Google Adsense Revenue

Your site has traffic but it’s not earning as much as it could be. How can you earn more? Monetizing a website optimally is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of site building. Most people are more focused on how the site looks and the content rather how to make the most money they possibly can from a visitor.

There are many ways to generate income from your visitors, here are 4 of them along with their advantages, disadvantages and examples of when they should be used:

4 Ways to Make Money from Websites

1. Adsense

Adsense is a probably one of the most overused monetization methods for beginners. I have seen sites which are filled with adsense ads when the owner could be earning 3x as much using affiliate programs and have less spammy looking site! Adsense usually work best when the ads shown on your site are for low priced items or services with no affiliate programs  (i.e. web design, garden landscaping, plumbing, etc).

2. Affiliate Programs

If your site is product related then affiliate programs will probably offer you the highest return. If  the products related to your site are over $100 then I would choose to be an affiliate rather than use Adsense because the commission per sale will be greater than the per click earnings. However, if the related items are low cost then Adsense would be better because the commission will be lower and the price per click will provide more value to you because the retailer has a larger profit margin. For example, if a product costs $5 then with an affiliate program at 10% commission you would only earn 0.50c per sale whereas the retailer’s cost for the item may be $1 so they will be able to bid 0.60c, 0.70c or even $1 per click depending on their conversion rate.

4. CPA Offers

CPA offers pay a commission per action. This may be a sale or it could be something simpler such a sign-up to a free trial. CPA offer are a great additional way to monetize your traffic. They are particularly good for related products to your readers. For example, if you have a site is about running, you may want to promote a health supplement free trial CPA offer.

5. Sell on Flippa

If your site has a lot of traffic and has a history of monthly earnings, another way to make money from it is to sell it at an online auction such as Flippa.com. You can expect anything from 10x – 20x monthly earnings for a well built site with good content.

I learned how to build websites from The Keyword Academy. I had no prior experience or any programming or design skills so I built my websites using WordPress and Studiopress themes. Within 6 months I had created a brand new income stream of $1000 per month from 3 websites. I was only able to do this by testing different monetization methods and layouts. If someone with no skills like me can do it, I think anyone can make money a website with a little determination and effort.