How Does an Online Magazine Work?

How Does an Online Magazine Work?

Background
The popularity and ease of use of the Internet have made online magazines a much more affordable alternative to traditional magazine publishing. An online magazine is essentially a website that contains articles, information and advertisements, just like a traditional print magazine. Many publishers have been able to create and run highly successful magazines on the Internet, because technology has significantly reduced the barriers to entry of this industry. While starting up a print magazine could require millions of dollars in capital, launching an online magazine can be accomplished with as little as a few hundred dollars.


The Basics
An online magazine starts with a domain name and a website hosting account. The publisher then either designs the look of the website or hires a web designer to create an attractive layout. Often, a web designer may install what is known as a content management system, which allows the publisher to add new content to the website without having to have web design and coding skills. If this type of system is not installed, the magazine publisher may have a web designer on staff or on a contract basis who is responsible for uploading articles and other content to the website.

Content Creation
A traditional magazine is released on a periodic basis, whether it's monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly or less often. An online magazine has the advantage of being able to add new articles and features whenever they become available, although some prefer to continue operating on a deadline-driven and scheduled basis. The articles may be written by the publisher, staff writers or freelance writers, and will focus on information realted to the general theme of the magazine. For example, an online magazine related to health and wellness might contain articles about losing weight, exercising or healthy foods.


How the Magazine Makes Money
Traditional magazines charge consumers for subscriptions, although most don't actually make any money in this manner. Most of the profit a magazine makes come from advertising revenue, and that's exactly how an online magazine makes money as well. The publisher or a sales representative typically approaches companies that sell products that would be of interest to the magazine's readers to try to sell them advertising space. With an online magazine, that usually means banner advertisements or other space next to the articles and other content on the website.
The Types of Advertising

There are three types of advertisements that you might see in an online magazine. The first is the traditional model of magazine advertising, where the advertiser pays a set fee to have a specified advertisement appear in the magazine for a set period of time. The second is known as affiliate advertising. With affiliate advertising, the advertiser does not pay an upfront fee, but pays a percentage of a sale or a set price each time a customer makes a purchase through a particular advertisement. The third type of advertisement is called pay-per-click advertising, where the advertiser pays the publisher a set amount each time a visitor clicks on an advertisement, regardless of whether a purchase is actually made.