Earn Money Freelancing:
As I said above, freelancing is often the first thought someone has when they decide to make money on the Web. But there is a lot more to it than simply putting up a Web page and signing clients. You need to know how to write contracts, set prices, and write a business plan. But once you get started, you can make good money as a freelancer.
Make Good Money as a Freelancer:
The key to making money as a freelance Web designer is to take your business seriously. You need to focus on all the standard aspects of a small business, including: marketing, advertising, accounting, management, legal issues and more. When you advertise your Web design business do it in a professional manner (no typos, professionally written, etc.). And treat your customers with respect, that includes using contracts for everyone. A contract isn't rude, a contract tells your clients that you're serious and that you respect them and their business. This helps them to do the same for you and your business.
Earn Money Working at a Corporation:
Getting a job as a Web designer or developer at a corporation is a great way to make steady money from your love of the Web. You should know at least the basics of Web design before you start, including: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Most companies want their Web designers to know one of the two major Web page editors: Dreamweaver or Expression Web, so having some familiarity with one or both of these programs can help. Then you just need to apply for jobs and follow job boards.
Make Good Money Working at a Corporation:
The path to riches working at a corporation is just like any other corporate job - advancement. As you get higher and higher on the corporate ladder the more money you'll make. The problem is, the higher you get the less time you'll spend actually working on the Web. Eventually, you'll have to make a decision whether more money (or power or the CEO job title) is worth the fact that you open email much more often than you open a Web editor.
(repost from: http://webdesign.about.com/od/jobs/p/earn_money.htm)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Making Money Online - Part 2
An alternate strategy that some people advocate is "niche marketing". The idea is that if you're the only website on widgets then you can corner the market and get all the ads, all the affiliates, and all the pageviews about widgets. But if no one is looking for widgets, cornering the market may not net you any money.
Earn Money with Ecommerce:
If you make something or have access to goods for resale, you can set up a shop online and sell your products. The simplest ecommerce sites provide details about the products for sale, costs, and a contact form for customers to request product. But once you've made a few sales, you might find it useful to set up an online store on your website for customers to order right from the Web. The quickest way to get started selling online is with eBay. If you sell enough, you can set up a storefront there and you don't have any hassles with accepting credit cards or other ecommerce difficulties.
Make Good Money with Ecommerce:
You need to create a website that makes it easy, even fun, to buy the products you are selling. One of the most common problems with an ecommerce site is that the crucial information that customers want before they buy is hidden or missing. This means, don't hide the price. You're not going to make a sale if the price is too high. But if you make customers jump through hoops just to find that price, they'll already be annoyed and less inclined to buy. So don't be afraid to show your prices. Just make sure you have products that people want to buy at those price points.
Earn Money by Selling Content:
Selling content can seem difficult at first, but it isn't any harder than selling goods (or services). Content can be articles, images, clip art, animation, or even movies. The easiest way to sell your content is to become a professional blogger. In most cases, you then write a weblog for another company on a topic that you're familiar with. But beyond weblogs, if you create images, animation or video, you can sell these just like you would on a retail ecommerce site.
Make Good Money Selling Your Content:
The best way to make a lot of money selling content is to get a regular gig with a blogging company or stock photography company. Once you have a regular job, then make sure to do more than the minimum required of that job. It can be tempting to do as little as required, but there are lots of people who want the job you have, and until you prove yourself, these companies will view you as expendable. Plus, most pay by the pageview, so just like with advertising and affiliate programs, the more you write, the more people will see your content and the more money you'll make.
Earn Money with Ecommerce:
If you make something or have access to goods for resale, you can set up a shop online and sell your products. The simplest ecommerce sites provide details about the products for sale, costs, and a contact form for customers to request product. But once you've made a few sales, you might find it useful to set up an online store on your website for customers to order right from the Web. The quickest way to get started selling online is with eBay. If you sell enough, you can set up a storefront there and you don't have any hassles with accepting credit cards or other ecommerce difficulties.
Make Good Money with Ecommerce:
You need to create a website that makes it easy, even fun, to buy the products you are selling. One of the most common problems with an ecommerce site is that the crucial information that customers want before they buy is hidden or missing. This means, don't hide the price. You're not going to make a sale if the price is too high. But if you make customers jump through hoops just to find that price, they'll already be annoyed and less inclined to buy. So don't be afraid to show your prices. Just make sure you have products that people want to buy at those price points.
Earn Money by Selling Content:
Selling content can seem difficult at first, but it isn't any harder than selling goods (or services). Content can be articles, images, clip art, animation, or even movies. The easiest way to sell your content is to become a professional blogger. In most cases, you then write a weblog for another company on a topic that you're familiar with. But beyond weblogs, if you create images, animation or video, you can sell these just like you would on a retail ecommerce site.
Make Good Money Selling Your Content:
The best way to make a lot of money selling content is to get a regular gig with a blogging company or stock photography company. Once you have a regular job, then make sure to do more than the minimum required of that job. It can be tempting to do as little as required, but there are lots of people who want the job you have, and until you prove yourself, these companies will view you as expendable. Plus, most pay by the pageview, so just like with advertising and affiliate programs, the more you write, the more people will see your content and the more money you'll make.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Making Money Online - Part 1
Getting Started Earning Money on the Web:
There are many ways to earn money in the Web industry. Most people immediately jump to building Web pages for other people, but there are other ways:
* Advertising
* Affiliate programs
* Ecommerce
* Selling content
* Freelancing
* Working for a business
There is a lot of work involved in earning money on the Web no matter what path or paths you choose to take. But the great thing about working in the Web industry is that most of these opportunities have very low start up costs. In most cases, all you need is a computer with access to the Internet and a bank account to set up your business.
Earn Money with Web Advertising:
The key to earning money with online advertising is creating content that people want to advertise on. Your first step should be to create content on your site that is compelling in and of itself. Once you have at least 5-10 pages of content and articles, you can start your advertising plan. A good place to start is with Google AdSense. Then you don't have to worry about finding ads that match your content. Google does it for you. Once you've got a good Google set up, you can start looking for other advertisers. Don't get carried away with ads, as they can drive customers and thus income, away.
