Advertising is one way to monetize a website.
A company website is crucial to business operations, not only in communicating news and new offerings to your existing customers, but also in terms of acquiring new leads through search engine results. However, for all the benefits websites offer, there's one minor disadvantage to them - they cost money to operate. Your website doesn't have to cost you money. In fact, it's possible to actually profit from your website. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
Advertising
Advertising is a lucrative way to make money off your business website. There are small-paying advertisements you can add through the likes of Google AdSense, where you get paid on a cost-per-click basis. Then, there's the more profitable banner ads that can be sold to other companies. For instance, if your business sells computers, you might see if computer brands are willing to advertise on your website. Advertising is typically negotiated with a company's marketing professional.
Sponsorships
If your website has a special section, such as a blog, message board or advice area, you could try to sell a sponsorship for it. Similar to selling advertising, sponsorships are sold to companies that have the most to gain from exposure on your site. For instance, if your business sells computers and you have a blog all about computer software, try to get a computer software company to sponsor the blog.
Paywall
A paywall is common in the publishing industry, as it limits the content non-paying customers can access on your website. For instance, the New York Times implemented a paywall on its site in March 2011. Many other newspapers and magazines are following suit, especially since they've seen a decline in ad revenue on printed products. Implementing a paywall has money-making potential.
White Papers/Studies
Take advantage of any industry expert on your staff or market research that your business is privy to, as it could lead to white papers or exclusive studies that your business can sell online. The trick in doing this, however, is that the information you're charging for needs to be unique - not something that a consumer can get anywhere else. Such content may be as simple as a survey that you send out and analyze based on responses from your clientele or a white paper detailing long-term market research.
Tags: your business, business sells, business sells computers, computer software, cost money, from your, instance your