How to Make Money Online Without a Website (Part 11)

Step 3: Find a good affiliate merchant that targets your niche

In order to find a merchant that offers a relevant product and pays you a good commission, check out these affiliate networks and directories:

• www.associateprograms.com
• www.affiliatesdirectory.com
• www.ecommerce-guide.com
• www.cj.com
• www.clickxchange.com
• www.linkshare.com

When you're choosing affiliate merchants, ask these questions:

1. Do they offer a product that directly solves a problem you've identified?
2. Do they allow direct linking to their sites? Some don't. Check the terms and conditions before you commit.
3. Does the landing page generate pop-ups? If so, then forget it. This is not allowed. The back button on the page also has to be functional.
4. Is there a strong landing page for the product? If you send click-throughs to an irrelevant page, a confusing sales process, or a site that's just plain unappealing, then they won't convert and you'll end up wasting your money.

Step 4: Write a PPC ad that drives buyers to the affiliate merchant's site

Take a good look at the landing page your ad is pointing at and make your ad directly relevant to it. Your ad must:

• address the specific problem you've identified.
• include the keyword you've bid on, preferably more than once.
• reflect the keywords of the landing page.
• highlight a benefit of the product.
• include a strong call to action.

You can give your ad an extra boost by adding your keyword, or part of it, to the display URL at the bottom of the ad. The actual target URL will contain a big, ugly affiliate ID number, but the display version can show the domain name plus a subdirectory with a word or phrase that makes it look relevant to the search, like this:

Display: internetmarketing.com/affiliates_ppc

Target: http://www.internetmarketing.com/aff-iduao74elksdjdo-2u023f

Before you create your display link, check out the PPC competition to make sure it's unique so your ad won't be bumped. The better your ads, the higher the click-throughs will be, which means your ads will be rewarded with better positions for the same money. It's worth polishing them, and then testing them to see which ones are performing the best.

Running a pay-per-click affiliate campaign probably won't generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for you right off the bat--but it is the easiest way to leverage the keyword research and PPC skills you've developed in building your own site. And when Microsoft adCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing join forces sometime this year, you'll get the traffic from both, even if you only advertise on one. That makes direct linking even more appealing.

Employment, Careers, career

How to Make Money Online Without a Website (Part 1)

A pay-per-click affiliate program is a great way to leverage the keyword skills you already have.

By Allen Moon

If you've got some successful keyword research and PPC advertising under your belt for your own website, why not capitalize on that and make money online without one? Affiliate marketing through pay-per-click makes it possible.

MSN adCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing both allow direct linking to sites that are not your own. (But don't try this with Google AdWords.)

Direct linking means that you can join affiliate programs, create ads for their products, and send click-throughs directly to the merchant's site. There's no need to build an intermediary site or use your own site to direct traffic. When your click-throughs convert, you get a commission.

It's a way to create an extra stream of income--or several--with some big advantages:

• It eliminates the time, effort, and costs of building and maintaining web pages. The only time you'll have to pay is when someone clicks on your ad.
• It allows you to do affiliate marketing without cluttering up your own site with links that might send potential customers away. You can keep your site clean and focused on its job of selling your product, but still make commissions off other people's products.
• It eliminates an extra click for users. One click less for them means more commissions for you.

While direct linking is a good opportunity, though, it's not a walk in the park. The PPC programs that allow it restrict the number of affiliate ads that can point at the same display URL that shows on the ad itself. So ads by experienced affiliate marketers who know exactly what they're doing can bump less skillful ads.

If you want your ads to be seen, here's what you have to do.

Step 1: Start with a big, broad market

Choose a broad market where there's a lot of searching going on. You want to get as many eyeballs as possible.

Step 2: Do some keyword research

Don't build your ads on broad, untargeted keywords, though. The competition for those will be fierce--and expensive. Your objective here is to find neglected, low-cost keywords within a broad, high-traffic market--and that's why it really helps to have keyword research experience.

And as I mentioned in an earlier article, you need to look for specific problems that are shared by a lot of people within a market. Then find relevant keyword terms that clearly show a clear intention to buy or find out more information. Those terms are much more likely to convert. And remember, you pay for every click, but you get paid only when they convert.

The Microsoft Advertising Intelligence tool can show you almost anything you'd like to know about any given keyword, including similar keywords, traffic, cost per click, and much more. The free Google AdWords Keyword Tool is also a quick and handy way of getting ideas for keywords with high search volume and low cost per click; just keep in mind that you can't use this strategy with Google.

Employment, Careers, career

How to Get Found and Boost Sales--Online (Part 11)

Drum up attention for free via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, Hallac says. "I find people talking about the trials and tribulations of having a new baby and I give advice and recommendations," he says.


Help them shop
You don't need to pay a dime to launch your own site, but it must look professional and operate well, Shaheen says. Appropriate landing pages should correspond to key search words. For instance, if customers click on your advertisement for basketball jerseys and sneakers, make sure the landing page contains basketball jerseys and sneakers. "Instead of someone coming in to see the 30 categories [of products] you sell, you can drive people to exactly what they're looking for," Shaheen says.