Earn Money with Affiliate Programs:
Affiliate programs rely on you selling things for other companies. One of the best known affiliate programs is Amazon.com. They pay well, and have lots of products available for sale. And it can take very little time or money to set up an Amazon affiliate site. As with advertising you need to have content to get people to the site, and you should try to get at least 5-10 pages live before you really start marketing. If you think of your affiliate programs as an adjunct to the content you provide on your site, you'll get a better response from your readers.
Make Good Money from Advertising and Affiliate Programs:
The key to good money from advertising and affiliate programs is pageviews. The more pageviews you get, the better your revenue will be. So if this is your strategy, you should look into SEO and Web page marketing to keep getting more pageviews.
There are many ways to earn money in the Web industry. Most people immediately jump to building Web pages for other people, but there are other ways:
* Advertising
* Affiliate programs
* Ecommerce
* Selling content
* Freelancing
* Working for a business
There is a lot of work involved in earning money on the Web no matter what path or paths you choose to take. But the great thing about working in the Web industry is that most of these opportunities have very low start up costs. In most cases, all you need is a computer with access to the Internet and a bank account to set up your business.
Earn Money with Web Advertising:
The key to earning money with online advertising is creating content that people want to advertise on. Your first step should be to create content on your site that is compelling in and of itself. Once you have at least 5-10 pages of content and articles, you can start your advertising plan. A good place to start is with Google AdSense. Then you don't have to worry about finding ads that match your content. Google does it for you. Once you've got a good Google set up, you can start looking for other advertisers. Don't get carried away with ads, as they can drive customers and thus income, away.
Earn Money with Affiliate Programs:
Affiliate programs rely on you selling things for other companies. One of the best known affiliate programs is Amazon.com. They pay well, and have lots of products available for sale. And it can take very little time or money to set up an Amazon affiliate site. As with advertising you need to have content to get people to the site, and you should try to get at least 5-10 pages live before you really start marketing. If you think of your affiliate programs as an adjunct to the content you provide on your site, you'll get a better response from your readers.
Make Good Money from Advertising and Affiliate Programs:
The key to good money from advertising and affiliate programs is pageviews. The more pageviews you get, the better your revenue will be. So if this is your strategy, you should look into SEO and Web page marketing to keep getting more pageviews.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Good Online Insurance
There are a lot of insurance companies now competing for your online insurance business. Just because there are a lot of online insurance companies, does not mean everyone is getting online insurance quotes. If you are shopping for an insurance quote, you generally have three choices: Online, exclusive, or nonexclusive agent. Lets take a look at what these choices mean for you.
Online Insurance
* More Choices: Shopping online gives one the advantage of more choices. You can take your time and really look into different insurance companies, which may help you choose a policy and an insurance quote that best suits you.
* Time Saver: This is an easy one. Of course it works better for you to meet with your laptop anytime than an appointment with a local insurance agent. When shopping online for insurance you can do it anytime, day or night.
* Quick Insurance Quotes: Shopping online for online insurance quotes gives you the advantage of getting instant insurance quotes from many insurance companies.
Local Exclusive Agent
* A Real Insurance Agent: When looking for online insurance quotes many people may not understand the insurance product and might end up choosing something that will not insure them properly. Using local agent may eliminate this problem.
* Sells for One Company: An exclusive insurance agent sells insurance only from their company so they know their product well and have extensive company training.
* Knows Your Needs for Other Products: One of the best advantages of using a local insurance agent when shopping for an insurance quote is that they usually can find other insurance products that are beneficial for your needs.
Local Nonexclusive Agent
* Choices: Along with being able to know your needs like a local exclusive agent, a nonexclusive agent deals with a variety of companies to tailor the best insurance quote and policy for you. Since a nonexclusive agent offers products from different companies you can actually get a variety of insurance quotes from one agent.
* Special Policies: In addition to offering a variety of policies, a nonexclusive agent is not tied down to just the insurance products of one company so if you are looking for a speciality insurance product they may have more success in finding the product that you need.
When Shopping for Any Insurance
No matter where you decide to obtain an insurance quote, here are some guidelines that will help you choose a good insurance company and find the best insurance quote for you:
* Choose an insurance policy with a secure and trusted insurance company.
* Choose a company that always answers your insurance quote and insurance policy questions specifically and accurately to avoid any gaps in coverages.
* Don't forget to ask the agent to go over all the insurance discounts available to you.
* Make sure you understand your insurance policy.
Online Insurance
* More Choices: Shopping online gives one the advantage of more choices. You can take your time and really look into different insurance companies, which may help you choose a policy and an insurance quote that best suits you.
* Time Saver: This is an easy one. Of course it works better for you to meet with your laptop anytime than an appointment with a local insurance agent. When shopping online for insurance you can do it anytime, day or night.
* Quick Insurance Quotes: Shopping online for online insurance quotes gives you the advantage of getting instant insurance quotes from many insurance companies.
Local Exclusive Agent
* A Real Insurance Agent: When looking for online insurance quotes many people may not understand the insurance product and might end up choosing something that will not insure them properly. Using local agent may eliminate this problem.
* Sells for One Company: An exclusive insurance agent sells insurance only from their company so they know their product well and have extensive company training.
* Knows Your Needs for Other Products: One of the best advantages of using a local insurance agent when shopping for an insurance quote is that they usually can find other insurance products that are beneficial for your needs.
Local Nonexclusive Agent
* Choices: Along with being able to know your needs like a local exclusive agent, a nonexclusive agent deals with a variety of companies to tailor the best insurance quote and policy for you. Since a nonexclusive agent offers products from different companies you can actually get a variety of insurance quotes from one agent.
* Special Policies: In addition to offering a variety of policies, a nonexclusive agent is not tied down to just the insurance products of one company so if you are looking for a speciality insurance product they may have more success in finding the product that you need.
When Shopping for Any Insurance
No matter where you decide to obtain an insurance quote, here are some guidelines that will help you choose a good insurance company and find the best insurance quote for you:
* Choose an insurance policy with a secure and trusted insurance company.
* Choose a company that always answers your insurance quote and insurance policy questions specifically and accurately to avoid any gaps in coverages.
