Before we talk about content monetization for web developers, let’s look at some stats real quick:
There are over 23 million web developers in the world according to an EDC 2018 study.
An IBISWorld research predicts that the web design services industry will grow at an annual rate of 5.8 percent over the next five years.
The web design market stands at a staggering $40 billion.
With such stats, it makes perfect sense for any serious web developer to monetize their content. Think of it as a way to earn money while putting your brand out there where potential clients can see it.
The question is…
How do you monetize your content as a web developer?
Here’s how:
#1. Sell You Content / Release Your Exclusive Right
This one is a no-brainer, right?
The easiest and fastest way to make money through your content as a website designer is to, well… sell the content.
Look,
Not every web developer out there can create content. In essence, this means you’ll always have someone willing to buy your content.
Here, you surrender all the rights to your content, including any royalties and copyright. That’s a direct, straightforward exchange of your content for money.
There’s a catch, though; your work must be of high quality to provide value to the buyer.
No one will come asking to buy content that doesn’t attract the right audience. Sure, your work is to develop websites, but that doesn’t mean you should compromise the value of your content.
At Growth Generators, we recommend hiring expert writers to create content if you cannot produce top-notch content that can generate and convert leads.
What if you can write and don’t have the time?
Hire an expert writer!
Did you notice how we’ve insisted on the need to hire an expert writer?
Yes. That’s because these days, Google cares about EAT.
#2. Put Up Your Content For Hire
This strategy is more or less like the one above, but with a different kind of transaction.
Here’s how creating content for hire works. Picture this.
You’re an experienced web developer. You’ve created hundreds of projects for clients and businesses. Heck, you even own a couple of websites where you showcase your expertise and sell products.
In short, you’re an industry insider with a wealth of knowledge that amateur web designers would find valuable.
With your expertise, you can create well-informed, accurate articles and sell them to web developers and IT companies that want to build brand awareness.
However, this time, you’ll sell your content with limited usage rights, unlike the first case. In essence, this means that you’re giving your client the right to use your content for a predetermined period and in specific ways.
For instance, you can tell your customer only to use the content in print and limit the usage to a couple of months. Put differently, you’re giving a license for other people to reprint your content.
How do you stand to gain as the content creator?
Well, you can license your work to several clients.
All you need to do is break the period of exclusive rights for a pre-agreed period with one buyer rather than open up for more customers later.
But wait, how can this be helpful to the person hiring the content?
Licensed content can come in handy for the buyer in several ways, including:
It can help populate a print newsletter or email list.
It can serve as a section of a large piece of content.
Now that makes sense, doesn’t it?
dotWriter is an excellent example of a premium content marketplace where web developers can put up their work for hire.
#3. Join Affiliate Sites
Here, you generate content that sells a product or service to your audience. When a lead buys, you earn a percentage for the revenue generated.
As a web designer, you can monetize your email newsletter by endorsing a product or service. You can also promote items on your blog to your audience.
The seller of the product or service you’re recommending will allocate a unique, track-able link to help them know the number of people you’ve referred.
With affiliate marketing, the catch is finding programs that pay well. Of course, you don’t want to spend time and money to create affiliate content that won’t translate into a positive ROI for your business.
You can opt to sign up with the many marketplaces for affiliates in the web development space or work directly with the seller.
Keep in mind that affiliate is a massive industry that can be super-lucrative if you do things right. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of some affiliate programs for web designers that you can join.
Websites and leads
Volusion
Mark Brinker
Designmodo
#4. Offer Your Content as a Subscription Package
Here’s the thing.
People love to read content that offers value. Google loves helpful content that solves the target audience’s pain points and rewards it with a high ranking.
As an experienced web developer, you can offer some of your more detailed, expert content through subscription or membership.
It is essential to mention that subscription/membership content works if industry players regard you as a thought leader and highly value your opinion.
That way, when you produce content that gives your perspective on a subject, people can care to read. Your target audience will be willing to pay to know your opinion on an issue affecting the web development industry.
You can package your content in the form of a subscription newsletter or a premium video series.
Alternatively, you can create a membership website that allows visitors to access an assortment of content on an on-going basis.
You may decide to package your content as a course or a sequence of lessons that people can access for a specified period.
Udemy is an excellent online platform where you can sell your premium web design courses and content.
#5. Ask for Donations
Really?
How can an expert web developer like you ask for donations? Well, because there are people of goodwill out there who appreciate hard work and are willing to donate toward a noble cause.
