How to monetize a website: the real ways to make money from it

Two kinds of website, two ways to make money

Before choosing a method, you need to know what kind of website you have, because the strategy is almost the opposite:

A content website

A blog, a publication or a site about recipes, travel or technology. Its product is information, and it makes money from traffic: the more visits, the more advertising or affiliate income.

A business website

That of a law firm, a clinic, an estate agent or a renovation company. Its product is the business's services, and it makes money when a visitor becomes a client. It doesn't need millions of visits, just the right ones.

A business website isn't monetized with ads. It's monetized by winning clients.

The ways to monetize a website

1. Advertising

Programmes such as Google AdSense place ads on your site and pay you for impressions or clicks. It is the easiest to switch on, but each visit earns very little: worthwhile income needs tens or hundreds of thousands of visits a month. Ads also slow the site down and distract readers.

2. Affiliate marketing

You recommend other companies' products or services and earn a commission on each sale from your link. It works well on comparison and review sites, as long as you honestly recommend what you really know. Readers quickly notice when a recommendation only exists for the commission.

3. Sponsorships and sponsored content

A brand pays to appear on your website, newsletter or podcast. It needs a loyal audience on a specific topic, even if it isn't huge. It must be clearly labelled as advertising.

4. Digital products

Courses, guides, templates or books. You create once and sell many times, but you have to make something people want to buy and spend time promoting it. I, for example, sell my book, “La página web perfecta”, which also introduces me to future clients.

5. Paid newsletter or membership

Readers pay a fee for content that isn't freely available. It is one of the most stable models if you build loyal readers, and today it is easy to set up with platforms such as beehiiv, Substack or Kit. I compare them in the best software for sending newsletters.

6. Selling your services

The website presents what you do, builds trust and turns visits into enquiries and clients. It is how almost any business monetizes its site, and the option that earns the most per visit.

For a professional, it all starts with a clear personal brand: Personal branding: what it is and how to build it with your website ↗

Why selling services is the most profitable option

Do a simple sum. Imagine a renovation company whose average client is worth €8,000 in revenue. With advertising, every thousand visits earns a few euros. To earn what a single client brings, you would need hundreds of thousands of visits. A well-built renovation website, on the other hand, can win that client with a few hundred visits from local people looking for exactly that.

So if you run a business, my advice is clear:

• Don't put other people's ads on your site. They pay you pennies to send your potential clients elsewhere, perhaps to a competitor.
• Invest in making the site convert: clear copy, proof of trust, guide prices and an easy way to get in touch.
• Attract the right visitors: well-developed service pages, articles that answer your clients' questions and a consistent Google profile.
• Keep in touch: a monthly newsletter brings clients back and gets you recommended.

That is the difference between a website that just “exists” and one that works for your business. I explain it in what strategic web design is.

What each way of monetizing needs

Advertising

Lots of traffic, constant content and patience. Very low income per visit.

Affiliate marketing

Traffic with buying intent, credibility and comparison content. Low to medium income per visit.

Sponsorships

A loyal audience in a specific niche. Medium income.

Digital products and paid newsletters

A product that solves something, a mailing list and the ability to sell it. Medium to high income per visit.

Services

A clear, trustworthy website, visits from your audience and good follow-up of enquiries. The highest income per visit.

They can be combined: a consultant can sell services, a book and a newsletter. What matters is that they all target the same audience and don't get in each other's way.

Legal basics you shouldn't forget

• Owner details. In Spain, if your website has economic activity, the LSSI requires you to show who is behind it: name or company name, tax ID and contact details, usually in the legal notice.
• Cookies. Advertising and many affiliate programmes use cookies that need the visitor's prior consent, with a banner that lets them refuse.
• Recognisable advertising. Sponsored content and affiliate links must be identifiable as advertising.
• Tax. What you earn from your website must be declared. If it is a regular activity, check with your accountant.

I am not a lawyer or tax adviser: treat this as a list of things to review with a professional.

Common mistakes when trying to monetize a website

• Filling a business website with ads. It undermines credibility and drives clients away, for very little money.
• Expecting quick results. Any traffic-based model takes months or years to pay.
• Recommending for the commission. A false recommendation costs you the reader's trust, which is what really has value.
• Creating products without asking. Before making a course, check that people are willing to pay for it.
• Forgetting the mailing list. Visitors come and go; subscribers stay. Whatever the model, start building it early.

Common questions