* Don't forget to ask the agent to go over all the insurance discounts available to you.
* Make sure you understand your insurance policy.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Cheapest Flights
Over the past few years, cheap airlines selling cheap tickets for cheap flights have proliferated -- and that's to your benefit.
More often than not, there's negligible difference between a coach seat on a cheap airline and one on the Big Six (American, United, Delta, Northwest, Continental, and US Airways) airlines.
In some cases, flying a cheap airline -- at least one with leather seats, free personal satellite TV, and other perks -- is superior to what huge airline corporations offer.
When searching for dirt cheap airfares, check the Web sites of low-priced airlines. Some, like Southwest, only sell tickets on their own site. Others offer the best deals to their own customers. And if you buy directly from a cheap airline site, you'll avoid paying the small extra transaction fee sites such as Orbitz charge.
TOP CHEAP AIRLINES
JetBlue -- When JetBlue took to the skies in 2000, no one expected the airline, with its cheap fares between New York and Florida, to make much of an impact. After flyers experienced JetBlue's easy online ticket-buying technology, Airbus A320s, egalitarian single-class system, leather seats, free satellite TV in every seatback, pleasant flight attendants, and cheap ticket prices, they started switching allegiance over to the airline.
In the past few years, JetBlue has piled up awards, including Best US Airline, Best Domestic Airline, Best Budget Airline, and Best Value for Cost from a slew of trustworthy sources. With more and more converts, this cheap but hip airline continues to grow. As of November 2006, JetBlue flies to 50 cities, including Las Vegas, West Palm Beach, Nassau in the Bahamas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
I know from personal experience...
JetBlue is a cool airline to fly. Do avoid sitting in the last row of the plane. Seats there are cramped and do not recline.
Southwest -- You'll find some of the cheapest airfares online at Southwest Airlines. Deep discounts on advance purchases are typical, which is helpful to those planning a long-distance wedding that requires many guests to come from other parts of the country. When the airline has one of its frequent fare sales, the normally cheap prices drop even more.
At this writing, Southwest flies to 75 cities in 32 states. To keep up with JetBlue, new Southwest planes offer leather seats. However, seat numbers are not assigned by the airline. At check-in you get an un-numbered boarding pass and are welcome to take any free seat. Be warned, however, if you or your traveling companion is larger than average, you could face humiliation at the Southwest counter, where you may be asked to purchase an extra ticket to accommodate your girth.
I know from personal experience...
Southwest flight attendants are the stand-up comics of the air. After they get through with safety announcements, they tend to say whatever's on their mind. It gets most passengers laughing and loosened up, and makes for a more relaxed flight.
Spirit Air -- Spirit Air flies to 27 destinations. Although most of its flights are domestic, this cheap airline also flies to Cancun, Kingston, Jamaica, and the Turks & Caicos.
What's different about Spirit Air is that it has two in-cabin classes — and it's very cheap to upgrade to Spirit Plus, which offers leather seats that are somewhat roomier than coach, with more leg room, free drinks, and an odd, salty snack (who voted on feeding passengers beef jerky and cheese sauce?). Still, even cheap skates and couples on a tight budget like to enjoy the luxury of traveling in first class once in a while. Spirit's inexpensive upgrades ($30-50) are sold online and at the gate when available.
I know from personal experience...
Spirit Air flights can be mind-blowingly noisy. Many planes are old warhorses that will get you to your destination safely but you may deplane with a pounding headache. In Spirit Air's defense, new planes are on order.
OTHER CHEAP AIRLINES
* Traveling to Europe? EasyJet's incredibly cheap flights take off and land from 72 European airports.
* Ryanair is another amazingly cheap, no-frills European airline.
* Back in the USA, cheap AirTran Airways flies to 54 destinations and has Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as its hub. Its new Boeing 737-700s feature XM Satellite Radio with more than 100 digital channels.
MORE CHEAP THRILLS
* You Can Afford a Cruise -- strategies for cruising on the cheap
* CheapFlights.com -- search multiple cheap airlines as well as consolidators and airlines other sites leave out
* Fare Deals -- how to get cheap...cheaper...the cheapest deals on airfares
(repost from: http://honeymoons.about.com/od/inexpensivetrips/a/CheapAirlines.htm)
More often than not, there's negligible difference between a coach seat on a cheap airline and one on the Big Six (American, United, Delta, Northwest, Continental, and US Airways) airlines.
In some cases, flying a cheap airline -- at least one with leather seats, free personal satellite TV, and other perks -- is superior to what huge airline corporations offer.
When searching for dirt cheap airfares, check the Web sites of low-priced airlines. Some, like Southwest, only sell tickets on their own site. Others offer the best deals to their own customers. And if you buy directly from a cheap airline site, you'll avoid paying the small extra transaction fee sites such as Orbitz charge.
TOP CHEAP AIRLINES
JetBlue -- When JetBlue took to the skies in 2000, no one expected the airline, with its cheap fares between New York and Florida, to make much of an impact. After flyers experienced JetBlue's easy online ticket-buying technology, Airbus A320s, egalitarian single-class system, leather seats, free satellite TV in every seatback, pleasant flight attendants, and cheap ticket prices, they started switching allegiance over to the airline.
In the past few years, JetBlue has piled up awards, including Best US Airline, Best Domestic Airline, Best Budget Airline, and Best Value for Cost from a slew of trustworthy sources. With more and more converts, this cheap but hip airline continues to grow. As of November 2006, JetBlue flies to 50 cities, including Las Vegas, West Palm Beach, Nassau in the Bahamas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
I know from personal experience...
JetBlue is a cool airline to fly. Do avoid sitting in the last row of the plane. Seats there are cramped and do not recline.
Southwest -- You'll find some of the cheapest airfares online at Southwest Airlines. Deep discounts on advance purchases are typical, which is helpful to those planning a long-distance wedding that requires many guests to come from other parts of the country. When the airline has one of its frequent fare sales, the normally cheap prices drop even more.
