Online Equalizer

How to Turn Your Website Into a Six-Figure Income

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:41:00 +0000

In today's lesson, I'm going to share my experience with blogging, Internet publishing, and running a home-based business. Specifically, I'll tell you what I did to turn a hobby website into a six-figure income, while working from home 100% of the time.

First, let me say that the lessons I've learned along the way might not apply to you. Heck, you could be a lot smarter than I am, and you might be able to achieve success in half the time. I'm not saying this is the only way to run a home-based Internet business. This is just how I've done things -- for whatever that's worth.

A Website is Born

My first website is now my biggest website. It's a real estate website that educates consumers on all aspects of the home buying process. It has thousands of pages of content, mostly related to credit scores, mortgage loans, house hunting and the like. It's also my primary source of income.

But it wasn't always this way. This site started out as a hobby website, something I did in my spare time. Don't get me wrong. I always had big aspirations for the site. But it started small ... very small. In the early days, I added about one page per week (compared to the rate of 40 pages per week that I currently publish). Like I said, it was a humble beginning.

A Dream is Born

Managing a website forces you to learn. You have to learn how to publish new content on a regular basis, and you have to get better at this as you go along. By writing and publishing web content on a weekly basis, I began to learn about the many ways to monetize a website. Mostly, I was intrigued by the stories of people who made a living from their websites or blogs. I can't tell you how many articles I read about people who made six-figure incomes from their websites.

These stories fueled the flames of my innermost desires. Early on, I knew that was the life for me. So I began working toward the goal of running a home-based business, and making a decent living at it.

Class in Session

First, you have to learn what you don't know. This is true for any profession, and the same goes for running a home-based Internet business. Early in my path, I made a list of the topics I needed to learn. My list included the following subject areas:

Writing website content
Search engine optimization
Online public relations
Generating website revenue
Website lead generation
Website usability
Publishing content efficiently
Social media marketing

The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. In my opinion, this is one of the most important qualities you can have when running your own business -- the desire to learn. It's a never-ending process, and it helps you grow your home-based business consistently over time. Here's another bit of motivation for you. The more you learn, the more you can earn!

Learning to Duplicate Success

When I found something that worked well (for improving search engine rankings, increasing website revenue, or whatever), I would immediately try to duplicate it. This is another hallmark of a successful Internet publisher. Find something that works well, and then duplicate it. Repeat it across your main website, and then apply the same lessons to any new websites you create.

Of course, the lessons from one website or audience don't always apply to another audience. So you may find that the trial-end-error process starts all over again, in some cases. This is why I recommend limiting your focus to one audience, or several closely related audiences. For example, I have dozens of websites, but most of them can be classified as real estate and/or consumer education websites. This allows me to use what I've learned over and over again.

Creating Multiple Revenue Streams

There are two types of home-based Internet publishers -- those who survived the recent economic crisis, and those who had to go back to a "day job." I've been fortunate enough to find myself in the first group, and I can attribute my survival to one thing above all else ... diversification. I have worked hard to diversify my revenue streams, and I highly encourage you to do the same.

When the economy started to go south (back when the first banks started failing), the consulting side of my business came to a grinding halt. If I had been relying solely on that, I would've gone broke. But because I also had ad revenues, and commission programs, and e-book sales, I was able to weather the storm and even come out stronger than before.

Most professional Internet publishers make the bulk of their income from the following:

Advertising revenue (Google AdSense, direct ad sales, etc.)
Affiliate programs (Commission Junction, Link Share, ClickBank, etc.)
Services of some kind (web writing, blog setup, SEO, etc.)

I call this the three-legged stool of website revenue, and I'm constantly looking for ways to reinforce the legs of my stool. In fact, this is how I spend the better of my days lately. I work on boosting my ad revenues by increasing traffic, experimenting with new placements and such. Then I'll take a look at my affiliate programs and see what I could do better. It never ends, but it's an exciting and challenging process I wouldn't trade for anything. Beats sitting in a cubicle all day.

