
1. Advertising
Simple enough. Sell ad space on your website.
2. Google PPC
Adsense.Google.com Get setup on their program and instantly display content ads and Google search to your content website.
3. Marketplace
Add a marketplace or classifieds to your website. Charge one side (either the buyers or sellers) or take a commission on sales.
4. Turn your Website into a Platform
With any platform you have two sides that you connect together (like buyers and sellers). StubHub is an example of a platform. They connect ticket sellers with ticket buyers. Find a way to turn your website or business into a platform. NOTE: You will have to subsidize the most “price sensitive” side in order to build momentum. Then, you can make profit off of the other side. Successful platforms have created ways to make profit off of both sides.
5. Pay for Content Model
Do you have a lot of original and exclusive content? Sell the content, or offer a freemium model where users receive the basic information/features for free and then are charged for further access. In other words, make your website a subscription based site.
6. Theme or Site Takeover
This is another form of advertising where an advertiser takes over your website’s design/background (for a fee).
7. Promoted or Sponsored Content
Vendors and advertisers may pay to reach your audience. Charge them to send a message or write a guest feature on your website.
8. Gather and Sell Leads
I will write a blog post about this soon and share my experiences. It’s not too difficult to create a lead generation form and sell the leads that come in to retailers or B2B companies.
9. Affiliate-based Advertising / Shopping
Affiliate revenue can be very lucrative depending on your website’s vertical (industry) and traffic. Some affiliate programs pay VERY well. More on this in a future blog post. I’d recommend getting started at CJ.com. Again, more on my experiences in the near future.
10. Price Comparisons / Comparison Shopping
Also depends on the vertical. Comparison shopping programs can pay on a PPC (pay per click) basis or a share of a sale (affiliate).
11. Email Marketing
Start gathering emails into an email list program like aWeber.com and then start marketing to your email list. Granted, there have been books written on how to effectively market to an email list. I may discuss this in the future. Building trust and giving your email list something of value (substance) are essential if you want to have success with an email marketing program.
12.Sell an APP
Create an app to go along with your website and sell it as an added service. Example: MLB.com has added services that they offer on their MLB apps such as live streaming.
13. Offer Education / Seminars / Consulting
If you’re an expert in your field, people will pay to have one-on-one consulting or to hop on a group call to learn exclusive information.
14. Sell Your Business Intelligence/Research
If you have significant B.I. to offer, sell it - or collaborate with another company. Collaboration can benefit both parties if done properly.
15. Joint Venture
If you’ve hit a road block on growth, perhaps taking on a JV partner can take your business/website to the next level.
16. Sell an eBook
Write an ebook and sell it. Simple enough.
18. Retailing
Source products from suppliers and sell them on your website. Or, make your own product/device/widget and sell it. This coversdigital goods and downloads as well.
19. Fulfillment
Locate a fulfillment partner who will process orders and drop ship for you. It’s not too hard to find a fulfillment partner in nearly every industry.
20. Daily Deals or Group Purchasing
Offer a deal of the day or a group buying discount opportunity to the visitors of your website.
21. Aggregation
Aggregate together products or information from a number of sources and house them in one location. Example: Domaining.com aggregates domain industry blogs in one place.
22. Donations
Many websites have a donation box or form to offset the costs they incur to run the website.
23. Liscensing
You can license your content/designs etc. to another company for them to use.
24. Brokerage / Intermediary
You can be a “go between” and facilitate deals in your industry.
If you have suggestions of ways to monetize a website, leave them in the comments below. Thanks for tagging along while I brainstorm the best monetization solution for one of my websites!
It’s not all about the money…
Note: For domain names only, your options are limited to: Parking, Selling/Leasing the domain, Leasing the traffic and Building the site out.
Here are a few ideas on website monetization.
How to Make Money with Your Website:
1. Advertising
Simple enough. Sell ad space on your website.
1. Advertising
Simple enough. Sell ad space on your website.
2. Google PPC
Adsense.Google.com Get setup on their program and instantly display content ads and Google search to your content website.
Adsense.Google.com Get setup on their program and instantly display content ads and Google search to your content website.
3. Marketplace
Add a marketplace or classifieds to your website. Charge one side (either the buyers or sellers) or take a commission on sales.
Add a marketplace or classifieds to your website. Charge one side (either the buyers or sellers) or take a commission on sales.
4. Turn your Website into a Platform
With any platform you have two sides that you connect together (like buyers and sellers). StubHub is an example of a platform. They connect ticket sellers with ticket buyers. Find a way to turn your website or business into a platform. NOTE: You will have to subsidize the most “price sensitive” side in order to build momentum. Then, you can make profit off of the other side. Successful platforms have created ways to make profit off of both sides.
With any platform you have two sides that you connect together (like buyers and sellers). StubHub is an example of a platform. They connect ticket sellers with ticket buyers. Find a way to turn your website or business into a platform. NOTE: You will have to subsidize the most “price sensitive” side in order to build momentum. Then, you can make profit off of the other side. Successful platforms have created ways to make profit off of both sides.
