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3 Ways To Monetize Your Squarespace Website in 2020
First of all, if you are using Squarespace to run your business, blog or nonprofit the first thing I want to say is, well done.
THIS ALONE TELLS ME THAT YOU ARE CLASSY, SMART, NO-FRILLS AND POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS.
I’m a Blogger, Author, and Life Coach and I do A LOT of research in within my own niche, and as a Creative Entrepreneur at large.
Like you, I am ever growing and figuring out where my balance lies and where I want to invest more of my time and money.
This balance will look different for each of us, but I can assure you that, based on all of my research and experience, these are the top 3 ways you can use your Squarespace website to generate an income in 2020:
First of all, if you are using Squarespace to run your business, blog or nonprofit the first thing I want to say is, well done.
THIS ALONE TELLS ME THAT YOU ARE CLASSY, SMART, NO-FRILLS AND POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS.
I’m a Blogger, Author, and Life Coach and I do A LOT of research in within my own niche, and as a Creative Entrepreneur at large.
Like you, I am ever growing and figuring out where my balance lies and where I want to invest more of my time and money.
This balance will look different for each of us, but I can assure you that, based on all of my research and experience, these are the top 3 ways you can use your Squarespace website to generate an income in 2020:
1. Ads.
Ads are the most passive method of generating income from your website, and also one of the most common.
Many people use ads as their SOLE source of income from their website- and if that is the case, the name of the game becomes attracting as many visitors to their website as possible.
(This is why there are so many of those skeezy websites trying to masquerade and get you to click on them. Because they get paid by the number of visitors to their website.)
Fortunately most people generating income through ads have more integrity and actually create useful and helpful websites, and draw people there by using social media and strong SEO.
Based on all of my research, the GOLD-STANDARD for putting ads on your website would be an Ad Optimization service such as AdThrive or MediaVine.
(I have no affiliation with these companies).
These two companies take out the guesswork, simplify the process and pay well. Although both of these companies require a certain number of pageviews before you are eligible, I still believe this is the best structure to sustain healthy growth using Ads.
So, at the risk of stating the obvious:
If you want to start making money on your website using Ads, growing your number of pageviews is paramount!
If you are having trouble growing your traffic, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting Carly over at Blogging Like You Mean it. She offers some AMAZING courses to help get your business off the ground. Some of them are even free!
2. Affiliates
Affiliateship has been on the rise BIG TIME over the past year.
When you become an affiliate for someone, you are basically advertising one or more of their products for them (usually by making a recommendation in a blog post or in your newsletter).
You do this by inserting a special link that can be traced back to you, and anytime someone clicks that link and ultimately purchases something, you receive a commission from the sale.
In my opinion, the most ethical way to use affiliates is to ONLY recommend products and services that you have used yourself, and that you can honestly HIGHLY recommend to other people.
And while there are many large affiliateship programs (like Bluehost or Hostinger), that allow you to sign up, browse products and really streamline this whole process- most people I respect and admire agree that: the best way to use affiliates on your website is to contact the companies you want to work with directly.
In other words, if you really love a product and service and want to recommend it, get in touch and see if you can become an affiliate!
The best affiliate partnerships for you are the ones that give you a high percentage and again, that you can honestly recommend.
I have a small handful of products and services I am an affiliate for, and I treasure them because they all offer products and services that I’ve used myself, love so much and am EXCITED to recommend to other people!
PLUS AMAZON!!
I use amazon affiliates as well, because it’s so easy to sign-up and who doesn’t want to recommend something sold on Amazon every once in a while?
Amazon affiliate is a great place to get started if you are new or experimenting with affiliate marketing!
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Amazon will shut down your affiliate account if you include affiliate links in emails. So DO NOT include amazon affiliate links in your newsletter. I know several people who have made this very innocent mistake and been penalized.)
3. Selling Your Own Products.
This is the most fun way to make an income in my opinion!
If you are a creative entrepreneur like me, then creating your own products to sell is the most appealing option of all!
You have a gift, you have something to share, and that is why you are here!
Maybe you are looking for a simple way to create and sell your course or mini-course right within your Squarespace website.
Or maybe you are still trying to Give A Shape To Your Dream.
Maybe you are an artistic, detail-oriented woman looking to expand your ETSY shop into a real online business, or looking to launch your new groundbreaking e-book!
Whatever journey you are on, the beauty is that there are now SO MANY great resources to help you make your dreams a reality!
I wish you the best in your endeavors and in the slow, happy, steady progress of making your dreams come to life!!
Two Resources You Might Love!