Establishing Your Authority

What is your website about? What topics are you most interested in? This is where you should focus your energy when going forward. You have to build your website publishing "empire" around topics you're interested in. Otherwise, you're defeating the purpose of working for yourself.

Once you choose your topic and direction, strive to turn your website(s) into one of the leading sources for information in that field. This is your ultimate goal, and it will benefit you in many ways. When people view your website as the ultimate guide to [blank], they will be more inclined to link to your site and recommend it to others. This means more traffic, better search engine rankings and higher revenues.

Of course, in between your current status and the ultimate resource status, there's a lot of work. You'll need to create plenty of authoritative / educational content about your topic, or develop the programs needed to make your website features work properly. That will take plenty of time and effort, and you may find that you need support from other as well. But nowhere in this lesson did I use the word "easy." If it were easy, everybody would do it.

Hundreds More Tips - Coming Soon

I add new lessons to this blog about twice a week. I'd do it more often, but I have an Internet publishing business to run, and this website is not part of my income. :-) So be sure to check back often for more tips on turning a website into a six-figure income for yourself.

Recommended next step:
What you need to start a work-at-home Internet business

Starting a Home-Based Internet Marketing Business

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:28:00 +0000

So you've decided to start a home-based Internet marketing business and now you're asking the eternal question, "Where do I start?"

My advice is to plenty of research, planning and soul searching before you begin. Most people who start a work-from-home Internet marketing business fail within the first six months. The most common reason for this is a lack of planning. So if you really want your home-based business to succeed, you need to give it plenty of forethought. I'm hoping this article will get you started on the right foot.

Internet Marketing Lessons Learned

I've learned many lessons about running an Internet marketing business, and I'd like to share some of them with you today. I've finally reached a place in my business where I'm happy, but it took a long time and plenty of trial and error to reach this point. So who knows ... maybe you'll find a shortcut to success by reading some of my own lessons learned.

1. Start by finding a niche for yourself.

There are thousands of Internet marketing companies in the U.S. alone, so if you want to enter the market successfully you need a niche. This might be an industry niche, a geographic niche, or a combination of the two.

For example, when I started my SEO firm, I realized it was a crowded industry. So I focused on providing SEO services to (A) small businesses in the Austin, Texas area and (B) real estate companies. It was a lot easier to enter the market this way. If I had tried to be a general SEO consultant for any type of company anywhere in the U.S., it probably would not have worked. Too much competition. Anyone starting a home-based Internet marketing business can benefit from this piece of advice -- find a niche!

2. Create an informative website.

You need a website that explains the Internet marketing services you offer. Not everyone will read through it. Some people will just shoot you an email and ask for help without reading a single word of your website. But you still need to provide sufficient information about your services, for the people who do read carefully.

At a minimum, this information should include:

A clear explanation of the Internet marketing services you provide, along with the benefits of those services.
A list of credentials. This can include past projects you've done, training and education, specific accomplishments, any articles you've published, etc.
Testimonials from past clients, if you have some.
An overview of how the process works, including the payment side of things.
You might also want to create an FAQ page.

As you add this information to your website, be sure to optimize it for search engine visibility. This will help people find you online, which makes your marketing efforts a lot easier. You might also want to create an article library on your website, which can help you pull in even more search engine traffic.

3. Beware of time-wasting logistics.

If you spend too much time on logistical tasks like writing proposals, talking on the phone, and invoicing, then you won't as much time for billable works. This will limit the amount of money you can make with your home-based marketing business.

I learned this the hard way. I used to spend way too much time talking to potential clients on the phone. It ate up a lot of my workday, and it didn't always generate business. So I started handling all inquiries by email, until people were ready to move forward. You have to find a system that works for you, and you have to be on constant guard against logistical time-wasters.