5. Pay for Content Model
Do you have a lot of original and exclusive content? Sell the content, or offer a freemium model where users receive the basic information/features for free and then are charged for further access. In other words, make your website a subscription based site.
Do you have a lot of original and exclusive content? Sell the content, or offer a freemium model where users receive the basic information/features for free and then are charged for further access. In other words, make your website a subscription based site.
6. Theme or Site Takeover
This is another form of advertising where an advertiser takes over your website’s design/background (for a fee).
This is another form of advertising where an advertiser takes over your website’s design/background (for a fee).
7. Promoted or Sponsored Content
Vendors and advertisers may pay to reach your audience. Charge them to send a message or write a guest feature on your website.
Vendors and advertisers may pay to reach your audience. Charge them to send a message or write a guest feature on your website.
8. Gather and Sell Leads
I will write a blog post about this soon and share my experiences. It’s not too difficult to create a lead generation form and sell the leads that come in to retailers or B2B companies.
I will write a blog post about this soon and share my experiences. It’s not too difficult to create a lead generation form and sell the leads that come in to retailers or B2B companies.
9. Affiliate-based Advertising / Shopping
Affiliate revenue can be very lucrative depending on your website’s vertical (industry) and traffic. Some affiliate programs pay VERY well. More on this in a future blog post. I’d recommend getting started at CJ.com. Again, more on my experiences in the near future.
Affiliate revenue can be very lucrative depending on your website’s vertical (industry) and traffic. Some affiliate programs pay VERY well. More on this in a future blog post. I’d recommend getting started at CJ.com. Again, more on my experiences in the near future.
10. Price Comparisons / Comparison Shopping
Also depends on the vertical. Comparison shopping programs can pay on a PPC (pay per click) basis or a share of a sale (affiliate).
Also depends on the vertical. Comparison shopping programs can pay on a PPC (pay per click) basis or a share of a sale (affiliate).
11. Email Marketing
Start gathering emails into an email list program like aWeber.com and then start marketing to your email list. Granted, there have been books written on how to effectively market to an email list. I may discuss this in the future. Building trust and giving your email list something of value (substance) are essential if you want to have success with an email marketing program.
Start gathering emails into an email list program like aWeber.com and then start marketing to your email list. Granted, there have been books written on how to effectively market to an email list. I may discuss this in the future. Building trust and giving your email list something of value (substance) are essential if you want to have success with an email marketing program.
12.Sell an APP
Create an app to go along with your website and sell it as an added service. Example: MLB.com has added services that they offer on their MLB apps such as live streaming.
Create an app to go along with your website and sell it as an added service. Example: MLB.com has added services that they offer on their MLB apps such as live streaming.
13. Offer Education / Seminars / Consulting
If you’re an expert in your field, people will pay to have one-on-one consulting or to hop on a group call to learn exclusive information.
If you’re an expert in your field, people will pay to have one-on-one consulting or to hop on a group call to learn exclusive information.
14. Sell Your Business Intelligence/Research
If you have significant B.I. to offer, sell it - or collaborate with another company. Collaboration can benefit both parties if done properly.
If you have significant B.I. to offer, sell it - or collaborate with another company. Collaboration can benefit both parties if done properly.
15. Joint Venture
If you’ve hit a road block on growth, perhaps taking on a JV partner can take your business/website to the next level.
If you’ve hit a road block on growth, perhaps taking on a JV partner can take your business/website to the next level.
16. Sell an eBook
Write an ebook and sell it. Simple enough.
Write an ebook and sell it. Simple enough.
18. Retailing
Source products from suppliers and sell them on your website. Or, make your own product/device/widget and sell it. This coversdigital goods and downloads as well.
Source products from suppliers and sell them on your website. Or, make your own product/device/widget and sell it. This coversdigital goods and downloads as well.
19. Fulfillment
Locate a fulfillment partner who will process orders and drop ship for you. It’s not too hard to find a fulfillment partner in nearly every industry.
Locate a fulfillment partner who will process orders and drop ship for you. It’s not too hard to find a fulfillment partner in nearly every industry.
20. Daily Deals or Group Purchasing
Offer a deal of the day or a group buying discount opportunity to the visitors of your website.
Offer a deal of the day or a group buying discount opportunity to the visitors of your website.
21. Aggregation
Aggregate together products or information from a number of sources and house them in one location. Example: Domaining.com aggregates domain industry blogs in one place.
Aggregate together products or information from a number of sources and house them in one location. Example: Domaining.com aggregates domain industry blogs in one place.
22. Donations
Many websites have a donation box or form to offset the costs they incur to run the website.
Many websites have a donation box or form to offset the costs they incur to run the website.
23. Liscensing
You can license your content/designs etc. to another company for them to use.
You can license your content/designs etc. to another company for them to use.
24. Brokerage / Intermediary
You can be a “go between” and facilitate deals in your industry.
You can be a “go between” and facilitate deals in your industry.
If you have suggestions of ways to monetize a website, leave them in the comments below. Thanks for tagging along while I brainstorm the best monetization solution for one of my websites!
It’s not all about the money…
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