Many of the websites and blogs on the web are created in hopes of turning a profit. But the reality is that most sites aren’t making the big bucks.
In fact, according to one 2015 survey, 68% of blogs made less than $5,000 dollars annually, and 57% made less than $2,500 dollars. These numbers are hardly enough to be considered a livable income.
However, there is another side of the coin for a smaller percentage of site owners.
11% of those surveyed reportedly made over $30,000 per year, which is close to the nation’s average median salary. And, a lucky 6% made over $60,000 yearly. Which goes to show that it’s not only possible to make money, but it’s actually feasible to make a living off of your site.
Have you wondered how to turn your website or into a profitable source of income?
Traffic monetization could be your money-making key to success.
Read on to learn more!
How Traffic Monetization Can Boost Your Site’s Profits
Anyone who owns their own site or blog can benefit from learning a few simple tricks of the trade.
The majority of site owners, such as the bloggers surveyed above, do not consider their website to be their full-time job.
If you are expecting to make a full-time salary from your site during its first few months, you might be disappointed.
Consider your website from an entrepreneurial perspective. Just like any start-up business, it typically requires patience before reaping any significant profits. You should not expect traffic monetization to reach its full potential for one year.
However, practicing the right techniques consistently can eventually pay off. Many people are even earning six-figure incomes as a direct result of these traffic monetization strategies.
1. Pay Per Click Ads
One of the most popular methods of monetizing your site is with the help of Google Adsense, or a similar company that offers paid ad placement.
Signing up on Google is easy and only takes a matter of minutes.
Once you register, the process includes four simple steps:
- Choose one of the possible ad layouts
- Choose where you would like ads to appear on your page
- Advertisers bid for space on your site
- Receive payment once a minimum amount is accrued.
2. Affiliate Advertisements
Another fairly simple way to make money on your site is through affiliate advertising.
Although you can choose to incorporate a wide range of advertiser’s goods and services, the most effective are those that you recommend or those that tie in easily to your content.
You can choose ads from online affiliate sites. Then, their company’s advertisement will be displayed on your page. Whenever the ad clicked on your site results in a sale, you are rewarded a certain percentage of the money raised from the sale.
Most affiliates pay out a nice-sized share ranging between 30-70% of their profits.
3. Promote Your Own Products or Services
This is an easy way to promote your products without any overhead, and the profits of any sales go directly into your pocket.
So, if you are selling an e-book, or promotional products, or household services, you can insert an ad encouraging visitors to “buy now”.
Boosting interest by ramping up your products or services in your content drives readers’ curiosity, and can increase your sales.
4. Create and Sell Ad Space Directly
This is a great way to build a mutual network with related businesses, in addition to increasing traffic monetization.
You should already have a target audience identified for your site. Based on the demographics of your audience, you can choose companion products or services that are likely to draw in your readers.
For example, if your blog is geared towards parenting, you might approach toy retailers, pediatricians, baby food labels, nursery gear manufacturers, or children’s clothing boutiques.
Profit potential is greater than other advertisement options because you can eliminate the middleman. If you promote and sell the ad space directly to companies, then create and place the ad on your site, you take all the profits.
You can choose to sell the space for a flat rate, then add a percent of commission for each click or purchase that comes from your site. Or, if you prefer, you can choose to do one or the other.
This is especially effective as a tool for local business promotion, although it can also be used with national brands to boost profits effectively as well.
5. Sell Sponsored Posts or Articles
Again, seek out businesses or writers that are likely to gain the attention of your target audience.
Offer a paid guest post or article listing on your site for a flat rate. Or offer the post/article for free and allow them to promote the sale of their products or services. Then, get paid a commission for every product sold.
For example, if you are run a bridal blog, a wedding gown retailer could write a post titled “Ten Wedding Gowns that Will Take His Breath Away”. The post would feature descriptions and images linked to each gown. For every gown sold as a result of the guest post, you get paid a percentage of the profits.
This is an easy way to build content and incorporate effective traffic monetization on your site.
6. Accept Donations from Readers
If your site offers visitors a wealth of useful information and high-quality content, your readers might be more than happy to donate their spare change to continue accessing your site.
You can even incorporate a call to action requesting donations. However, don’t commit a traffic monetization mistake by appearing desperate or overly self-promotional. Readers tend to frown on anything that comes across as shameless begging.
You can also add a donation button to your site linked to PayPal or another payment processor. PayPal gives business accounts and non-profits the option of creating a button that can be easily inserted on any website, as well as shared on social media and through email.
Want More Tips for Growing Your Site?
In addition to traffic monetization, your site’s success depends on a variety of ingredients, such as high-quality content, on and off page SEO, and website design.
The most successful sites are those that include strategies to boost readership, rankings, and profits.
Check out our blog to find out more tips and tricks for creating a top-notch website!