How to Make Money From Your Website

It's impossible to make money from your website without investing your time, effort and often money as well to help you get started.

The Top 3 Ways To Make Money from your website

1.Sell your own products and services
2.Sell other people's products and services
3.Allow advertising on your website

We're going to examine each of these methods more closely.

Sell your own products and services

If you don't already offer the ability to purchase your products or services online, consider this option first to capture those buyers that enjoy making fast purchase decisions. It's relatively easy to integrate a website with a shopping cart and accept payment via PayPal or Google Checkout. If you only offer a handful of products, it's possible to create "Buy It Now" buttons which make it even easier.

If you don't already have digital products on your website - consider writing an eBook on your topic, and offer it for download on your website. This will also allow you to capture email addresses and potentially upsell more expensive products to your buyer. Ideally set up an Auto responder such as Aweber to help sell these type of products. An auto responder should include a series of informative, interesting emails sent out at regular intervals, which answer the potential buyer's questions and help them build trust in you.

You also ideally need to collect information about your visitors and offer them the chance to buy or request help at every opportunity. In order to facilitate this, include a telephone number on every page to allow them to ask queries, collect email addresses wherever possible and certainly ensure you have a Contact Us page with a physical address on it. A Frequently Asked Question /9FAQ) page will also help you to increase sales, if you make sure you answer all the commonly asked questions visitors might have about your product. Visitors occasionally get worried if they cannot find a physical address and prefer to know the company they are dealing with has a premises they can write to if they experience any problems with their purchase. Something to consider is an online help package, where a visitor can ask questions and have them answered immediately.

Sell other people's products and services

These may sound unusual but can actually earn you a lot of money! To sell other people's products you will need to become an affiliate. To get started, find a complementary website with an existing affiliate scheme. You will then be able to promote their products to your email list, and in strategic places throughout your website. Every time a visitor purchases goods through your link, you will receive a percentage of the sale.

If you are struggling to find affiliate programs, it is worth signing up with Affiliate Networks such as Commission Junction, Affiliate Window and Affiliate Future. The networks will allow you to sign up to multiple affiliate programs, including some big names such as Yahoo, Currys and other High Street names. If you decide you want to sell digital products such as eBooks, try Click Bank. These networks will usually pay on a monthly basis direct into your bank account as long as you reach a minimum amount.

Allow advertising on your website

If your site receives a lot of web traffic, it may be possible to allow advertising on your website. The easiest way to do this is to place Google AdSense units on the page. These units allow Google to choose advertisers which match your website content, and display those adverts only. You will be paid a percentage of the fee the advertiser pays every time a visitor clicks onto the advert.

However, remember that your visitor will have just left your website, never to be seen again. It is generally not a great idea to have AdSense units on a commercial website for this reason. It is usually advisable to have AdSense on websites such as Web Directories or free information resource websites. Google will pay you a cheque for your commission on a monthly basis, as long as you reach their minimum amount of $100.

If your website is a very busy website, you may be able to attract direct advertising. In this case, set up a page which details rates and ensure it is prominent to allow your visitors to see it.

Notes for editors: Claire Jarrett is the managing director of MarketingByWeb who offer Google AdWords Management for small businesses and Google AdWords courses in Bristol, London, Solihull, Reading and on site anywhere