If you're reading this it's because you're looking for ways to make money online.
It's all too easy to think that all you have to do is set up a website, throw up a few ads and the money will come pouring in. And that's what some would have you believe is all you have to do.
But the reality is quite different.
If you want to make money online then you need to be selling something. There are 4 things that you can sell and in this article I'll tell you what they are and run through them all to explain how you can use them.
1. Your Own Products. Having your own products to sell is the most profitable way of making money online because it puts you completely in control of your online business, and you can sell just about anything.
You can sell eBooks, software, apps, website templates, knitting patterns, works of art, doll houses, hand-made craft items or even garden sheds.
Whatever it is, if you can make it or buy it wholesale, you can sell it online.
2. Services. Maybe you want to sell your services. There are many different services that people search for, and pay for, online and the range is vast.
Just as an example you could sell your writing services, consulting, personal training, mentoring, website makeovers, tarot card reading, data entry, software creating and even daily horoscopes.
If there is something you know how to do, and you can do it via the internet, there is probably a demand for your services.
3. Affiliate Products. These are other people's products that you sell for a commission.
Some website owners sell nothing but affiliate products. Some sell them to supplement their usual income from their job while others work at it full-time and generate 6-figure incomes.
Selling affiliate products is known as affiliate marketing, because, marketing is all you're actually doing, but you need to be good at it.
You find a product that you want to sell that fits the niche of your website, write articles, press releases, ads, etc, to promote it and (hopefully) generate hundreds of sales.
4. Advertising. Selling advertising is an easy way to make money online. There are many websites that use money from advertising as their only source of income.
There are different ways to make money from advertisements.
The most obvious way is to sell advertising space on your website. But to do this, you need to have a site that already generates tens of thousands of visitors a month.
There is also Pay Per Click advertising which means you only get paid when someone clicks on one of the ads on your website. Google AdSense is the most-used PPC advertising program with payments per click ranging from a few cents to several dollars.
With the right ads on your site, you can create a full-time income from PPC advertisements alone. But your website needs to be good enough to attract the right kind of visitors and in big enough numbers.
There is also affiliate advertising which is similar to PPC except that you're paid 'per lead' which means a visitor must not only click on the ad on your website but must also sign up to receive more information or make a purchase, depending on the program.
And that is the four ways that you can make money from your own website.
But don't go thinking that you have to choose which one to do. Because if you want to, and you're ambitious, you can do them all.
It's all too easy to think that all you have to do is set up a website, throw up a few ads and the money will come pouring in. And that's what some would have you believe is all you have to do.
But the reality is quite different.
If you want to make money online then you need to be selling something. There are 4 things that you can sell and in this article I'll tell you what they are and run through them all to explain how you can use them.
1. Your Own Products. Having your own products to sell is the most profitable way of making money online because it puts you completely in control of your online business, and you can sell just about anything.
You can sell eBooks, software, apps, website templates, knitting patterns, works of art, doll houses, hand-made craft items or even garden sheds.
Whatever it is, if you can make it or buy it wholesale, you can sell it online.
2. Services. Maybe you want to sell your services. There are many different services that people search for, and pay for, online and the range is vast.
Just as an example you could sell your writing services, consulting, personal training, mentoring, website makeovers, tarot card reading, data entry, software creating and even daily horoscopes.
If there is something you know how to do, and you can do it via the internet, there is probably a demand for your services.
3. Affiliate Products. These are other people's products that you sell for a commission.
Some website owners sell nothing but affiliate products. Some sell them to supplement their usual income from their job while others work at it full-time and generate 6-figure incomes.
Selling affiliate products is known as affiliate marketing, because, marketing is all you're actually doing, but you need to be good at it.
You find a product that you want to sell that fits the niche of your website, write articles, press releases, ads, etc, to promote it and (hopefully) generate hundreds of sales.
4. Advertising. Selling advertising is an easy way to make money online. There are many websites that use money from advertising as their only source of income.
There are different ways to make money from advertisements.
The most obvious way is to sell advertising space on your website. But to do this, you need to have a site that already generates tens of thousands of visitors a month.
There is also Pay Per Click advertising which means you only get paid when someone clicks on one of the ads on your website. Google AdSense is the most-used PPC advertising program with payments per click ranging from a few cents to several dollars.
With the right ads on your site, you can create a full-time income from PPC advertisements alone. But your website needs to be good enough to attract the right kind of visitors and in big enough numbers.
There is also affiliate advertising which is similar to PPC except that you're paid 'per lead' which means a visitor must not only click on the ad on your website but must also sign up to receive more information or make a purchase, depending on the program.
And that is the four ways that you can make money from your own website.
But don't go thinking that you have to choose which one to do. Because if you want to, and you're ambitious, you can do them all.
About the author: Ruth Barringham has been successfully working
from home running her own online business for years. Learn more about
how she does it, and - more importantly - how you can do it too.
Download her eBook "Living the Laptop Lifestyle" and sign up for more
free information about minimal living and earning money online.
