So, how long were you retired before you started to wonder what’s the best way to make money online for seniors? No, you’re not alone because we all have a few things in common that drive us into thinking in that direction.
Nobody wants to go back to that pesky alarm clock lifestyle, but we would like to keep ourselves busy and make a bit of extra cash in the process. Naturally, doing something on the Internet feels like the way to go.
But what’s the best approach to take? Especially when there’s so much conflicting information that often sounds a little scammy!
The Best Way to Make Money Online
There are many ways to make money online today. Some will provide a bit of “pocket money” while others have the potential to generate a more substantial income. You can read my earlier post to get a broader sense of possible approaches to supplementing your retirement income.
Today, I want to discuss what I see as the best way to earn money on the Internet. Hands down, the best approach is to build a website that includes a blog. Once you have a website, a world of possibilities suddenly opens up. Adding a blog means that your website is not static but rather is continually refreshed with new content.
Why a website?
A website is your avenue to establish a visible online presence. It’s virtual real estate that becomes a powerful tool for communicating with some portion of the 3 billion (and growing) daily Internet users.
Those numbers are staggering and difficult to fathom, aren’t they? But they’re real and represent an enormous opportunity for online entrepreneurs. And, it is possible for your site to become part of the online marketing landscape.
When you first launch a website, your primary focus has to be on creating something of value that gets attention and draws a lot of traffic. Quality content is essential and effective keyword research will play an important role. Getting traffic is not something that happens overnight. It’s hard work and may take months or even years to accomplish, but it’s ultimately worth the effort.
How Can You Make Money With a Website?
Once your site is drawing traffic, there are lots of different ways to make money. Here are a few options for your 
consideration.
Sell Your Own Products
I’m privileged to know a host of incredibly creative and talented people that never fail to inspire me. I wish I could claim to be creative myself, but I seem to lack that gene.
Nevertheless, I admire creativity in others and truly believe a website to be the perfect showcase for their amazing efforts.
Here are just a few examples of people I know personally who have either already created websites or are strongly considering that path.
- A woodworking master craftsman who makes everything from custom furniture pieces to creative and durable wooden toys for children
- A gourd artist whose carved or burned designs are intricate and varied
- A group of quilters whose designs are gorgeous and unique
- A lifelong gaming enthusiast who has created a complex board game
- A writer in the process of self-publishing a second novel
Perhaps you’re a creative individual who can relate to these folks?
Offer Services
Are you interested in developing a clientele and providing services for a fee? Just a few possibilities might include bookkeeping services, content writing services for bloggers, web design, or administrative services performed as a virtual assistant.
Sell the Products of Others as an Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketers promote the goods and services of other vendors in exchange for a commission. This is a common website monetization strategy and one that I’ve implemented myself on this blog. In many respects, this is a simplified approach to earning money online because I don’t have to be concerned with storing or shipping inventory.
Regardless of the topic you select for your blog, or the target audience you write for (commonly called your niche), there are relevant products you can promote. There are thousands of affiliate programs to choose from. All are easy to enroll in and free to join
For further information on the process, see How to Become an Amazon Affiliate Marketer.
Contextual Ads
You can make arrangements with several networks, including Google Adsense, that will display ads on your site that are relevant to your content. These are called pay per click networks because you are paid a fee for each visitor that clicks on the ad regardless of whether any additional action like a purchase occurs.
Typically, the fee is pennies per click, so you do have to have a lot of traffic to make this strategy worthwhile. But some website owners display ads in addition to another technique such as affiliate marketing.
Cost Per Action (CPA) Networks
Ads displayed through CPA networks pay a fixed fee for specific actions. For example, there may be a fee for submission of an email or completing a subscription form. CPA network ads may also pay affiliate commissions if a sale is completed.
If this is all sounding pretty good, let’s move on to next steps!
How to Build a Website
Even if you have no experience at all, building a website is not a difficult task today. In fact, there are many places where you can create a site and publish it on the web in a matter of minutes. Yes, it really is that fast!
Filling it with interesting content that people want to read is more challenging, but the site creation process is very straight-forward. However, there are a few key decisions you will have to make.
Who will you write for and what will you write about?
