Everybody uses the Internet. They use it for finding information, to stay connected with friends and family, and even to make a living. While there are well established and popular websites to do all of this, many people have gone the route of setting up a personal website to accomplish these things.
There are many benefits to having your own website. Some of them are for fun – gaming, chatting, watching videos of people dancing outside of moving cars – and the Internet can be used in this fashion. The majority of personal websites are used to earn money. This may be a better use of the Internet.
Continue reading to see some of the best money-making uses for your personal website.
Use it for Blogging
Blogging is a great way to get your thoughts or experiences out to a wider audience. Whether you write about your travels to New Zealand, discussing the best baby stroller, describing the muscle cars you saw at the car show, or the best apps for your smartphones, you will find a readership for your subject matter.
Gain enough readers and you could gain some cash. Companies will pay you money to post their advertisements on your website. They will pay you to post articles their writers have written on your website (sponsored posts). Businesses will do this because you are reaching a large enough audience and they want to hitch a ride with your success.
Let them. Earn some money as you compile the best local businesses in your hometown. Make a living talking about what you love to do; it’s easy money.
Use it to Promote Yourself
Instead of allowing others to advertise on your website, use it to advertise yourself. Use your personal site as an elaborate resumé showcasing not only your work history but also you accomplishments. You will want to keep your site looking professional, but giving it an appealing look could help make you more appealing to employers. Provide pictures of completed projects, special awards, grand opening ceremonies to help boost those accomplishments.
If you are a freelancer of the writing / musical / artistic variety, then you especially need to promote yourself in this manner. Provide links to your site so that project managers can peruse samples of your completed pieces and determine if your style is what fits their needs. Musicians: you need to include sound bites of your work since everything you do is audio in nature. Make project leads want you!
Use it to Sell Stuff
If employers do not want you, then maybe they will want what you have for sale. You can use your personal website to open an ecommerce store. Start selling stuff and you could be bringing in green stuff (or other colors if your money is not green). This is perhaps the most common use of personal websites on the Internet.
Pick a niche to fill and find the best products for that clientele. Or you can keep it generalized and sell an assortment of products to a wider consumer base. Either way is up to you, but you do need to make sure you find products and suppliers who can maintain the product flow. You won’t last long in this highly competitive business if you can’t acquire what your customers want.
If you can keep up with consumer demand then you can stay in business as long as you want. Make sure you are adaptable, keep up – and get ahead of – current trends, and have a great website design to remain ahead of the the steep competition.