As old Sam Johnson would have it: “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.” Keep this in mind when you create a website — if you want to make money with it, you need to know HOW you’ll make that money, ideally before you create the site.
That said, when I started blogging 12 years ago, I had no idea how I’d make money from it. I just thought blogging was fun. However, I have a well-trained intuition, and I knew that there was money to be made from blogging, somewhere, somehow — even if other writers derided me for “writing for free.”
Heh… now they’re all blogging “for free”, but I digress. 
There are literally endless ways you can make money from a website.
Here’s a tip. As you surf the Web, ask yourself: “how is this site monetized?” when you hit a website. ALL websites are monetized — even if they’re just paying their owners in ego-strokes. Do this often enough, and you’ll know how to monetize your own sites. This knowledge will make many thousands of dollars for you this year.
Let’s look at some easy ways you can make money from your website(s) in 2012.
1. Direct Advertising
Newspapers and magazines are monetized via advertising. If they lose advertising, they drop editorial content, because the advertising supports the content.
When you create a website (or blog — blogs are websites after all) you can monetize the site by selling advertising space, just as newspapers and magazines do.
Selling “space” can mean selling advertising banners, or selling text links.
Create an “Advertisers” page on your site, to let people know that you’re open to requests to advertise on your site.
Tip: the more traffic, the more you can charge for your space. Use Google Analytics to monitor your traffic.
2. Writing Reviews
Whenever you see a review online, realize that the reviewer is making money somehow, either by adding an affiliate link for the product being reviewed, or by direct payment.
There are several popular review marketplaces which will pay you to write reviews:
* ReviewMe
3. Running Network Advertising (AdSense Etc)
Running AdSense ads is the easiest way to run network advertising. All you need to do is sign up, and add code to your site. No mess, no fuss — anyone can do it.
The big catch is that you’re unlikely to make much money, until you get substantial traffic to your site.
4. Selling Stuff (Templates, Ebooks Etc.)
You don’t need to sell your own ebooks right away. Start by selling others’ ebooks and templates as an affiliate (on commission), and then once you know what sells, create your own.
5. Selling Your Own and Others’ Services
This is a great way to monetize — sell your own and others’ services. Basically, your site is a writing sample.
This works, and you’ll find that it’s the single easiest way to get the payment you want from your writing. As you get booked solid, raise your rates.
You can sell others’ services, by selling advertising space, or by promoting your partners directly on your site.
6. Creating Coaching Programs
It seems that everyone is being coached in something or other these days. So, if you have expertise, coach.
A friend’s coaching people in writing family histories, another is coaching people in weight loss (he lost a huge amount of weight in a couple of years), and another is coaching on personal development…
7. Creating Websites Specifically to Sell
Once you become familiar with monetizing websites, the next step is to create websites to “flip” — that is, to sell.
OK, there you have it: 7 easy ways to make money from websites in 2012 — have fun.
Blog for Big Companies, and Make a Six-Figure Income
If you’re looking for writing gigs, you’ll have seen that many businesses advertise for bloggers. Unfortunately, the businesses which advertise are all doing so because they’re looking for cheap content.
You can do much better.
You can find clients who don’t advertise, but who pay well for blogging. Did you know that experienced professional bloggers charge their clients a minimum of $1000 per month, per blog? Consider that if a blogger’s working for 20 clients, that’s $20,000 a month.
You can blog for businesses too, if you’re prepared. Discover how, with Blogging Ace: Make Six Figures in Nine Months by Doing What You Love.
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Sell Your Writing Online NOW
I think your tip about creating a page targeting potential advertisers and offering ad space is excellent.
All too often, bloggers are intimidated at the thought of creating their own ebooks to sell. They may be considering monetization strategies for their sites but do not consider offering someone else’s ebook and earning a commission from doing so. This is another sound monetization tip.
Your mention of Sponsored Reviews is on target. I’ve been paid the most using this site. While you have to bid on paid blogging gigs, for the pay rate, if you have the time, it is well worth it.