For people who are serious about generating new leads for their business, a professional website is a must. It’s a little corner of the Internet dedicated solely to telling people what you, and your business, are all about. Chances are, it’s how most of your customers will find you, and therefore how you’ll be getting new business.

Many people think about their website like a billboard—a static object that displays important information in the hopes of leading people to your business. And there’s no doubt that these types of sites get results. However, there are a few ways that you can make your website less like a billboard, and more like a second location of your business.

Here are 6 ways a great website can help your business make money.

1. Sell your products online

For product-based businesses, there has never been a better time to get your merchandise out to the world over. Online stores, also known as E-commerce, have changed the way we shop. Need proof? Google’s consumer insights tell us that searches for “gifts for dad” have increased by 80% in the last two years.

With so many purchases happening online, it’s the smart move to start selling your products off your website. It has the potential to be equivalent to a second storefront for your business, at a fraction of the overhead cost. 

2. Share information about your field

As a business person, your greatest asset is your knowledge of your industry. Of course, you apply this every day in the course of your usual work, but what if there were another way to capitalize on your experience and expertise? Many new companies have been making use of their websites to share practical information to potential customers. This can be as simple as regular blog posts featuring tutorials, breakdowns, or editorials on industry matters. If you run a veterinary hospital, you could post recipes for healthy pet treats. If you’re a mortgage broker, you could break down the basics of different mortgage and interest options.

Including informative content on your website serves a few purposes, all of which can be a big help in driving traffic to your site. It acts as an additional resource for anyone making web searches about your industry. If someone finds themselves on your page, and leaves having learned something, you’ve made an impression on them without even truly advertising to them. This helps build brand recognition, as well as diversify the type of traffic visiting your site.

From here, informative content can even be monetized further. You can expand your online resources to include a paid section. This could be articles behind a paywall, or perhaps a paid subscription for newsletters or video tutorials. You could also sell online admission to webinars, and help educate others getting started in your industry. One thing to note with this strategy is the increased risk of turning site viewers away, particularly if your content used to be free.

3. Include advertisements on your site

Next to selling products online, including online advertisements is one of the most commonly used strategies for monetizing a website. This may seem basic, but there’s a lot more to making money off ads then you might think. There are a few different types of online advertising, and understanding their differences can be a great asset when trying to make money off a website.

Some ads will generate revenue every time they’re clicked. These are called pay-per-click ads, or PPC for short. Google AdSense is a great way to get started with PPC ads. It analyzes the content on your site, and uses the information to display the most relevant ads possible to your site visitors, making them more likely to click on them.

Another way to start making money off advertisements is with direct ads, which is less commonly done these days, but can still help you turn a profit online. Direct ads are when you approach a business directly and offer advertising space on your website, rather than having a network like Google AdSense choose your ads for you. This can be a great way to ensure highly relevant ads, helping you and whichever businesses are advertising on your site.

4. Affiliate links

Similar to direct advertisements, affiliate links are another personal way to advertise other businesses on your website. Rather than adding large display ads around your website, an affiliate link is when you get paid to simply link to another website, usually in a blog post. Affiliate links are great for businesses that are in similar industries, especially if they’re just starting out. Not only that, but also due to the curated nature of affiliate links, you add value to the people seeing them, as they’re more likely to be relevant. 

5. Donations

It may seem like a bold step to ask for donations on your professional website. However, depending on who you are and where your business is at in its growth, passing the hat can be a great way to increase your income from your website. If you run a charitable organization, a donate button is a no-brainer. But for artist or design pages, and even fledgling businesses, accepting donations can provide a surprising amount of revenue when paired with decent web traffic. 

6. Online booking

For service or appointment-based businesses, online booking can provide a huge increase in business. These days, the ability to book an appointment for, say, the dentist, can be the difference between one office and another. If users aren’t able to book with you through their website, there’s a good chance they’ll move on to another business. 

Tailoring your approach

It’s important to consider a few factors when choosing the best way to monetize your website. If you’ve been around for a while, you’ve begun to build expectations among your audience. When taking the step to monetize your website, consider these expectations, and work within them to build a profitable website that engages your users. By tailoring your approach based on your business and brand, you’ll be making the best use of your online presence. With all this said, the number one way to make money off your site is to work with a qualified marketing agency. By teaming up with the professionals, you’ll be applying their extensive knowledge in the field to your business, helping you to see profits from your website in no time.

If you’re ready to get started on monetizing your website, KIAI’s got you covered. For more information on anything web, contact us today!