Planning to start an online website-based venture in the middle east but don’t know how to turn your web presence into a cash cow? In this article, I have enlisted seven tried-and-tested monetization models that are actually working for the websites of today. Know that these methods come from expert web development companies in Dubai and are proven to make at least AED 5,000 for website founders after six months of continuous publishing and development effort.
1. Ecommerce
By setting up an online store, website founders can showcase their products to a global audience, break through geographical barriers and reach customers in their niche. And with Dubai’s tech-savvy audience, running and earning from an ecommerce store is all the more relevant and lucrative.
As an ecommerce website owner, you can choose to sell your own products, then make money off product sales, Or, you can introduce your website as a multi-vendor marketplace then earn from other myriad of options like commissions, registering and listing fees, featured listings, sponsored product recommendations and so on.
While ecommerce stores are present in abundance, if you want to make real sustainable earnings from your online store, you’ll have to find a niche that’s in high demand, is affordable for buyers and can be marketed and promoted openly. Then leverage digital marketing techniques like SEO and social media, attract visitors, optimise your website for conversion and make money.
2. Advertisements and affiliate marketing
Both Google AdSense and affiliate marketing provide website owners with passive income streams. With time and quality content publishing, website owners can turn both of these monetization strategies into fully-functional active earning models.
In the Google AdSense program, you create content in a niche. Then apply for Google AdSense, get approved and Google’s bots directly place advertisement banners on your website’s pages. These can be video and banner ads. Based on the advertisement type, you earn for each impression, click and conversion.
In affiliate marketing, you talk about others’ products and services and in a way, convince users to buy them through your link. You get a percentage of the sales amount as a commission. With growth in the organic traffic of your website, you get more visitors and make more sales and scale your revenue.
3. Subscription
Websites often offer subscriptions or memberships as a way to provide exclusive content, features and services to their audience. These products, services and features may include access to premium research, design assets, downloadable resources, detection and analysis tools and so on.
But for this monetization model to work for your website, you have to publish high-end, premium quality content on your website, provide strong user experience with loading speeds and offer other perks that are a win-win solution for your website as well as readers.
Some examples of websites that sell premium content are Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Medium. These are content-first websites, yet allow limited access for free and then charge a membership for exclusive content and access.
4. B2B partnerships
B2B partnerships work more or less the same way as sponsorships and ads – only that you reach out to companies directly beforehand and do agreements to promote their services and products in a non-branded structured manner. They pay you money for these direct or indirect promotions and they get referrals and leads from your visitors.
For instance, a technology blog can partner with an app development company in Dubai to promote their services through sponsored content and co-branded webinars. Similarly, an e-commerce platform could collaborate with shipping companies to offer discounted shipping rates to their customers.
B2B partnerships are a lucrative income model for websites – but it will require professional content in line with the requirements of the brands you partner with. Also, there are times when brands put exclusionary clauses in their agreements that bind you to not work with competitors. For example, if you are promoting Pepsi, then you won’t post content about CocaCola and so on.
5. Online courses and consultations
Business founders, trainers and coaches in Dubai can make great money off their websites by selling online courses and paid consultation sessions. If you can offer expert guidance and personalised guidance to visitors and learners interested in your subject matter expertise, then this is a great way to utilise your website to generate revenue.
From business strategies to personal budget management, interior décor and digital marketing, meditation to child homeschooling, you can teach and train on any subject. Now it’s your choice to sell pre-recorded online courses with access to full video content and learning resources for a one-time fee; or, charge per appointment and give 1 on 1 consultations. As an online course seller, or consultant, you’ll have the margin to decide between one-time payments and subscription-based models or maybe introduce a tiered-based pricing for different levels of support and access for content.
6. Donations for a cause
This monetization model is ideal for NGOs and Not-for-profit organisations that run for social support and charitable purposes. Considering the organic traffic and visitors, a website can act as a powerful medium to raise funds for a cause or support the employees working in a non-profit organisation.
To utilise this model efficiently, you’ll have to create engaging content that connects with the emotions of readers and urges them to make donations for your cause. You can add impactful visuals and real-life examples to further strengthen the trust in your cause.
However, to make this run smoothly and get on-going donations, you’ll have to provide a secure payment method on your website, plus update content with progress reports, success stories and testimonials so that visitors keep contributing.
7. Data monetization
When users interact with a website, they leave behind a trail of data—such as browsing history, demographic information and preferences—that can be incredibly insightful for businesses and support the short-term and long-term marketing and sales goals of so many brands.
Through data monetization, website owners actually collect and analyse this data. They identify trends, patterns and valuable insights about their visitors. They package this information into complete research reports, market trend blueprints and statistics and then sell them to advertisers, marketers, research firms and any responsible third party that is willing to pay for access to this meaningful information.
According to reputable web development companies in Dubai, you should show a disclaimer about collecting, utilising and processing users’ data and seek prior information in the form of cookies.
