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Does WordPress actually pay you?
Yes! There is one situation where WordPress does actually pay you and pay you directly.
WordPress.com, not to be confused with WordPress.org, is owned by a company called Automattic, which was founded by Matt Mullenweg.
Matt Mullenweg was also one of the original founders of the WordPress CMS ecosystem and the non-profit foundation WordPress.org.
But did you know that WordPress.com actually does have positions that will pay you and pay you well?
If you’d like to take a look at the opportunities available at WordPress then click this link. WordPress careers.
If you would like to know other ways in which you can get paid on WordPress, here are an additional 41 ways to make WordPress pay.
1. Affiliate Marketing.
Have a WordPress blog? Well then start one and talk about the topics that you are knowledgeable in and are passionate about.
Then what you can do is find products and services that are closely related to the content you create.
These products and services can enhance your content by providing your readers with solutions to their problems and products that they may enjoy.
There are literally hundreds of affiliate programs out there. You may even be able to persuade a company whose products and services you love to create one!
The most popular affiliate marketing program of course being Amazon.com.
Simply inject the code within your blog posts and the products and services will magically appear for your readers.
Every time they click on one of them and buy, you receive a commission.
2. Display Google AdSense.
Display Google Adsense on your WordPress blog or website. Adsense will pay you per click everytime someone clicks on one of their ads.
Google Adsense is probably the easiest way to monetize a website.
Like affiliate marketing, Google will give you code and you simply inject it into your website’s posts or pages. Then get paid by Google.
3. Display ads from Premium 3rd Party Ad Networks.
Although Google Adsense is a great way to monetize your WordPress blog, it’s usually just a starting point with display advertising.
Once you get enough traffic, i.e. visitors to your blog, then you should start applying to some premium third party ad networks.
Their ads generally pay much more than Google Adsense. Check out Monumetric to start.
4. Sell Ads Directly.
Don’t want to use a display ad network? Don’t feel like dealing with Google Adsense? Perhaps you want to be very selective about the advertising you put on your WordPress blog.
If this is you, then why not reach out to business owners and manufacturers of the products and services that you value most and offer them a deal where you can display a banner advertising their products and services to your WordPress blog readers.
5. Sell Sponsored Blog Posts.
Offer companies within your niche and the opportunity to promote their products and services through sponsored posts.
You basically write a review of their product or service and display it on your website with links back to their website.
They may even choose to write it themselves.
Of course, you should identify all sponsored posts to your readers if not for ethical reasons, then at least for credibility.
6. Write Product Reviews.
Offer to write product reviews for products and services that you have personally used. Companies will often pay for such reviews, especially if you have a very niche targeted blog or website with significant traffic.
7. Flip Websites.
Create a new website or several niche websites, write all the content for them or hire out freelancers to do it. Then monetize it through some of the various methods I write about in this post. Then once it’s earning money, put the website on the market and sell it.
Niche websites nowadays can fetch between 20 and over 40 times their monthly revenue.
8. Become an Influencer.
Instagram isn’t the only place to become an Influencer. With WordPress you own the platform, unlike Instagram or YouTube where Facebook and Google own the platforms.
Become an authority, an Influencer in your niche.
Once you become a recognized expert and authority in your niche, the opportunities to monetize that “Influencer” status are unlimited.
9. Add a Paid Premium Membership to your Website.
Premium subscribers and premium members are all the rage these days as far as monetization strategies are concerned.
You see it on YouTube and other platforms.
However, did you know one of the easiest ways to monetize a WordPress website is to simply add a paid premium membership to it.
Members can then have access to exclusive blog and other media content. They simply pay a monthly membership fee. WordPress has quite a few plugins to make this possible.
10. Create Pay Per View Premium Posts.
Perhaps you don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up a membership section on your WordPress blog.
But, you do have great content that you feel your readers would pay extra for.
Well, you don’t need a membership website to offer exclusive pay-per-view content. Readers will simply make a payment and then get a special code to access content that you would put behind a paywall.
11. Add a Private Forum.
Forums are a great way to develop a following on your WordPress blog or website. By adding a private forum you can provide your readers, followers and all other like-minded individuals who value your content and your opinions a place to engage.
There’s no better way to engage than through a private forum. Private forums are much more exclusive than responding to comments at the end of your blog posts.
Just like a membership section, a private forum is quite easy to set up as well with a few WordPress plugins.
You can then monetize the members of your private forum through email marketing etc. Offering exclusive deals to courses or other content that you create or products and other personally branded, exclusive merch etc.
Remember what they say, “the money is in the list”. There’s no better way to get that email list than through a private forum on your WordPress website.
12. Add a Job Board.
Do you have a WordPress website in a certain field or profession? Is your website a place where professionals congregate?
If so, adding a job board to your WordPress website and charging for job placements can help you bring in additional revenue.
