How Can I 'Really' Make Money Online?

This is the age old question. Funny to think that anything about the internet could be 'age old' but here it is.

Ever since there was an internet for us all to use, people have been trying to profit from it. Many people have succeed, many are still trying.

There are plenty of scams out there promising you instant riches for only 137. The seller of this scam will show you proof that his method works by revealing his bank account. Of course this works for him, he's selling the scam. His bank account is not proof that his ideas will make you rich. It is only proof that he is willing to cheat you out of your money. Why wouldn't he be rich, he is collecting 137 a pop to tell his story.

What is his story? Probably something like, create an ebook, market it and watch the money grow. He will tell you that in order for you to create your ebook, you will need his 97 ebook software program. To market your ebook, you will have to buy his 197 marketing plan. It's as simple as that. Wow, are you rich yet. No, but he sure is!

This is very much like the old mail order scams about stuffing envelopes. How many people fell for that trick? How does that scam work? Well you pay someone 24.95 for their informative booklet on mail order profits. When you get the booklet, you find out that in order for you to make money in mail order, you have to get people to send you 24.95 for your informative booklet on mail order profits. Sound familiar?

The only difference between that old scam and the new internet scams is the price. The idea is the same, it just costs you a lot more to get ripped off online.

So is there really any way for an honest person to make a legitimate income online?

Yes there is!

It won't be overnight and it won't be effortless. It takes time and work to build a business anywhere. Why would the internet be any different? If anyone tries to tell you different they are lying to you. They are just trying to get you to buy their informative booklet, translated = ebook.

If you want to build a business, you will have to be willing to work, research and be patient. Nothing happens instantly and no one is going to hand you the silver tablet with all the answers.

There is a lot of writing that goes into an online business. You have to write website content. You have to write a newsletter or ezine. You have to write articles. If you hate to write, you are looking into the wrong business.

Yes, you will find people who will sell you the special program that will allow you to get rich without any writing. The problem is, how did you find out about that program? The seller wrote a sales letter. Hmm... sounds like writing to me. And remember what we already talked about? There is no super software that will make you rich overnight. If someone were to create such a program, do you think you would be able to buy it for one hundred and thirty seven dollars? Hardly.

Let's stay on track here.

To build an online business, you will have to own a website. To create this website, you will have to research a topic and write about it. You will have to buy a domain name, (this is cheap and you only pay once a year). You will need to find a good hosting company to host your site. This can be pretty inexpensive if you look around. This is a monthly expense that you will have to be able to afford before you even consider building a website.

Once you have your site built and online, your next job will be to let the world know you are there. This is the biggest job there is. It is a never ending task. No one will even know your site exists if you don't work on promoting it. Many people will try to sell you information on marketing too. There is plenty of free information out there all you have to do is look for it.

Finally, once you have your site up and running, you have people coming to your site, you will need a product or products to sell or what was the point? The easiest way to get products is through affiliate programs. These programs will allow you to sell someone else's product and make commission off your sales. You don't have to stock anything, you don't have to collect money and you don't have to deal with shipping.

There are many good companies out there that offer nice commissions on their products. It really doesn't matter what you decide to create your website about. You will find someone selling something that will compliment your site.

So, back to the original question. How can I 'really' make money online? The answer is by working at it. Put your pie in the sky dreams away and start writing.

About the author Margaret Albright is the webmaster and editor for the website Know It All Affiliates, http://www.knowitallaffiliates.com/niche.htm Teaching you, step by step, how to create your internet empire.

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7 Ways to Drive More Targeted Traffic to Your Website

Copyright 2006 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com

Unfortunately, when it comes to your website, the "if you build it, they will come" strategy just doesn't work. Fortunately, there are several ways to drive high-quality traffic to your website for little to no cost. The following 7 strategies will show you how:

1. Optimize your site for the search engines.

You'd have to be a fulltime search engine optimization expert to keep up with all the changes the major search engines make, but there are a few basic things you can do to help your site come up for relevant searches. Here are some to get you started:

a. Define your keywords - this is how people will find your business online. The trick is to find keywords that are highly relevant to what you offer and popular enough that they will attract decent traffic to your site, but not so competitive that you can't rank well using them. Use your keywords in your web page copy.

b. Create your metatags - this is how the search engines "read" your site. Put your keywords in your metatags on each page of your website.

c. Don't use lots of graphics or Flash, frames, or "alt" tags in HTML for pictures - search engines don't like them because it makes it hard for them to "read" your site.

d. Submit your site to the search engines (see #2).

e. Get links to your site - create a page in your website and call it either resources or links and add GOOD links, meaning relevant links. Linking is the second biggest indicator of how your site is ranked.

