Monetize Your Website

The good thing about social media is that it’s more than just a buzz word – it’s a useful platform and I’ve seen a lot of people make money out of it. Internet marketer Chris Brogan recently made an exhaustive list of social media marketing techniques and I found them quite enlightening. Other people picked up on it, among them Jeremiah Owyang, a senior analyst at Forrester. He reorganized the list into five categories and then some, which makes it all the more readable. Let me share the list with you. (more…)

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My previous post dealt with a business model especially aimed at service providers. Today I’m going to write about a type of site that also provides a service, but in a very specific manner and for a very specific audience: link shop sites.

1. What is this monetization model about?

Sites and blogs whose main purpose is to sell links to interested webmasters. A little bit of traffic may also be sent to link buyers. However, this is not a priority in most cases. (more…)

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As promised, today I’m going to write about an online business model that has a certain resemblance to the visitor-oriented sites. Let’s call it client-catching sites.

1. What is this monetization model about?

Sites and blogs that are used to attract potential clients for service providers. Mainly used by small businesses, freelancers and consultants.

2. Examples

• Small businesses’ homepages
• SEO sites
• Freelance writing sites and blogs
• Portfolios (photographers, designers) (more…)
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In my previous post I discussed the pros and cons of fast money making sites. Now I’m going to write about an online business model that is quite the opposite of the latter: visitor-oriented sites.

1. What is this monetization model about?

Sites built for long term results. They tend to be heavily based on informative, entertaining or otherwise helpful content. Developing and maintaining a good relationship with the audience and with peers is essential.

2. Examples

• Content-oriented blogs
• Fan sites
• Web projects that depend on user-generated content (like social bookmarking and social networking sites) (more…)
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There are several different ways to monetize your blog or site. In this series I’m going to discuss four methods. My aim isn’t to write an exhaustive list, but rather offer you a basic guide. You can use it to compare the proposed business models and then develop a strategy for future web projects — or modify existing ones.

Let’s start with a business model that is suitable to entrepreneurs who want quicker financial compensation for their efforts: fast money making sites.

1. What is this monetization model about?

Fast money making sites and blogs are those created to generate profits as fast as possible (yes, you guessed it). They can either be part of a short term plan or be used to generate passive income for several years.

2. Examples

• MFA (Made For AdSense) sites and blogs
• Mini sites
• BANS (Build A Niche Store) sites (more…)
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The bulk of AdSense earnings for most people tend to come from AdSense for Content banners, and this is why they are the prime focus of optimization efforts – the right blend of colors, placement and ad sizes, among others. But I think it’s high time we also pay attention to the AdSense for Search text box, the little workhorse that adds both functionality and monetization possibilities to our sites. If you don’t have it yet, I strongly suggest that you try to get it from your AdSense account. These are just some tips on how to set it up. (more…)

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One of the things any webmaster learns really fast in their field is the importance of time. With that in mind they continually seek faster more efficient ways of doing things. This isn’t something only webmasters do, it is done throughout every industry in the world.

If you make saving time one of your goals for your website business you will be astounded at just how much time you will have to do more and more important things. Here are some examples to help clarify my point:

Be prepared, think ahead.
You are looking for somewhere to find a great image for a project. For all of you that have taken some time to find the right image you know how much time that can be. Well if you already knew of a site where you would most likely find the image then that saves time. Don’t rebuild the wheel. If you know in advance that you will be needing a good Font Source then ask a designer colleague where would be a good spot. By the time you are ready for the fonts you know just where to go.

Stay sharp, quality counts.
Your website is starting out with only 5 pages so you decide to just code it all in html making a static site, rather than making it dynamic with a server-side language. Time is precious. If you do it right the first time you save the time and money doing it over again plus the time spend on the original.

Knowing is Half the Battle
Finding solutions to problems. In the internet world as the world itself people are always trying to find solutions. In the internet world this can be just a forum away but when time is of the essence you need to know where to go to get results. An example of this is a site called ASKAGEEK.com where technology related questions can be submitted with answers being prompt and well thought out. And yes, the service is free. I know that when I need an answer that that’s the place for me to go.

One of the major hurdles preventing the average person from being good at this is keeping a record of who is good for what etc. Don’t depend on memory. Keep a list, a file, something, so that you will always have it. (unless the dog eats it)

Sometimes in life its some of the most obvious things that seems so unthinkable. This is one of them. Take some time to think of ways you can save time. It can change your life.

Feel free to comment and let us know ways in which you have been able to save time. Here is one from me.