13. Add a Paid Business Directory.
Is your WordPress blog or website about a certain hobby, niche or location whether that’s a state, city or even a country?
You can add a business directory for businesses that specialize in products and services that might be of interest to your readers. You can then charge those businesses for being listed in your directory.
A business directory works really well if you specialize in a niche in a certain geographic area. Then you can approach businesses, whether online or in person and offer to have them listed in your business directory. You can then charge for this of course.
14. Sell Digital Products.
Have an idea for some software or an app that can serve your niche or specialty? Then why not go and create one. Make it available for sale on your website as a download. The beauty of selling digital products is that you only need to create it once. Then you could sell virtually unlimited copies of it in perpetuity.
15. Sell Ebooks.
Open up an online Bookstore specializing in books in your niche that you think your readers may be interested in.
Heck, you can even write your own ebook and sell it on your website and cut out the middle man all together.
In fact, if you want to sell ebooks on your website, there are numerous distributors like Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords etc. that have affiliate programs for ebooks. Make a commission every time one is sold similar to affiliate marketing.
16. Create and sell Online Courses.
Do you have a special skill or experience? Put your knowledge and experience to work in an online course for your readers and sell it for downloads.
17. Sell Online Courses for other creators.
Perhaps you don’t have enough special skills or knowledge to put together an online course.
Well, that shouldn’t stop you. I’m sure there are many experts in your niche that do have online courses you can sell from your website.
Many of them may even have affiliate programs.
The good news is most software affiliate programs offer excellent high paying commissions.
If your expert of choice doesn’t have an affiliate program available for their course, then perhaps they can set one up just for you.
In fact, if they have a WordPress website, there are many plugins available so that WordPress website users can set up an affiliate program.
18. Offer Paid Webinars.
Don’t have enough material for an online course? Then put together a webinar.
In fact, offer paid webinars in various areas of your niche. Then package them up and sell them as an online course.
19. Sell Services.
Do you have a special skill or service? Why not offer it on your website instead of paying for advertising. Or, you can do both.
20. Provide Freelance Services.
Perhaps you are a skilled coder and programmer. Why not create some side gigs and hustles and offer these services online?
21. Add Consulting Services.
Are your readers always asking you for advice or assistance with something? Then why not offer consulting services where you can charge by the hour?
22. Become a Trainer.
Perhaps you don’t have enough material that’s concise enough and well put together to offer an online course.
One of the best ways to develop it into a course is to become an online trainer. You can develop your course while training others on particular skills that you would like to be teaching in a course.
So you can develop an online course while getting paid for it at the same time by becoming a trainer.
23. Sell Physical Products.
Have a hobby or craft? Why not sell your own wares on your own WordPress website?
24. Start an ecommerce store.
Want to sell some products that you think your readers might enjoy? Why not open up an ecommerce store with WooCommerce?
With WooCommerce you can add an ecommerce store and offer a variety of products to your readers. Usually with ecommerce stores the profit margins are quite high.
But be aware, you will have to purchase the products and store them as well as ship them to your end customers.
25. Sell Personally Branded Merch.
Why not sell T-shirts, mugs, hoodies and all kinds of personally branded “Merch” from your WordPress website? You can use a print on demand service like printful.com to get started.
26. Add a Dropshipping Store.
Adding WooCommerce to your WordPress website can open up a variety of ecommerce opportunities. One of them being adding a Dropshipping store.
Unlike traditional ecommerce stores with drop-shipping you can display products on your website, take orders and connect them to your suppliers.
You set up a payment gateway and your suppliers do the rest, including packaging and shipping the goods to your customers.
The profit margins are a little less than more traditional ecommerce setups, but you also have low up front costs since you don’t have to buy or store any inventory nor have to package and ship the goods out yourself since it’s all done by your suppliers.
27. Create an Auctions Website.
Have some items or know how to obtain some items that you think your readers would like? Perhaps your readers have their own collectibles within your niche that they would like to sell? Well why not set up an auction’s website for these items?
You can set up an auction feature on your WordPress website through a few simple plugins.
28. Become a WordPress Designer or Developer.
Do you have a talent for designing and developing your own WordPress website? Then why not become a WordPress developer?
There are loads of courses that will teach you all the basics that you will need to know, including: PHP, HTML, CSS and even JavaScript.
You can easily find both free and paid courses as well as tutorials that will turn you into a full fledged WordPress developer. Then you can sell your services to other WordPress enthusiasts and website owners.
29. Create and Develop WordPress Plugins.
As you can see by looking at WordPress.org there are well over 50,000 WordPress plugins. Each plugin solves or serves a specific need.
However, perhaps you have come across an issue or would like a feature that current plugins aren’t addressing. Then why not create and develop your own WordPress plugin?
You can make a free version available on WordPress.org, but also include a premium or paid version. WordPress.org gives WordPress plugin developers, as well as theme developers, free exposure in return for offering a free version of their plugin or theme.
