RebelFish Local wants to share with you a 8 part checklist on how to monetize a website and turn the current economic situation in your favor (while helping people). You can monetize a website and make money online, and it isn’t as hard as you think. You have the time now and I’m sure you have some ideas but need some help on executing them.
In the last few months, we’ve asked our audience over and over: “How is your business holding up?”
“What is your biggest challenge right now?”
“Are you offering any new virtual services?”
“What’s your plan for the next 3-6 months?”
And I get. A lot of you are scared, confused and maybe a bit panicked. The truth is – no one knows for sure what’s going to happen. But, the time is now!
You can create an extra stream of revenue and learn how to monetize a website effectively.
I keep thinking about the Bible verse that talks about separating the wheat from the tares, wheat from the chaff, or wheat from the weeds depending on the version of your Bible.
Your brick and mortar or service-based business can survive this economy! I pray as you read this even if you don’t believe the Bible is true and full of a TON of business wisdom that you are open to learning something to apply that will help your business not just survive but THRIVE this month.
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds
Matthew 13:24-30 – New Living Translation (NLT)
24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.
27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’
28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.
“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
So what does this have to do with how to monetize a website and generate revenue online?
There are many local businesses that from the outside looked like they were doing well but from the inside they are just weeds.
Let’s get into the checklist for how to monetize a website step by step.
Top 8 Things To Do Right Now to Monetize a Website and Make Money Online
- Make Your Site Mobile Responsive
- Simplify Your Website
- Create A Sales Page
- Create Really Great Content Weekly
- Make A List Of Potential Affiliates
- Create A Coupon Graphic
- Choose Only 1 Homepage Goal
- Have Someone Review Your Website
To-Do #1: Make Your Site Mobile Responsive
Just because you made a change to your website from your computer doesn’t mean that it will be updated on mobile phones.
So when you make an update to your website, check on your phone to ensure it’s user-friendly. This is a crucial step if you want to monetize a website with mobile traffic.
People more than ever are using their mobile phones.
- 80% of users used a mobile device to search the internet in 2019
- 40% of online transactions are done using a mobile device, which shows how essential mobile optimization is if you want to monetize a website effectively
- US mobile search ad spending was estimated at 28.12 Billion in 2019
- More than 50% of websites are using responsive web design technologies that work for all devices
- More than 3/4 shoppers use mobile devices along with physical shopping
- By the end of 2019, mobile advertising will account for 72% of all U.S. digital ad spending
- Nearly half of users read reviews of all purchases on their mobile phones
- Website speed is important for more than half of the mobile users
- Nearly half of mobile users switch to your competitor instead, after a bad experience with your mobile site
- 3 out of 4 teens regularly make purchases online now
To-Do #2: Simplify Your Website
Most websites are too complicated.
Your website should have 1 focus in order to successfully monetize a website — create SALES! You can make money from your website.
“But wait Robert, I don’t ONLY care about money!”
We don’t either. You want to make money doing what you are passionate about.
Yes, branding and lead generation are important too, but neither will help you monetize a website effectively if sales aren’t your top focus.
But right now, SALES is number 1!
Want help with this? Check out our StoryBrand Website packages. Click the Schedule Call button and we can figure out what package is best for you.
Most Service-Based Brick and Mortars Only Need 4 Pages + Your Homepage:
- About
- Service Page
- Direct CTA Page
- Contact
- Homepage
Every other page can go in the junk drawer. That’s the footer. The part at the bottom of your website.
What’s a Direct CTA?
The Direct CTA (call to action) is what you are lead your website visitors to do.
Many sites have “learn more” or “get started” but these are passive calls to action.
They don’t work to get more sales, or help when you monetize a website.
Your direct CTA should be “schedule call”, “join virtual classes”, “buy 21-day immune booster”, etc. this will allow you to make money from your website.
These are the websites with a simple list of pages:
To-Do #3: Create A Sales Page
I googled and this is what it said:
Sales Page Definition: A Sales Page is a single web page that has one particular purpose, selling one item. A Sales Page may also be called a Landing Page. Many sales pages have multiple up sells.
Let’s read that part again.
ONE purpose = selling ONE item.
“But wait, Robert, I’m not an online marketer…I have a brick and mortar or a service-based local business”!
My wife was in your same shoes in 2009 when she took her local personal training business online and created a hybrid business model, proving that anyone can monetize a website even if they start with a brick-and-mortar store.”
