More and more people have quit their jobs to run a website that has gained a reasonable following. This could be due to the great content they produce whether it is written, designed, or recorded. The most important details of doing this is building a loyal following then profiting. A large majority of people do not want to invest thousands of dollars into this venture that may or may not work out.
The best thing about running a website is that it can be done on a relatively modest budget. The profit margins will then be incredibly high with a large portion of money earned being profits. The following are ways to turn a website into a profitable venture when you are strapped for cash.
Create Your Own Content
Doling out money daily to have content created simply is not an option for many websites just starting out. Before even launching the website it is important to create excess content that can be used on days you simply do not want to write or produce anything. This bank of content allows a website owner to publish daily to keep website visitors happy. Boring content can lead visitors to stop coming to the site as everyone has read too many click bait titles to count at this point in history. Diversify content to see which form of content brings in the most traffic and has the most engagement on social media.
Invest In Reliable Hosting
Investing in reliable hosting could not be more important as a reader might choose to visit another site if your website is frequently down. WordPress hosting does not have to be expensive as there are plenty of affordable hosts that support this platform. Hosting is even more important for those sites that sell products to make a bulk of their money. Every hour the site it down there could be lost sales and visitor frustration. Visitor frustration when trying to buy something can lead a consumer to go directly to a competitor to complete their purchase.
Social Media Can Promote Your Site For Free!
Social media is imperative to gain a loyal following online. It allows websites to alert followers of a new piece of content on the site. The engagement between readers and the site’s social media account can increase reader loyalty. Building a sense of community between readers of the site is something that Bars tool Sports did an incredible job of. Their community of “Stoolies” has led the site to be one of the most successful sports sites on the internet. Travel sites need to take advantage of platforms like Instagram as some people simply like their content to come in picture form. A DIY website might want to start a Pinterest page that outlines all of the projects that can be done with certain materials.
Partner With Sites In The Same Niche
Partnering with sites in a similar niche can be a great way to get site exposure. The owners of these sites might let you contribute a post so their readers can be exposed to your content. On the other hand the owners might want to contribute content to your site. Agree to this as they will promote the post to visitors on their site as well as their social media following. Networks of sites with large amounts of traffic can start to earn copious amounts of money via ads.
Offer Sponsored Posts/Tweets/Product Reviews
Once your website has enough traffic you can start to offer sponsored posts, social media posts, and product reviews. This has to be done in a tactful way due to FCC guidelines so you will have to mark your sponsored posts as sponsored. Too many ads and product reviews can alienate readers as most readers do not want to read advertorial content so it is important to create a great piece of content. The most important thing to do is to align the site with quality brands as losing reader trust by endorsing a product that is junk can ruin a site’s reputation.
The digital age is upon us and it is easier now than ever before to make a living by running your own website. Take care of all of the details that you can and the readers will come!