Unlike membership or subscription, you will be soliciting donations from your readers. Sure, everyone will have access to your content, but you will be requesting people who have the means to support your openness.
You’ll integrate a payment method such as PayPal and Patreon to your website to enable your readers, listeners, or viewers to make the donations.
If you’re generating content regularly, you “community” may join hands and sponsor you with a monthly donation.
Or, you can include a PayPal donation button a couple of times within your content.
A classic example of a web developer who relied on donations to create a full-time income is Jason Kotte through his website kottke.org.
What started as a micro-patron strategy is now a full-scale membership program where readers can pledge anywhere from three to six hundred bucks a month.
You might argue that people don’t want to donate these days, especially with lots of Ponzi schemes going around, but if you offer value with your content, you can be sure that someone will click through the donate button.
#6. Ads
Like affiliate marketing, advertisement is a standalone, well-established content monetization strategy that web developers can use to make money.
We’ll mention a few things about this strategy, though.
You can use several options when it comes to making money with ads as a web design.
There is Google Adsense and a host of other services that allow you to display ads on your website, in-text, videos, etc.
You can use a pay-per-click (PPC) display or text ads if you’re looking for more responsive ads.
You can work directly with advertisers by allowing them to pay for ads they place on your emails, content, or website.
As for the rates, you can charge per impressions (CPM) or have a standard fee for some time based on how big your audience is.
Monetizing content with ads is an excellent strategy if you have a blog on your website or publish authority sites within your industry.
Sidenote – If you want to make a decent income through ads, your content needs to be popular enough backed by a solid marketing strategy to attract traffic that can generate significant revenue.
That’s why we recommend you build enough traffic to make ads a worthwhile content monetization tactic as a web designer.
#7. Use Sponsored Content Monetization
You may want to argue that sponsored content isn’t a viable content monetization strategy for web developers. Well, not until you look at it this way.
Let’s say you have a blog that attracts thousands of visitors every month. You can allow other web designers to showcase their skills in front of your audience with relevant videos or blog posts and charge them.
On one part, the developers will get noticed by their target audience, and you will get paid for doing them the honors on the other. Besides, it will improve the entire structure of your content.
There’s one thing you need to know before you use sponsored content as a way of generating income from your website.
If you’re going to allow other people to publish on your sure, you must have high standard editorial requirements.
The last thing that you want on your website is hurriedly assembled content that doesn’t reflect the quality, trust, and authority your audience expects from you.
You can even hire an editor if that’s what it takes to ensure excellent editorial control.
#8. Get Paid to Speak
You’re a good writer. You have the experience.
You like to read and have fun doing in-depth research topics revolving around web development and everything that comes with it.
Simply put, you’re an expert in your field.
Now that is a perfect combination of what you need to get paid to speak. Who could be your ideal client?
You can target people in your industry, IT startups, companies, and organizations.
Sure, you may want to read about the art of public speaking. Here’s an article to get you started on how to become a better public speaker.
You can make the most out of your every speaking engagement by getting ideas for new content from the questions people ask. In other words, each conference should provide fresh content for the next event.
Create private hashtags and urge your audience to share and engage on social during your event. It is also a good idea to share your presentation online.
And to top it all off, be sure to create a new blog post from your presentation content complete with photos and your audience’s feedback.
#9. Become A Consultant
What if you can’t speak in public?
What if you can but don’t have the time? You can opt to become a consultant. The idea is to organize one-on-one sessions with individuals or representatives of an organization about a specific topic.
Again, to become a successful web development consultant, your level of skill must be above par. That way, your listeners, readers, and viewers will be willing to spend their money for a chance to connect with you for consultation.
We recommend that you use apps such as Evernote or Calendly to help you keep organized and, most importantly, ensure that you’re on top of your schedule.
Bonus Tip…
Create And Sell Your Products
Can you use the content you’ve generated with your content to create digital products? What about some piece of original research?
If you have any of these, you can charge a premium fee for people who want access to the original information.
You can also create eBooks and sell them in marketplaces such as Amazon and your website.
On top of that, you can convert your most popular content into a product or premium service.
As a rule of thumb, you must create quality digital products. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with negative reviews sooner or later.
The Bottom Line
There’s a world of possibility for any web developer who dares to step out of their comfort zone.
And now, you have these ten tips to jump-start your quest to monetize your content.
At Growth Generators, we help you create content that your target audience will find valuable and, most importantly, outline a monetization strategy that can work for your business model.
Contact us today, and let’s map out tactics that will yield a positive ROI while generating significant revenue together.
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