In the 4 days since I last wrote things have slowed down a little. After a week of working on at full speed it was only natural that I would take some time off and slow down a bit.
The good thing is that slowly but surely daily traffic is increasing. It still seems to come in fairly randomly, but more and more different search engine bots are starting to visit me. I can now be found (directly) on both Google and Yahoo, and it should only be a matter of time before I show up on MSN too. This is good because it increases opportunities for my site to get noticed - even though it will still rank well down on the search results, it does make me feel that things are progressing.
My time over the last few days has mainly been focused on tidying things up, so that what I have set up already is the best that it can be. It has also included a lot more time researching - a lot of that has validated what I have done so far.
When you do research you will come across a lot of discussion around what is best - organic traffic (i.e. people naturally finding your site) vs the use of Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising - e.g. the ads that show up when you search something on Google. Pay Per Click obviously has the potential to become quite expensive if done incorrectly, while organic growth can take some time.
My goal is to make the best of both. I’m doing a small PPC campagin - about £3 a day, just to dip my feet in the water and get some experience. For that I’m making use of the Goggle Adwords system, and today I joined the MSN system as well. The only catch about the MSN is is they don’t let you do a pre pay system - meaning you have to keep your eye on things so that you don’t start getting needlessly billed. I must say, I was surpised at that. As always, Google has gone that one step further in making things customer friendly.
And I’m also trying to embark on organic growth. My concept is based on one site with numerous products - so for, brand/domain recognition is important. I believe part of this is coming from my PPC advertising because ultimately other search engines do start to pick up on those ads. Also, I am continuing to promote my site through the free advertising blogs. Finally I have taken my first steps into what is commonly referred to as “bum marketing” - which is basically writing articles for eZines that get ultimately get publised online. You don’t get paid for these works as such, but you do get to put a link to your website down the bottom. Ultimately, I’m told, this can drive more traffic to your site, especially if you ensure that your article is keyword rich.
And that’s about it so far … I do have some highly recommended reading though. I came across a forum post that links to a lot of useful articles. Although it is PPC focussed, a lot of the tips and tricks are handy for whichever path you decide to go down - whether it be PPC or organic. Read the article here :
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=866446
It’s been flat out … so far it’s just over 2 days since I took the plunge and finally got the domain and website setup. It feels like every second is spend thinking of new ideas and concepts - it is exciting, there’s no doubt!!
Of course, I haven’t made any money yet … but I have had that thrill of seeing the Google Robots have a look at my site. We will talk more about search engines later though.
For now, I just wanted a quick brief article with links to some useful websites that I’ve found so far in my quest to get setup. As mentioned previously, I’ve chose to start off by doing down the Affiliate Marketing Path … so my suggestions are related to that.
A good starting point to learn about some of the various programs and methods available can be found at the Digital Point Forums - here you find discussed programs such as ClickBank, Commission Junction, Adsense, Adwords, and much much more.
To get started on the web one needs a domain name and a reliable web host. Ideally you want someone who gives you everything you need - for me that host is HostPapa. For me having with some base in the UK was crucial - HostPapa were the one for me. On their best plan you can even get your domain name free. Best of all, they have a wide range of options that will suit your chosen method for getting your pages and content onto the web.
My chosen method of publishing content online is via means of WordPress.org - a powerful open source software suite that although designed primarily with blogging in mind has so many flavours and options that it is easy to setup a professional looking website. I would suggest that you need to be at least a little comfortable with technology to use this software, but, the best thing is that so many other users are enthusiasts of this product that there is a world of information and advice on all the tips and tricks.
For the less technical there is also a online based easy to use version - WordPress.com .
Needless to say, much of the last two days has been spent getting my sites up and running … I will write more as soon as I can … in the mean time, why not read this interesting UK based mainstream media article about ways to make money online.
To make money online, good research is crucial. Any online venture should be looked upon as a business rather than a hobby - and the distinction is crucial. In a hobby you might be prepared to spend any spare money, whereas in a business you will look upon any purchase with a much more critical and realistic eye.
The second you start researching this topic you will find numerous e-books and software being advertised, claiming to show you the special secret to make you rich. You don’t need it. The reality is that much of these e-books are being “on-sold” by people who are using those e-books as the method to make themselves rich. Often times the content will either be out of date (methods that worked 2 years ago may be no longer useful) and/or simply a cut and paste job of random information from around the internet. Would you pay $50 in a bookshop for a book that was a total mystery to you?
Or maybe you are tempted by the guaranteed method to “beat on the online casinos” offered on some websites. This may or may not work - I haven’t properly tried myself. But do bear in mind these procedures require a disciplined approach that can often go against normal human nature i.e. on spin 100 of the wheel you may bet on the wrong colour, and lose all your hard earned money.
Save your money - the information is out there and best of all, there is enough free information on the web. Spend some time on google, and find out what works. Undoubtedly some methods require a little more technical know how than others, but there is something for everyone.
For me, phase 1 will focus on the affiliate marketing stream. Simply put, you help established sites sell more of their products, and you get rewarded for each sale that is made. I have chosen this concept myself because I know that I am reasonably comfortable with the internet … and chances are that if you are reading this, you are too.
At this point in time, I have spent most of the evenings of the last week researching … and I believe it has paid off big time, to the point that I am now ready to go and get this business started.
In the next installment, I will describe the setting up of the business … in the mean time, some useful areas to research on google are :
- affiliate marketing
- clickbank
- adwords and adsense
- making money with blog sites
… and any and all combinations of the above.
Take the time … more time spent now will have bigger rewards in the future.