Making Money Online

I have worked for many years as a bi-vocational minister. I did a series of things that were very rewarding and fulfilling. They just were not very financially rewarding.

The nice thing about bi-vocational ministry is getting to do things that you love to do. The downside is that you also have to give up some things.

My House-Building Experience

Another problem with using your time this way is a fluctuating cash flow situation. We have what many would consider to be a fairly nice house. It has a full basement. It is also a story-and-a-half on top of the basement. Our experience with the process was that we either had time or money. You see, we did much of the work ourselves. The first couple of years, we lived in the basement while we worked on the house. It was pretty primitive. When we moved in, we had sheets that covered our 2" X 4" framed walls. We only had one faucet, and that was where the water supply came in the house. We kept plugging away. Eventually, we got the water to the rest of the house. We begin to finish rooms one at a time until the kids (four of them) all had their own rooms. Many people would not be able to go this route because of zoning laws, but we live in a rural area where this was possible. This was an example of a fluctuating cash flow situation. When we got more money, we could do more work. You see, we have lived in the house for 20 years, and it is still not finished (but it almost is!)

Along with my ministry projects, I worked many temporary jobs. Those jobs provided the funds that allowed me to do what I really loved.

What Are the Benefits of Making Money Online?

Working online seems to be the perfect situation. I think that the process of setting up automated income will reap great benefits.

Working from home and setting my own schedule allows me to visit hospitals when I need to. It allows me to be available to do funerals, and it allows me to go on mission trips and to work in church camps. I got into working from home in an online business more for the flexibility of schedule than for the money.

Another thing this business will do is to provide for retirement. We do have some IRA's but they are not enough at this point.

Working from home and making some extra income can be used for debt retirement. The cash flow situation over the years forced us to make some perhaps unwise use of credit cards, so we do have some unsecured debts.

Could Making Money Online from Home Benefit You?

What about you?

Would working from home appeal to you? Could you use some extra money each month? Would you like to be able to set your own schedule? Would you like to set up some automated income that would help provide for your retirement?

I have found some things that I think will help. I have accepted some free-lance writing projects, and they do help; but they do not have recurring benefits like some online projects do.

Affiliate marketing has great possibilities. Writing articles and ads help in the process. One of the most helpful things I have found is an affordable program that has step-by-step plans. It also has excellent materials and a forum area where you can ask questions when you need clarification. The forum also provides encouragement when I think about giving up. You can find a program that has all these benefits at the Better Off Now Website.

The Better Off Now site also has two other programs listed. My plan is to begin to make money using the first program and then to branch out into the other two programs. They are all excellent.

I have begun to make money. I think the key is to keep at it--just like I did when building the house.

Maybe what you need to do is pick a plan and Start!

Online Business Guide - Offering Many Business Tips

Online businesses are gradually becoming the dominant business form. Most of the business, understanding the abundance of facilities to be availed from an online identity, has developed web identity that represents their specialty to a larger clan of business prospects around the world. Online businesses have opened a new door of possibilities, and growth; and allowed even people from distant places to come closer and indulge in a profitable arrangement. Evidently, everyone wants to pursue success of his or her entrepreneurial venture via being online

For establishing a good online business, you need to consult an online business guide and get tips that may help you to realize your dream. Here are top five ways to brand your business online:

Identity of an Entrepreneur:
As a budding entrepreneur, you need to create an online identity and register your exclusive right to it. Your unique brand name and web identity should match for maximum profit online. Therefore, it is good to register domains in your name so that people can know who you are and what you do.

Make your Profile
A good profile will help you to make an image for your customers. It will also help in building a trust with potential clients. An entrepreneur must open himself or herself for customers who are looking forward the business person whom they are willing to deal with. Telling details about work experience, industry, and personality, a budding online business person will get a lot of benefits.

Think about the Future:
Update yourself with the latest technologies. It is mainly because people are getting advanced with the time and they are changing their means of communication. For example, accessing websites on mobile phones is becoming a common trend these days. Therefore, an alert business person should make a website that can be easily loaded on mobile phones and get connected with the ultimate users very conveniently.

Take Care of Spam:
Nowadays, the dangers of malicious software can hamper your website's usability. Implement virus protection and other such solutions to protect your website.

Starting a Free Online Business

Starting a free online business is calling you but you are worried about not having options available. Don't the let the lack of funds sway your decision. There are many options available for little to no cost; all you have to do is a little research. The hardest part of starting a business is deciding what type of work you want to do, what will you specialize in (niche) and who you will want to work with (target market). Once you know what you want to do, it will be easier to research the steps to starting your own online business.

Licensing: You will want to check with your local licensing office, as there are multiple types of business licenses available, but keep in mind that there may be a minimal fee.

