Monetizing WordPress Websites: Everything Publishers Need to Know
To monetize WordPress websites, you need a lot of hard work, extensive planning, and knowledge about the platform. Yet, at Monetag, we work with countless publishers that run WordPress websites, so we’re familiar with the best monetization alternatives available and their best practices.
Sure, there are many website builders and Content Management System (CMS) alternatives out there. But WordPress is the most popular CMS out there. With almost half a billion websites using this platform, it’s easy to see why it’s the preferred tool for people that make a living online.
To help you on your monetization journey, we’ll go over the nuances of WordPress website monetization and discuss the options that publishers have available.
Let’s get started.
Understanding WordPress
WordPress has become a crowd favorite because it’s free, offers a drag-and-drop converter, and it’s SEO-friendly. But, there are some things to take care of before you monetize your website:
- Find a reliable hosting provider: Your web host will need to be able to handle the potential rise in activity from your monetization strategies.
- Build a strong website structure: A well-structured website will set you up for better search rankings, and help you reach your SEO goals.
- Make sure your site is secure and abides by local regulations: Do your research on the GEOs your site will be displayed in, and make sure it complies with local security, content, and data regulations.
Luckily, WordPress makes these things easy to achieve. There is a huge catalog of plugins and services (like hosting) available via WordPress that will help you lay the foundations for a successful website.
Monetizing WordPress websites: What are your options?
When it comes to monetizing WordPress websites, you have dozens of options available to you. Here are 12 popular strategies:
1. Partner with a reliable monetization platform
Partnering with a reliable monetization platform will open up a whole new world of money-making.
Choosing a platform like ours, Monetag, for example, will give you access to a suite of advanced monetization features. For example:
- The Monetag Official Plugin: This makes tag implementation ten times easier. Simply add the plugin to your WordPress site and within a few clicks, it will start monetizing your content with high-performing ads.
- MultiTag: Instead of playing around with multiple lines of code for different ad formats, Monetag offers MultiTag. MultiTag is a universal tag for 5 ad formats (Onclick, Popunder, Push Notifications, In-Page Push, Interstitials, and Vignette Banners). It uses AI to automatically place the best-performing format on your site and delivers them to the most relevant visitors.
- Direct Links: Also known as SmartLinks, these save space on your site and scale your profits by directing relevant traffic to the most profitable advertisements via one simple link.
2. Work with a CPA network
A common way to make money from WordPress websites is by joining a CPA network as a publisher.
That means you will be able to place relevant, targeted ads on your web pages. They will generate revenue based on the different ad formats and visitor interactions they trigger.
If this is something you’re interested in, we suggest Zeydoo.
3. Implement Google AdSense
Perhaps the most famous ad network out there, Google AdSense is the natural monetization choice for most publishers.
It’s among the top monetization options for WordPress publishers, and you can even use it with Monetag. In fact, the two platforms greatly complement each other!
4. Start an e-Commerce business with WooCommerce
We won’t mince words here: e-Commerce businesses are hard to get off the ground.
But, with the right network of providers and a solid strategy, it’s possible to start an e-Commerce site that will be a success. Some approaches to e-Commerce include:
- The traditional approach: If you have the budget, you can purchase bulk items and become a distributor.
- Drop shipping: Sell items that you don’t actually keep in stock. Instead, you’ll act more like a conduit between the manufacturer and the customer.
In order to set this up, you’ll need to create a shop page on your site and integrate a reliable payment processing platform.
As expected, if your site processes payments, you will need to beef up your security and automate repetitive tasks like order confirmation emails to keep things running smoothly.
5. Offer online courses or websites
Skill-based hiring is just one of the many trends fueling independent learning. Many publishers have found success creating online courses and webinars about topics they’re experts in.
6. Join Elementor Experts
Love to create WordPress websites? Then you’re a prime candidate for Elementor Experts Network.
Elementor Experts is a marketplace for Elementor website creators. You can use this site to sell page templates or work with businesses on projects where they need developer or designer expertise.
Not only is this a very profitable option, but it can be combined with other monetization options on this list.
7. Become an affiliate marketer
Rather than becoming a publisher, you can also monetize WordPress websites by joining the same ecosystem in another role: as an affiliate marketer.
Affiliate marketers help companies reach their target audiences in exchange for a commission.
There are many forms of affiliate marketing, so you’ll likely find an alternative that’s suitable for you.
Plus, you can monetize most of your traffic as an affiliate and generate money from the rest by selling it to networks or other third parties.
8. Write sponsored posts, hosted posts, and other content
In addition to innovative techniques like performance marketing, you can also opt for more traditional styles of advertising to monetize your WordPress website.
For example:
- Writing and publishing sponsored content like blog posts, articles, and videos on behalf of advertisers.
- Posting press releases and business news.
- Joining a PR network that meets your revenue requirements.
- Share your success stories with Monetag! We’ll publish success stories that meet our requirements into case studies on our blog!
Note: Every agreement with a sponsor is different. You’ll have to negotiate the cost, type of content, and so on with each individual advertiser. In some cases, you may be required to develop the content. So make sure your production process/team is capable and ready to handle the requirements!
9. Sell exclusive merchandise
It’s an oldie but a goodie – selling merch. Merchandise and exclusive products remain popular because they’re suitable across all industries. That includes entertainment, video games, and similar verticles.
10. Offer memberships
You can charge visitors a membership fee to gain access to your posts and other content. It may be difficult to switch from a free model to a membership model on your site, but if you have a strong followership, it will work.
11. Ask for donations
Giants like Wikipedia have survived for decades on donations. If you have a loyal following, you may consider placing a banner on your site to ask for donations.
A solid approach to running a donation campaign is to do the following:
- Share the goals you want to achieve using the donation on the banner.
- Add a meter that tracks the progress toward that goal.
- Keep your audience engaged by sending a thank you email to everyone who donated when you reach the goal.
12. Create a private forum with a business directory, reviews, and ratings
Despite the fact that social media takes up a huge chunk of the average user’s browsing time, forums are still among the most popular types of sites today.
In fact, many consumers will pay a membership fee to join private forums that offer a lot of value.
As a publisher, you can create a private forum with a business directory. You can even reach out to businesses that will appear on the forum and negotiate a commission agreement.
If you have the resources you can also include a review and rating system that members can use to choose the best providers. However, you should be ready to make it as user-friendly as possible so contributed can discover and offer useful information.
Ready to discover the best monetization option for your WordPress website?
Monetag can help you transform your website into a revenue-generating machine. Just identify the best method, create an organized plan, and work on achieving your goals gradually.
Ready to get started?