Blogging for a Living - 3 Strategies to Consider

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Thousands of Americans publish blogs these days, and they run the gamut from family to business blogs. Even retirees are getting involved. So blogging, by itself, is certainly nothing knew. But a rising trend is the idea of blogging for a living from home. And in this post, that's exactly what I'm going to talk to you about.

Specifically, I'll explain three different strategies you might use to start a work-from-home blogging business of your own. Then I'll offer what I feel is the absolute best approach.

3 Ways to Blog for a Living

These are by no means the only way to go about it. These are just a few of the ways I've used blogging within my own home-based business. See if any of these ideas tickle your fancy.

1. Becoming a Freelance Blog Writer

Many companies publish blogs these days, but some of them don't have the in-house writing talent needed for consistent blogging. So you with a little bit of hard work, and a healthy dose of self-promotion, you could position yourself as a freelance blog writer for such companies.

I've done this in the past, and I can tell for a fact there are plenty of potential customers for this type of business model. Over time, you could find yourself blogging for a living this way -- and making a good living to boot!

2. Earning Ad Revenue

If you have one or more blogs with a good amount of traffic, you could earn a decent living from advertising revenue. There are two main strategies to choose from -- you can sell your ads on an individual basis, or you can use a contextual advertising program such as Google AdSense.

If you don't have a ton of blog traffic, I recommend the contextual ad programs. When your traffic increases to more significant levels, you may be able to sell ad space to individual advertiser as well. I personally know a handful of people who are blogging for a living with Google AdSense alone, so it can certainly be done.

3. Using Commission Programs

Similar to the advertising programs mentioned above, you can generate revenue from a wide variety of commission programs. The difference here is that you are making money by generating a specific action. The two most common actions are sales and leads. For example, if you send a visitor to a software site and they purchase a product, you could earn a commission based on that sale. Likewise, if you send a visitor to a mortgage website and they fill out a form requesting information, you could earn a commission from that lead.

Is this a viable strategy for blogging for a living? Absolutely. If you choose the right commission programs and do a good job placing the creative components (banners and links), you could make a good living from this blog strategy. Best of all, you are actually helping your website visitors find the kind of products and services they're after. And if you choose commission programs for products you believe in -- which you should -- you'll feel good about the whole thing!

The Best Approach

If you are serious about blogging from home for a living, I recommend using a combined strategy. You could offer freelance services for blog setup, training or content development. You could publish a network of your own blogs, with a combination of advertising and commission-based revenue. And you can do it all at the same time.

In my experience, it's extremely important to diversify your blogging business by incorporating several different strategies. This will offer a lot more financial security than using one strategy alone.

Here's a real-life example of what I mean. When the economic recession hit full force around October of 2008, the client side of my business dried up to nothing. Nobody could afford to pay for freelance services anymore. If I had been relying entirely on the blog writing services, I would have been in bad shape -- and probably would've been forced to get a "day job" again. Yikes! But we managed to get by because I had other aspects of my Internet business that were generating revenue. I learned a lot about the need for diversification at that time, and I've been diversifying even further since then.

Blogging for a living is not a fantasy, but it does require a lot of hard work and a solid plan. If you love to blog, and you feel you're up for the challenge, you could some day have a home-based blog business that pays the bills. Good luck!

How to Publish Website Content for a Living

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Are you a website content geek like me? Do you love to research new topics, write about them, and publish your content online for readers? Would you like to do it for a living? If so, this blog post is for you.

Let me start by saying this is not the only "recipe" for running a work-at-home Internet business. Nor is this the only model for publishing website content for a living. This is just my story. This is how I've done things, and it has worked well for me. I've been running a home-based Internet publishing business for about three years now, and I've done pretty well so far. I've even managed to survive and thrive during the current economic recession.

Here are some things I've learned along the way.

