The Internet is full of ways you can make money from a website. The trick is to find those which work well for you. Not everyone is going to have the same experience across the board.
For instance, some will find programs like Adsense to be lucrative while others will succeed using things like reseller hosting. In reality, it depends on you which will be the perfect method for your own slice of the Internet.
When you’re ready to take your first website live, consider these tips to maximize your efforts of making money. Though I cannot guarantee you’ll replace a regular full-time income, there is still great potential for success.
Tip 1: Create the Best Content You Can
Your content is what’s going to bring in traffic. Whether you are hosting an eCommerce site or just putting up a blog, creating content is vastly important. It’s why most online businesses now have a blog.
Anyone can create content, but it takes effort to make it quality. You need to:
- Provide valuable information to the reader.
- Make it easy to read and understand.
- Keep paragraphs and sentences short and sweet.
- Incorporate keywords and phrases correctly for search engines.
The average visitor should leave your website feeling their needs are met. From answering questions to providing entertainment, it’s all about the visitor.
Someone who is engaged in the content is more likely to share it and return for new posts.
Tip 2: Focus on Mobile Users
Mobile users take up more than 55% of Internet use worldwide. This means you need to design your website to meet the growing demands of smartphones and tablets. Don’t forget about your desktop users, but make sure your first website is mobile-friendly.
This is one of the biggest reasons why many people turn to site builders like WordPress. This content management system is easy to use even for the most novice of developers. It’s also responsive by nature, which means it will already adjust content and images to fit on a hand-held device.
Images are a factor you’ll want to consider when it comes to mobile technology. You need to make sure they are the correct resolution and size to keep them fast when people access your site from a smartphone. Not everyone has the high-end Internet access connections, so efficiency is absolutely important.
Tip 3: Keep the Site Fast and User Friendly
A fast site will improve how much money you make by keeping people engaged. In fact, more than half of mobile users will abandon a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load. This means you could immediately lose up to 53% of your income just because your site has poor performance.
Visitors are not the only ones who value a speedy website. Search engines like Google also put faster sites at a higher priority. With a fast layout, you’ll show up in search results more often if your pages can load in under three seconds.
Tip 4: Diversify Your Avenues
Be diverse when putting money making platforms into your website. Use Adsense, but also incorporate something like eCommerce of your own or perhaps affiliate banners from programs like ShareASale.com.
Some will get into reseller hosting. In this platform, you essentially help your web host company by selling website space you control.
The point is you shouldn’t rely on just one method to bring in money. However, you don’t want to over-burden your website with ads, banners, links and other elements either. Too much can take away from the site’s content, which appears poorly to your visitors.
In other words, don’t make the website look like the side of a Nascar automobile.
Tip 5: Integrate Social Media
Social media is very useful for engaging a wide audience in a short amount of time. But you want to keep your site’s identity separate from your personal account. You don’t want visitors to watch your interactions with your family on Facebook.
Create a separate account for your website. Most social systems allow you to do this for free, and it’s very effective at keeping your site apart from your personal life.
You also want to engage potential visitors by interacting with them. Don’t post once or twice a month and expect people to come pouring into your website. Leave comments, answer questions and join in conversation. After all, that’s the premise of social media: to be social.
Tip 6: Remember, First Impressions are Vital
Most people will leave a website or be apprehensive of its content if it looks bad. Everything from an over-abundance use of ads to poor color choices will play a role in how someone perceives the site.
Think of it like owning a business in the real world. You want a nice layout that is easy to navigate if you want customers to walk into the building. The same can be said about your website. Visitors need to be able to clearly understand what it is you offer while being able to navigate through its pages.
Tip 7: Don’t Assume Instant Success
One of the biggest mistakes many people make is assuming they’ll make it big in a short amount of time. The truth is it may take you more than a year before a website is actually paying for itself. Of course this completely depends on how much effort you put into it.
A few factors that contribute to the monetary success of a site include:
- The industry the website is a part of.
- What money-making method you choose to add.
- How engaging the content is to attract visitors.
- The extent of your marketing campaign.
I’m not saying that all new money-making websites are doomed to fail. But you need to approach it with a realistic mindset. Too many people will give up after the first three months because they’re not bringing in what they were expecting.
Effort Will Dictate Success
Regardless of what method you choose, it will be your effort that will be the primary factor in making money online. Keeping a professional mindset will surely help, but it’s your actions that will drive your success. Find what works for you and get the most out of it you can.