At this writing, Southwest flies to 75 cities in 32 states. To keep up with JetBlue, new Southwest planes offer leather seats. However, seat numbers are not assigned by the airline. At check-in you get an un-numbered boarding pass and are welcome to take any free seat. Be warned, however, if you or your traveling companion is larger than average, you could face humiliation at the Southwest counter, where you may be asked to purchase an extra ticket to accommodate your girth.
I know from personal experience...
Southwest flight attendants are the stand-up comics of the air. After they get through with safety announcements, they tend to say whatever's on their mind. It gets most passengers laughing and loosened up, and makes for a more relaxed flight.
Spirit Air -- Spirit Air flies to 27 destinations. Although most of its flights are domestic, this cheap airline also flies to Cancun, Kingston, Jamaica, and the Turks & Caicos.
What's different about Spirit Air is that it has two in-cabin classes — and it's very cheap to upgrade to Spirit Plus, which offers leather seats that are somewhat roomier than coach, with more leg room, free drinks, and an odd, salty snack (who voted on feeding passengers beef jerky and cheese sauce?). Still, even cheap skates and couples on a tight budget like to enjoy the luxury of traveling in first class once in a while. Spirit's inexpensive upgrades ($30-50) are sold online and at the gate when available.
I know from personal experience...
Spirit Air flights can be mind-blowingly noisy. Many planes are old warhorses that will get you to your destination safely but you may deplane with a pounding headache. In Spirit Air's defense, new planes are on order.
OTHER CHEAP AIRLINES
* Traveling to Europe? EasyJet's incredibly cheap flights take off and land from 72 European airports.
* Ryanair is another amazingly cheap, no-frills European airline.
* Back in the USA, cheap AirTran Airways flies to 54 destinations and has Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as its hub. Its new Boeing 737-700s feature XM Satellite Radio with more than 100 digital channels.
MORE CHEAP THRILLS
* You Can Afford a Cruise -- strategies for cruising on the cheap
* CheapFlights.com -- search multiple cheap airlines as well as consolidators and airlines other sites leave out
* Fare Deals -- how to get cheap...cheaper...the cheapest deals on airfares
(repost from: http://honeymoons.about.com/od/inexpensivetrips/a/CheapAirlines.htm)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Pay Day Loans
Payday loans are short term loans you can use to get through a rough spot. Before you use a payday loan, make sure you understand the costs and risks. This page gives you a quick overview of how they work, and ideas on what you can do to avoid using payday loans.
What are Payday Loans?
Payday loans are small loans you can use when you are temporarily out of money. Most often, payday loans are short term loans (two weeks or so) for a modest amount of money (a few hundred bucks). To get a payday loan, you typically write a check for the amount you are borrowing – plus a fee. You might leave the check with the lender, and they cash it once you are ready to repay.
If you can’t repay your payday loan when it comes due, you can “roll it over” so that the loan is extended. You don’t have to repay it, but fees keep accumulating.
Costs of Payday Loans
In general, payday loans are extremely expensive. You end up paying an annual percentage rate (APR) that may be several hundred percent. For example, you might pay a $20 fee to borrow $100.00 for two weeks. The Consumer Federation of America has some nice calculations comparing payday loans to the alternatives. These show that you would pay about 426% APR on a payday loan.
Payday Loan Pitfalls
The main pitfall with payday loans is that they don’t help you solve the problem at hand. If you’re having financial difficulties, payday loans can only make the problem worse. You’re paying a really high rate of interest which means that your expenses are just going up. As a short term strategy – maybe once or twice – payday loans can make sense. For example, you might need an emergency repair for your car so that you can get to work and keep earning income. As a long-term strategy, payday loans will pull you under.
You can get yourself in trouble if things get out of hand. Bouncing checks that you write to the payday loan establishment can end up on your ChexSystems file. Banks and retailers may then be unwilling to work with you.
Alternatives to Payday Loans
Instead of using a payday loan, consider some alternatives:
* Build up an emergency fund in your savings account (sometimes easier said than done)
* Keep an open credit card for emergency expenses
* Get a signature loan (or unsecured loan) from your credit union
* Pick up a part time job for extra cash
* Set up a payment plan with your lenders
* Investigate overdraft protection plans for your checking account
* Try peer to peer lending services for a better deal
Defending Payday Loans
The payday loan industry is not shy about defending itself. They argue that payday loans can be less expensive than bounced check fees and overdraft protection programs. In addition, they argue that payday loans are the best quick and easy way for some people to get money.
(Repost from: http://banking.about.com/od/loans/a/PaydayLoans.htm)
What are Payday Loans?
Payday loans are small loans you can use when you are temporarily out of money. Most often, payday loans are short term loans (two weeks or so) for a modest amount of money (a few hundred bucks). To get a payday loan, you typically write a check for the amount you are borrowing – plus a fee. You might leave the check with the lender, and they cash it once you are ready to repay.
If you can’t repay your payday loan when it comes due, you can “roll it over” so that the loan is extended. You don’t have to repay it, but fees keep accumulating.
Costs of Payday Loans
In general, payday loans are extremely expensive. You end up paying an annual percentage rate (APR) that may be several hundred percent. For example, you might pay a $20 fee to borrow $100.00 for two weeks. The Consumer Federation of America has some nice calculations comparing payday loans to the alternatives. These show that you would pay about 426% APR on a payday loan.
Payday Loan Pitfalls
The main pitfall with payday loans is that they don’t help you solve the problem at hand. If you’re having financial difficulties, payday loans can only make the problem worse. You’re paying a really high rate of interest which means that your expenses are just going up. As a short term strategy – maybe once or twice – payday loans can make sense. For example, you might need an emergency repair for your car so that you can get to work and keep earning income. As a long-term strategy, payday loans will pull you under.
You can get yourself in trouble if things get out of hand. Bouncing checks that you write to the payday loan establishment can end up on your ChexSystems file. Banks and retailers may then be unwilling to work with you.
Alternatives to Payday Loans
Instead of using a payday loan, consider some alternatives:
* Build up an emergency fund in your savings account (sometimes easier said than done)
* Keep an open credit card for emergency expenses
* Get a signature loan (or unsecured loan) from your credit union
* Pick up a part time job for extra cash
* Set up a payment plan with your lenders
* Investigate overdraft protection plans for your checking account
* Try peer to peer lending services for a better deal
Defending Payday Loans
The payday loan industry is not shy about defending itself. They argue that payday loans can be less expensive than bounced check fees and overdraft protection programs. In addition, they argue that payday loans are the best quick and easy way for some people to get money.
