So you’ve tried countless things and your website just isn’t making enough money? You’ve thought about all the ways you could monetize but things just aren’t going according to plan? Or maybe they are- but very slowly. Painful, we know.
Especially if you are a content focused startup - the earnings on websites are solely advertisement-based and they can be very meagre if you are just starting out. The need for SEO or search engine optimization is high and results are urgent.
After working with clients including e-commerce businesses, startups and even big firms like Rakuten - we are about to break down what really makes these websites successful besides working with us, ofcourse.
Today we are going to cover 3 simple steps. Just 3.
These are a beginner’s guide and we’ll make a part two once you apply the following strategies.
1. Monetize everything.
Yes. Everything.
When visitors first click on your website - they can of course, help generate ad revenue for your business.
The more important question is, does it have to stop there?
What if you could get a commission every time someone purchases something from one of these ads too? Try to negotiate a business deal with the advertiser. Offer additional services like - making the ad look less like an ad and more like a list of services you are affiliated with. Ensure you engage your users in such a way that they can’t ignore the ads but be interested in them. Change the mindset people have towards ads by jointly curating them. Yes. It requires effort. And that’s why - it makes money. Hey, we’re giving you what you clicked for.
2. Google AdSense
For beginners, we recommend signing up for Google AdSense. It basically automates the above process and Google will choose the ads that are relevant to the content on your existing website. If you’re already doing this - great! Time to work towards generating more traffic on your website. If not, start with easy tools such as this one.
If you are a growing company however, you would want more control over the kinds of ads you want on your website, the products you feature, etcetera. So it must be a priority to keep going back to step 1.
3. Generate more traffic
IMPROVE. IMPROVE. IMPROVE. You have to ensure that you are constantly improving your website and make it stand for exactly who you are - in the most efficient and simply sophisticated way. People often overlook the importance of a quality website. When visitors click on your website once- they should WANT to come back again. Even if it’s just to admire the perfect layouts of the information, the videos, the blogs, the pictures and of course- the product itself. Give them an experience they are deprived of when they visit countless websites and come across the same old thing. And that’s the first step to generate traffic.
Step two of generating traffic involves making your link available EVERYWHERE. How? You do this by contacting already well established websites and asking them if you can contribute to their website. Whether it’s an expert blog, video or just some great research- if they love it - they will post it. What’s more? Ask them to include a link to your own website - or even just the name of your business. You will be surprised how many firms are constantly looking for content and you might just be the one who can help. There’s always all kinds of negotiations involved there. Maybe they’d like a commission? And maybe, just maybe- they’re willing to do it for free.
So how do you get more clicks? Proper search engine optimization. White hat SEO to be specific. It's crucial to focus on the website content through blogs, articles, reports so as to push your website out into the world. Within each of these, you must implement key word analysis to figure out where your website stands in terms of SEO. Does it show up first for your target keywords? If not, how can you get it higher up in the results? A constant cycle is required to be put into place and that's where we recommend getting a professional to handle your SEO so that you can focus on your business. Visit our SEO section to understand the elements involved.