Want to learn step-by-step how I built my Niche Site Empire up to a full-time income?
When many start-up websites launched (including
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others), they didn't
have much of a monetization plan initially. Their
primary goal was focusing on creating something
that would attract attention and big traffic.
Once they had the traffic in place, lots of different
ways to make money will present themselves.
Although, I suspect that none of us will be creating
the next huge internet start-up (like Facebook), we
would be wise to have a few things in mind when
creating a new site.
First, we should make sure there is a market for our
site ( keyword research is big part of this). Secondly,
we should try to create something of value. Finally,
we should ideally find a niche that has money being
spent in it.
Today, I want to focus on different ways that you can
make money from your website.
How to Monetize a Niche Site
In the past, I've primarily focused on Google Adsense
for my own niche sites. I did try out a few Adsense
alternatives, but I came back to Adsense because its
the highest paying contextual ad network out there…
by far. Its easy to implement, pays the most, and just
works.
However, as I set out to start my very first public
niche site project, I have decided to use something
besides Google Adsense to monetize my site. (You
can learn more about the niche site project and live
webinar to be held here).
I'm not going to pick a particular monetization
strategy until I pick a niche and keyword. Right now,
I'm thinking that I would like to build an email list and
monetize that list with affiliate offers or my own
products. However, this is not set in stone, and could
change as I pick my niche OR as I test different
strategies on the same site.
However, as I contemplate how I should make money
from my new niche site, I am again reminded of how
many options are out there. First, I'm going to list the
general ways to monetize (categories like CPA,
contextual ads, etc) and then I'll number off the
specific networks or options within each of those
general categories.
Pay Per Click Contextual Ad Networks
These are networks like Google Adsense that have
ads displayed based on the content of your site.
Typically you will get paid per click from these types
of contextual networks. Here are a few (there are
likely many many more):
1. Google Adsense
2. Media.net (now manages both the Yahoo and Bing
ad Networks)
3. Infolinks
4. Kontera
5. Vibrant Media
6. GumGum (In-image ads)
7. Chitika
8. Clicksor.com (both eCPM and pay per click).
CPM Advertising Networks
Rather than paying on a per click basis, these ad
networks pay on a per view basis (usually a dollar
amount based on 1000 pageviews). Most of these
networks require that you have a large visitor base to
be approved to their network; therefore most of
these won't work for a smaller niche sites.
9. ValueClick Media
10. Tribal Fusion (500,000 unique visitors per month
required).
11. Adbrite (update – Adbrite is shutting its doors on
Feb. 1st 2013).
12. Casale Media
13. ePom.com
14. Adblade.com
15. Advertising.com (part of AOL)
16. Burst Media (25,000 monthly page views)
17. CPX Interactive
18. Technorati Media
There are a TON more CPM ad networks out there,
this is just a small sample. You need to find one that
fits your niche or works best for your site.
CPA (Cost Per Action) Networks
These types of ads pay a fixed dollar amount based
on an action taken (like an email submit form filled
out). Many of these ad networks listed below offer
both affiliate commissions (% of the actual purchase
price) AND CPA opportunities. There are also a LOT
more ad networks out there than I could possibly
ever list in this category – this is just a few.
19. Neverblue Media
20. Clickbooth
21. MaxBounty.com
22. PeerFly.com
23. CPAway.com
24. Adscend Media
25. ShareaSale.com
26. CPAlead.com
About a thousand others…
Affiliate Networks
An affiliate network pays out a fixed amount or a
percentage of the sale amount. You refer someone
through your link and get paid if someone actually
buys something. As mentioned, some of these
networks bleed together; meaning some of these
affiliate networks pay out on CPA offers as well.
27. Amazon Associates – Can be a good option
because you get paid no matter what the person buys
on Amazon within 24 hours (not just what you
referred them to).
28. Commission Junction (CJ.com)
29. Clickbank
30. SkimLinks (This is actually an in-content ad
network, but it pays out based on actual sales made.
So its not a per-click basis, but does display ads
automatically based on the content of your site. Its a
pretty cool option actually that I've used and like).
31. LinkShare
32. ClixGalore
33. eBay Partner Network (Actually pays on a per
click basis – but the amount you earn goes up or
down based on the history of actual sales you've
generated. So if lots of people buy through your links,
you get more per click.)
34. AvantLink.com
35. Google Affiliate Network (different than standard
Google Adsense).