You need to publish content that interests you. I currently manage a dozen blogs, but they are all built around topics that interest me -- topics ranging from real estate to reptiles. This makes it a lot easier to publish new content day in and day out.
In the early days, I tried to blog about potentially profitable topics that did not interest me, but that didn't last long. If you publish website content about topics that interest you, you'll be more inclined to stick with it over time.
When one website starts to do well for you, take those lessons and apply them to website #2 ... and then website #3 and #4, etc. It's possible to make a living from a single website, but it's also quite a challenge. I recommend publishing several websites, and working hard to grow them all in tandem. I like to refer to this as "raising crops." Farmers diversify their crops for long-term security. You should do the same with your websites and blogs.
Experiment with different revenue generators. I've experimented with at least a dozen techniques for generating website revenue. Currently, most of my earnings come from advertising, commission programs, e-book sales, and consultation services. But it took me a couple of years to figure out what worked best, based on the nature of my websites and the people who use them. This kind of experimentation never ends, by the way.
Learn how to be efficient. The more efficiently you can publish website content, the more content you'll have over time. This means more traffic and, ultimately, more revenue. Just don't sacrifice the quality of your content for quantity. And speaking of quality...
Work hard to publish website content that truly helps people. Don't ever put anything online until it meets your highest standards for quality. If you publish excellent information, people will link to it and recommend it to others. This is a key ingredient for success as a full-time Internet publisher.
Learn how to use free and helpful tools like Google Reader. If you set up an RSS reader and gather RSS feeds from relevant news sources, you'll have a constant source of content ideas at your fingertips. This is how I'm able to publish so many blogs -- I don't have to waste time looking for stories to cover, ideas to write about, etc. They come to me.
Learn everything you can about search engine optimization. The higher your blogs and websites rank in the search engines, the more traffic you'll get. More traffic equals more revenue. I've created a collection of SEO tutorials to help you with this.
Most importantly, stick with it! I started with a single hobby website, and I was thrilled when it made ten dollars a day. Now I have a network of websites, with new ones coming online every year. It's a full-time job that pays all of my bills. I don't say this to boast, but only to motivate you. If you can envision success as a full-time Internet publisher, then you can achieve success.

I hope this list of tips gives you the motivation and the initial guidance you need to get started. If you have any questions about publishing web content -- and doing it for a living -- feel free to email me. There's a "contact" link at the top of the blog for this reason. Good luck.

Related article:
How to Start an Internet Business

Work At Home Internet Business - 3 Things You Need

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Question: I want to work at home running an Internet business but I don't know what tools I need. Any advice?

That depends on what you mean by "tools." There are the tangible items, such as a computer with reliable Internet connection, applicable software products, etc. And then there are the intangible items, like a solid plan, motivation, focus, etc.

So in order to keep this blog post to a reasonable length, I will list what I feel are the most important tools needed when starting a work-at-home Internet business for the first time.

1. You Need a Good Plan

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people rush into the at-home Internet business model with no sort of plan whatsoever. The results are usually the same. The person will flounder around for a while, waste a lot of time and energy, and then give up in frustration. Why? Because they had no plan for their business, and so they had no idea what to focus on.

"I want to use the Internet to work from home" is not a good business plan. It's a general statement of intent ... but it's not a solid plan of action.

At a minimum, your Internet business plan should include:

The type of at-home business you plan to create (the more specific the better)
A list of initial actions needed to get your business going
The total costs associated with startup
Minimum requirements for revenue, at least for year-one
A list of resources you can use for help and guidance

As you work through this list, you'll probably come up with more questions and considerations. And that's the whole point of this. When you put a plan on paper for your work-at-home Internet business, you'll be forced to think things through. This is far better than plunging in with no direction at all.

2. You Need the Right Skills

In order to succeed with your Internet business, you'll need the right set of skills for the path you've chosen. Also, if you plan to offer services to clients (such as copywriting, SEO or web design), you'll need some credentials to go along with those skills.

Before I started my own at-home Internet marketing company, I spent a few years working in the field for other companies. The benefits of doing this were two-fold. For one thing, I learned a lot about the type of work I'd be doing from home. But I also learned a lot about customer service, efficiency, pricing and many other important skills that carried over into my at-home Internet business. In other words, you can only learn so much from a book!