30. Sell WordPress Themes.
If you’re a WordPress enthusiast like I am or have a lot of compliments on your current WordPress theme, then why not become an affiliate for that theme or several themes and sell them on your WordPress website.
You can make hefty commissions by selling WordPress themes as an affiliate by simply displaying them on your website.
If you love your WordPress theme, then why not spread the word and make a little extra cash in the process.
31. Accept Donations.
Ever heard of Patreon? Patreon is a service which allows you to collect donations from your fans and readers of your WordPress website.
It’s pretty easy to set up a Patreon account too.
Once you have set up an account, let your readers know that their contributions can help you continue providing all that great and free content that they enjoy.
There’s nothing wrong with your readers becoming your patrons. Afterall, the Medici’s were famous patrons of DaVinci and Michelangelo.
32. Start a Freelance Writing Business.
Are you a natural scribe? Put your talents to work offering freelance writing, proofreading and editing services.
33. Create and sell WordPress Courses.
Have you personally solved some issues with WordPress? You’d be surprised how valuable those solutions to your WordPress issues may be for other WordPress users. So why not create and sell WordPress courses on just that?
Perhaps you found solutions to your WordPress issues from a course yourself. Become an affiliate for that valuable WordPress course and offer it to your readers so they can benefit as well.
34. Start a Blog Setup Service.
You’d be surprised that even though WordPress continues to evolve and become easier and easier for absolute beginners to set up their own blog, that many either still don’t want to bother or spend the time to personally set up their own blog or website.
Yet they still want a presence on the internet. So why not do it for them? Offer a blog set up service.
35. Offer Website Maintenance Services.
If you are going to go into a Blog Setup Service or become a full fledged WordPress developer, then why not offer your clients “website maintenance services”.
Basically you make sure that all their security, WordPress updates, plugin updates as well as optimizations are maintained to keep their website running smoothly.
36. Provide SEO & Marketing Services.
Everybody wants traffic. If you know something about SEO and how to promote a website, it’s content as well as its products and services, then why not offer this to businesses who know they need a website and presence on the web, but aren’t familiar with how to bring traffic and paying customers to their website and business on the internet?
You can offer them services like SEO writing or making their current content more SEO friendly. You can also offer to run their social media campaigns as well as their online advertising campaigns in order to drive traffic and business to their website.
37. Offer WordPress Security Consulting Services.
All WordPress websites need security. Perhaps you’ve learned a thing or two about WordPress security with your own WordPress website or blog.
You would be surprised at just how vulnerable most WordPress websites are these days. All it takes is one hack to cause havoc for a WordPress website.
Why not offer your services as a WordPress security consultant? Make sure their website is using the latest firewalls, plugins and other defensive measures to protect their WordPress website against nefarious characters and security risks.
38. Build and sell WordPress Themes.
Instead of selling someone else’s WordPress themes. Why not create your own theme? Once you learn how to become a WordPress developer, after learning PHP, HTML and CSS as well as some JavaScript, you can create your own WordPress themes and sell them.
39. Provide WordPress Theme Customizations.
Are you pretty good with making some customizations to your own WordPress theme? Perhaps you already know PHP or at least enough PHP to make theme customizations.
They’re not why not offer this service to others by providing WordPress theme customizations to their themes as well.
40. Become a Web Hosting Reseller.
Did you know that you can easily set up your own Web Hosting service? That’s right. Many Web Hosting Providers offer what’s called a “Reseller” plan. With a reseller account you simply buy up a certain amount of disk space on a server. Then you can offer to host other websites on your piece of that server.
Maintenance of the server as well as the other technical aspects of hosting are provided by your web host.
But you can rebrand and sell hosting under your own brand name and bill accordingly. The profit margins can be quite nice. This is a great add-on if you become a WordPress Developer or even start a Blog Set Up service.
You can not only set up someone’s blog, but you can host it for them as well and collect a monthly, quarterly or even yearly web hosting fee.
41. Create a Premium Podcast.
Podcasts are all the rage these days. Although platforms like YouTube, Spotify and Apple seem to be the dominant players in this space, they still haven’t cornered the market.
You too can create your own premium podcast right in your WordPress website. There are basically two ways you can do this.
You can either create a YouTube channel and start a podcast there. Then embed the podcast directly into your WordPress website. That’s the easy way and will save you a bit of money on hosting.
Or you can install one of several plugins to host your own podcast on your WordPress website. You can also charge your listeners to be premium podcast members.
WordPress does pay, now it’s your turn.
I hope that this post has at least given you ideas to consider in making WordPress pay for you. Obviously, I didn’t go into great detail into each of these ideas. That’s up to you.
The opportunities are certainly out there to make WordPress pay off.
WordPress does pay, the only question is, can it pay for you?
