You’re an athlete looking to make money with NIL. But you’re not quite sure where to start.
Or maybe you’re already making money with NIL, but want to find some additional ways to supplement the income.
A website is a great place to start.
I started College Athlete Insight, while I was still playing basketball at Boston University.
It now brings in over $6,000/month thanks to ads, products, affiliates, and promoted content.
Here’s how you can create a website for free and start making money with NIL.
Your Website is the Home Base
Having a website is like having a home on the internet.
It is a central location that connects you to the digital world.
Anytime someone searches your name, the website should show up. This is not only SEO gold, but growth hacking 101.
The website helps redirect everyone to your:
- Social media accounts
- Ecommerce stores
- Events
It informs people about you and what you’re doing. The trust and connection it will build can’t be understated either.
Let’s first get into how to set up your website and then I’ll show you how to start making passive income with it.
Setting Up Your Website
There are tons of website builders available on the web.
With a search across the internet you’ll come across Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, and more.
All of them will work fine.
From my experiences, WordPress or Shopify are your best options. Wix is great for a 100% free site, but it includes their name in the domain.
Shopify
Signing up for Shopify is easy. Visit shopify.com and enter your email for a free trial.
They’ll take you through all the steps.
The process takes about 10 minutes and allows you to customize everything.
I would choose Shopify if you plan on selling products at some point and aren’t worried about blogging.
Wix
Wix has a sign up process similar to Shopify’s as it’s very straightforward.
You can get a 100% free website here at Wix.com.
If you like the free version, but want more features you can always upgrade to a more advanced plan later on.
Those plans start at $14/month, which is reasonable for all that it includes.
I would choose Wix if you want to start out with a 100% free website and lots of customization options.
WordPress
This website “College Athlete Insight” is built on WordPress and hosted by Bluehost.
However, setting up a website this way is a little more complicated and involves you to be more tech-savvy.
I would use this to set up your WordPress site: “How to Make a WordPress Website in 2021 – Step by Step (free)”
Ultimately it doesn’t matter which website option you choose.
I would choose WordPress if you want 100% control over your website and plan on writing blog posts.
Making Money With Your Website
There are a ton of ways to monetize your website and start making money.
Ads
It is super easy to set up Google Adsense account, which will automatically display ads across your site.
Once you start to drive more traffic you can sign up for an ad network or sell ad spaces individually.
E-commerce
Once your website is driving traffic you can sell your own products on there.
I have sold thousands of copies of The College Recruiting Guidebook on this website.
Maybe you want to sell merchandise, apparel, autographs, or digital products like an e-book.
Affiliate Products
An underrated way to make money with your website is through affiliate products.
You can include them in blog posts or sell them in the e-commerce store.
I currently do both.
There are dozens of affiliate networks, I like to use the Amazon affiliate program and Clickbank.
Consultations
Offer 1-on-1 coaching sessions.
This is determined by your niche, but is a great way to monetize the site.
Subscriptions
Another way to monetize is by hosting subscription-based content.
This requires an engaged audience and can become very profitable once set up.
Charge $4.99/month or just use Twitter’s new feature – Super Follows.
Set up your website today
Grab your computer. Put in your Airpods. Get a nice cold bev. And start setting up your website today.
Don’t put it off. It will take 15 minutes at most and it lasts a lifetime.
You can change everything so don’t be worried about making a mistake. Besides for your domain name – that lasts forever. So take that seriously.
Have fun with this!
Let me know if you have any questions. Your website is going to look awesome!
