But What Do I Sell?

What to Offer Online

Starting an online business begins with a simple question: what will you sell? Once you have a website and a steady stream of visitors, the next step is turning that traffic into revenue. Most online ventures can be grouped into two categories – products and services – and the choices within those categories are wide open. Below we walk through the most common paths and give you a realistic sense of what each option looks like, how much effort it takes, and what the potential returns are.

Products are tangible or digital items that you hand over to a customer after payment. In the digital age, physical goods are increasingly less common because shipping and inventory costs add complexity. Instead, the easiest products to sell are those that can be delivered instantly over the internet. Think software, e‑books, video courses, printable templates, or subscription‑based digital tools.

When you decide to sell software or information products, you can approach it from four angles. Each has a different time horizon and a different share of the profit. The first step is always to decide what you’re comfortable creating or buying and then to match that to a business model that aligns with your skill set.

1. Build it from scratch – This is the classic route. You write a piece of software, develop a CGI script, or write an e‑book yourself. The advantage is complete control and 100% of the profits. The downside is that it can take months of work before you can launch a product that customers will buy. If you’re an experienced coder or writer, the learning curve is shorter; if you’re new, consider partnering with someone who can take on the technical side while you focus on content and marketing.

2. Affiliate marketing – Here you promote other people’s products and earn a commission on each sale. You can find affiliates on platforms like ClickBank, JVZoo, or Amazon Associates. The benefit is speed: you can start earning almost immediately because the product already exists. The trade‑off is that you never own the product; you share the revenue with the original creator and the commission rate can be low (often 20–50%). Affiliate marketing is ideal for those who want to focus on traffic generation rather than product development.

3. Multi‑level marketing (MLM) – If you have a natural talent for networking, an MLM plan may be tempting. You sell products and recruit others, earning a share of their sales. MLM can provide a large network of sellers, but it carries a reputation risk and the earnings structure is often complicated. Before diving in, research the company thoroughly and consider whether you want to become a distributor or simply sell the products.

4. Resell rights – Many creators offer digital products with “resell rights” that allow you to sell the product and keep the entire margin. You pay a one‑time fee or a small royalty and then list the product on your site, sometimes with your own branding. Sites such as eBookWholesale.com or Gumroad.com provide a marketplace where you can find products with resell rights. The key is to choose products that fit your niche and offer real value; otherwise, customers will not purchase them.

For many newcomers, the most straightforward path is a combination of affiliate links for immediate cash flow and a resell rights product that can be added to the catalog once you have a few dozen paying customers. Over time, you can invest the profits into creating your own software or e‑books. Remember, the real asset you’re building is the audience. A well‑targeted list of engaged visitors is worth far more than any single product you can offer.

Services involve providing expertise or labor in exchange for a fee. The services you can sell online are almost limitless, from consulting and coaching to graphic design and website development. The advantage of services is that they often have a higher price point and a stronger relationship with the customer. The downside is that they require ongoing effort and you may have limited scalability compared to digital products.

Two common service models for a website owner are advertising space and paid memberships. In the next section, we dive deeper into how to monetize your traffic through ads and subscriptions, and we give you practical pricing strategies that have worked for others in the same space.

Turning Traffic into Revenue

Once you have a steady flow of visitors, the real work begins: turning those clicks into money. Two of the most reliable revenue streams are advertising and paid membership or subscription models. They complement each other because one relies on your traffic volume while the other relies on the depth of your audience’s engagement.

Advertising space is a natural fit for any site that publishes regular content - blogs, newsletters, or even a simple static page with updates. The first rule is to build a decent audience before you start selling ad slots. A minimum of 1,000 subscribers is a good benchmark. Until you hit that number, offer a few free ads to attract advertisers and create a cycle where they see the benefits of a small budget and are more likely to return with larger campaigns. You can also swap ads with other publishers; that helps keep the traffic flowing in both directions.

When you’re ready to charge, avoid the temptation to fill every slot with a new ad. More ads dilute value, reduce click‑through rates, and drive advertisers away. A clean, focused layout gives each ad a chance to be noticed and remembered. Instead, set a price per thousand subscribers (CPM) and let demand guide you. For instance, you might start with $3.00 CPM and monitor how many spots sell. If you can’t fill the inventory, lower the price. If you’re overbooked, consider raising the rate slightly or limiting the number of ads per page.

Pricing also depends on niche specificity. An email newsletter about advanced spreadsheet tricks for accountants will allow a higher CPM than a general marketing newsletter because the former audience is highly targeted and valuable to financial software companies. In other words, the quality of the audience matters more than the raw number of subscribers. Keep this in mind when negotiating rates and when positioning your site to potential advertisers.

Beyond display ads, consider selling “solo mailings.” These are targeted email blasts that you send to your list on behalf of a business. Because they are highly targeted, advertisers often pay a premium. Be mindful that your subscribers may view solo mailings as spam. To mitigate churn, include an opt‑in for these specific promotions or keep the frequency low. Many newsletters give a small discount on their own subscription to readers who accept solo mailings; that can be a good incentive.

Paid memberships or subscriptions are the next layer of revenue. They work best when you already have a loyal audience that sees daily value in your content. A simple way to create a paid zone is to use your web host’s built‑in password protection or a third‑party plugin. The goal is to isolate premium content behind a paywall while keeping free content accessible. A monthly fee - say, $9.95 - often feels more affordable than a yearly subscription, especially if you allow easy cancellation. Many subscribers are willing to pay a small monthly amount if the content feels exclusive and actionable.

To automate billing, integrate a payment processor like Stripe or PayPal. These services can handle recurring charges, send receipts, and allow subscribers to update their payment methods. The automation frees you from manual invoicing and reduces the risk of abandoned carts.

Regardless of the revenue channel, the core principle is the same: provide value first. Your content is the hook that draws people in. Once you’ve earned their trust, they’ll be more willing to buy from you or allow you to sell on their behalf. Quality content also attracts better advertisers and justifies higher CPM rates. Remember, if your audience is large but uninterested, no amount of advertising will convert. If you’re a hobbyist, keep the focus on learning and enjoy the process. If you want to make a profit, build a real relationship with your readers, give them something useful, and then offer them the product or service that completes the value chain.