Boost Your WordPress Earnings: Insider Tips from WPMarmite Founder Alex Borto

What are the most effective monetization models for a WordPress site in your view?

Like any other site, anything can work. Using WordPress doesn’t inherently offer any special advantages for monetization. It ultimately depends on what the project holders intend to do.

Possible monetization options with WordPress include:

• e-commerce through WooCommerce: for selling physical or digital products (workshops, training, files) or subscriptions. Using Stripe as a payment gateway and additional plugins to calculate VAT and generate invoices, one can start on a reasonable budget.
• affiliate marketing: this is how I started and continue to monetize WPMarmite. Beginners often think of Amazon, but there are dozens of programs on platforms like Awin. Direct partnerships can also monetize a site.
• advertising: if your site attracts significant traffic (via Discover, for example), you can generate ad revenue through various networks (AdSense, Ezoic).
• sponsored content: in most niches, once you’ve established some authority, you have the opportunity to sell sponsored content. Companies may commission articles or pages for publishing. This can be done directly by contacting brand partnership managers, or through platforms like Soumettre or SEMJuice. Selling links is also an option.
• lead generation: if you manage to reach a specific audience, you can forward leads to partners for a fee.

In my view, affiliate marketing and advertising are still relevant, though sponsored content and influencer marketing have also carved out their share.

What WordPress plugins would you recommend for setting up a subscription system and/or premium content?

One could utilize WooCommerce’s additional extensions such as Subscriptions for subscriptions, and Memberships for managing member access to premium content.

However, there are several interesting alternatives. Some are competitors to WooCommerce, like SureCart. Others specialize in membership areas like MemberPress. There are also LMS (Learning Management System) options like LearnDash for creating and selling online course platforms.

Which would you recommend for selling products or services online?

WooCommerce is the quintessential plugin for selling on WordPress. It has many benefits, but over time, it has rested on its laurels, allowing competitors like SureCart to offer a better user and end-customer experience (almost like a Shopify within WordPress).

To have a functional or advanced setup in WooCommerce, it is necessary to use many additional paid plugins. With SureCart, one can enjoy native or pro version features at a significantly lower cost.

Nevertheless, WooCommerce is not out of the game. There are exciting developments happening behind the scenes.

Beyond WooCommerce’s flaws, it has one undeniable advantage: complete independence from any platform. With SureCart, it’s necessary to connect to their platform to operate your store, and each order processed will go through their servers.

Before launching your store, carefully weigh the pros and cons with the information now at your disposal.

What role does AI play in monetizing a WordPress site in your opinion?

In my opinion, a “smart” use of AI is essential to stay competitive. If you ask ChatGPT to draft content with a simplistic prompt, you’ll get nothing but warmed-over content that already exists. However, if you have a process and data to enrich the content being produced, it will be much more relevant.

At WPMarmite, we have generated different types of pages using AI, fresh data, and automation. Automation (via an AI Agent) can also be used to re-contact prospects and make offers that match their needs and maturity levels.

These new tools offer unlimited opportunities! The key is to identify the right ones and implement them effectively.

How did you succeed in your monetization strategy with WPMarmite?

When I launched the site in 2011, affiliate marketing was the main revenue source (along with WordPress service offerings). Over time, we began selling digital products (ebooks and training). We also started forming partnerships to publish sponsored content (on the site and our YouTube channel). However, we never explored advertising through ad networks.

As a web user, I hate being bombarded with ads and I don’t want to subject our audience to that (thankfully, plugins like Adblock help!).

Yet, this model works for media like Presse Citron and other sites in their group (which use WordPress). Numerama, for instance, offers its readers subscriptions to support them and enhance their experience.

What would be your first piece of advice for a professional looking to launch their WordPress site in the fall of 2025, to start an effective monetization strategy without spreading themselves too thin?

My first piece of advice would be to focus on a specific niche and optimize for SEO from the outset with the E-E-A-T guidelines in mind (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness). The goal is to become an essential brand for your target audience.

To achieve this, WordPress alone won’t be enough. You need to go where your audience is, which means engaging on social media and YouTube.

Your WordPress site should be the headquarters of your brand but not the only element of your strategy.

For monetization, start with affiliate marketing to keep it simple. You can also generate leads or sell directly to your visitors (depending on your project).

In any case, emerging as a brand in a niche will require substantial effort. Today, we are fortunate to have AI at our disposal to boost productivity, so go for it!