Making Money Online-Questions....

After sending some info out to a few people, this is one of the replies I received.

"Hi Carole
Read your blog and it made very interesting reading. I also have read the Wealthy Affiliate
website a few times and it does sound too good to be true!
Hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions!
I understand that you have to get people to visit companies website but how do you get people to do that? By what I have read you make your own website with links for the various merchants but how do you get people to visit your website?

I really need to think seriously about trying to get a income just in case my husband is out of work for any length of time after March and this sounds ideal for me if I could get it to be a success.

Many thanks"

I really love answering "proper" questions, so I'll do my best to explain without over-complicating things.

Wealthy Affiliate-It's difficult to know where to begin to describe Wealthy Affiliate. When I began researching how to make money online, I knew I was going to need some serious help. With my sadly-lacking internet skills and my very limited knowledge about what internet marketing actually was, I needed quality information. I also needed a place I could go to to ask all those "newbie" questions without being laughed at.

After weeks of research on Wealthy Affiliate, I could only find good things and after reading about so many scams, this was a breath of fresh air. I decided that if there was going to be anywhere I could learn how to "do" internet marketing, then this was probably the place.

At this point, I had never interacted with a real person who was doing this as a job and although I'd read hundreds of accounts about how people were supposedly making lots of money, I never had the chance to email anyone or ask any questions. I then came across the lady I mentioned in a previous post, who had started from an almost identical point as me and we exchanged emails. Shortly after this, I took a leap of faith and paid for a 1 month subscription for Wealthy Affiliate which, from memory, cost me around $30.

I have been a fully paid-up member ever since.

Wealthy Affiliate actually exceeded all my expectations, and still does. It is soley responsible for teaching me how to make a good living on the internet (well, plus my own very hard work!).

When I got the membership, I literally "read until my eyes bled" and only another would-be internet marketer can really understand that phrase!

You do need to learn so much. It's not complicated, but the volume of reading is immense. It has every single resource you need, both in terms of actual interactive training courses and the tools you will need to build your business online. However, one of the best things about Wealthy Affiliate is the forum. You can post any question at all and be sure that one of the thousands of other members (and as well as lots of "newbies, there are some of the biggest names out there in the internet markting world)

Working alone online can be lonely and overwhelming at times and it's great to have other like-minded people around who can help you and, before you know it, you too will be helping other new starters.

My husband and children became very used to seeing the back of my head, leant over the laptop-day and night. They became used to washing and ironing not being done and having to "muck in". If you decide to build your own online business, you need to get the words "easy" and "quick" out of your mind. Building anything worthwhile takes lots of work. You are building a business, so you will need tools, education and good support and for me, this is where Wealthy Affiliate came in, and still does. I make full use of the free research tools, the website builders and the masses of tutorials and the Training Centre. I also visit the forum and ask questions whenever I get stuck.

Ok, enough about Wealthy Affiliate for now. On to the next point.

Getting People To Visit Your Website

You are right here to a certain extent in that people do have to find your "content" to be able to buy products you have recommended. However, there are many ways of getting content online and having your own website is only one of many ways.

There are many good article sites (for example, Ezine, GoArticles and Articles Base) which Google "loves" - meaning that content written on these free sites is likely to be posted depending on keywords (more later!!!).

You can also make use of very simple free website builders, such as the one I am writing on here (Google Blogger) or Squidoo, Hubpages, Zimbio, to name but a few of many.

There are other ways to get content online, for example, if you were an affiliate of a product which kills fleas on dogs and someone on "Yahoo Answers" asks how they can rid their beloved hound of fleas, you might post some useful information by way of an answer, plus a link to the product you promote.

Another way to get your affiliate links shown is to use "PPC" or "Pay Per Click". You have probably seen this being used everyday. If you search anything on the internet, you will find a range of "Sponsored Links" on the top and/or right hand side of the page. These are adverts which have been paid for, usually by other internet marketers, and each time a prospective purchaser "clicks" on the ad, the internet marketer is charged. This can be a great way to make money, but also a fantastic way to lose tons of money fast unless you really know what you are doing! I would never recommend anyone tries this out unless they have become familiar with making some money using free methods first!

It took me around 10 months before I built my own "stand alone" website and even then, it was an ugly, joke of a website. However, it did begin to earn me some money within a few weeks (and still does!). Up until then, I made full use of the free builders (especially Squidoo) as you really don't need any prior experience to use these, just dogged determination. To illustrate the learning curve, it took me the best part of a whole day to build one page in the Squidoo site-I can now build a very similar page in about three quarters of an hour.

At the time, I remember someone telling me that if you have no "content" (ie webpages, free pages or articles etc) online, you are 100% assured of making no money. Put some content online and you at least have a chance of making something-how very true this is!

