How to Start an Online Business: Four Steps to Making Money With Your Own Website

Making money online by owning a website or running some social media is not something wild and exotic anymore in 2024. It is more likely to sound exotic and weird avoiding this type of thing. This is especially true for people who own a business or want to start one because exposure to your potential customers online gives way more flexibility and opportunities than only sticking to old-fashioned ads and all (who even does that still?)
A stable income is something everyone wants, and if there is a possibility to control and leverage the amount of income, this is basically a dream come true type of money-making.
All types of digital products and services are on the rise, and the demand only grows with time. Therefore, it makes sense to realistically assess the benefits of making money online via your own website, and give it a try.
The fun part is that you don’t even need to produce any physical product. You can sell online products like ebooks or art, or provide online services like counseling, language lessons, or whatever else you can think of. Folks have successful businesses actually promoting and reselling other people’s products or services, or you can literally make money out of thin air by having ads on your platform. The number of revenue model combinations is close to endless.
These are the most basic money-making options when running your own website or social media account. Regardless of whether you do it for promoting your own hobby, or for making money as the primary goal, pay attention to the following recommendations.
Choose the Right Niche and Be Reasonable
Most people still believe that they should have a hobby or a particular passion to make an online business of it successfully. However, this is not the case anymore because you don’t have to be passionate about what you do but about how you do it. Follow people’s needs, not your own passions, and you will quickly find niches where you can offer a decent product or service.
Some niches only look promising and successful, but in reality, the demand for these has a tendency to decrease. Other niches are only developing, but they can become very popular in the near future. So make sure you rely not only on your own skills and preferences but also conduct thorough research.
Explore the Competition
All niches have competition and you want your niche to have competition, too. This way, you can see what people do, what works and what doesn’t, what you would like to borrow, and what you would like to avoid. A niche without any competition is impossible; a niche with small competition is risky.
Checking out competition can be a bit frustrating, because you may get the impression that everyone else is already doing what you wanted to do, and they do it the best way possible. However, this is not the case, and if you look deeper than the surface, you will find gaps and disadvantages of service that you can consider when making your own project.
You can decrease competition by narrowing your product or service. For example, there are many online casinos out there and the competition is wild. However, some sites cut off part of the competition by taking care of their customers’ interests and offering free spins for $1 as a unique service few other platforms have. So, don’t get frustrated about what other people do, pay attention to what they fail to do, and cover that gap, making your service stand out from the crowd.
Read also: Why Businesses Should Have a Good Web Development Strategy
Research and Choose Income Models
If the very fact that there is more than one “revenue model” out there makes you wonder, you definitely want to research and choose. Before you even start designing your website, think of potential income models for your niche/business/type of website.
It makes sense to research that beforehand, to prevent disappointment and frustration as you realize that some types of income sources are not suitable for your project, or are technically impossible. This way, you will start building your online business presence around the best suitable revenue models for you from the very start, avoiding many unnecessary mistakes and detours.
Don’t rely only on one model of income, or only one channel of income. The more channels you have for your project, the more chances you have to get paid. With time, you may want to switch to one-two the most efficient income models or channels, but you have to keep that in mind from the very beginning.
Take Brand Name and Design Seriously
Brand name and website design are two things most newbie entrepreneurs pay too much attention to, and can spend months choosing the perfect brand name or logo. While these things are important, take a more practical approach to them.
Find the name and design that does the job for you, for now, and see how it works. Feel free to change it with time but stick to the basics before you actually get any real need for something more exquisite. Having an average brand name and design, and starting to work with what you have is better than having none because you are searching for perfection.