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4 Replies Last post: Jul 29, 2008 8:49 PM by A_Ellicott

Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website

Jul 22, 2008 8:23 AM

jboykin2006 2 posts since
Nov 9, 2007

My question is simple yet complex. I am eager to get started on an internet business and will be starting a business plan next month for a site that I would like to operate such as www.ratemyprofessor.com. Anyone has access to this community site to view and generate thier opinions about certain college teachers. I understand you can pay for an extended service to view all profiles but I want to create a free to use site for anyone. I am wondering what are the internet segments (market segments) to generate revenue such as the site above. How do they make money and what are different ways that internet businesses make money??? (advertising, if what kind? How does it work?) Things along these lines! Thanks for anyones help!

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LUCKIEST 7,912 posts since
Aug 6, 2007

1. Re: Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website Jul 22, 2008 8:35 AM

Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website, Welcome Jim.

Great question and yes I will also be interested in the answers you receive.

Once you create FREE (and everybody loves FREE) how do you make or generate revenue??.

I am a SCORE Counselor and SCORE is FREE (if you need help with your business plan)

Good luck, LUCKIEST

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amspcs 503 posts since
Oct 18, 2007

2. Re: Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website Jul 22, 2008 9:24 AM

Marketing to the college market can be very lucrative. My son and roomate had a dorm-room eBay business selling school-themed hats and such and did very well. Monitization does not have to result from receiving payment from the people who use your site. You use Google Adwords or something similar which generates ads appropriate to your page theme on the page, and you get paid when people click on the ad.. Of course, there are other non-direct ways of generating revenue from a website as well; I suggest you thoroughly investigate the subject and do your homework, which is a suggestion that applies to any potential commercial venture.

Of course, getting a website up and running is priority one. We used a Canadian based outfit SBI we are very happy with..easy, affordable and effective. . See what they offer at http://buildit.sitesell.com/Barry40.html
Also have a quick peek at our page to see what the finished product looks like.

Good luck

AMSPCS
www.MerchantServices-help.com

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jboykin2006 2 posts since
Nov 9, 2007

3. Re: Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website Jul 29, 2008 8:15 AM

Thanks, I checked out SCORE and some others to help direct along the path.

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A_Ellicott 48 posts since
Jul 11, 2008

4. Re: Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website Jul 29, 2008 8:49 PM

I've got two college-age kids so I have heard of the ratemyprofessor site. The obvious generator for free websites is paid ads on the site. Another idea would be to come up with a cool logo and catch-phrase to put on t-shirts etc. for the kids to buy. Something like "My professor sucks" with a funny cartoon figure or something? Another idea would be some kind of partnership with companies that strive to reach that market. Perhaps as a condition of signing in to the service the students provide a verifiable e-mail. You then sell those e-mail addresses to companies?

One other thing. Do not try to save money on the website design. You need an absolutely killer website to attract and keep the attention of this group. I would seriously consider investing some major bucks in both marketing and website development.

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Generating Revenue through a Free to Use Website

Jul 22, 2008 8:23 AM

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