36. PepperJamNetwork.com
37. JVzoo.com
38. WarriorPlus.com
Direct Affiliate Programs
Thousands (yes thousands) of companies offer their
own affiliate programs that are NOT listed in any
network. These can be harder to find, but often pay
very well. Here are just 2 examples of companies that
run their affiliate program in house:
39. HostGator – runs affiliate program here
40. Unique Article Wizard – runs affiliate program
here
This is probably the biggest category because you
can also contact companies directly and ask to start
an affiliate program with them or otherwise work out
a deal with them directly.
Sell Ad Space Directly
This is a big market as well with lots of options. You
can contact people directly on your own or use an ad
manager/network to help. Here's just one option:
41. BuySellAds.com
Create Your Own Product
The most profitable way to monetize your site is
usually going to be with your own product. Obviously
the kinds of products you can create are only limited
by your imagination. Here's just a few common
options:
42. Create a video training course
43. Create an eBook
44. Create a membership area or paid forum
45. Sell a physical product and ship it.
46. Create a piece of software
47. Create other tools, services, or information that
customers are willing to pay for
Sell Text Links
Obviously this won't be right for everyone and many
consider questionable. But there's a huge
marketplace. Here's just a few places you can sell
links:
48. Text-Link-Ads
49. TextLinkBrokers.com
50. Digital Point Forum
51. Warrior Forum
Donations
When all else fails, you can ask for money :). Many
sites have done this in the past.
52. Ask for donations
Sell Your Site
Even if you never monetize your site, you might be
able to sell out for a pretty penny! If you build the
traffic of your site or otherwise have an audience,
there is value there. If the traffic is high enough, you
could sell for a lot (think Twitter kind of traffic…). And
of course, people buy brand new sites all the time
that have no traffic or audience based on design and
niche (but usually for very cheap).
53. Sell Your Site
Overview and Your Thoughts
To be honest, I probably missed several other ways
that you can monetize your site, but this is a good
start! And most certainly there are thousands of
other ad networks or affiliate programs out there
that you can use. But for the most part all your
options for monetization are going to fit in these
main categories covered: Pay Per Click Networks,
CPM Ad Networks, CPA Networks, Affiliate Networks,
Direct Affiliate Programs, Selling Ad Space, Creating a
Product, Sell Text Links, Donations, or selling your
site.
Overall, as I begin the process on Thursday evening
on the live webinar, I'll be thinking these different
ways to monetize my site. I've excluded Adsense as a
choice, but I have at least 52 other ways I could make
money from my niche site.
I would love to hear your thoughts! Did I miss any
major money making networks or methods? Let's
discuss below.
By leaving comment
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others), they didn't
have much of a monetization plan initially. Their
primary goal was focusing on creating something
that would attract attention and big traffic.
Once they had the traffic in place, lots of different
ways to make money will present themselves.
Although, I suspect that none of us will be creating
the next huge internet start-up (like Facebook), we
would be wise to have a few things in mind when
creating a new site.
First, we should make sure there is a market for our
site ( keyword research is big part of this). Secondly,
we should try to create something of value. Finally,
we should ideally find a niche that has money being
spent in it.
Today, I want to focus on different ways that you can
make money from your website.
How to Monetize a Niche Site
In the past, I've primarily focused on Google Adsense
for my own niche sites. I did try out a few Adsense
alternatives, but I came back to Adsense because its
the highest paying contextual ad network out there…
by far. Its easy to implement, pays the most, and just
works.
However, as I set out to start my very first public
niche site project, I have decided to use something
besides Google Adsense to monetize my site. (You
can learn more about the niche site project and live
webinar to be held here).
I'm not going to pick a particular monetization
strategy until I pick a niche and keyword. Right now,
I'm thinking that I would like to build an email list and
monetize that list with affiliate offers or my own
products. However, this is not set in stone, and could
change as I pick my niche OR as I test different
strategies on the same site.
However, as I contemplate how I should make money
from my new niche site, I am again reminded of how
many options are out there. First, I'm going to list the
general ways to monetize (categories like CPA,
contextual ads, etc) and then I'll number off the
specific networks or options within each of those
general categories.
Pay Per Click Contextual Ad Networks
These are networks like Google Adsense that have
ads displayed based on the content of your site.
Typically you will get paid per click from these types
of contextual networks. Here are a few (there are
likely many many more):
1. Google Adsense
2. Media.net (now manages both the Yahoo and Bing
ad Networks)
3. Infolinks
4. Kontera
5. Vibrant Media
6. GumGum (In-image ads)
7. Chitika
8. Clicksor.com (both eCPM and pay per click).
CPM Advertising Networks
Rather than paying on a per click basis, these ad
networks pay on a per view basis (usually a dollar
amount based on 1000 pageviews). Most of these
networks require that you have a large visitor base to
be approved to their network; therefore most of
these won't work for a smaller niche sites.
