A well-designed author website acts as an online information hub for you and your writing. But did you know your author website can also potentially generate income for you? Some writers worry that including advertising on their websites detracts from its key purpose—and yes, not all forms of monetization work for every writer. It’s important to know which types of advertising are appropriate for you and your website. The tech experts at Web Design Relief have some tips to help you decide if you should monetize your author website.

How You Might Monetize Your Author Website

Sell your own books. Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, you should promote your book with links to the page where it’s available for purchase. Your author website can be a powerful marketing and promotion machine to grow your online sales.

Host advertising from other sources. Your website might feature advertisements that promote another company’s products or services. Consider banner and text advertising from a trusted provider like Google AdSense. Once you add a short line of code to your website, the ads will begin appearing. When readers click on these ads, you are paid according to the terms set by the provider. Your website may need to meet a certain threshold of visitors per month to qualify.

Choose potential advertisers carefully, and don’t go overboard with irrelevant or intrusive display ads. Too many ads can actually cause visitors to bounce off your author website—and they may not return.

Feature sponsored posts. If your website gets lots of traffic, other writers or companies might pay to get their blog posts in front of your readers. A sponsored post that aligns with your audience and offers quality information can be a great way for you to gain credibility and make some extra cash with your author website. Sponsored posts might also attract new readers who will discover you and your writing. Connect with other writers and expand your author platform.

Offer your expertise for a fee. Offer your website visitors a service at a reasonable price. Perhaps you can provide proofreading, editing, or copywriting expertise to open up an additional revenue channel. If you have enough material and experience, you might also consider creating and selling online courses or webinars.

Introduce affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is a reward system: When you recommend a product and someone buys it based on your endorsement, you’ll be paid a small “thank you” payment from the retailer who offers that product. This is achieved through special tracking links. Amazon Associates is a popular affiliate marketing program, and it’s free to join. As long as you follow their guidelines and regularly post on your blog, this could be a no-fuss way to earn a bit of money through your author website.

Important Note: No matter how you choose to monetize your author website, be sure to check out any writer or company site you might connect with. You only want to associate with good, quality sites and writers who have content you agree with. Being associated with questionable authors or sites can hurt your reputation and your website’s SEO.

An author website is an important investment in your writing career—but it can also offer new, practically effortless ways to bring in some cash. If you’re ready to get started building an author website or your existing website needs a facelift, the tech experts at Web Design Relief can create a website that suits your personality, genre, and budget. Check out our portfolio, and schedule your free consultation call today!

Question: If you’ve monetized your website, what advice would you offer authors interested in doing so?