Create A Simple Squarepace Course
Give A Shape To Your Dream
>> FREE COURSE
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More Helpful Resources
Ad Network Advertising 101
How To Monetize a Squarespace Blog
How I Created my Course on Squarespace at No Additional Cost
Are you wondering if it’s possible to create your course on your Squarepace website at no additional cost?
The short answer is: yes!
(Find out how you can do the same, here. Or keep reading to see how I did it!)
First of all: If you are using Squarespace to run your business, blog or nonprofit the first thing I want to say is, well done.
This alone tells me that you are classy, smart, no-frills and positioning yourself for success.
Are you wondering if it’s possible to create your course on your Squarepace website at no additional cost?
The short answer is: yes!
(Find out how you can do the same, here. Or keep reading to see how I did it!)
First of all: If you are using Squarespace to run your business, blog or nonprofit the first thing I want to say is, well done.
This alone tells me that you are classy, smart, no-frills and positioning yourself for success.
At the start of my own journey, I had so many people telling me to go with WordPress: the highly-customizable, been-around-the-block, everyone-uses-it option. I had experience building two websites using WordPress in the past, and both times found it extremely time-consuming, clunky and like it was all up to me to make it look good.
When I started RealStrong, my sister advised me to go with Squarespace and I’m SO GLAD I listened. I had a beautiful website up and running in a matter of days, and I haven’t looked back since!
If you’re not already familiar with my blog, welcome! My name is Audry Cece and I am all about helping thoughtful women create brilliant and purposeful lives centered around God and their family.
I love diving into the deep end with women and getting honest about what matters most: our mental and spiritual health, love lives, our sexuality, our children and more!
But today we are talking about a different area of importance: your work.
Whatever it is that you’re doing, I hope that you LOVE it and feel clear about your calling.
my passion and desire to teach is what sent me searching for a guide on How to Create A Squarespace Course at No Additional Cost.
The problem? I couldn’t find one!
(I found one course for around $200 that still required me to purchase and learn additional software- no thank you!)
So after absorbing dozens of YouTube videos, Squarespace forums and blog posts about the topic, I was able to piece together any easy system that allowed me to create the beautiful and simple course I was looking to create for my clients. SCORE!
I absolutely LOVE the ease at which I can now make new courses that are on-brand, FUN to create, and help serve my clients in a way that a book, e-book or blog post just couldn’t do. It’s an all-around WIN!
And since this kind of course did not exist, I actually decided to make my system into a course and sell it for super cheap!
Otherwise, here is what I can tell you from experience:
1.I saw the need, and then clarified and organized my message.
If this is not already obvious, you don’t want to create a course just for the sake of creating a course.
You must stay in the wheelhouse of your expertise, and fill a need that is unique to your clientele. You probably don’t need me to tell you this.
But what might not be so obvious, is how to organize this information and put it into “course form.”
In the method I use for creating your courses on Squarespace, each lesson is within the framework of a Blog Post.
So, I simply title each lesson, write out the content, add in any videos or images for that particular lesson, and add in the buttons that build the framework to my course. Simple as that.
I am then sure to go back over several times to clean it up, edit and add in any links where I need them.
2. I useD what is already available inside of Squarespace, as well as some other free programs like Canva, Loom and Unsplash.
There are so many easy-to-use and free options available to add design, color, texture and video to your online course!
I am a bargain-hunter who doesn’t like to pay for anything additional unless I absolutely HAVE TO!
That is why I didn’t want to have to buy an additional program, like Teachable, that would add another monthly expense and force me to learn an entirely new program.
I am here to tell you that IT IS entirely possible to create your paid or free course inside of Squarespace using what you already use for free!
3. When I got stuck, I used forums, YouTube Videos, and Upwork if I needed to outsource anything.
When in comes to tech and website-building, I would say Maria Forleo’s assesment is pretty darn correct that, “Everything is figuroutable.”
It may take time or a little bit of extra money if you need to outsource something, but if you know what you are looking to do, you can keep moving ahead bit by bit, even when you run into some snags.
Most of us are use to plowing forward in this way and it’s how we have gotten to where we are.
So don’t loose heart! If you are determined to build your course on Squarespace, I assure you that it can be done with a little time and effort.
And if you would like to get the simple formula I use for creating my courses and mini-courses on Squarespace, you can find that right here!
How To Create a Simple Course On Squarespace
This is a personal writing project meant to express my feelings and thoughts, not to be used in place of God’s word. Anything good and true that I write is only because he has blessed and gifted me to do so, but I am a sinner, saved by grace, and am prone to weakness, bias, harshness and fault. I hope that my words can lead you to seek more of your own personal walk with Christ, because HE is only place you will find real TRUTH and satisfaction.