In some cases, internet entrepreneurs end up spending more money on the marketing method, than they actually earn. This is a common mistake for beginners. So, before you jump into redecorating your site into one that generates revenue, read on for more information.

10 Methods to Know Before Marketing Your Site

The terminology used in internet marketing is often confusing for newcomers. There are abbreviations, phrasings and concepts that must be understood before you try to jump headlong into making money with your website. Here are some of the most basic methods and the terminology that goes with them.
PPC (pay-per-click) Ads: This term refers to ads that pay you for each time that one of your visitors clicks on the ad. Popular advertising networks include Good Adsense, Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN), BidVertiser, Chitika and Clicksor. Other key terms used in PPC advertising include:

CTR (click-through-rate), is a ratio of the number of times the ad is viewed divided by the number of times your website visitors actually click on the ad, thereby entering the advertiser’s site. The ratio is expressed as a percentage.
CPC (cost-per-click), or the amount of money that is paid each time the ad is clicked. Some use it interchangeably with PPC.

Sell Your Own Advertising Space:This is probably one of the most lucrative ways to make money online. You create the ad space on your page and charge advertisers to place their ads in those spaces. The spaces are usually in the form of banner ads that include the following formats: 728×90 letterboard, 120×600 skyscraper, 300×250 rectangle and the 125×125 button.

CPM (cost-per-thousand) Advertising: Cost per thousand advertising (the “M” is the Roman Numeral for thousand) is a method that pays you for the number of impressions that the ads on the website will generate. The pay is a set rate for every 1,000 impressions. Some popular CMP Advertising Networks include Casale Media, Brust Media, Value Click, Advertising.com, Tribal Fusion and Right Media. Other terms to know when dealing with CPM networks are:
• Impressions, this is the number of times that the ad is viewed on your site.

Cost-Per-Impression, this refers to the amount of money you pay to another web owner for the number of times that your ad appears on his or her website. It is usually a CPM rate.

Affiliate Marketing: This is one of the most popular methods of making money online. It’s a method where an ad placed on your site links to the goods or services offered on another. You are then paid a commission based on any sales that come through these links. The links come in the form of banners, text links, product review and other tools. Some examples of popular affiliate marketing programs include Commission Junction, ClickBank, Azoogle Ads and Link Share.

CPA (cost per action), this is the price that advertisers pay you for each click, impression, lead, or sale, resulting from someone clicking their ad on your site.
CPL (cost per lead), or the price paid for each person that clicks on the ad and ends up signing up or registering on a linked site.
Pay per performance, is the same as CPA.

Sponsored Reviews: Advertisers pay either cash or in products for anything from a mention to a disguised review of a product on your website. It’s a great method for bloggers who are willing to try the item before writing about it. (Truth in Advertising legislation on this subject is pending, so may as well do things this way from the beginning.) Some sponsored review blogging networks include PayPerPost, Sponsored Reviews, ReviewMe, BlogVertise and Smorty.

Offering Premium Content: Like a subscription site, this method works by giving away a portion of the site information for free and charging for the rest. The subscribed information is considered to be the site’s “premium content”. Such content is usually the information that the visitor wants most. The free info is simply a teaser to get the user to pay for a subscription.

Job Boards: Job boards are a form of premium content. They are a great way for websites to generate additional income. You simply place a job board in the form of a forum or a blog. To make money here, you charge for a look at the specific application information or a list of job leads. Places to find job board software are at JobThread, Web Scribe Job Board, SimplyHired Job-o-matic and Jobbex.

Paid Surveys and Polls: There are some internet services, which will pay the website creator money to run small surveys and polls on their site. Vizu Answers is a good example. Simply sign up with the service and select the type of polls you’d like to run on the site.

Donations: Some website creators will place a “Donate to me” button on their site, allowing visitors to support or sponsor the website by making a donation. Sites that do the best at this are those offering valuable information regarding a popular subject.

Selling an E-Book: An E-book is one of fiction or nonfiction that is sold online. Users pay to download the book to their computers or handheld reading devices. It is a good profit generating method because there is virtually no overhead involved. You can structure your website around the E-Book itself or launch the website based on the sasuccess of the E-Book. People who are interested in using an E-Book to generate income can do some research online for further tips and techniques for accomplishing this task.

How to Find the Right Method for Monetizing Your Site

This information is very overwhelming. Any first time website owner is probably getting a headache trying to figure out how to balance their budgets with the right internet marketing method. Fortunately, there are a few ways to find the right method for you and your site.

Consider the type of site

The methods that work the best on one site may fizzle on others. For example, Sponsored Reviews are perfect for websites that center on a blog. Putting a sponsored review or even a job board on a retail site may not be wise because it takes away from your own-paying–traffic. Also, your visitors are most likely looking to shop not wade through lengthy blog posts.

Instead, affiliate marketing, CPM and PPC marketing may be best for the retail site. As visitors are shopping, they are ready to spend. So it is best to send them to an advertiser offering complimentary products while they are in the buying mood
The Size of Your Traffic

Many page impressions and ads are needed before your visitors begin clicking on the ads. That’s why you must gauge the amount of traffic through your site. High traffic sites like retail sales, PPC and CPM will generate the most money. However, bloggers may benefit more from job boards or sponsored reviews.

Know your Visitor

Your target visitor should also determine the internet marketing method chosen. If your target visitor is on your site for information, PPP is not the method for you. Instead, use affiliate marketing or even offer premium content for best results. As stated before, retail customers are more likely to click on a link and purchase a product on the other end. Affiliate marketing, PPP, CPC and CPM are best for such sites.

Think About Maintenance Time

It takes a bit of time to figure out how to put the affiliate marketing, CPM, PPP, and other ads on your site. But, you are finished after that, no maintenance is needed. Other methods like premium content, job boards, E-books, etc. all require generous amounts of you time outside of the initial setup.

Now you are ready to begin making money on your website. If you follow the simple steps outlined throughout this article, you’ll find that making money online with your website isn’t as difficult or overwhelming as it may have seemed in the beginning. Don’t be afraid to ask for help with things you are unsure of. The most successful business people are the ones who recognize their faults and successes and allow others who are better at other skills to do what they do best.

By: Jack Spark