First and foremost, you must select a topic for your website. Now, if you already have a product of your own to sell or you know you want to offer services, your decision is an easy one. Otherwise, you have some brainstorming to do!
The best advice I can give you is to go with something YOU find endlessly fascinating and exciting. You’ll transmit your excitement through your blog posts, researching your content will be energizing, you can connect with like-minded people across the globe, and your blog will become a labor of love. How cool is that?
Now that you know your focus…
Let’s Discuss the Mechanics of Creating a Website
Armed with an awesome choice of subject matter, now what? You must now make the following decisions.
Pick a Platform
If you’re a newbie, I think it’s best to choose the most popular platform out there which is WordPress. WordPress is a free and open platform that is constantly updated. Here’s what I like about WordPress.
- It’s easy and intuitive to use
- There are a couple of thousand free themes to choose from to create a design you love
- Tons of free plugins are available to add functionality as you need it
Make sense?
Choose a Domain Name
You will need a unique domain name. This is the address where your website will reside and where readers can find you. You’ll want a name that is descriptive of your content or brandable. For an online business, you should generally choose a .com extension for your domain because this is what viewers have come to expect.
Find a Web Hosting Provider
A web host is a business that provides all of the services needed for your website to be viewable on the Internet. All of your website content (text, graphic images, video) is stored on a server owned by your web host. In choosing a provider, you will want to consider factors like reliability, security, and support.
So, Where Can I Build My Website?
Make no mistake; the Internet is positively teeming with website building options. I don’t know how you feel, but when I was getting started, I found all those choices just added to the confusion. My head was spinning!
I just wanted something simple and someone to walk me step-by-step through what I’d come to view as an online jungle. And then I found my solution! A FREE opportunity to create and publish a website including easy to follow training modules and thorough explanations of all the new terms and lingo.
My Solution Was Wealthy Affiliate
Why Wealthy Affiliate?
Wealthy Affiliate is a top-notch online marketing platform created by two online marketers for aspiring online marketers. It’s been in existence since 2005 and is still going strong and growing. The membership of this community is large and diverse.
You can interact daily with both highly successful online entrepreneurs (who have been members for years) and brand new folks just like yourself who have a dream and are pursuing the dream. The training is amazing and second to none! And you’ll find all the resources you need in one place!!
As an annual premium member, my cost remains reasonable and budget-friendly!
Sound good?
Why not read The Best Place to Build a Website in 2017 to find more details about this program and the 100% free Starter Membership option?
Or, since it’s completely free, why not click the button below to begin your no obligation, hands-on exploration today! I know from experience, this is a decision that can change your life!
Summing Up
If you enjoyed reading this post, “What’s the Best Way to Make Money Online for Seniors?”, please feel free to share it socially and to leave a comment or question below!
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Thank you Linda for the many ways how to earn through a blog.
I have also recently created my own website through wealthy affiliate. You have stated many ways to earn money but the ultimate question is to have traffic to your website. Do you have any suggestions or tips and tricks for a budding website builder like me?
Thank you, Leo
Hi Leo,
Congratulations on taking the plunge and creating a website. It’s very true that building traffic is key. There really are no shortcuts. It takes commitment and consistent effort over time. You need to publish quality content on a regular basis. Craft your content around low-competition keywords, pay attention to SEO techniques, and use social media marketing. I also participate in Quora by answering questions on a regular basis which has been very helpful. You might also want to read my earlier post, 7 Powerful Tips for How to Get More Traffic With Your Blog. Keep at it and you will be successful! Good luck!
Hello!
This is a great article for seniors. My father in Law is retired and sits around making others miserable. He is so knowledgeable and has a lot to offer people with his experiences.
I will show this article to him and see if he is interested.
He is always looking for something to do so why not build a blog and make some extra money. Doesn’t everyone want that?
Hi Mark,
Many seniors do find new meaning and purpose in blogging for several of the reasons you’ve just alluded to. Retired or not, we all need a bit of structure in our lives to keep us active and engaged. Most seniors do indeed have a lifetime of knowledge that they can share. And, a lot of retirees appreciate the opportunity to supplement pension income.
I’ll look forward to hearing from your father-in-law and thanks for commenting!