Consider this... Google is one of the most successful companies online, in a similar league to Yahoo! and MSN. Next time you use Google and type in a search term take a look at the column down the right side of the page when the search results show up.
What you'll see is a selection of small text ads which are related to your search query.
These are what is known as PPC (pay per click) advertisements. In other words, whoever has placed the advertisement with Google has done so on the basis that every time their advert is clicked on, the advertiser pays a small sum to Google. So the advertiser gets good quality targeted traffic to their site, Google makes some extra cash, and everybody is happy. But it doesn’t stop there, because Google, in their almighty wisdom, allows you to put these ads on your website too, and they’re willing to pay you a percentage of their commission. It’s a win win situation. What makes this so brilliant is that the ads that you display on your website will be mostly related to the content you provide, and statistics show that visitors are much more likely to click on these ads than banners. All you need do to get started is apply to Google first, and once accepted they will provide the code which generates the ads to appear on your site.Notice I said that your site needs to be accepted first. That’s because Google has a few rules that need to be adhered to in order for your site to be accepted. This is neccessary to keep their advertisers happy and raise the standards of good search results.
To find out more about how AdSense can provide a useful extra income stream, plus tips on how to get the best results using AdSense on your website I have written a short article that will help you get started entitled A Simple Guide to Making Money with AdSense
A quick and effective way to build websites optimised to use AdSense is to use a specialised program like Sitebuilder Elite But there’s more to just building a website and putting it online. You need highly targeted traffic to get the best results if you’re planning to make a good income from your venture!
There are many individuals and companies who are also making very good money from actually paying for these ads to be shown. Affiliates for example. We’ve learnt how affiliate programs work and how displaying Google ads on your site can also make you extra money, but what if you don’t have a website? Is it possible to still be an affiliate and make money from an affiliate program?
Absolutely! By utilising the PPC (pay per click) opportunity that Google and similar PPC search engines provide, even someone without a website can join an affiliate program and promote a merchant’s products or service using their own affiliate links. Providing you follow Google’s editorial guidelines and any terms and conditions as stated by the merchant that relate to the use of PPC advertising to promote their products, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Unlike the time and effort involved in planning, designing, building and hosting a website, setting up an account with Google and making money from Google AdWords is quick and simple. Providing, of course, you research your market correctly and apply some easy to learn marketing knowledge first to ensure good results,
3 - Info products
Digital products are ideal for selling on the net because they cost next to nothing to produce and are easily duplicated with no overheads such as printing and packaging costs. Some of the highest paying affiliate commissions are available from promoting ebooks, marketing courses and software products. This is because of the high mark-up profits which are possible, allowing resellers and promoters to make between 25% - 50% commission on each sale.
A whole range of downloadable products can be found at ClickBank including some of the best information products available online. If you want to seek out and promote products with exceptional profit margins, Clickbank is the place to visit. You can view some of the products available in the CB Mall.
Of course the big money is made by the originators of these products. Imagine creating an ebook and having hundreds, possibly even thousands of affiliates signing up to sell your book? It’s not so difficult as it sounds. If you sign up with ClickBank to sell your digital product through their marketing program, you also have the advantage of having thousands of potential affiliates ready to promote your product on their websites using simple tracking links that Clickbank provides. As long as your product is of a high standard and has little competition, you are likely to get plenty of interest. Affiliates are usually generously rewarded with high commissions ranging betwen 25% to 50% but because you’re selling a digital product your overheads are practically zero.
The article ’ebook writing’ by Miguel Alvarez will give you a brief introduction to writing your own ebook. For a more comprehensive writing guide I recommend you read the excellent ebook by Ken Evoy ’Make Your Knowledge Sell‘ Ken provides first class information on how to produce and sell your own information products as well as how to become proficient in pre-selling products you choose to promote.
Ebooks are not the only option though. Have you ever considered designing your own software?
Too complicated! I hear you say? Don’t know anything about programming?
Well actually you don’t need too. It’s now possible to create simple programs that you can sell, or use as a promotional giveaway. MYOS (Make Your Own Software) is a piece of software that allows you to use your creativity to develop simple, but exclusive digital products of your own. It’s the perfect tool to boost your sales or mailing list. Click here to find out more about it’s features and benefits.