(Repost from: http://banking.about.com/od/loans/a/PaydayLoans.htm)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Making money from adsense
Google AdSense is the Google program where you can host pay-per-click ads on your Web site. When someone clicks an ad, you earn money. Simple as that.
Is it really as easy to make money with Google AdSense as many would lead you to believe? Now that I've become heavily involved with managing Google AdSense programs for my clients, I can see it's not all play and no work.
Unfortunately, a lot of people bought into the idea that there was a lot of easy money to be made and they are now finding out they aren't making nearly as much as they thought they would. Additionally, Google has a lot of prohibited practices when it comes to AdSense, and too many Webmasters are finding out they violated Google's policies after the fact - often because they never bothered to read the AdSense policies in the first place.
Webmasters must not only comply with AdSense policies, but their web sites must also comply with Google's webmaster policies.
Prerequisites for Making Money with AdSense
To make money with Google AdSense you need plenty of traffic coming in to your site or there won't be anyone to click the ads. Website promotion techniques, especially search engine optimization and article marketing will bring more traffic to your site. You also need to have content that will attract the ads with the highest Pay Per Click (PPC) rate that are relevant to that content. Then, you need to lay out your web pages so the ads blend in with your Web site. Studies have revealed that people who visit sites that contain ads that use colors that are not in harmony with the actual Web site tend to develop "ad blindness". Meaning no matter how much traffic comes into your site, chances are no one will click the ads because they'll be ignoring them. If no one clicks, you make nothing.
Dealing with Competitors Advertisements
If you offer products or services on your Website, the first thing you'll notice when you begin hosting PPC ads is that many of the ads are coming from your competitors. Therefore, you'll want to put ads on pages that aren't earning you any money, or do like I did and not put ads on your site until you're so busy anyway you'd rather make a few dollars off of your competitors than to continue turning business away with nothing to show for it.
Google AdSense allows you to specify up to 200 URLs for sites you want to bar from placing ads on your pages. The problem is that most times you won't know the competitors are out there until their ads appear.
Google Money Making Ad Options
Google offers three ways to make money from them:
* Google AdSense for Content - A variety of size and shape ads for placing in your content are available. These can be text or image ads or both - you specify what you'll allow. Ad units are full ads. Link units are simply a strip of text links that your visitors might want to click. Google allows you to put up to 3 Ad Units and 1 Link unit on each page of your Web site, provided you follow its policies - both for AdSense and for Webmasters.
* Google AdSense for Search - This places a search box on your Web site. When a user enters a term and conducts a search, a search results page opens, that hosts more pay-per-click ads. You can customize the color scheme of the search results page to harmonize with your web site.
* Google Referrals - Here you make money by referring visitors to use a Google product, like AdSense, AdWords, the Google Toolbar and other Google software. Just like Google AdSense for Content and AdSense for Search, Google generates the code that you paste into the desired location on your web page. You can choose from a wide variety of buttons and text links of different colors. As an example of how Google Referrals works, if someone goes to your site and clicks the link and signs up for an AdSense account, when that person earns a $100 from Google AdSense and receives a payout from Google, you'll also receive $100 for referring them. This is a great idea to me, because you can be the world's worst Google AdSense advertiser, but if an ad dynamo happens to visit your site and uses your referral link, you can make money anyway!
Google AdSense Payments
Google will not issue an AdSense payment until your earnings exceed $100. Unfortunately, there are loads of Google AdSense Forum entries about website operators who accumulated $90 or more in click through earnings only to get banned from Google and not get paid anything at all before they ever reached $100. This may be because Google doesn't take a close look to see if you're complying with their guidelines until it comes time to pay you. So yes, there's a lot more to the story than meets the eye.
Other Programs Besides AdSense
Yahoo and MSN have similar programs, although those programs aren't as well-developed as Google AdSense and there aren't as many available advertisers to display ads on your site. The fundamentals for making money are the same. You still need plenty of traffic, you still need high-paying ads, and you still need to design your site to harmonize with the ads to get people to click.
(Repost from: http://homebusiness.about.com/od/internetmarketing/a/adsense.htm)
Is it really as easy to make money with Google AdSense as many would lead you to believe? Now that I've become heavily involved with managing Google AdSense programs for my clients, I can see it's not all play and no work.
Unfortunately, a lot of people bought into the idea that there was a lot of easy money to be made and they are now finding out they aren't making nearly as much as they thought they would. Additionally, Google has a lot of prohibited practices when it comes to AdSense, and too many Webmasters are finding out they violated Google's policies after the fact - often because they never bothered to read the AdSense policies in the first place.
Webmasters must not only comply with AdSense policies, but their web sites must also comply with Google's webmaster policies.
Prerequisites for Making Money with AdSense
To make money with Google AdSense you need plenty of traffic coming in to your site or there won't be anyone to click the ads. Website promotion techniques, especially search engine optimization and article marketing will bring more traffic to your site. You also need to have content that will attract the ads with the highest Pay Per Click (PPC) rate that are relevant to that content. Then, you need to lay out your web pages so the ads blend in with your Web site. Studies have revealed that people who visit sites that contain ads that use colors that are not in harmony with the actual Web site tend to develop "ad blindness". Meaning no matter how much traffic comes into your site, chances are no one will click the ads because they'll be ignoring them. If no one clicks, you make nothing.
Dealing with Competitors Advertisements
If you offer products or services on your Website, the first thing you'll notice when you begin hosting PPC ads is that many of the ads are coming from your competitors. Therefore, you'll want to put ads on pages that aren't earning you any money, or do like I did and not put ads on your site until you're so busy anyway you'd rather make a few dollars off of your competitors than to continue turning business away with nothing to show for it.
Google AdSense allows you to specify up to 200 URLs for sites you want to bar from placing ads on your pages. The problem is that most times you won't know the competitors are out there until their ads appear.