3. You Need to be Realistic

Sure, you can make a living from a work-at-home Internet business. Many people do, including myself. But it probably won't happen right away. So you might end up working two "jobs" at first -- you're full-time gig that pays the bills, and your at-home gig that will eventually pay those bills.

With this in mind, you need be realistic with your income expectations. If you're starting a home-based Internet business with the expectation of instant wealth, you'll probably be disappointed. Get started slowly while keeping your "day job." Test the waters and see what kind of revenue you can earn.

How to Start an Internet Business

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:54:00 +0000

When I first started my home-based Internet business, I had only a general idea of what I wanted to do. Then I just jumped into it. Thankfully, things have worked out fairly well. But I sure made some mistakes along the way -- more of them than I care to admit. So I'm going to give you what I never had but desperately needed. I'm going to offer some real-world advice on how to start an Internet business the right way!

Starting Your Internet Business - By the Numbers

Let me preface this by saying that no two Internet businesses are exactly alike. Keep this in mind when starting your own business. You can certainly benefit by reading through the tips provided below, but just remember this is not the only way to start an Internet business successfully. These are just some of the things I had to learn the hard way as I blazed my own path.

1. Do Your Research

The first thing you need to do is learn about the different types of Internet businesses that are out there. Sure, you can blaze your own trail and start a truly unique business, but you have to base it on a model of some sort. And the only way to do that is to learn about the various models that exist.

I recommend taking notes in a notebook, or create a research document on your computer. Start looking into the different types of Internet businesses and make notes about the ones that appeal to you.

If you already know exactly what kind of business you want to create, you should still conduct some research to see who else is running that type of operation, how they are doing it, etc. In other words, you need to study the landscape before you charge into it.

2. Consider the Logistics

Are you going to start a one-person Internet business and work on your own? If so, what kinds of resources will you need to manage the operation? Computer equipment, software, training materials, other web-based services -- make a list of everything you'll need to start your business effectively. Just be open-minded and flexible with this process, because there are always surprises.

If you are going to have a staff working for you, you'll have even more considerations to make when you start your business. Now you have to provide for others, in addition to providing for yourself. You have to consider workspace, salaries, benefits and more. You take things to another level of complexity when you bring other people into the equation. For this reason, it may be best to start your Internet business by yourself initially (if possible), and then add people as you have the resources to do so.

3. Evaluate the Competition

There's nothing worse than starting an online business that you think is unique, only to find out there other people doing that same thing ... and doing it even better than you! This is why it's important to research the competition before you launch your own Internet business, just to see who's in that niche already (and how stiff their competition might be). If you find that others are already using your idea -- and that you may not be able to compete with their resources or positioning -- then you may want to think twice about moving forward.

It's tough to start an Internet business in a crowded field. So if you're going to do that, you need to find a way to either...

(A) outperform the people who are already in that space, or...
(B) adjust your business model so that it's unique and in a league of its own.

4. Plan Your Marketing Strategy

How are people going to know your business even exists? Putting up a website alone is not enough. That's like throwing another grain of sand onto a beach and waiting for people to notice it. So before you start your Internet-based business you need to create a plan to promote it. Here are some marketing strategies you may want to consider for starters.

5 Home-Based Business Marketing Strategies

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:16:00 +0000

So you've taken the plunge and started a home-based business for yourself. Fantastic! Working from home can be a rewarding experience, and you're guaranteed to get along with your boss.

However, depending on the type of home business you have, you may need to develop a marketing plan to support that business. For example, if you are running some kind of freelance business from home (such as web design or copywriting), then you will most certainly need a home-based business marketing plan to promote your services. So in this article, I'll talk about some of the things you can do to promote your new business.

Not all of these marketing strategies will be right for your home Internet business. But one thing's for certain ... there's bound to be something on this list that will work for you.