Payment Processing: How will you accept payments? There are many payment processors online who will allow you to open an account for free, and charge you per transaction.

Domain Name and Hosting: There are several hosting companies that will start you out for free and include a free domain and email, just be aware that there may be limits to what you can do and they may include their own advertising. Some companies also offer the option to upgrade later. Just spend the extra time doing your homework here because starting free then moving to a different option later could cost you more in the long run.

Accounting: You will want some form of accounting as you will still be required to pay taxes, and you will want a way to track your business. Most computers come with free programs on them that will suit your purpose just fine. Some even offer the option to upgrade when your business grows to the point of needing additional features.

Communication: How will you communicate with your customers? If you are primarily going to be doing business online, all communication options may not be necessary, but you will still want a back up plan, should the need ever arise. Your local phone company may offer a fax feature with your phone line, just ask what they have available and set your computer up to receive faxes as needed.

Business Image: Do you have a logo in mind? Do you know how to create your website? Are you good with graphics? If not, there are many businesses that proved free templates, for you to get started right away. If you know anyone who is good with graphics, see if they are wiling to trade services with you.

As you can see, researching the steps to starting a business will enable you to begin with the least amount of money and put you on your road to success.

Secret Search Engine Optimization Strategies: How to Turn Keywords into Conversions

Are you focusing your search engine optimization efforts on getting tons of traffic from the search engines?

If you answered yes, then I am about to tell you something completely different from other Internet Marketers.

Forget about getting tons of traffic from the search engines. Get LESS traffic that converts MORE!

The Secret to Turning Keywords into Conversions is to Keep Your Keywords Focused

For example, if your site sells an all-natural remedy for acid stomach problems...

You start to do your keyword research and you discover that the keyword phrase "natural remedies" has 288 daily searches. But it has over 2,000,000 sites competing for it.

While the phrase, "acid reflux natural remedies" has 67 daily searches with just over 11,000 competing sites.

Do you want to spend all your time and effort trying to optimize your website for the first keyword phrase?

You may get more searches, but you'll never know how many of those searchers want to buy your stomach acid remedy. Not to mention the HUGE number of competitors the keyword has!

Or would you go for the second term, which only has 67 people searching for it -- knowing those 67 people are looking for EXACTLY what you offer? And, it has a MUCH lower competition number to boot!

Obviously, the second term is better!

Sure, you might get less traffic -- but the visitors you DO get will be MUCH more likely to buy your product.

Why You Will Make More Money with Less Traffic That Converts More

People search the Internet to find a solution to a problem and not necessarily to buy something. So what problems will they solve by coming to your website?

Think of a keyword as a "problem statement" that someone would type into the search engines.

When you can match your keywords to the exact problems they're trying to solve. You'll attract the BEST visitors to your site so you can focus all your optimization efforts on them!

Here are some more keyword research tips that will help you turn keywords into conversions…

Top Search Engine Optimization Tips for Finding Highly Focused Keywords That Will Bring the Absolute Best Buyers to Your Website:

Check your server logs. See what keyword phrases people are actually using to find your site. If there's something relevant that you've overlooked, build a page focused on that keyword phrase.

Also look for keywords that are causing people to leave right away because they're not finding what they're looking for. Ditch those keywords immediately.

Look for "intention." Say you sell cross-country ski equipment. People can come to your website looking for different things.

For instance:
They're looking to buy a specific product
They're looking for product reviews
They want information on how to get started in cross-country skiing
They want used or discount equipment
They want to know what kind of equipment will be best for them
They want to know what's new and hot in cross-country ski equipment

Same products -- far different intentions!

If you optimize a page (or pages) for each different problem people are trying to solve, you'll give them what they're looking for…

That means they'll stay on your site longer -- and you'll have a better chance of getting them into the sales process.

Check out your competition. What keywords are your competitors optimizing for, and on what pages?

You can spy on them by going to their websites and looking at their code!

In your web browser, just go to View on the main menu and click on Source or Page Source to "look under the hood" of any competitor's site. Then you can see what they're doing right and what you could do better.

Find your best keywords with pay-per-click advertising. This is the fastest way to find out just how well different keywords perform.

Pay-per-click lets you run ads based on two or three different keywords at the same time. This enables you can track which ones convert best. Make sure the ads click through to pages that relate directly to the keywords.

Focus your SEO efforts on the specific keywords that describe EXACTLY what problem each page solves. Don't be tempted by more general keywords with higher traffic numbers. They'll never send you the traffic you want.

Follow these search engine optimization tips and you will turn keywords into conversions.

