(ThySistas.com) We’ve all heard of the goldmine that is the internet. Video content creators, bloggers, online gamers—they’re all legitimate jobs that pay a hefty sum of money. However, it’s often a hard market to crack because it relies on luck (going viral) or slowly building up a viewer base.
One is a coin-flip and the other takes a long time. Either way, a website isn’t going to start generating income the moment you hit “publish” on your first article. Don’t expect to order some web development assistance then start raking in cash. There are a lot of different methods you can utilise to generate revenue from your website, and here’s the nitty-gritty on each one.
Understanding How Websites Generate Profit
Let’s cut out some myths first. Money isn’t paid out by an employer like a regular job. You’re not going to get a salary and you won’t get health benefits. Instead, money is accumulated in a very erratic fashion. Some days you’ll get a lot of money, other days you’ll not make a single cent. It’s extremely volatile and for most people, the risk involved isn’t worth the potential profits that you’ll make.
If you’re worried about the fluctuating profits, then stick to a day job while you experiment with making money online. You’ll have a method of income to support your new venture and if it fails, you’ll have the financial backing to try again or abandon the project without much worry.
Ad Revenue
You may have heard of ad blocking programs that protect you from unwanted pop-ups and banner advertisements that litter the screen. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t realise that these adverts make up the majority of income for some websites. Website owners are paid for the number of impressions and clicks each advert receives. They also get a nice bonus if someone clicks on an advert and buys a product that was advertised.
Unfortunately, the amount of impressions you get can fluctuate wildly and a lot of people resort to “clickbait” titles to evoke emotions and draw attention to coax viewers to click them. Some websites can be seen as unprofessional and a waste of time if they’re smothered in various advertisements. While some adverts are out of the way and don’t interrupt viewing, some adverts appear over links, images and need to be closed. Some even play sounds or video which can interrupt browsing and annoy you.
Affiliates
The more “honest” method of advertising products is to set up an affiliate program. You’ll get money each time someone clicks your links and buys a product. For example, you could write a blog post about a great lawnmower that you’ve been using, then show your viewers where they can buy it.
You can also offer discount codes that can be used on checkout for various different online stores. If you write a blog about video games, then you can set up affiliate links with video game store websites so that you get money each time someone buys a product with your discount code. This way, your readers can support you and also get discounts on their purchases without having to sit through annoying advertisements.
Staff Writer; Ebony Greene