1. Create a Business Website -- If you need to connect with others as part of your home-based business, then your marketing plan should be built around a quality website. For example, if you're a freelance "blogger for hire," you need to have a website (or a blog) that explains your services and provides samples of your work.

2. Search Engine Optimization -- Once you have a web presence, you need to make sure that it's visible to your target audience of potential customers. There are many ways to do this, but search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective techniques. In fact, I feel that SEO is such an important part of home-based business marketing that I've created a learning center to teach you all about it.

3. Networking With Others -- This is a great marketing technique for the home business owner. I can't tell you how many clients I've gotten by way of referrals and networking. Be active in your chosen field. Participate in online networking websites liked LinkedIn.com. Keep in touch with past clients, partners, associates, etc.

4. Article Marketing -- I love publishing articles online. I've been doing it once a week for several years now, and the benefits are immeasurable. I provide SEO services as part of my home-based Internet business, so I frequently distribute SEO-related articles online. People can now find these articles on hundreds of other websites, and they also point back to my website. That's a powerful home business marketing strategy, and best of all it's free! It doesn't cost anything but time and effort.

5. Online Press Releases -- If there is something interesting or noteworthy about your business, launch an online PR campaign to spread the word. You can publish press releases through websites such as PRweb.com, PRleap.com and others. But before you spend the time and money on this promotional strategy, let me say it again ... you need to have something newsworthy to say. In other words, don't send our boring press releases and expect great results.

These are clearly not the only marketing strategies for your home-based Internet business. These are just a few that I've had success with over the years. The Internet is a rapidly changing environment, so new promotional channels open up all the time. Use your imagination. Tap into the social aspects of the web. You'll find that home business marketing is a never-ending job. But if you do it right, you'll also find it's worth the effort.

Work From Home Online - 3 Great Strategies

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:02:00 +0000

So, you want to start a home-based Internet business so you can work online from your home. Excellent! It's certainly something worth pursuing. In fact, I call it the "new American dream" -- being able to work from home.

The first thing you must do is determine your business model. What types of products or services will you provide? How will you generate enough revenue to support yourself? These are tough questions, and they only scratch the surface of working at home online.

In my opinion, the best strategy for a home-based Internet business is one that combines multiple strategies and revenue streams. Take it from somebody who has been worked online from home for several years -- you should avoid putting all of your eggs into one basket. Unless, of course, it's a really big basket.

3 Ways to Work Online From Home

Here are some online strategies you can use to work from home and actually make a living at it. Combine two or more of the things on this list, and do them extremely well, and you'll be well on the road to home-based business success:

1. Offers Freelance Services

The Internet allows you to work from home, so why not take it a step further and develop your skills as an Internet marketing expert. You could be an online copywriter, an SEO provider, a web designer, a blogger for hire ... you name it. Follow your natural talents and your passions. There are many ways to you can work from home online as a freelancer.

2. Generate Ad Revenue

If you develop a network of websites and blogs over time (or even just one really popular website), you could make a living from the ad revenue. There are many ways to integrate ads across your website(s), and you'll have to experiment with different techniques to find out what works best for you. You could use a contextual advertising program like Google AdSense, a more traditional pay-for-placement approach, or a combination of the two. This is a popular strategy that allows many entrepreneurs to work online at home ... and to do it successfully.

3. Participate in Commission Programs

If you have a large audience for your website or blog, you can recommend relevant products and services to them as a commission-based business model. Take a look at the Commission Junction website (CJ.com) and you'll see what I mean. There are thousands of companies who offer commissions to affiliate publisher who can send them traffic or sales.

What to Take Away From This

These are obviously not the only ways to work from home online and make a living at it. There are many other strategies as well. But remember some of the key lessons we started with. You need to choose the kind of strategies that play on your strengths. Follow your natural talents and your interests ... do something you enjoy doing. Otherwise, you are defeating the whole purpose of a home-based online business.

Good luck!