Since then, we’ve helped hundreds of local businesses monetize a website successfully, and having a sales page is a HUGE part of it!
These are the websites that have something extra you can buy online… online marketers call them a sales page:
I hope this got your idea flowing on what you can offer this week and sell from your website.
If you don’t have a sales page or people aren’t buying when you are running Facebook Ads to it. Schedule A Call with me and our team will figure out how to increase your sales or make one if you don’t have one yet for your local business.
To-Do #4: Create Really Great Content Weekly
Yes, posting on social media is obviously great. But Google doesn’t show your Facebook posts when someone searches “dentist near me” or “how to make homemade toothpaste”.
You need a website and a blog so you can create really great content.
If you are like me, you start off with a video then you write the blog later.
Or maybe you start with a podcast then write the blog later.
If you are a local business you have to have a blog with really great content that leads people to your direct call to action like “buy now” or “schedule call”.
Or that leads to your transitional call to action where they give you their name and email to get something for free like a “website checklist” or a “video series to help them with their #1 problem”.
If you want to monetize a website with SEO traffic, blogging WEEKLY is essential to rank #1 for multiple keywords
With clients, we blog weekly for at least 9 months then we transition to blogging monthly with a super indepth article that has the information you can’t find online from any other competitor.
To-Do #5: Make A List Of Potential Affiliates
This is a list of vendors that your customers can click a link and buy from their website but you get a commission for referring them, and is a great way to monetize a website through affiliate marketing.
For example, if there is tech that your marketing and social media team uses, there are a ton of affiliate programs:
- Active Campaign: They Paypal you a commission when someone signs up for their CRM (email marketing tool)
- Acadium: Need an intern? $50 is added to your account toward your next payment for every paying member that comes through your referral link. When you’ve got 6 businesses to pay for our service you get 50% off all your future purchases!
- Amazon Podcast Studio List
- Planoly: Need an easier way to plan out your IG content and review your stats? You earn a $10 credit for each friend who successfully signs up.
So make a list of your affiliates. Apply and sign their affiliate contracts.
You’ll get banner widgets, a URL, and sometimes a referral code.
To-Do #6: Create A Coupon Graphic
We have a dental client that likes to do this.
They use it when sending out their monthly email to let customers know about specials going on.
They also like it to be on the specials page of their website so everyone who visits their website can see it. This is a small but powerful way to monetize a website with special offers.
I found these on Google searching “dentist coupon graphic”.
To get some inspiration for your local business. Search “business industry + coupon graphic” to get additional ideas on creative ways to monetize a website.
To-Do #7: Choose Only 1 Homepage Goal
When I say 1 homepage goal, I’m talking about choosing 1 button to have the same text and color 7 to 10 times on your website homepage. Take a look at our homepage and count how many times we say “schedule call”.
It is easy to see what the first step is to work with us: Schedule a Call. Clarity like this is key when you monetize a website for conversions.
You need to do this also on your site.
Remove passive CTAs (call to actions) like “get started” and “learn more” when you monetize a website.
Make a list of ALL your CTAs on your website homepage and count how many times you have your “homepage goal” button.
To-Do #8: Have Someone Review Your Website
You are too close to your business. Even if you are the marketing director or social media manager that also helps with the website. You are also too close.
You need an outside opinion to audit your website.
Start researching and interviewing marketing agencies who can help you update your website.
Keep caution.
Many graphic designers say they can build you a website.
Many web developers say they can build you a website.
But most of the time they didn’t go to school for marketing, they don’t have a background in copywriting, and they don’t know how to strategically monetize a website for conversions.
You get what you pay for.
If you want to generate revenue from your website, make sure to hire a team that are StoryBrand Guides. This means they’ve done 100s of hours of messaging strategy calls and copywriting.
There is even scientific research that was done on this framework and how you can generate revenue from your website.
If you think your website is fine and you are happy with the sales that come from it, then you should:
Facetime 10 acquaintances on LinkedIn.
Ask them to go to your website WITHOUT scrolling down on their mobile phone.
Then do the “grunt test”.
Here it is. When someone lands on your website, you have 5 seconds to answer these three questions:
- What is it that you offer?
- How will it make my life better?
- What do I need to do to buy?
I think you will rethink and see that your website could convert leads better, and help you monetize a website more successfully, if you communicate clearly above the fold.