Web Publisher: Should You Become an Internet Entrepreneur?

If you love blogging and websites, becoming a web publisher could be a great career choice for you. What do web publishers exactly do, and how to become one? Find all the answers here.

1. Career in Web Publishing

Being an internet entrepreneur is a relatively new profession.

Web publishers publish new content on the internet, such as articles, videos, images or multimedia. They create websites, including blogs, e-commerce sites or social networks.

If you’re full of new ideas and are self-motivated, you’ll find this to be an enjoyable profession. Especially if you have a know-how of basic web design, writing and social media. Web publishers have to constantly be on their feet looking for trendy ideas, new competition or maintaining your websites.

One of the best parts of this profession is that you don’t require any degree or even specialization. Furthermore, there’s a flexibility of work hours or work from home. However, you’ll need a great deal of patience and entrepreneurial abilities, since there are no set rules of success (and very few examples). One of the bigger challenges of this career is that earnings start very late, even though there’s a very low cost of starting up.

Contents: Jump to Section

1.1 Industry/Sector

Media, internet

The websites web publishers make can cater to several different industries, but web publishers’ work in still in the digital media industry.

1.2 Social Image

Uncertain, increasingly favorable

As web publishing is a newer field of work. So explaining what exactly you do to people, including your family, will be challenging! However, most people who understand the internet place web publishers in high regard. In any case, the work you do will alter your social image. Founders of successful websites are very well-respected and a handful have often gone on to attain celebrity-status.

1.3 Reasons to Become a Web Publisher

Working from home, contributing to society, finding a creative outlet, finding a purpose/fulfillment, self-made work hours and culture.

Ability to create interesting platforms or blogs that people find useful, working for yourself from your own office/home, working on topics that you’re passionate about, flexibility of work hours, being able to work remotely (from any place), ability to make a difference in people’s lives through your websites.

2. What It Takes to Be a Web Publisher

2.1 Personality Traits Required/ Preferred

Hard working, patience, attention to detail, responsibility, basic writing skills, teamwork, ability to think of new ideas, ability to keep up with digital trends

A web publisher needs to be a jack of all trades, because she or he needs to work on so many different things, especially when the business is new. First of all, you’ll need to work very hard to get started. Websites or social media may look like fun from the outside, but creating them takes countless hours of work. So you’ll need relentlessness.

Being a good writer will also come in handy, especially because most internet entrepreneurs start by making a single blog, which they then expand to a bigger website when they hire a team of writers/coders. You’ll also need leadership abilities, because you’re a businessperson.

Some genres of websites may also require good communication skills. Lastly, since internet is an ever-evolving space, you’ll need to be creative by thinking of new ideas to keep up with your competition and changing demands of the audience.

2.2 Physical Demands

Long or odd working hours

Long working hours are an inherent part of being an entrepreneur. Websites get traffic from around the world. So if anything goes wrong, the creator needs to be working on troubleshooting, no matter what the time is. So expect your working hours to frequently extend to odd hours or after-hours.

Some genres of websites may require travel.

2.3 Psychological Demands

No time for hobbies, frequent self-doubt

Entrepreneurship requires grit and hard work. So your work will leave little to no time for outings or hobbies. Additionally, work from home or small office may encapsulate you in a tiny bubble where you communicate only with your team. This leaves little time for socialization or external activities.

Furthermore, websites often take a long time to become popular or start earning, if they do at all. This is challenging emotionally, since it leaves their creator doubting their own abilities.

3. How to Build Interest in a Career in Web Publishing

3.1 Extra Curricular Activities Recommended

Blogging, web design, social media influencing, presentation or graphic making

Starting a blog or two when you’re in school or college is a great start. Also try to learn how to build an audience on social media or how to write non-fiction. Acquiring skills like WordPress, HTML/CSS, Photoshop will also be helpful.

3.2 Related Hobbies to Take Up

Web browsing or internet reading, social media, magazine or newspaper reading

Keeping up with news will be very important, since you’ll need to know about the changes in the industry to predict how it’ll affect your business, and think of new ideas.

3.3 Related Movies/ TV Shows

Ralph Breaks the Internet

3.4 Related Fiction to Read/ Novels

Techbitch by Jo Piazza and Lucy Sykes

4. Becoming a Web Publisher

4.1.1 Courses Taken at School

Any major, English + second language

Web publishing doesn’t require any specialization. However, a good English is definitely very helpful, as is an additional language, so you can translate your websites in a local language in the future.

4.1.2 Courses Taken at College

Creative writing, journalism, web design, SEO, WordPress, HTML/CSS, social media marketing, graphic design, marketing, team management

A particular degree is not required in this profession. But the above courses will be very helpful. A working knowledge of the above mentioned topics will be required in this field. Basic web development will also be helpful.

4.2 Entrance Exams

Not required

4.3.1 Academic Qualifications/ Degree Required

Journalism or professional degree

Almost any academic qualification can be helpful, but is not required. A journalism or public relations degree can be a good choice to learn the basics of writing or social media marketing. Alternatively, you can get a degree that matches the topic you’re going to be making websites about.

4.3.2 Post-Graduate Degree Requirements/ Options

Not required.

An MBA in Marketing can be a great option.

4.4 License Required

Not required.

4.5 Internship/ Work Experience Required

Not required.

If you’d like to get a hang of this profession or gain some knowledge from a professional, working as a content-writer or assistant to a web publisher will be a great idea. This way, you’ll be able to learn the basics of the trade. Alternatively, an internship or work experience in SEO, web development or journalism can also be beneficial.

