Options to monetize a niche content site

[Metcalfe]

I have been looking round the board and learning heaps, but I am wondering how this works:

Let's say you have a niche content site, it's not too small but it's not huge either. And let's further say we are getting traffic organically from stumbleupon and social networking as well as google ranking.

What are the monetization options available and how do you optimise the site to take advantage of it.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few ways, so bear with me and feel free to lol when I get it wrong

Ads
Plain old simple banner/text ads paying a cpc/cpm rate

Ebay
Links to ebay auctions relevant to your niche and earning when someone reads your content then buys on ebay

Amazon
Links to amazon.com products relevant to your niche, when people buy, earn small commission

Affiliate Marketing Offers
Somehow integrate an AM offer into your site

Subscription Premium services
People pay for more exclusive content

Donations
You beg and pray

Google Search Box
I have heard of this but don't know how it pays you money


So a couple of Questions:
What am I missing? What are the other options?

What sort of traffic is required for each to be profitable?

 

[amanda11]

Keep it simple.

Have a presell page offering some CPA (free trial diet pill for example)

Add some adsense

Presell some clickbank books

Rinse and repeat.

Don't always look for the "big hit". Keep it small. For example, say a website earns you $5 a day (not hard to do) -- that's $150 a month. 10 of these sites going and you're generating $1500.

20 of these sites and you're $3000.

Just do it.

 

[butcher]

Google search box is a good way to earn a little extra. Log onto your account and go to custom search, this adds your adsense to the search box giving you extra income from clicks. I add this to most sites as its an easy way to offer search for visitors and rather than a visitor clicking back they may do a web search from your site and click an ad. You wont make a fortune but it all helps. As amanda11 said, rinse and repeat.

 

[deejne]

Google search box is a good way to earn a little extra. Log onto your account and go to custom search, this adds your adsense to the search box giving you extra income from clicks. I add this to most sites as its an easy way to offer search for visitors and rather than a visitor clicking back they may do a web search from your site and click an ad. You wont make a fortune but it all helps. As amanda11 said, rinse and repeat.

I agree, Google search box is always nice

 

[EmJay]

Google offers all sorts of things, yes ads, yes search box, but also you can display youtube videos on your site with ads (for a category - not specific videos afaik) and also if you have alot of feed subscribers there is always google's ads for feeds.

To be honest though it depends on your niche. Some sites PPC like google ads will be more profitable, and others, linking to affiliate ads might make more. Just have to look around and see whats out there.

Good luck!