Google Money Making Ad Options
Google offers three ways to make money from them:
* Google AdSense for Content - A variety of size and shape ads for placing in your content are available. These can be text or image ads or both - you specify what you'll allow. Ad units are full ads. Link units are simply a strip of text links that your visitors might want to click. Google allows you to put up to 3 Ad Units and 1 Link unit on each page of your Web site, provided you follow its policies - both for AdSense and for Webmasters.
* Google AdSense for Search - This places a search box on your Web site. When a user enters a term and conducts a search, a search results page opens, that hosts more pay-per-click ads. You can customize the color scheme of the search results page to harmonize with your web site.
* Google Referrals - Here you make money by referring visitors to use a Google product, like AdSense, AdWords, the Google Toolbar and other Google software. Just like Google AdSense for Content and AdSense for Search, Google generates the code that you paste into the desired location on your web page. You can choose from a wide variety of buttons and text links of different colors. As an example of how Google Referrals works, if someone goes to your site and clicks the link and signs up for an AdSense account, when that person earns a $100 from Google AdSense and receives a payout from Google, you'll also receive $100 for referring them. This is a great idea to me, because you can be the world's worst Google AdSense advertiser, but if an ad dynamo happens to visit your site and uses your referral link, you can make money anyway!
Google AdSense Payments
Google will not issue an AdSense payment until your earnings exceed $100. Unfortunately, there are loads of Google AdSense Forum entries about website operators who accumulated $90 or more in click through earnings only to get banned from Google and not get paid anything at all before they ever reached $100. This may be because Google doesn't take a close look to see if you're complying with their guidelines until it comes time to pay you. So yes, there's a lot more to the story than meets the eye.
Other Programs Besides AdSense
Yahoo and MSN have similar programs, although those programs aren't as well-developed as Google AdSense and there aren't as many available advertisers to display ads on your site. The fundamentals for making money are the same. You still need plenty of traffic, you still need high-paying ads, and you still need to design your site to harmonize with the ads to get people to click.
(Repost from: http://homebusiness.about.com/od/internetmarketing/a/adsense.htm)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Making Money from Amazon - Part 3
12. Build your first link. Go to Amazon and log in with your Associates account. Find the product you want to review and use the Site Stripe (gray stripe at the top of the screen that you'll see when logged in as an Associate) to get your personalized link to the item. They also offer a variety of other options for creating links and banners.
13. Blog your review. Now click on your blog posting link (Press It! by default in WordPress). If you're using WordPress, you should now see two pieces of link code in your posting form, the first one ending with "Associates Build-A-Link >< /a >". Delete through that point. The second part is a link to the product with your Amazon Associate ID built in. Now just write your product review, choose the appropriate categories for it, and hit Publish.
14. Build out your site. Before you promote your site, you want to have some substantial content there. Write several product reviews. Have at least 2-3 in each category you've created. You may also want to make a categories for articles, news, and commentary about your topic. The more content your site has, the better. And the great thing is that while you're writing all this, the search engines are getting notified automatically, assuming you turned on the notifications mentioned in step 6.
15. Promote your site. The best free way to do this is to communicate with other bloggers writing about similar topics, and to participate in online communities where your topic is discussed. See the Online Business Networking category for ideas, as well as the Internet Marketing category.
Tips:
1. You have to learn some basic HTML and basic concepts about running a web site. It's just not that hard. If you have to rely on purchased software, you won't be able to get exactly what you want, you won't know what to do when things go wrong, and you'll end up spending money you don't need to. Spend the time to learn it. It will be well worth the investment.
2. I slightly recommend music over books and other products, mainly because you can listen to the clips of an entire album in about 10 minutes and get a good enough feel for it (without buying it) to do a short review. If you have another topic that you're passionate about, great, but make sure you have a unique angle on the topic. People can get reviews about a lot of those consumer products anywhere. You need to give them a reason to come to your site.
3. To pick up some extra pennies, sign up for Google AdSense. It probably won't generate a lot of revenue, but it's free to sign up and completely effortless to maintain.
4. Set reasonable expectations for earnings. You've only invested $20. You're going to make 5% on most products. That means that you need to sell $400 worth of stuff to make back your investment. To make $20 an hour, what you write must generate $400 worth of purchases. You get credit for other purchases customers you send make while at Amazon besides just the product you linked to, so it's not as hard as it may sound. It won't make you rich, but it's not hard to be profitable, and it builds over time.
(Repost from: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/homebasedbusiness/ht/amazonaffiliate.htm)
13. Blog your review. Now click on your blog posting link (Press It! by default in WordPress). If you're using WordPress, you should now see two pieces of link code in your posting form, the first one ending with "Associates Build-A-Link >< /a >". Delete through that point. The second part is a link to the product with your Amazon Associate ID built in. Now just write your product review, choose the appropriate categories for it, and hit Publish.
14. Build out your site. Before you promote your site, you want to have some substantial content there. Write several product reviews. Have at least 2-3 in each category you've created. You may also want to make a categories for articles, news, and commentary about your topic. The more content your site has, the better. And the great thing is that while you're writing all this, the search engines are getting notified automatically, assuming you turned on the notifications mentioned in step 6.
15. Promote your site. The best free way to do this is to communicate with other bloggers writing about similar topics, and to participate in online communities where your topic is discussed. See the Online Business Networking category for ideas, as well as the Internet Marketing category.
Tips:
1. You have to learn some basic HTML and basic concepts about running a web site. It's just not that hard. If you have to rely on purchased software, you won't be able to get exactly what you want, you won't know what to do when things go wrong, and you'll end up spending money you don't need to. Spend the time to learn it. It will be well worth the investment.
2. I slightly recommend music over books and other products, mainly because you can listen to the clips of an entire album in about 10 minutes and get a good enough feel for it (without buying it) to do a short review. If you have another topic that you're passionate about, great, but make sure you have a unique angle on the topic. People can get reviews about a lot of those consumer products anywhere. You need to give them a reason to come to your site.
3. To pick up some extra pennies, sign up for Google AdSense. It probably won't generate a lot of revenue, but it's free to sign up and completely effortless to maintain.