Talking of mailing lists..... that brings us to our next money making method....
4 - Newsletters and e-zines
Newsletters and electronic magazines (e-zines) are a great way to build up a customer base and a trusting relationship with people prepared to deal with you on a regular basis. This is the cornerstone of most successful businesses whether established online or offline.
Having a list of subscribers that you can regularly mail to puts you in the perfect position to bring related products or services to your customers attention. Whether you provide your own saleable products, electronic information or otherwise, or join partners as an affiliate and promote other merchants goods, the process of churning out a regular newsletter can seem suddenly more inviting.
Starting a newsletter or e-zine is also a good way to learn and improve your marketing skills. Public relations, effective advertising, producing useful information that people are actively seeking out, and building a subscriber list through opt-in subscription methods, are all essential skills required for making money online. Some successful e-zines are even produced and distributed without the need for a website. Building up a strong subscriber list can be achieved simply by advertising in the right places. An effective advert and a simple link to your mailing list subscription manager may be all that you need. Check out the ‘YourWebApps’ service for more details about how to start your and run your own mailing list.
If you need inspiration to think up ideas or learn how other e-zines are proving to be popular, take a look at the two e-zine directories New-List and Ezine Search where the choice of subject matter is huge. If you see an opening for an untapped market then you could be on to a winner. Start building your subscriber list now! If you can reach thousands of people interested in a topic of information or a service that you can provide, then you could turn this to your advantage and make sales. Not only that, once your subscriber list has reached 5,000 or more you could easily make more money by including paid for advertising.
Getting people to subscribe to your newsletter or e-zine isn’t that difficult. All you need to do to get people to sign up is to entice them with a free offer for something you know they can’t resist. For example, a free e-book, or free software. Providing they perceive the offer as being valuable and able to save them money, you can’t fail to get a steady stream of new subscribers.
Fact: It’s a lot easier to make follow-up sales to existing customers who you have a good relationship with, than trying to sell to someone who has never dealt with you before. So build up trust by providing new subscribers with a first class service and you are far more likely to succeed in your new venture.
5 - E-commerce website
Many people assume that the best way to make money online is to set up a shop selling products direct from a website. While this is true for the majority of well established online businesses, it can be a costly and daunting proposition for newcomers who want to set up a business online for the very first time. If you have products you want to sell on the net but want to test the waters first before making a major commitment you should consider Pay Pal as your online payment payment processing system. It’s free to join, very simple to set up and you can use it to configure your own shopping cart to fit in with the design of your site. Whether you have a range of products or single items to sell, Pay Pal is a quick and easy way to start selling products online.
If you don’t already have a website built and are seeking a good ecommerce web hosting service, consider using Yahoo! Their Merchant Solutions product gives you fast, reliable web hosting and for a small monthly fee can provide everything you need to set up your own e-commerce website.
If you have ever dabbled with selling goods via auction sites and have a range of products to sell, you could set up your own webstore through ebay’s ebay stores program. You can sign up with ebay.com or ebay.co.uk and promote your own online store complete with a whole range of items that you sell in various categories. And because ebay is one of the most trafficked websites in the world there is already plenty of people ready and willing to check out your wares. This is an easy solution to starting your own online business. But like all the other methods described here, it requires a certain degree of marketing skill to get visitors flocking to your store. Without targeted visitors you’re unlikely to reach your full sales potential.
6 - Selling stuff on eBay
Selling stuff on eBay is easy. Most of us have heard reports about how some individuals and businesses are making massive incomes from selling on eBay. But like any other business there’s no magic formula to instant success. You need to learn the ropes first. Start small and work your way up.
Sole traders and big companies are using eBay as a way increase their sales. But it’s not a guaranteed way to make money online. There are charges to consider before calculating the profits you might expect from selling through their auction pages. If you’re new to the concept of selling on eBay I suggest you read their guidelines thoroughly. Make a note of their listing and selling fees and consider all other costs you might encounter regarding postage, packing and the use of payment processing services such as Pay Pal.
Source: website