2. Submit your site to the search engines.

Why wait for the search engines' robots or spiders to find you? Submit your website (it's best if you submit every page individually) to at least these three major search engines manually. It's easy and only takes a minute.

Submit your web pages to:

Yahoo at http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
Google at http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
DMoz at http://www.dmoz.com/add.html

3. Use pay-per-click advertising.

Google Adwords or Yahoo Overture both offer pay-per-click advertising options. You can create a ppc campaign for a very small investment, and because you have complete control over your budget, you can set it for whatever amount you feel comfortable with. It's very difficult to get to the top of the "organic" search results (on the left side of the search results page) but can be very easy to get on the first page of results with a PPC, bringing targeted traffic to you. The best part is you only pay when someone clicks your ad that takes them to your website.

I've been told that Overture is actually easier to learn for a beginner, but I personally use Adwords. I spend less than $50 a month on my Google campaigns at the moment and it consistently brings visitors to my website who are interested in what I have to offer.

4. Place or swap ads with other ezines in your niche.

Seek out other ezines in your niche whose publishers might be interested in swapping ads. They can either be formals ads, or just a recommendation within the content of the ezine itself. I've used this strategy myself, with the result being lots of new visitors to my website and new subscribers to my ezine.

In addition to or instead of swapping ads, you could also purchase ad space in an ezine in your niche that has a large circulation. If you pay to place an ad, I usually suggest running it for a minimum of three consecutive issues for the best results.

5. Be a bonus participant.

You're probably aware of the tactic of adding valuable bonuses to your offerings to encourage people to buy. As a traffic-building technique, you could do the same for someone else's product offering. For example, when Andrea Lee released her second edition of "Multiple Streams of Coaching Income" print book, one of my audio products was offered as a bonus to those who bought the book. I received loads of new visitors to my website and had a nice spike in ezine subscribers as well as a result.

6. Become an "ask the expert" on a high-traffic website in your niche.

Seek out websites that are information portals for your niche, and see if they offer an "ask the expert" section (and if they don't, you could always suggest they do). Offer your services as an expert, to answer questions from their visitors about the challenges they face.

For example, I'm the online marketing expert at www.womans-net.com, and I get targeted traffic from people visiting that site.

7. Be an active participant on a large discussion list in your niche.

Research and join a handful of discussion lists in your niche, and schedule time every week to check in and see if you can offer any valuable advice to the conversation. Be careful to follow the list rules about promoting your website, though. Most lists are intended to be a place where people can ask for help without worrying about being sold to. However, most lists also allow you a couple of lines in your email signature where you can promote your business. Use this space to point people in the direction of your website.

These 7 ways of attracting targeted traffic to your website are tried-and true, meaning they do work. You may have to do a bit of thirsty work, and give it some time, but the end result will be more high-quality traffic to your online business.

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach , & Founder of http://www.ClientAbundance.com , teaches coaches, consultants, online entrepreneurs and solo professionals to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve.
For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com

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MarketingScoop - The 7 Secrets of Internet Marketing

By Michael Fleischner

If you're marketing on the Internet, you need to understand the importance of media, audience, messaging, and offers. Additionally, the timing of your marketing campaign is essential for optimal response.

Many marketers have been shifting their marketing budgets to the web over the past few years. Marketing online allows you to target specific audiences and easily track return on investment, commonly referred to as ROI. Unlike traditional marketing methods, results of Internet marketing campaigns are almost immediate.

To be successful at Internet marketing, you must understand the essential secrets of Internet marketing. They include:

1. Website Directory Listings. Before you begin any marketing campaign, make sure that the website you're promoting has been listed in the common directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo!, and Google. Even if you're using a marketing page off of the root directory of your website, be sure that the primary site is listed. This ensures that prospects can continue to find your marketing pages long after you've launched your campaign.

2. Generating Traffic. In order to realize a return on your investment, you need to generate traffic to your marketing pages. There are a number of ways to do so online. Some of the most popular include Google AdSense, Overture, and Looksmart. Other methods include affiliate programs and targeted website advertising. Research other websites that have the audience you're looking for and negotiate favorable ad rates for your online marketing campaign.