- I pay attention to the things I do daily and look for repetitiveness. One I find it I start thinking of a way to do it once or only a few times instead of continually.

Best of luck.

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The economy might be slowing down, but technology and Internet-related businesses are still experiencing steady growth. If you’re looking for new income sources, the Web is not a bad idea. However, just like any other business, making money online is a multifaceted endeavor. If you’d like to try you’re hand at it, it’s best to study the risks and the how-to’s. I’ve gathered a few free ebooks and resources here written by some of the most highly regarded Internet marketers to help you understand how it all works. Hopefully, you’ll find them useful and answer some of your questions. (more…)

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For most of us with content driven sites whose purpose online is to make money there are a few companies out there that help fascilitate this process. These companies are particularly beneficial in that they allow you to make money with only the initial setup involved. No sales team needed!

They can help give smaller sites a helping hand and larger sites a major boost in revenue.

So who are these companies and how can I get started with them? (more…)

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Marketing Your eZine
The internet marketing “Guru’s” have been saying for years that the “money is in the list”. In other words, having thousands of subscribers to your ezine or newsletter increases your chances of potential sales. It is pretty hard to dispute that quote but how do you go about getting those thousands of subscribers to sign up for your ezine?

I use three primary ways to get interested subscribers to sign up for my ezine. Purchased leads and subscription services, ezine directories and article writing.

Purchased Leads/Subscription Services

Purchased leads and subscription services work with you to get subscribers to sign up for your ezine. You agree to purchase x amount of subscribers per month from a subscription service for a fee and they will advertise your ezine for you until they have filled the amount of subscribers you have purchased. Most companies will always give you more than the amount you purchased due to bad email addresses, removals, and undelivered emails.

Subscription services are ideal for anyone that is first starting out as a way to get quite a few subscribers in a relatively short amount of time. You will also have a choice of single opt-in or double-in subscribers. Double opt-in subscribers actually have to reply to an email to validate that they are interested in your ezine, where single opt-in will get your ezine automatically. There are many subscription services to choose from and I advise trying different ones because every list is different.

EZine Directories
Ezine directories are websites that will allow you to submit your ezine to their website. There are free and paid directories. You submit your url for your ezine and a short ad about your ezine and that is it. Here are few examples of some ezine directories I use.

http://www.bestezines.com
http://www.ezineadvertising.com
http://www.ezine-dir.com
http://www.ezinelocater.com
http://www.ezine-marketing.com
http://www.ezinesearch.com
http://www.ezine-swap.com
http://www.ezine-universe.com
http://www.ezinepublisher.org

You may also do a search at http://www.google.com for more ezine directories.

Writing Articles
Writing articles is a great way of promoting your ezine, website, or products. Simply write a short article of 500-1000 words on the subject of your choice, preferably about your home business and submit them to article directories. At the end of each article you get to use a author resource box to tell the reader about yourself. This is where you promote your ezine, website or product. Use four to six lines to give your name and details. Then submit your article to article directories that are always looking for quality content. Here are some of the article directories I use.

http://www.authorconnection.com
http://www.addme.com/nlsubmit.htm
http://www.allnetarticles.com
http://www.articlecentral.com
http://www.articlecity.com
http://www.articles911.com
http://www.bestparentingresources.com/Article.html
http://www.boconline.com/sub-art.htm
http://www.business-dynamics.com/resource_library/index.html
http://www.businesstoolchest.com/articles/submit.shtml
http://www.bytesworth.com/articles
http://cerebuswebmaster.com/onsite/articles.html
http://www.certificate.net/wwio/ideas.shtml
http://www.clickforcontent.com
http://www.connectionteam.com
http://www.digital-women.com/submitarticle.htm

Tools
There are some tools you will need in order to deliver your ezine to your subscribers. A good autoresponder is a must if you hope to have thousands of subscribers to your ezine.

Autoresponders house your ezine and subscribers on one system and automatically send your ezine to your subscribers. The autoresponder takes care of when to send the subscriber the next addition of your ezine based on the intervals you set.

Another good tool to use is a pop-up or pop-over ad on your website for those that are visiting your website. The pop-up/over ad will capture the prospects name and email address and send it directly to your autoreponder. Once you have them in your autoresponder you start to develop a trust relationship with your subscribers, this is important because once your subscriber feels like they can trust you they are more likely to buy what you are selling.

Good luck with your ezine marketing!

Author Bio:
Dirk Wagner is CEO and owner of http://team4success.biz and the free, easy to install #1 home business toolbar with automated updates.A website dedicated to helping the home-based business entrepreneur start and succeed with there very own home-based business.

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