I’m a web designer and digital marketer that’s been working with ecommerce for over 10 years. Ecommerce has really taken over the online world in the past decade. And it’s become easy for even the smallest businesses to monetize their websites. Here are a few of the simplest methods to begin collecting money online.

If You Sell Products

Depending on your website platform, adding ecommerce features can be easy and no extra cost to you.

Squarespace is my personal favorite for those who are dipping their toes into ecommerce. Ecommerce features are integrated into the Business account level and up. If your website is on WordPress, Woocommerce is a free plugin that has all the features you need.

As for your merchant (payment processing), reach out to your brick and mortar merchant service. They may have ecommerce services integrated into your POS.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by adding your entire inventory and all different skus and variations in one go. Start with your top 3-5 bestsellers and then spread the word. After collecting a few sales you’ll have ironed out any wrinkles and will have grown in knowledge and confidence. Eventually you can add all your stock to your online store.

If You Sell Services

Add a button to your website to prepay for a service or sign up for recurring subscription fees.

Many customers like to book services and pay at the same time. It’s a great website feature for a spa or salon. Acuity is an excellent addon for Squarespace. Calendly can be integrated via html onto any website. And contact your current booking software provider to see if they have website integration options or widgets.

Having clients sign up on your website for a membership means you have collected their details in a secure and organized database. You can then continue to market to your clients, as well as collect their payments automatically instead of having to invoice them every month. For Squarespace, create a subscription product. You will need the Commerce Advanced plan. With Wordpress, you can install a plugin for memberships or subscription products. And PayPal has several button options that can be integrated on any website.

If You’re a Charity

Collecting donations on your website is one of the easiest ways to monetize your website.

On Squarespace, use the Donation block. The PayPal donate button is very simple to place on any web page. These allow donors to choose any amount they wish.

If You’re a Blogger or Influencer

Incorporate affiliate links into your content.

If there are products or providers you’re passionate about, you can get set up as an affiliate and promote those items on your blog or website. Links to products and discount codes that lead to purchases can provide you with a small commission. While it takes some research to get started, adding links to your site is easy and you can continue to make money with little effort. Here’s a great guide to affiliate marketing: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/marketing/guide-to-affiliate-marketing.

If You’re an Industry Expert

Monetize your knowledge.

If you’re an expert in your field and enjoy sharing your know-how, create ebooks, tutorials, and webinars. You can sell these as digital downloads with an ecommerce website. Unlike physical products which have to be made or sourced and then shipped, an ebook or other digital content is created once and delivered instantly and automatically whenever purchased. Almost all ecommerce websites (including Squarespace) have digital products built in.

You can also create training courses and videos and place them in a members-only library. Customers can pay once or a recurring fee to access your educational content. Squarespace provides this functionality at an extra fee. And WordPress has popular and affordable plugins for memberships as well.

What About Ads?

When you think of monetizing your website, ads may be the first option you think of. While you can make money displaying ads and pop-ups on your website, the ideas above are much more effective and don’t make the internet a trashier place. Do the world wide web (and your fellow man) a favor and try these other monetization techniques first.