3. Marketing Pages. Don't lead prospective purchasers to a generic website. If you do, potential buyers won't know what to do next. The easier you make if for prospects to take advantage of your offer, the better. Whenever creating a marketing campaign online, provide a specific page for leading purchasers to your product or service or a billboard that showcases the offer. Take the guess work out of making a purchase and more consumers will buy.

4. Testimonials. Customer testimonials are the most powerful way to sell your product or service. When consumers hear from those who have purchased and used your product or service, they gain a certain level of trust and comfort in what you have to offer. Solicit testimonials after each purchase and use those that are the most convincing to prospective purchasers.

5. Create a Compelling Offer. Be sure to offer something that no one else is currently offering. If your offer is similar to your competitors or is not very interesting, consumers have no reason to learn more. Of course providing something for FREE is often a great way to entice potential customers. Maybe it's a 3-day free trial or a free evaluation of some kind. Be creative, try something new, and measure the response.

6. Developing Trust. Before anyone will buy from you, your website or company needs to be seen as reputable. This means that consumers can purchase from you and not worry about the safety of their credit card information, personal information, or anything else being exchanged. A good method for developing trust is to purchase and display safety and reliability icons such as BBB Online, Trust-e, and VeriSign.

7. Provide a Guarantee. Nothing makes a consumer more comfortable with a purchase than offering a guarantee. Perhaps you can offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee or a money back guarantee. A guarantee is a great way ease the risk of making a purchase. If your competitors are offering a guarantee, you want yours to be equal or better.

Internet marketing is an incredibly powerful medium for segmenting your prospects and delivering targeted advertising. Online, you can easily measure you return on investment and refine your marketing over time to improve results.

If you are a local business you can benefit from Internet marketing as well. Look for local directories to list your business or service. Or, you can supplement your local advertising with product marketing pages on your website. Internet marketing is more than just placing ads online, it's using the web to communicate the value of your products and services.

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Home based small business � boon or a bane?

If you are serious about the idea of making money through home based business then here are tips which are a beneficial tool for those who want to begin to work at home based business. A simple solution is to start with a business from home focused on the internet arena i.e. where the work is based on Internet.

The market is teeming with numerous ideas of home based internet business launched by innumerable companies. Every single day new schemes come into the market under the garb of legitimate home based internet businesses. Sadly, most of these so called top home internet business are pure pyramid scams.

Home based internet businesses can be a good opportunity provided you are serious about it. With increasing unemployment & rising costs, having a steady income has become a critical issue nowadays. This has a direct bearing not only on the security and well-being of their children but also on the security of their retirement days. If you work at home on internet, not only will you be able to earn a steady income but also be with your kids in their growing years. Moreover, the more you earn now, the more secure their future will be. In such circumstances, if you plan to start a home based internet business, it makes perfect sense.

But the problem lies in how to select the right internet home based business opportunity? The different ideas of top home internet business often confuse the mind and stop us from taking a quick and concrete decision regarding the best home business. Then there are questions regarding the viability of these top home internet business opportunity. Then, you are also doubtful whether the income generated from the work at home on internet opportunity be able to replace that from a fulltime job?

In addition to the reliability factor there is another question regarding the amount of investment. What would be the costs of starting work at home on internet business initiative? When the monetary return from top home internet businesses is uncertain, then there is no logic in starting one. Hence, selecting the right internet home based business is of critical importance.

One such work at home on internet business opportunity is internet affiliate marketing. There are innumerable companies offering reliable affiliate programs. And in most cases, the affiliate fees are either free or a basic minimum. The benefits of these home based internet businesses are many. There are tensions regarding inventory build up, or issues such as commercial property, licenses and other related chores. You will be able to keep your total focus on how to market the product or business concept on your website

After selecting the right affiliate program to start your internet based home business, you should go about building your own website which will mark foray into home based small business.

Do not leave your internet home based business midway and change to [a] stable but permanent job. This is the mistake most people [who] work at home on [the] internet do. Also don't expect that you will become successful in your [sic] home internet business in a short span of time. So stay put and work hard at your internet home business.

There are various benefits associated with internet based home business. They also require a smaller investment than offline ones. But it requires equal dedication, ethics and hard work to make it successful in this competitive world.

Jim Mack is a Sales, Marketing and Business Building Training Expert besides being a Success Coach and Mentor. Jim has learnt the secret of internet home based businesses and enjoys multiple income streams.