8 Proven Points To Make A Home Business Website Profitable

It is a miracle how the most successful home business websites have so much in common, despite of the fact that they look so different. This cannot be a co-incident.

One common feature is that these successful sites are likable and somehow easy to use. Everything looks so clear, so it is easy to judge whether you like it or not.

They look so simple, that I often ask, what special they have and how they have become so successful? It seems that the simpler and the more user friendly the site is, the better chances it has to create big sales.

Very clearly one big success factor is that the finetuning work should concentrate to take away all the unnecessary elements and non-selling links.

1. Winning Element: Attention Grabbing Title.

The title is absolutely the most important element of the site. It should contain the promise and to describe the content of the site.

A Great Title informs in a catchy way that this website includes the benefits about this topic.

The headline should be written well and it should stand out from the rest of the copy. It also should be the first element, which catches the visitor attention in seconds, because if it does not do that, the visitor continues the surfing.

2. Winning Element: Well Written Copy.

The Internet is the information highway, so the role of the copy is very important, this is the world of the words. The copy should draw the readers attention immediately to the benefits your offer give to him.

The style is important and the target is to build up the trust from the first contact. The copy should make the reader enthusiastic about the benefits but it should not use hype style overpromises, because they will destroy the trust.

3. Winning Element: Easy Site Navigation.

This is the technical must, because nothing drives the visitors away faster than the bad navigation. The site structure should be clear and logical, so that the visitor knows all the time, where he is and to where he could go from here.

The menu should be the same on every page and clearly accessible and also easy to understand. The terms should be clear, despite of the fact that you may want to use internet home business keyphrases.

4. Winning Element: Call To Action.

After the copy has presented the main benefits it is the time to call the reader into action. The clearnes is important. The visitor hates the situation, when he does not know, what to do next so it is better to call him to action and not to leave him guessing? Action is everything and we have to call the reader to do that.

One good way is to lower the bar, i.e. to offer a cheap or free trial opportunity for some weeks, before the reader will buy the product. The efficiency is the better, the more often you call the reader into action.

5. Winning Element: Images.

One picture tells more than thousand words. You should include photos of every product you sell, because they make the products more real, than the copy alone.

To make the navigation easier, you can use thumbnails instead of big images, which link to larger images. This speed up the page loadings.

6. Winning Element: Optin Form.

Most of the internet home business visitors needs at least five contacts before they will buy. It is important to get the website visitor`s name and email address in the early stage, because otherwise they can leave the site and you will never see them again.

In this process you have to give them a gift, an email course, a free e-book or something like that, which again will sell your offer later on. Now you can send them messages during a long period of time, which clearly makes the process more productive.

7. Winning Element: About Us Section.

The idea of every internet home business site is to build trust over a long period of time. This requires that you tell enough about yourself and give your contact information for further questions.

All big home business brands are build by stories, so can you also do. The idea of the story is to give enough information about you and to show that there is a real person working for the customers. This shows people that there is a real people behind the business.

8. Winning Element: Site Freshness.

People and search engines love unique, fresh information. A successful home business website goes through regular changes and additions. The visitor sees immediately that it is up to date.

It is useful to look the competing sites in your internet home business niche, because they are a great source of new ideas. Another idea is to make sure your site can stand out from the crowd.

The marketing is very important but the key is still the quality of your internet home business site. It makes the people to come back and it is the real place, where they can reach you and your offers.

Top 3 SEO Tips of 2008

Since 1998 I've spent the first several months of each year looking for the very best search engine optimization (SEO) tips of the previous year's end. This year I've come across the best SEO tips yet.

SEO Tip #1: Make Google Alerts Your Personal Online Spy

Google Alerts is a great way to let the world's biggest search engine be your personal online spy. This takes search engine optimization insider info to whole new level. Here's an excerpt straight from Google....

"Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

* monitoring a developing news story
* keeping current on a competitor or industry
* getting the latest on a celebrity or event
* keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams"

As you probably guessed, it's the second one we care about most, "keeping current on a competitor or industry."

Here's how it works... Each time Google finds a reference to the query or topic you request you will be sent an email with the details. This is like having an online spy to make sure competitors are not using your protected keywords (trademarked names, company names, etc.) It's also an instant identifier to know when your site or product is mentioned in a news story or even when a topic is hot so you can take advantage of the situation. It's the easiest way in the world to stop competitors' dirty tricks and identify trends that you can take instant advantage of.

It's fast, free and works every minute of every day. Let Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) do your most time consuming legwork while you reap the rewards!

SEO Tip #2: Optimize Your 404 Page and Always Be Found

"Error 404: Page Not Found" is a blessing that most Webmasters curse. Why? Getting a visitor on any page of your site is fantastic! Don't blow the opportunity. Not only can you make your "404" page a valuable sales tool, you can use the following search engine optimization techniques to attract customers in droves.

