WordPress.com is one of the most recognizable names in the area of website creation. An estimated 60 million websites use WordPress. It started as a blogging platform but has evolved into a hub for e-commerce stores as well.
Monetizing your WordPress blog doesn’t mean that you need to implement drastic changes in your content. You can still come up with a powerful monetization strategy while retaining the identity of your site.
If you’re looking for a way to make money through your WordPress website, here’s how you can start:
Affiliate marketing may be the easiest and most common method of making money from WordPress websites. Affiliate marketing is essentially the process of earning a commission for marketing another's services or products.
To do this, you can place an affiliate link in the text of your blog or on an image that leads to the service or product. This monetization method essentially works according to a pay-per-click method; when someone clicks through your link to make a purchase, you’re given a commission for the referral as an affiliate marketer.
If you want to maximize your affiliate marketing strategy, be sure to carry products in line with your site’s niche. If your niche is fashion trends, you will have a greater chance of success in sponsoring items related to your niche than carrying links for non-related products.
Alternatively, you can also choose to sign up for an affiliate marketers' program. Some brands have their own affiliate programs, so just visit a website that you’re interested in and read up on how you can partner with them.
Other webpages use an affiliate network. An affiliate network might be easier to join. You can browse on their sellers’ list and click a button to apply for that seller’s program.
Examples of affiliate networks include Amazon Associates, Impact Radius, and Share A Sale. Although Amazon Affiliate/Associates is a favorite and one of the best among affiliates, this may change because of the company’s plan to slash commission rates for Amazon affiliates. Amazon Associates plans to cut rates from as high as 10% to as low as 3%.
Ad Spots is another method of using WordPress as an income stream. Simply put, you can gain passive income by recommending other products on your website through display ads.
There are three ways to earn using this method. You can create your own ads with affiliate links to other websites. This is an excellent option if you want to retain control over how ads will look on your page. This option also allows you to choose where the ad links will appear.
You can also sell an ad spot for a fixed monthly fee. This is a safe bet if you want a consistent monthly revenue. You will earn the same amount per month, no matter how many times readers click on your ads. However, there is a possibility of the buyer or advertiser not renewing if you fail to generate enough clicks.
If you are not as well-versed with ad spots, the third option is to join an ad network like Google Adsense. Google Adsense will take over your ad space and sell it to prospective buyers.
These ad networks will do all the heavy lifting for you in terms of crafting the advertisement and making sure it's targeted to their chosen audience. However, this arrangement requires you to surrender control over which ads will appear on your page.
Sponsored content is another great method to monetize your WordPress blog, especially for those who can write high-quality content or blog posts related to almost any subject. With this method, you will write an article or a post and look for someone to sponsor it.
Some companies approach site owners to review items, from consumer products to digital products. They either give the product for free to the reviewer or pay the reviewer a fee for the article. Articles like these are called product reviews.
It's important to note that these reviews are honest reviews of a product. It is also vital to inform your readers or audience that you are writing sponsored posts or reviews. This can go a long way towards bolstering your credibility as a product reviewer while making your page attractive for companies looking for other affiliates.
Tons of websites use subscriptions and memberships as ways to monetize their page.
In this method, a webpage offers premium content to readers that are typically sent to their email address or uploaded on a membership site. Examples are The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. These two media organizations allow readers free access to some posts. However, most articles are only accessible to members.
Offering subscriptions or memberships can be a bit tricky. Selling premium memberships is governed by data collection and e-commerce laws. You also need to make sure that data privacy and security laws get observed whenever you process a membership sale.
Fortunately, there are WordPress plugins that you can use to have a smoother operation. These plugins can help you create and manage exclusive content for your members.
If you want to retain and expand your members, be sure to put out top-tier content consistently. It is also better to have a specific release schedule of new posts to keep audiences engaged.
Sponsoring giveaways or raffles is one more way of earning through your WordPress website. Although you are giving away a free item, this method will generate traffic spikes for your page. Combine this with affiliate links and ad spots, and you can quickly recoup the giveaway’s cost.
Before you start sponsoring a giveaway, look up your local or state laws regarding giveaways or sweepstakes. This can help you understand how you can legally and safely conduct a giveaway.
If you're comfortable with your coding skills, you can even build a website with the intent of selling it. This method requires a bit more patience since you need to establish your blog and gain enough readership or following to make it attractive to buyers.
Some bloggers sell established webpages that have been running for several years. Most of the time, these are bloggers who want to try a different niche. Instead of rebranding the entire website, established bloggers can sell their sites to someone who wants to continue it.
Yes, you can monetize a WordPress blog, even if it's free. If you want to make money on your domain name, check PageKits now. PageKits can help you learn everything you need to know about making more money through your blog.
Yes, it is possible to monetize a free website. However, there are limitations on how much monthly traffic your free website can handle. If you want to make your webpage capable of handling more traffic, you may need to pay for premium privileges.
Google AdSense requires a minimum $100 revenue before a payout can be issued. However, the revenue per click will depend on the rate that the seller offers.
Downloading WordPress software is free. It is also free to use if you want to start a blog. However, you will need to pay for a hosting service.
It is possible to create a stunning WordPress webpage using free themes and plugins. There are also some premium themes and plugins that you can purchase if you want to make the most out of your blog site.
Using your WordPress website to earn more money is easy. You can use it as a source of additional income or as your bread and butter. If you want to get started on monetizing your blog, let PageKits help you out, contact our team today!