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Online Business - The Naked Truth

Making Money Online is a really HOT phrase these days. It's one of the most popular search phrases for on Google, MSN and Yahoo! It conjures up images of being able to sleep in on a lazy, rainy Monday morning, or taking a leisurely stroll in the park, knowing that your online business is raking in the cash! It's about being free from the volatile job market and having the financial and personal freedom to work anytime, anywhere, anyway you want. But at the back of your mind, you're asking yourself, "Is it really that easy to set up an Online Business?" Well folks, the answer is YES� and NO. If you're considering joining the millions of folk who are clicking on the net hoping to make a quick buck, here are a couple of YES's and NO's you need to know:

It's easy-peasy to set up an online business

YES! - Setting up an online business is ridiculously easy these days. Technical innovations make it possible to have your business up and running in a matter of minutes complete with a ready inventory of stuff "guaranteed" to make you tons of money.

NO! - It's what comes AFTER the setup that's difficult. Other than the fact that your business operates in cyberspace, everything else about running an online business is the same. You still need a business and marketing plan, advertising and promotional campaigns. It takes hard (brain) work � initially at least!

I'll be swamped with orders from all over the world!

YES - The beauty of an online business is that your market world-wide! Even if you manage to sell an e-book for only 10 dollars to a fraction of this market, you'd be a very rich man/woman indeed!

NO! - Setting up a website is pretty much like building a hotel on an exotic island. You may have the best beaches, services and products, but nobody's going to know you exist until you shout it out to the world. That's probably the hardest and most frustrating aspect of promoting an online business. Building a substantial web presence can be expensive if you want it done quickly OR a long, lonely and tedious journey if you're on a budget!

Tons of people will visit my website!

YES! � If you have a VERY unique website, product or service, people will quickly pick up on it and you will see other websites and sources driving (people) traffic to your site.

NO! - One SEO (Search Engine Optimization) report estimates that Google well over 5 billion web pages a day! Yours is probably one of many thousands (if not millions) vying for that coveted top spot in search rankings for your category. Unless you have professional SEO people looking into this for you or you are into SEO, you will probably be languishing in page 20 or more for quite a while. Be prepared for this!

Making money online is dirt cheap

YES! � You can get by with free or cheap web hosting, free email, and a battery of free tools to run your online business. There are many people who have made millions with very little investment, but these are the EXCEPTION rather than the rule.

NO! � Eventually, as your online business grows, you will require specialized services like faster web hosting, autoresponders, link management and SEO tools - just to mention a few. The online business arena is a fiercely competitive one where you will be competing with the big boys so you have to be prepared to invest in your online business. It takes money to make money.

My online businesses will guarantee me passive and residual income

YES! � If you're hardworking, persistent and you approach your online businesses with the same fervor as you would your career, the results will be quite pleasing indeed, hopefully not just for yourself, but for your family and generations to come!

NO! � Statistics show that about 85 % of people who attempt to run an online business eventually give up after a year. These are the folk who either went into it believing the promises that riches will come quickly (and easily) or those that just gave up too soon.

I can relax while my online business makes me tons of money

YES! � Like I said, if you're persistent, done your homework and invested in technology to automate your online business, you WILL be sleeping in on a lazy, rainy Monday morning and taking long leisurely walks with your kids in the park while others are stuck in a job they hate!

NO! � Like every successful online business owner, you WILL hunger for more success! I love the fact that online businesses allow you to be anywhere in the world at any time of day, to make money! Once you get into the groove, you're not going to want to sit still while there are money making ideas floating around in that brain of yours!

Multiple streams of income IS possible

Too many people believe that building multiple streams of income is as easy as setting up a website. The truth of the matter is that it takes a conscious and consistent effort to make things work. Many people fall into the trap of trying to do too many things at once. They join a bunch of affiliate programs thinking that they'll be able to work on all of them at the same time.

Most successful Internet Entrepreneurs will tell you that the best way is to work on one specific online business (or website) until you've achieved some level of success before you move on to building the next one. Work on a schedule and give your online business time to grow. Eventually, you will have a network of money making ventures creating multiple streams of income!

In closing, remember this - the online business pie continues to grow at an incredible rate everyday. There's enough for everyone so dig in and enjoy! Here's to your success � and mine too!

Andrew Shim is the owner and editor of http://www.PositiveMoneyIdeas.com a website which offers FREE IDEAS for those interested in starting their own freelance or home based business and http://www.PositiveTones.com a FREE resource website for Positive Living. He and his wife run a successful home catering business. When not up to his eyeballs in veggie, meat, gravy and being official taster for his catering business, he manages his websites, writes for numerous other sites and magazines and fools around with his kids.

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