Eventually, you’ll need to learn how to lead a team. So a lot of work experience wherein you go on to be a team-leader can definitely be helpful.

4.6 Cost of Tuition and Training

Depends on the degree you go for.

4.7 Competition

Some genres of websites are rather competitive to get traffic in, so a penchant for new ideas is going to be helpful.

The internet is a very competitive place for publishers. The competition will begin once your platform starts earning, since you’ll have to maximize your website’s visitors in order to get ad clicks or sales. A long-term strategy in brand-building will be helpful, or being open to new ideas to earn more.

4.8 General Age to Start Professional Career for Internet Entrepreneurs

Can start at any age after 13.

Web publishers have started early in college, or even in their 30s. Most of them start their career in their early 20s.

4.9 Governing Bodies

None.

5. Professional Opportunities/ Career Growth for Doctors

5.1 Specializations/ Sub-Professions

Blogger, web/app developer, social media influencer, digital illustrator, freelance content author, digital marketer

Web publishers often juggle between many different roles, as do most entrepreneurs.

5.2 Companies & Institutions That Employ Web Publishers

Media, internet.

Web publishers may work for other internet companies or provide their services as freelancers in guest-articles, appearing in videos, providing consultancy or collaborating on a project.

5.3 Growth Prospects

Web entrepreneurs often start with one blog or platform, then go on to found multiple websites, apps or internet companies.

Growth prospects depend on many factors like entrepreneurial and networking abilities, solution-finding abilities, proactive nature, hard-work.

5.4 Entrepreneurship Opportunities

There are many opportunities that become available once your platform gains popularity. Web publishers can become a social media influencer through blogs or videos. They can start a digital agency or consultancy in the field of their expertise. They can also write e-books or do writing for other websites. Doing brand collaborations or starting an e-commerce venture that’ll cater to your audience are also other options.

5.5 Earnings Range

Earnings will grow slowly. Web-owners may not earn a living in the first or even second year of their careers. Usually, websites earn ₹ 0-15000 per month in their first year. This increases to anywhere between ₹ 15000-2 lacs per month within 3 years, depending on your expertise and entrepreneurial success.

Earnings depend on many factors like how much traffic your website gets, whether you’re able to earn through other venues like brand collaborations or whether you raised any funding from an investor.

6. Life as a Web Publisher

6.1 Part-Time Options

Very demanding job, not part-time.

You need to work full time in order to start earning through web publishing. This career leaves little time for hobbies or additional part-time work.

However, being self-employed makes your time flexible for taking up part-time work. Once your business becomes self-sufficient after you have a staff and running websites, you may be able to take up related part-time work that helps your career such as teaching, consultancy, part-time writing, etc.

6.2 Traveling Required

Mostly work from home or home-office, not a travel demanding profession

Some collaborations, meetings or work projects may require local commute or traveling, depending on your work or interest.

6.3 Average Workday/What to Expect

Web publishers usually start an early day by reading the newspaper and planning their day’s priority tasks. They usually have 9 to 5 offices, most of them may start their office day by catching up on their website’s traffic, or finding if there are any urgent web development issues that need taking care of.

They generally spend the first half of the day answering emails of prospective business partners, customers or clients. Internet entrepreneurs may have working lunches, or a quiet one when they can think of new ideas. Staff meetings take up the majority of their day, with their websites’ content writers, social media managers and web developers. Hiring or training new staff often takes up some time, too, so interviews or team meetings may be scheduled in the second half.

Usually, web publishers pre-plan their day, so they can take up fresh tasks or execute new ideas, such as launching a new website, creating a new video, working on new type of content, or creating presence on social media. Their work extends beyond 5 or 6 p.m., even after most of their staff leaves, they are still at work, finishing their day’s work, or planning the next day.

7. Future of Your Career in Web Publisher

7.1 Retirement Prospects

This is a relatively new profession, which started in the millennial age. So we don’t have any data available on web professionals’ retirement yet. Generally speaking, as a web publisher, you may be able to work for as long as you’d like.

7.2  Threats from Automation

Certain tasks may have a threat like news writing or unoriginal content, which are nowadays being done through bot-writers.

7.3 Common Reasons for People to Quit

Slow or less earnings, self-doubt, lack of motivation in the topic your websites are about. 

8. Further Resources

8.1 Top Universities in India

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8.2 Top Universities in World

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8.3 Famous Personalities

Jonah Peretti , Neil Patel, Evan Williams

8.4 Useful Links

Income School

Shilpa Ahuja, Entrepreneur

Shilpa Ahuja is the editor of Career Nuts. She has a Masters in Design Studies (MDesS) degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, class of 2011. Shilpa is an entrepreneur and founder of Shilpa Ahuja Digital Media, an online publishing company that includes HowtoGetinto-Harvard.com, a Harvard admissions guide and ShilpaAhuja.com, one of India’s most-read digital fashion magazines. She is also the creator of SlubShop, a trend-based online fashion store, and Audrey O., a comic series that represents the lifestyle of millennial women. She also has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Chandigarh College of Architecture (B.Arch), class of 2007. She has worked in interior project management for The Park hotels and in graphic design and education technologies for Harvard Law School. Originally from Chandigarh, Shilpa enjoys art, creative writing, fashion and travel. Her art has been exhibited at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aroma Hotel, Chandigarh. Her work has been published in University of Fashion blog, Jet Airways magazine, Chandigarh Times and Indian Design & Interiors magazine. She is also the author of the book “Designing a Chinese Cultural Center in India”.