A.) Use your main keyword in your title, add a "pipe" (usually above the Enter key) and then use your secondary keyword. Here's as example for an SEO site "SEO - Search Engine Optimization Tips"

B.) Add some keyword rich content using one to two keywords for the page. If you have less than 250 words on the page, just use one keyword and use it no more than three times total. Bold the first use and italicize the second or third use. Keep in mind this is an "inactive" page so simply tell the visitor what your site is about and whet their appetite with a good description. Something like this works well... "Thank you for visiting SEO (bold) Group, Inc. We are sorry you landed on a missing page but don't worry, if you're looking for the very best search engine optimizations tips (bold), you're at the right place..." This will go on for a couple paragraphs or as long as you'd like then end it with something to the effect of "Please Click Here (link) to visit our site map or click any link to the left."

C.) Add your site's standard navigation system (bar, column, etc.) as mentioned above.

D.) Make the look and feel of the customized 404 page match your main site as closely as possible with a template, matched palette, cascading style sheets, etc.

E.) Create a link to the site map page if available, and make the link easy to find. You want your visitor off the 404 page and into your main content as quickly as possible.

Setting up a custom 404 page link usually takes less than five minutes on most major Web hosting companies like Godaddy.com. But whatever it takes, it's worth the effort.

SEO Tip #3: Get (Even More) Serious About Linking

I saved the most important for last. If you want to do well on any search engine, especially Google, linking is THE single MOST important thing you can do. It's that simple.

Here are the five things you MUST do to make your site #1 on Google:

A.) Find the highest page rank sites linking to your site AND your competitors' sites.

B.) Run monthly link campaigns and snatch up the best of the above identified Web sites.

C.) Run regular checks on what pages are still linking back to your site. Alsomake sure they did not move you from a high page rank page to a lower one (don't get cheated!)

D.) Eliminate any penalized sites you link to; ASAP!

E.) Check your search engine ranking AND your competitor's for each of your keywords every week. Do this, at the minimum, for Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista.

Inside Tip: Keeping up can be a lot of work so a lot of SEO Consultants (myself included) use SEO Elite (http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com) to do all the most difficult and time consuming work.

One last thing to know is that Google was originally a college student's project created for the sole purpose of defining a Web site's value by the sites that link to it. Twelve years later this is still it's main job. Linking is EVERYTHING to Google.

Ezines And Content Nurturance

Did you know that of the 25 million people in the United States that consider themselves writers only 5% of them will ever be published?

If that seems an astonishing figure it should also point to an opportunity for those who create business or industry related ezines.

How is this an opportunity?

If you are like most business owners you may have trouble locating fresh content. You may borrow from industry publications (with permission of course), you may try your hand at writing content yourself from time to time or you might use a free-article directory to make your ezine sparkle. However, you can also work to foster an atmosphere where struggling writers can add to their portfolio while providing fresh content for your ezine.

How can you do this?

Well, this can be accomplished through multiple avenues. Let’s take a look at a few.

1) Posting a classified notice within your ezine. Let your subscribers know you’re open to receiving reader content. If they are reading your ezine they probably already have an interest in the subject matter you address. You may have one of those multiplied millions of writers just looking for an opportunity reading your online publication.

2) Visiting a writer’s forum. In many of these forums you can post a freelance opportunity alerting writers to the fact that you have a need for material. You can determine what you can pay and either state it in the body of your need or let the writer know when they contact you. If you are not able to pay the writer then you should consider providing a byline and website link as a way of thanking them for their contribution.

3) Go on an intentional search for a writer. Many writers’ websites will feature writing samples from members. Look for a style you’re interested in and a writer who may have some understanding of your industry.

It’s possible to nurture writers from these three sources as you seek to grow and diversify your ezine. Many of these volunteer writers may have creative ideas to make your ezine better.

You might even suggest a writing contest as part of the ezine. This can be enhanced with the offer of free gifts and or business products. Many individuals respond very well to contests and, as evidenced by the opening statistic, there are a lot of aspiring writers looking for the type of opportunity you can provide.

Ezines can be both informative as well as a spiffy looking tool for marketing your business. Why not use the development of an ezine to help you fulfill your dream of an upwardly mobile business while offering an aspiring writer the opportunity to fulfill a few dreams of his or her own. The result can be mutually beneficial.

Inviting others to share in your dream can benefit your business and help lighten the production load. The diversity in the content can allow you the opportunity to improve readership and instill a greater sense of interest in your ezine.

Nurture the inner desire most writers have and provide an avenue of publishing that can help them reach their goals.