My next post will deal with-

• Keywords-What they are and how they are absolutely crucial to getting your content found online
• Free keyword research tools

Following on from that post will be-

• My favorite affiliate site for new starters
• A simple step-by-step "blueprint" which will show you exactly how to set up a mini campaign for free with money-making potential
  

If anyone has any other questions, add a comment to the blog and I'll answer as soon as possible. Alternatively, email me on LivingTheDreamNow@hotmail.co.uk and I'll get back to you personally.

Carole

"No Content Online=No Money"

Update-For New Readers

I've decided to update this blog mainly for the benefit of a few people who have been asking about what I do for a living.

Making money online is a huge topic and lots of people believe it is a pipe-dream. It's no wonder really, there's so much mis-information and many scams out there. Well I am living that dream. I started writing this blog back in April 2009, shortly after I had begun to see success online as an internet marketer. I have left my older posts intact, incase anyone wants to see how I got started and the rather chequered journey I had myself.

I started writing the blog with the intention of helping others make it online. However, I rather selfishly never continued it at the time as my "success" overtook me and I became too self-absorbed with all the opportunities out there. Also, as a relatively new marketer, I did need to build my business to ensure continued success and to make sure that I was making the kind if money I needed for the lifestyle we were living and also to start to provide for a better future.

The main problem I had when starting out was that I had nobody to "ask". I had worked out for myself (as you can see from some previous posts) that Internet Marketing was "real" and that potentially, it was what could change my life. However, all the people I read about were just names and I still had that sneaking suspicion that it all sounded too good to be true.

One of my life-changing moments was coming across a lady in the US who appeared to have started out like me-with no knowledge, a family to look after and a really busy life. I posted a comment on her blog and was amazed when she replied and at that moment, it all became "real". I had finally found someone who was successful, who had started from scratch and who was willing to tell me a little bit about what she had actually done and this made all the difference to me.

I still have the email she sent me on June 12th 2008, and this is an extract:-

"Hi Carole =)

Thanks for your email!

Welcome to the internet marketing world! Don't worry about 'technical skills' - what all this takes is an ability and a willingness to learn.. AND to make mistakes...haha!

Yes, it can be hard to mix mothering of a house full of kids with learning a new skill (ie, starting your own business), but just remember - what you do the next 6 months to a year could potentially change ALL your years after that! If you keep at it and work smart, today, June 12th, can be very different for you and your family in 2009.

I wish you all the luck. If you need anything, please feel free to ask!"


...and that was it really. June the 12th 2009 was very different. By that time I had gone from earning nothing from internet marketing to earning what you would call a good, full-time salary. I couldn't believe it. I still can't.

However, if anybody thinking about doing this thinks it's an easy option, then think again. I do work long, long hours some weeks-especially when I was starting out, and there's nobody else to rely on to get things done. However, I now know lots of people I can ask if I'm ever stuck.

The benefits for me personally are amazing. For example, when we went to Florida last year, the money continued to come in, even though I just "maintained" my business via the internet when away. (I remember sitting on the porch of a beach house on Anna Maria, looking over the Gulf, doing a bit of "work", thinking that maybe in time, I could live there and work there).

Right now, I have an elderly mother who lives nearby, and I can work around her doctors/hospital appointments, I can still take and collect the children from school, and just make up the time on an evening. It's this kind of flexibility which I still find unreal!

I was able to virtually take a full month off over Christmas-and I still made money.

I am at a point now where I feel fortunate enough to be able to share what I do with others, so if anybody wants any more information, I'd be happy to chat or email me at LivingTheDreamNow@hotmail.co.uk .

Carole

"No Content Online=No Money"

Making Money Online In The UK Using Affiliate Schemes

Affiliate Schemes Can Help You Make Money Online In The UK

When I first started seriously looking at Internet Marketing and thought it was probably just another of those so-called "get rich quick" schemes, one of the things which made me think otherwise was when I discovered which companies offered these "Affiliate Schemes".

In a nutshell, this is how it all works:

Internet marketing is not new. Each and every year Internet marketers earn tens of billions of pounds or dollars online in revenue selling products for online companies. It may sound complicated but you will be surprised at how simple the process is. Making money online as an Internet marketer is broken down into three simple steps that anyone can learn.

• As an internet marketer, it is your job to send people to company websites. This can be done by various means. It's actually not difficult-I was completely "computer-illiterate" yet was making sales within weeks of starting.

• When those people make purchases, you are paid from the company who owns the product. There are thousands of companies online who are willing to pay you up to 90% of the entire sales price just for sending people to their site.

• At the end of each pay period, you receive your commissions-either in the form of a cheque or paid directly into your bank.

