Most people create a mini-site and think they are done. If you want to make money then you’re not. Sorry but in most cases money will not just flow into your bank accounts once the mini-site is created.
I myself am guilty of this so don’t feel bad. I create a mini-site, add my Google AdSense code and then forget about it.
Here are some avenues to making the most out of your mini-sites.
Ad Space
Selling ad space is another way to make a few dollars. Ads come in many sizes so finding something that will flow with your site should be very easy. Simply research a similar website or matching product and either give them a call or send an email. If you don’t ask, they can’t say yes. A reasonable price for a banner would be between $10-$50 per month. Of course if your Alexa, traffic and page rank is high you will charge more.
Directory
Add a directory to your mini-site. There are plenty of free directory scripts available for your sites. Install the script and start selling links. Most of the time the directory scripts are self sustaining which means you don’t have to do any work to maintain them. This is also a great idea if your site targets a city. I think it is safe to say that the majority of city businesses would want their companies listed. If you want more of hands on with the local businesses refer to links, you would make more money using that method.
Google AdSense
I love the fact that I make money just by someone clicking on one of the ads. Yes you do make less compared to an ebook or product sale but no matter what you get paid.
Links
A not talked about subject but a very valid one, selling links. Google does not like this but in the same respect Google does not pay your bills. Depending on the page rank and traffic of your site you can sell links for a nice amount. Lets say “hypothetically” I sold links, this is what I would sell them for per year.
PR0 $30-$35
PR1 $35-$45
PR2 $45-$55
PR3 $55-$75
PR4 $75-$100
PR5 $100-$200
and so forth…
If your selling links for a local directory I would more than likely charge $50-$150 per year.
Product, Service and eBook
If you are going to go this route I suggest you researching the (affiliate) product, service or ebook before creating the content for your site. By doing this you can write your content directing or giving advice to buy whatever you are selling.
Reviews
Offer reviews on your mini-site. It is fairly simple to put together a 200-300 word article about a product or service. For the average mini-site I would sell reviews for $25-$75.
Because of the large ranges in traffic, page rank and Alexa ranking I did not cover every possibility for ad costs. I focused more on the average, an average mini-site will hold a Google page rank of 0-3. If you have any questions let me know, I’d be happy to answer them in comments.
Great article Chef. I got to say, I am always guilty of not looking at these other forms of revenue as well. I have actually just started selling links on my PR3 mini site that I developed and I am starting to see some money, so I would highly suggest everyone listen to Chef. I can’t wait to try some of your other ideas Chef like reviews or submitting to directories. Another idea you might want to add up there for viewers is Commission Junction – That’ll supply a good amount of revenue for ya as well, and in fact for some sites is my primary source of revenue
Correct, Commission Junction is a great company to get banners for affiliate sales. I plan on following up with an article about affiliate sales and so forth either tomorrow or Wednesday. Today was just the different avenues.
My most profitable aspect of mini-sites is the links and reviews. However, I’m always trying to find new and unique ways of making money with them. Thanks for the post, and good luck with your future mini-sites.
And don’t forget. Some mini sites, especially a lot of mine are just built to sell. I mean, I just build up a site on my own, pay for the domain name, write the content myself, and my only cost is $7.49. Then I sell it for $100 or $150 and theres a nice amount of profit right there. So I know it’s a one time source of revenue, but still, it can lead to great profits if you do it a lot.
I’d also add affiliate marketing to your list. It’s a great way of generating profits.
I would count this as Product, Service and eBooks. I will be following up with an affiliate marketing soon.
Nice tips. Commission Junction will drop you after a period of inactivity though. Once signed up, get busy.
Good info, I didn’t know that. I have been active with them so haven’t had to worry.
Dave, what do you mean by they drop you?
Hi Chef,
Another great post! I just wanted to add my 2 cents to the conversation. One of the most powerful ways of monetizing a mini site is through an affiliate arrangement with a service that pays a residual payout. For instance, a monthly subscription or membership. If you choose to monetize your domain through this strategy, you can build a higher ROI due to the fact that you will receive a monthly income stream from the service provider. For example, let’s say you offer an affiliate service on your mini site that costs $19.99 per month and pays a recurring monthly affiliate commission of $9.99. If over the course of 12 months you attracted a solid 50 subscribers, you would produce a monthly recurring income of right at $500 per month. Very powerful!
@DNUnderground (cool name btw)
Re: Commission Junction. I tried monetizing sites and have always flopped. Now I’m just an interested spectator, a total amateur. But, when I was trying, I made so few sales on CJ and eventually it dwindled to zip. When I went back to try again, they said they had inactivated my acct and would reactivate *but* I had to make a sale within some time limit they imposed, I forgot what the limit was (ca. a month).
Thanks Dave for clearing that up. Well I better stay active with them
They are a great revenue builder.
Excellent post Dave, thanks. Very helpful. I’m wondering about hosting these mini-sites. What are your thoughts about the best, most affordable way to do that?
Teri,
Visit http://chefpatrick.com/hosting, sign up for the $9.95 baby plan. You can host an unlimited amount of websites and email accounts. It is what I use for my sites and this blog.
Thanks – jumped over there and it looks great. Brought up new question – is it a good strategy to park at park.com and then move over to the hosting company when i have my small site ready? Ask because I notice they have some sort of parking (didn’t read details.) Final Q if i may – for now! – If i park at park.com, or anywhere else for that matter, can i also have the domain listed in an auction?
If you want to list in auction I would suggest either GoDaddy.com or Sedo.com. Check out today’s post for more on parking, http://www.chefpatrick.com/park-your-domain-names/.
As far as starting with parking and then move to a hosted site is up to you. Really just depends on how long before you have sites up. If 30 days or more then definitely park them.
Lately, I’m a big fan of aeiou.com. Great mini-site examples. From that, I even took a stab at one (airbagfraud.com). Their examples are great.
I do like aeiou, good guys over there. I’m still a little partial to sitegraduate, right now they are running a mini-site for $179 and as my special I’m giving my readers a $20 gift card to GoDaddy. Really it’s like paying $159
AirBagFraud.com, not bad.