Build your website to sell downloadable files

Most third-party marketplaces charge you a pretty penny for listing your items on their platform. On top of that, they have the following additional payment fees ranging from 0. So by listing on your own site, you enjoy the advantages of using your own charging model i. The only fee you may have to worry about is the payment processing fee, which makes finances beautifully simple with your own website. By using your own site, you also have the freedom to customize your selling experience, keeping the design, functionality, and nurturing process all on your terms.

As you can see, the product -- a gardening kit -- looks generic, which makes it difficult to stand out from your competition, and there are numerous link and menu option distractions at the top that can derail your audience from converting. Whereas if you host your products through an all-in-one platform like Podia, you get a sleek, customizable design with your own subdomain and branding. When you use your own website, you also have the opportunity to track and nurture your visitors through their buyer journeys.

You can interact with them at various touchpoints, find out more about their buying behaviors, and accommodate their individual needs. Typically, there are several digital and physical touchpoints that a customer typically encounters throughout their buyer journey:. And how important is personalized vs. Pretty important. But we have one more pro for you in this category. Because content management systems CMS like WordPress are designed for flexibility, their core architecture is very basic aka slightly more robust than a blog.

Some of the bells and whistles you may want to incorporate include: a widget to accept payments, log-in area, a way to view and manage your hosted content, a backend tracking system, and so on and so forth. Curious about how WordPress stacks up for selling online courses? Check out our earlier article comparing the pros and cons of using WordPress. OK, but how do marketplaces stand up against out three pros and one con for selling on your own website?

Etsy receives over million visits per six months:. While Shopify brings in over And Amazon attracts 2. Other features include discounts and coupons, an affiliate program, and promotional freebies. Sell for a fixed price, pay-what-you-want pricing, or even accept donations.

E-junkie also supports the sale of physical products with tax and shipping calculation and inventory management. It features discount codes and download activity tracking.

Set the file download limit and link expiration. Access the built-in reporting platform to easily view stats and make custom reports. PayLoadz lets you sell downloadable items such as software, music, movies, PDFs, templates, files, and anything else that can be downloaded.

Use button codes and links to sell on social media or your website. Deliver your products instantly after payment. Integrates with eBay for digital goods auctions. Supports over countries and over 20 currencies. Customers can pay with credit or debit cards, e-checks, ACH transfers, or directly into your own PayPal account. Pulley is a solution to sell downloadable products, such as digital art, music, videos, fonts, ebooks, and software.

Money goes directly to your PayPal account. Don't need a video-playing web page? Turn it off. You have complete freedom to define the simplicity, or complexity, of your website. Build your website With MadBeeTech you get your own. The MadBeeTech website builder software is included with every website.

From your private administration area you easily define the theme, or overall look, of your site. Then you enter text and optionally upload graphics to give your site the content you want.

It's all point-and-click — there's never any HTML or programming involved. In no time at all you'll have your own e-commerce site.

Promote your online business When you sign up for your website MadBeeTech submits your site to all the major search engines, including Google. Have you ever considered selling digital products such as books, tutorials, videos, etc. After all, blogging is hard work. How to Sell Digital Downloads: Summary. Etsy Key Features. Those looking to sell fast. Not only is it cheaper than other ecommerce builders, with higher quality templates to emphasize digital products, but it also: Has the digital product option built in, while other builders like Shopify require an app Offers time-sensitive download links that expire in 24 hours, to minimize unauthorized sharing Squarespace also offers unlimited storage space on every plan, which is perfect for keeping multiple digital products in your store.

Squarespace Key Features. Those who want the most personalized store. Check out our in-depth Squarespace Review for more information Use our Squarespace Pricing Review to choose your best fit plan.

WordPress Key Features. Those who plan to scale their store. The most popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress is WooCommerce — but if you only want to sell digital downloads, then WooCommerce is actually not your best option. Use SEO best practices SEO is often the deciding factor in whether or not your products will get the viewership that they deserve.

There are a few simple actions you can take to help your products stand out: Use keywords. Give your product a descriptive title tag.

A good title tag will encourage potential buyers to click. Write a dazzling product description. Add alt text to your images. Alt text is the descriptive text that appears in place of an image when it has trouble loading.

View this post on Instagram. Audible is the perfect example of how people are willing to pay for audio products. You may not be aiming for the same scale, but the basic idea is the same! Other audio products include: Audiobooks Sound effects Recorded language lessons. Juniper Print Shop sells art in multiple forms, including digital downloads. This gives customers tons of choice, and maximizes sales opportunities! Other ideas for those with the artistic touch include: Video animations Custom illustrations Printable calendars.