Within the UK alone, you might be surprised at the types of companies who offer these schemes. They include big names such as M&S, Boots, Halfords, PC World, Amazon, eBay and the Post Office-and these are really just the tip of the iceberg! In fact most companies offer some sort of affiliate scheme.

When you think about it, for the companies it's like having lots of sales reps out there paid on commission only-for us it's a massive potential source of income. If you consider the huge ranges of products within any one of the companies I've mentioned carry, you will perhaps begin to understand the potential in this.

There are many companies set up just to manage the affiliate schemes of the businesses. These kind of "bring them all together" in one place, offering a platform from which affiliates (like me) can pick and choose who they might like to promote.

Within the UK, there are several such companies-the ones I've used are very reputable.

The one I use most is AffiliateWindow and you can get a flavour for what they do by clicking on the link.

I hope this has given you a little food for thought.

To see where I learned my internet marketing "skills" (a questionable term when me and computers are involved together!!!), visit Wealthy Affiliate.

Don't forget, you can email me on LivingTheDreamNow@hotmail.co.uk

Carole

"No Content Online=No Money"

Making Money Online In The UK

How I found A Way Of Making Money Online In The UK

Following on from my last post, I then spent weeks searching and scouring the internet for what was eluding me. I began to get little "chinks" of information and it dawned on me that what I was looking for was somehow related to actually working on the internet and not just using it as a "shopfront" to sell goods.

I came across lots of sales sites which promised to reveal how to make money on "autopilot" and whilst I could tell that they were simply trying to make money selling schemes which were too good to be true, I had a feeling that what they were talking about had a grain of truth in it somewhere.

I eventually discovered that what they were all really talking about was Internet Marketing. The problem was that nobody would really say what this entailed without having you part with bundles of cash for the privilege.

Through doing weeks of research-but without parting with any money, I learned that many of the sites which were offering to teach you how to be an internet marketer were out to take your cash, without teaching you any skills. I read hundreds of reviews of different products all promising to teach you about making money online in the UK by internet marketing. When you really looked into each one though, it suddenly dawned on me that what they were doing themselves was a kind of "disreputable" form of internet marketing-i.e selling products which sounded good but which would not deliver.

In all this searching though, one site was different-at least that's how it first appeared. However, I didn't trust my own judgement and spent more days finding out as much as I could about the online community called "Wealthy Affiliate" . At first I convinced myself that this was yet another example of online trickery, but yet no matter how hard I tried, I could not find a bad review. Wealthy Affiliate did not offer a fast way to riches, but appeared to be a sound, solid way of teaching people about making money online in the UK and indeed, worldwide.

I must have hovered over the "pay" button several times, before I committed myself to a one-month fee "just to try it out". This was in July 2008. I am still a member now.

The minute I entered Wealthy Affiliate I knew I'd make the right decision. The only problem I did have was that the amount of information seemed totally overwhelming. However, once I'd got over the initial feelings that I would not be able to do it, I took a deep breath and began slowly and solidly working through the "8 Week Action Plan". This was perfect for someone like me-you know the type of person-one who could barely send an email-let alone do anything slightly more complicated.

When I began working online, I could just about search Google for information and I could (with difficultly and help!) load things on eBay through my husband's account. I couldn't even upload photos though. I had no idea about sending "attachments" with emails or what a "pdf" file was, nor could I "print" things off-that's how basic my computer skills were!

However, what I did have was determination. In Wealthy Affiliate I read accounts from people who had started off from a similar starting position as me and who had become successful-many giving up their "day jobs". I still wasn't 100% convinced and contacted a couple of people from the forum of Wealthy Affiliate and ended up speaking to them. I was also lucky enough to "find" a lady in the USA (not from WA) who started off from an almost-identical starting point as I did. The realisation dawned that if I worked hard enough, I could actually do this.

After a week, I made a sale (well, two actually!) and received a commissions of £4.80 for each one. Ok, not much I know, but enough to prove to myself that this worked. I admit that I worked pretty tirelessly and as our household budget allowed me to work at it for 6 months, before I really had to get a "real" job, I knew I could give it until January 2009 before deciding for sure if it would work for me.

I didn't have to wait that long.

My learning curve was absolutely huge, but I persevered and by Christmas, was earning enough money to know that I would not be looking for employment elsewhere!

I was actually making money online -Nobody was more surprised than me (well, perhaps my husband was, who knew full-well how lacking my computer skills were-and still are!!!)

Coming soon.....Which companies have affiliate schemes? (You may be surprised!)

Carole

"No Content Online=No Money"

Make Money Online In The UK

How I Started Off....

