Case study: How to make $4,000+ with an Education Website
Have you ever wanted to turn a simple idea into a money-making website?
Today’s case study is all about a publisher who did exactly that!
The idea for this website was born when our Nigerian publisher was studying computer science in his second year of university. He noticed how difficult it was for students to find reliable exam information and school news and decided to do something about it.
“The idea of creating the site came to me when I was in my second year at university. As a computer science student, I wanted to make an education site students like me could get exam updates and school news,”
He turned to the Internet to learn everything he needed to build a website with this information, and his dedication paid off.
Within 3 years, his website went from an idea to helping thousands of students stay updated and prepared for the exams. More impressively, he earned over $4,000 using Monetag to monetize the site.
Want to know how he made it happen?
Read on to find out!
Overview
- Site type: Educational website providing exam updates, school news, and study materials.
- Traffic acquisition strategy:
- Search traffic
- Social traffic (Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook)
- Referral traffic
- Monetization format: Popunders, Smartlink, Vignette ads
- Results in 1 month: Over $4,000 in earnings
- Top GEOs: Nigeria, United States, Ghana
- Impressions: Over 1 million
- CPM: Varies, up to $15.52
- Daily profit: High daily profits, peaking at $450 on specific days
Getting started: Setting up a valuable education website
Setting up a valuable website isn’t easy. Every novice webmaster will face initial challenges. For our publisher, he didn’t know anything about web design.
Still, he didn’t back down. He turned to the Internet, learning everything he needed from YouTube tutorials and Google searches.
“When creating the site, I faced some challenges because I didn’t know much about website design in 2021.
However, with the help of YouTube and Google, I managed to get it done and later improved the site.”
Armed with newfound skills, he launched the website and filled it with content about exam schedules, study tips, and school news.
But launching the site was just the beginning. He needed to attract visitors and keep them coming back.
Gaining traction: Growing traffic and engagement
Our publisher focused primarily on organic, timely, and community-driven methods of traffic acquisition:
“I primarily rely on posting relevant school content and examination updates. I share this content on my Telegram channel, WhatsApp groups and channels, and Facebook groups. I do not currently use paid advertising on Facebook.
I also worked on SEO by optimizing my content with relevant keywords, ensuring my website is user-friendly, and regularly updating the site with fresh and useful information to improve my search engine rankings.”
In summary, his initial approach to gaining traction focused on SEO and Social media:
- SEO: He optimized his content with relevant keywords, ensured the website was mobile-friendly, and built quality backlinks. This made it easier for students to find the site through search engines.
- Social media: He actively engaged users on platforms like Telegram (30k+ subscribers), WhatsApp (21,000 subscribers), and Facebook (5,5k subscribers), where he shared updates and valuable information almost daily. Every Telegram post has about 7,000 views, while Facebook posts gain about 20-30 likes, which is a pretty good engagement rate. These channels helped build a loyal following and drove significant traffic to the site.
Monetization techniques: How our publisher monetized his site
Once the traffic started rolling in, the next step was to turn those visits into revenue. The publisher implemented three of Monetag’s monetization ad formats to achieve this:
- Popunders
- Direct links (Smartlinks) – added to the website buttons
- Vignette ads
Monetag played an important role in transforming the website into a profitable venture.
The data from our publisher’s analytics reveals how Monetag monetization formats drove significant earnings:
The highest number of impressions and profits came from Nigeria, with over 1 million impressions and a profit of $4,108.585. Other notable countries included the United States and Ghana, which showed high profitability per impression.
Daily performance
On days like May 21, 2024, the site saw a massive spike in traffic with 112,359 impressions, resulting in $450.013 in profit, likely due to the dates of West African Examination Council exams results on Financial Accounting.
CPM rates
The CPM varied, with the highest being 15.52 on May 25, 2024, indicating very high profitability per 1,000 impressions.
Understanding the audience
The primary audience for the publisher’s website is students seeking school updates and examination information.
“Our audience primarily consists of students seeking school updates and examination information. They particularly enjoy content related to exam schedules, study tips, and school news.
Most of the users are from Nigeria and other African countries, and traffic spikes are common during exam periods and major school announcements.”
The traffic spikes are reflected in our publisher’s revenue data, as well as his web traffic data.
Our publisher’s real-time data from Google Analytics also revealed high engagement during peak times. For instance, the site saw over 2,600 users in a 30-minute period on certain days.
Choosing Monetag to monetize
The choice to use Monetag over other platforms was deliberate, according to our publisher:
“We have tried other monetization platforms. However, we chose Monetag because they offer several advantages. Monetag provides a fast payout method, which is crucial for maintaining cash flow.
Additionally, their terms are favorable in many aspects, such as higher CPM rates, better ad quality, and more effective customer support. Overall, Monetag has proven to be more reliable and beneficial for our monetization needs”.
Advice from our publisher
With a steady flow of traffic and effective monetization strategies in place, our publisher has turned his educational website into a successful and profitable venture.
But how does he keep his audience engaged and ensure continuous growth?
Here’s his advice on running, and making money from an educational site:
1. Keep content relevant and valuable
“Publishers who want to replicate our success with Monetag should ensure their content is relevant, informative, and valuable to their audience. Regularly update their site with fresh content to keep users engaged,”
For an educational website, this means providing the latest exam schedules, study tips, and school news that students need.
2. Optimize for search engines
SEO is crucial for attracting organic traffic, according to our publisher:
“Optimize your website for search engines by using relevant keywords, creating quality backlinks, and ensuring your site is user-friendly and mobile-optimized.”
These practices help improve the site’s visibility on search engines, making it easier for students to find the information they’re looking for.
He also recommends sharing content across social media platforms is essential for reaching a broader audience.
“Share your content on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Facebook groups to drive traffic to your site,”
Social media channels are great for building a community and keeping users informed about the latest updates.
4. Use analytics to inform decisions
To continuously improve your site, it’s important to track performance and user behavior:
“Use analytics tools to track your website’s performance and user behavior. Use this data to make informed decisions and continuously improve your site,”
Analytics provide insights into what content resonates most with your audience and helps identify areas for improvement.
Ready to turn your idea into a money-making website?
Our publisher’s story reveals how any idea can transform into a profitable venture, no matter how simple. Even when faced with obstacles like a lack of web design knowledge, our publisher was able to build a website that helps thousands of students and earns substantial revenue.
If you’re a publisher looking to replicate this success, remember these key tips: keep your content relevant and valuable, optimize for search engines, leverage social media, and use analytics to inform your decisions.
Are you ready to turn your idea into a money-making website? With Monetag’s support, you can achieve impressive results too!