4. Set reasonable expectations for earnings. You've only invested $20. You're going to make 5% on most products. That means that you need to sell $400 worth of stuff to make back your investment. To make $20 an hour, what you write must generate $400 worth of purchases. You get credit for other purchases customers you send make while at Amazon besides just the product you linked to, so it's not as hard as it may sound. It won't make you rich, but it's not hard to be profitable, and it builds over time.
(Repost from: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/homebasedbusiness/ht/amazonaffiliate.htm)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Making Money from Amazon - Part 2
6. Install blog software. "Blog, you say?" Yes. It will give your site all the structure you need, plus make it easy to quickly post new content. My pick is WordPress, which is open source (i.e., free), easy to install and use, and yet very powerful. Many hosts have a one-step installation process for it, or you can download it and follow their installation instructions.
7. Make it pretty. One of the great things about WordPress is the huge variety of templates available for it -- they can completely change the look-and-feel. Our Weblogs Guide has a list of 5 Sites for Free Wordpress Themes, where you can find hundreds of free WordPress themes.
8. Set up categories. Most blog software allows you to create sub-categories to help organize your entries. This will help visitors narrow in even more specifically on their interests. For example, BandsFromTexas.com might have one group of categories for genre — rock, country, blues, etc. — and another for city of origin — Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.
9. Sign up as an Amazon Associate. It's simple and free. Just visit Amazon and click on the Join Associates link at the bottom of the page (here's a direct link for your convenience). Your site should already have at least the basic setup done, even if you don't have any content there yet, as they'll review the site manually before approval.
10. Create your blog posting bookmarks/links. There are two links that are going to be essential for you to make this easy. First is the blog posting link. In your blog software, on the posting page (see their instructions), at the bottom of the page there should be a "bookmarklet". Click on the link (and hold the mouse) and drag it up to your Links toolbar in your browser (assuming Internet Explorer), or your Favorites menu. This will allow you to blog a product with one mouse click.
11. Create your Amazon Build-A-Link bookmark/link. This will make it easy to build the link with your affiliate ID built in. Log in to Associates Central, look in the left navigation sidebar, go to Build-A-Link, and under Static Links, find Individual Items. Click and drag this onto your Links toolbar or Favorites menu....
7. Make it pretty. One of the great things about WordPress is the huge variety of templates available for it -- they can completely change the look-and-feel. Our Weblogs Guide has a list of 5 Sites for Free Wordpress Themes, where you can find hundreds of free WordPress themes.
8. Set up categories. Most blog software allows you to create sub-categories to help organize your entries. This will help visitors narrow in even more specifically on their interests. For example, BandsFromTexas.com might have one group of categories for genre — rock, country, blues, etc. — and another for city of origin — Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.
9. Sign up as an Amazon Associate. It's simple and free. Just visit Amazon and click on the Join Associates link at the bottom of the page (here's a direct link for your convenience). Your site should already have at least the basic setup done, even if you don't have any content there yet, as they'll review the site manually before approval.
10. Create your blog posting bookmarks/links. There are two links that are going to be essential for you to make this easy. First is the blog posting link. In your blog software, on the posting page (see their instructions), at the bottom of the page there should be a "bookmarklet". Click on the link (and hold the mouse) and drag it up to your Links toolbar in your browser (assuming Internet Explorer), or your Favorites menu. This will allow you to blog a product with one mouse click.
11. Create your Amazon Build-A-Link bookmark/link. This will make it easy to build the link with your affiliate ID built in. Log in to Associates Central, look in the left navigation sidebar, go to Build-A-Link, and under Static Links, find Individual Items. Click and drag this onto your Links toolbar or Favorites menu....
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Making Money from Amazon - Part 1
You've probably heard before a lot of hype about how much money you can make with affiliate programs. Maybe you've even set up a site yourself, only to find that after buying the domain, a few bucks a month in hosting, software or a web designer to design your site, etc., that the piddly affiliate fees hardly even covered your cost. Well, here's the hype-free way to really make money with an Amazon.com affiliate site. And it'll only take a day to make the site. The secret? Low cost, low effort.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: One day
Here's How:
1. If you don't already know it, learn some basic HTML. You have to do this to keep your costs down and still get what you want. Even if the site is basically laid out for you, you're going to need to know how to insert images, create hyperlinks, and do some basic text formatting. Our HTML Guide offers a free 10-week HTML class and a great collection of beginning HTML tutorials. Get over any anxiety you have about this. Just do it. You'll thank me for it later.
2. Decide on your topic. You're going to be doing product reviews and recommendations, so pick a topic that you enjoy and know something about. If you can't stay passionate about the topic, that will show, and it also won't hold your interest. Choose a narrow enough niche to be distinctive, e.g., bands from your city, left-handed guitarists, music for a certain kind of dancing, authors of a certain religion, books about arts & crafts, etc.
3. Choose your domain name. Make it keyword-rich, not clever. Think how people will find your site in the search engines. Here are some ideas (all available when I first wrote this, though a cfew have been snatched up):
Music: BandsFromTexas.com, BandOutOfBoston.com, SouthpawGuitarists.com, ClassicPsychedelia.com, Non-Stop-Hip-Hop.com, Merengue-Music.com
Books: Mormon-Authors.com, Arts-and-Crafts-Books.com, Books-by-Stephen-King.com, ClassicBusinessBooks.com
Others: Best-Baby-Toys.com, MomsMags.com, FelliniMovies.com
4. Register your domain name. If you're not technically inclined at all, register your domain wherever you set up your hosting in step 5. Otherwise, you can save a few bucks by choosing a lower-cost provider. Not a big deal for one or two sites, but it can be for ten or twenty. I use GoDaddy, who have great domain management tools and are less than $10 a year. The least expensive I've found from a reputable source is 1&1, whose price is around $7 a year last I checked.