9. ValueClick Media
10. Tribal Fusion (500,000 unique visitors per month
required).
11. Adbrite (update – Adbrite is shutting its doors on
Feb. 1st 2013).
12. Casale Media
13. ePom.com
14. Adblade.com
15. Advertising.com (part of AOL)
16. Burst Media (25,000 monthly page views)
17. CPX Interactive
18. Technorati Media
There are a TON more CPM ad networks out there,
this is just a small sample. You need to find one that
fits your niche or works best for your site.
CPA (Cost Per Action) Networks
These types of ads pay a fixed dollar amount based
on an action taken (like an email submit form filled
out). Many of these ad networks listed below offer
both affiliate commissions (% of the actual purchase
price) AND CPA opportunities. There are also a LOT
more ad networks out there than I could possibly
ever list in this category – this is just a few.
19. Neverblue Media
20. Clickbooth
21. MaxBounty.com
22. PeerFly.com
23. CPAway.com
24. Adscend Media
25. ShareaSale.com
26. CPAlead.com
About a thousand others…
Affiliate Networks
An affiliate network pays out a fixed amount or a
percentage of the sale amount. You refer someone
through your link and get paid if someone actually
buys something. As mentioned, some of these
networks bleed together; meaning some of these
affiliate networks pay out on CPA offers as well.
27. Amazon Associates – Can be a good option
because you get paid no matter what the person buys
on Amazon within 24 hours (not just what you
referred them to).
28. Commission Junction (CJ.com)
29. Clickbank
30. SkimLinks (This is actually an in-content ad
network, but it pays out based on actual sales made.
So its not a per-click basis, but does display ads
automatically based on the content of your site. Its a
pretty cool option actually that I've used and like).
31. LinkShare
32. ClixGalore
33. eBay Partner Network (Actually pays on a per
click basis – but the amount you earn goes up or
down based on the history of actual sales you've
generated. So if lots of people buy through your links,
you get more per click.)
34. AvantLink.com
35. Google Affiliate Network (different than standard
Google Adsense).
36. PepperJamNetwork.com
37. JVzoo.com
38. WarriorPlus.com
Direct Affiliate Programs
Thousands (yes thousands) of companies offer their
own affiliate programs that are NOT listed in any
network. These can be harder to find, but often pay
very well. Here are just 2 examples of companies that
run their affiliate program in house:
39. HostGator – runs affiliate program here
40. Unique Article Wizard – runs affiliate program
here
This is probably the biggest category because you
can also contact companies directly and ask to start
an affiliate program with them or otherwise work out
a deal with them directly.
Sell Ad Space Directly
This is a big market as well with lots of options. You
can contact people directly on your own or use an ad
manager/network to help. Here's just one option:
41. BuySellAds.com
Create Your Own Product
The most profitable way to monetize your site is
usually going to be with your own product. Obviously
the kinds of products you can create are only limited
by your imagination. Here's just a few common
options:
42. Create a video training course
43. Create an eBook
44. Create a membership area or paid forum
45. Sell a physical product and ship it.
46. Create a piece of software
47. Create other tools, services, or information that
customers are willing to pay for
Sell Text Links
Obviously this won't be right for everyone and many
consider questionable. But there's a huge
marketplace. Here's just a few places you can sell
links:
48. Text-Link-Ads
49. TextLinkBrokers.com
50. Digital Point Forum
51. Warrior Forum
Donations
When all else fails, you can ask for money :). Many
sites have done this in the past.
52. Ask for donations
Sell Your Site
Even if you never monetize your site, you might be
able to sell out for a pretty penny! If you build the
traffic of your site or otherwise have an audience,
there is value there. If the traffic is high enough, you
could sell for a lot (think Twitter kind of traffic…). And
of course, people buy brand new sites all the time
that have no traffic or audience based on design and
niche (but usually for very cheap).
53. Sell Your Site
Overview and Your Thoughts
To be honest, I probably missed several other ways
that you can monetize your site, but this is a good
start! And most certainly there are thousands of
other ad networks or affiliate programs out there
that you can use. But for the most part all your
options for monetization are going to fit in these
main categories covered: Pay Per Click Networks,
CPM Ad Networks, CPA Networks, Affiliate Networks,
Direct Affiliate Programs, Selling Ad Space, Creating a
Product, Sell Text Links, Donations, or selling your
site.
Overall, as I begin the process on Thursday evening
on the live webinar, I'll be thinking these different
ways to monetize my site. I've excluded Adsense as a
choice, but I have at least 52 other ways I could make
money from my niche site.
I would love to hear your thoughts! Did I miss any
major money making networks or methods? Let's
discuss below.
By leaving comment
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