I don't know how you came to be reading my blog but you could be me a couple of years ago (if that makes sense!). I began using searching Google for ways to make money online in the UK and wow, what a journey the last year has been.

Presently, I make my living working from home in the UK on the internet. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? To me it is, I have to keep pinching myself because I can't believe what I've done.

It's only now that I feel "qualified" to put pen to paper, so to speak. Indeed, qualified enough to offer advice to other people who are in the situation I was a year ago.

I'll introduce myself first.

My name is Carole and I'm in my mid forties. I've lived in the UK all my life and currently live in Yorkshire. I'm married with 3 children, plus I keep an eye on 2 elderly relatives. We have all the usual trappings, including a mortgage, pets and a couple of cars to run etc. At the beginning of 2008, our family fortunes changed pretty dramatically, meaning that we needed to reassess our finances pretty quickly. When my children were very small, I had a good career in banking, but for the past few years I had been in the enviable position of being able to stay at home to look after my children and relatives. I'd done a few small jobs within the family business but none involved the 9-5 grind which I'd previously endured.

Our financial crisis meant that I would have to start pulling in an income. Our modest savings, coupled with our existing income, meant that I had around 6 months to sort myself out and to decide exactly what I wanted to (and indeed, could) do. The ideal situation was for me to work from home. I really needed the flexibility and spent many a sleepless night worrying about how we would cope as a family if both my husband and I were out at work all day, as he was doing a job with no flexibility.

We were on holiday during Easter 2008 and had rented a house with internet access. I spent virtually the whole holiday looking for ways to make money online. Now if you've done this yourself, you've probably come across all the things I did.

Here is the list of "things to investigate" which I came home with:-

• eBay seller of "things I could pick up from the £1 shop" (!)
  
• Paid survey completion
• A "no-lose" system of playing roulette on the internet
• Dropshipping
• Buying old books from charity shops and selling them for a fortune on Amazon
• Buying old muscial instruments and selling them on eBay
• Importing goods from China to resell
• Picking up mis-spelt bargain items off eBay and reselling
• Ebay seller of second-hand clothing
• Being a "secret shopper"
  

Now if you're honest, you have maybe looked at some of these possibilities. Let me tell you what happened with them in my case:-

• The £1 shop items flopped. I bought a selection of recording pens, foldable backpacks, disposible baby bibs and a few more things. I did sell some, but I still have a number of these items languishing in the cupboard.
• I did lots of paid surveys-at best I would make a few pence per hour. At worst, I would get to the end of a long survey, only to be told I wasn't eligible-charming!
• The "no-lose" roulette system ranks as my most embarrassing blunder. After reading several "reviews" of this no-fail system, I rather scarily loaded up my new account with some super casino (yes, yes, they saw me coming) with £100 and off I went. Suffice to say, it was not a "no-lose" system. It did, however, teach me a valuable lesson about parting with hard-earned money!
• Dropshipping sounded good-you simply bought a website loaded up with goods and you never even had to own a product. You sold. They dispatched. However, a closer look at this made me realise that like most things, this was too good to be true and only now, do I understand the many flaws this can have. How on earth would "my" website get found?
  
• I never got going with the Amazon thing. I had been inspired by the story of a lady who apparently made about £30k a year scouring second hand shops and reselling the books she bought. I was put off by a comment from her husband about the house been cluttered up with books-what with 3 children and a full house to start with I couldn't bear the thought! (Plus she wanted about £50 to reveal the "secrets" of her success...hmmmm!)
• I actually visited every second-hand shop in Wakefield in an attempt to find some old brass musical instruments (just look at eBay-they sell for a bomb!). However, I came away with a new-looking bright yellow musical instument stand and figured that it might sell. After 2 goes on eBay, it still sits nicely in our garage.
• The "goods from China" thing. Well, surprisingly, I actually did this quite sucessfully. I ordered a consignment of chicken coops (yes, you read that correctly) in May and they finally arrived in December, when I was wishing they wouldn't as I was very busy working on my then-successful business by that time! However, they have actually sold very well and whilst it might not be for everyone, this was profitable for me,
  
• I didn't bother buying mis-spelt items off eBay. They seemed to be few and far between and I couldn't find anything worthwhile.
• I had a go at selling second hand clothing. I raided both ours and a relative's unwanted stocks and did make a few pounds. My conclusion was that this was good for making a few pounds but no good as a sustainable income.
• When I looked at the income of "secret shoppers" the potential just wasn't there to make the full-time income I needed so I never took it any further.
  

I don't know if you've found it yourself, but I found that the more I looked for ways to make money online, the more I felt that there was a "secret" which was eluding me. I was 100% sure that some people were making big money on the internet, but what the heck were they doing????

Carole

"No Content Online=No Money"