5. Set up your web hosting. This is where most people get burned. For this kind of site, you do not need $10 a month web hosting! Our Online Business Guide has a list of Cheap Web Hosting for Under $10. Some are as little as $4 a month, with unlimited domains, i.e., you can run several sites like this on the same hosting package.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: One day
Here's How:
1. If you don't already know it, learn some basic HTML. You have to do this to keep your costs down and still get what you want. Even if the site is basically laid out for you, you're going to need to know how to insert images, create hyperlinks, and do some basic text formatting. Our HTML Guide offers a free 10-week HTML class and a great collection of beginning HTML tutorials. Get over any anxiety you have about this. Just do it. You'll thank me for it later.
2. Decide on your topic. You're going to be doing product reviews and recommendations, so pick a topic that you enjoy and know something about. If you can't stay passionate about the topic, that will show, and it also won't hold your interest. Choose a narrow enough niche to be distinctive, e.g., bands from your city, left-handed guitarists, music for a certain kind of dancing, authors of a certain religion, books about arts & crafts, etc.
3. Choose your domain name. Make it keyword-rich, not clever. Think how people will find your site in the search engines. Here are some ideas (all available when I first wrote this, though a cfew have been snatched up):
Music: BandsFromTexas.com, BandOutOfBoston.com, SouthpawGuitarists.com, ClassicPsychedelia.com, Non-Stop-Hip-Hop.com, Merengue-Music.com
Books: Mormon-Authors.com, Arts-and-Crafts-Books.com, Books-by-Stephen-King.com, ClassicBusinessBooks.com
Others: Best-Baby-Toys.com, MomsMags.com, FelliniMovies.com
4. Register your domain name. If you're not technically inclined at all, register your domain wherever you set up your hosting in step 5. Otherwise, you can save a few bucks by choosing a lower-cost provider. Not a big deal for one or two sites, but it can be for ten or twenty. I use GoDaddy, who have great domain management tools and are less than $10 a year. The least expensive I've found from a reputable source is 1&1, whose price is around $7 a year last I checked.
5. Set up your web hosting. This is where most people get burned. For this kind of site, you do not need $10 a month web hosting! Our Online Business Guide has a list of Cheap Web Hosting for Under $10. Some are as little as $4 a month, with unlimited domains, i.e., you can run several sites like this on the same hosting package.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Make money from blogging - Part 2
Ask for Donations:
It can't hurt to ask your readers to donate to your blog. Some of them just might do it. You can add a donation button to your blog through PayPal.
Sell Your Guest Posting Services:
Most bloggers write guest posts for other blogs for free as a way to promote their own blogs. However, you can also offer your guest posting services for a fee.
Write and Sell an Ebook:
If your blog has loyal readers then they must like what you have to say. Similarly, if you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, then there is a good chance people will want to read more from you outside of your blog. Leverage that position by writing an ebook and offering it for sale on your blog.
Write a Book:
If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and developed a strong following, you could write a book and either try to have it published or self-publish.
Become a Professional Blogger:
Many blogs and blog networks look for talented and knowledgeable writers to author blogs, and many of those blogging jobs are paying. Apply to blogging jobs to boost your blogging income.
Apply for Other Writing Jobs:
Blogging can help you polish your writing skills, which can help you land other freelance writing jobs online and offline. Transitioning into freelance writing from blogging is not unusual and can be very lucrative.
Become a Public Speaker:
If you've successfully established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and generated a decent amount of traffic to your blog, you could offer your services as a public speaker at events related to your area of expertise.
Become a Consultant:
If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, you can offer consulting services to other people or business' who could use the help of your expertise. Alternatively, you could offer consulting services related to developing and writing a successful blog
(Repost from: http://weblogs.about.com/od/monetizingablog/p/Nonadvertising.htm)
It can't hurt to ask your readers to donate to your blog. Some of them just might do it. You can add a donation button to your blog through PayPal.
Sell Your Guest Posting Services:
Most bloggers write guest posts for other blogs for free as a way to promote their own blogs. However, you can also offer your guest posting services for a fee.
Write and Sell an Ebook:
If your blog has loyal readers then they must like what you have to say. Similarly, if you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, then there is a good chance people will want to read more from you outside of your blog. Leverage that position by writing an ebook and offering it for sale on your blog.
Write a Book:
If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and developed a strong following, you could write a book and either try to have it published or self-publish.
Become a Professional Blogger:
Many blogs and blog networks look for talented and knowledgeable writers to author blogs, and many of those blogging jobs are paying. Apply to blogging jobs to boost your blogging income.
Apply for Other Writing Jobs:
Blogging can help you polish your writing skills, which can help you land other freelance writing jobs online and offline. Transitioning into freelance writing from blogging is not unusual and can be very lucrative.
Become a Public Speaker:
If you've successfully established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic and generated a decent amount of traffic to your blog, you could offer your services as a public speaker at events related to your area of expertise.
Become a Consultant:
If you've established yourself as an expert in your blog's topic, you can offer consulting services to other people or business' who could use the help of your expertise. Alternatively, you could offer consulting services related to developing and writing a successful blog
(Repost from: http://weblogs.about.com/od/monetizingablog/p/Nonadvertising.htm)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Make money from blogging - Part 1
The Value of Monetizing Your Blog Through Nonadvertising Opportunities:
Displaying ads on your blog is certainly a simple way to try to generate an income from it. However, ads are not a guaranteed money-maker. For one reason, they are often dependent on the actions of your blog's readers. For another reason, generating a significant amount of money through advertising on your blog is unlikely (possible but unlikely) unless your blog receives a very large amount of traffic each day.
By diversifying your income-generating opportunities, you'll have a greater chance of successfully monetizing your blog. Following are a variety of nonadvertising methods to earn money from your blog.
Sell Merchandise:
Many bloggers have success selling branded and non-branded merchandise on their blogs through CafePress.
Displaying ads on your blog is certainly a simple way to try to generate an income from it. However, ads are not a guaranteed money-maker. For one reason, they are often dependent on the actions of your blog's readers. For another reason, generating a significant amount of money through advertising on your blog is unlikely (possible but unlikely) unless your blog receives a very large amount of traffic each day.
By diversifying your income-generating opportunities, you'll have a greater chance of successfully monetizing your blog. Following are a variety of nonadvertising methods to earn money from your blog.
Sell Merchandise:
Many bloggers have success selling branded and non-branded merchandise on their blogs through CafePress.
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