Pictures must look professional. Even if you're not a photographer by trade and you can't afford to hire one either, ask the product manufacturer to send over some quality digital prints, Shaheen says. If you make your own products, consider investing in a so-called light cube, which provides even, professional-looking photos.

If you intend to offer an e-commerce option, choose your shopping cart carefully, as not all carts are alike. For instance, "if you plan on issuing special offers and discount coupons at some point, look for shopping carts that give you those extra features," Shaheen says.


Help them buy
Consumers don't like shipping fees. In fact, they regularly abandon their shopping carts because of them, Shaheen says. Instead of charging extra for shipping, she recommends building the fee into the price. And if you're worried about comparison shoppers, offer inexpensive enticements like access to specials or free content, Shaheen says.

Security also plays a big role in customers' decisions, Huang says. Every e-commerce site needs to have Secure Socket Layer, or SSL, protection, she says. Verisign and TRUSTe are big encryption providers. But if you'd like avoid having to install "Red Flag" rules (federally imposed failsafe measures to guard against identity theft), then look into payment gateways such as those offered by Authorize.net and Braintree Payment Solutions.

Finally, make providing quality customer service a priority. You may decide to answer your own service calls, but if you don't want to get woken up in the middle of the night, consider online chat tools, such as those offered by LivePerson and WebsiteAlive.

Employment, Careers, career

How to Get Found and Boost Sales--Online (Part 1)

From dropped shopping carts to identity theft, running a web-only shop is fraught with challenges. Here's how to combat them.

By Diana Ransom

Running an online shop might spare you the pain of paying rent each month, but rest assured, you'll still need Alka-Seltzer.

Just ask Daniel Hallac, a co-founder of Kidmondo, an online baby journal service. Since launching his web business in May of last year, he's learned that keeping customers' credit-card information on file is something better left to security specialists. And, when it comes to customer service, the global reach of a website can mean taking a few late-night service calls.

But of all the obstacles that have surfaced in the last year, Hallac says marketing has been his chief concern. "When you have a physical store, you get foot traffic," he says. "In a mall, for instance, you can leverage a bigger store's brand name, but when you're online you need a plan to get that search traffic to you."

Indeed, "finding a good location is harder on the net," says Tobi Lutke, the CEO of Ottawa-based website host Shopify. "You get walk-through traffic on eBay and Amazon, but then you're competing on margins with the entire planet." And although landing web customers can be a cinch for larger businesses with deep pockets, smaller, less-flush internet firms may get better results by devoting more time to marketing and improving sales.

To be sure, many books have been written about drawing users to your website. And although you may yet buy one (perhaps on Amazon), here's a primer on attracting and retaining online customers today:

Help them find you

As Hallac discovered, the web is a hard medium in which to stand out. To raise your profile on the cheap, get listed on sites like Google's products page and other fee-for-service sites, says Jennifer Shaheen, a small business technology consultant in White Plains, N.Y. To improve your site's search engine rank, consider shelling out for search engine optimization, which requires weaving likely search terms into a site's copy and embedding them into a site's code.

Site owners looking to economize can also sign up with affiliate advertising networks such as ValueClick's Commission Junction, Hydra and LinkShare, says Yao-Hui Huang, the chief executive of Gigapixel Creative, a strategic web design and development firm in New York. Because these firms subscribe to the pay-per-action model, owners pay for ads only when someone buys.

Employment, Careers, career

10 Tips for Online Business Success (Part 11)

4. Create a Web Store with a Difference:

Visual memory is more enduring than textual memory. Correct branding is important for the success of your online business. Increase your brand recall by creating an estore that is in tune with the likes and dislikes of your targeted customers.

Learn more about your customers and create unique branding by using distinct color combinations, site layout and innovative logo. Attractive display of your domain name can also play an important role in branding your online store.

Be different (but not vague) in order to create a positive appeal in the minds of your customers for achieving esuccess.

5. Make your “Hot Sellers” most Visible:

Attract a customer and advertise your USP first.

Create your estore in such a manner that when a visitor leaves your online store, s/he is aware of your specialty even if they do not intend on purchasing those products.

To clarify: Let us assume you are an online flower vendor specializing in selling fresh red roses. Create your online storefront in a way that when a visitor leaves your storefront, s/he is aware about your specialty even though he may not have seen the Red Roses section. So the next time the visitor intends to buy red roses, they will be very likely to recall your storefront.

Highlight your best product/service first in your estore.

6. Do not let your Customers forget you:

Customer Relationship Management is of prime importance, especially when you are small and struggling to build a persistent customer base. Develop innovative ways to inform past customers about new products and the latest updates to the web store. Your chosen ECommerce solution should have provisions for incorporating various CRM campaigns. Adopt Innovative communication for communicating with your customers.

Pamper your customers to generate permanent sales in order ensure the success of your online business.

7. Increase your Web Presence:

Make your presence felt by carrying out intelligent marketing over the Internet. Perform search engine optimization (SEO) for your site, since the majority of buyers visit websites after spotting them come in the first three or four pages of search engine results. You can either hire professional services or carry out Internet marketing by yourself.

Associate yourself with web sites providing complimentary products or services on the Internet. This helps you in increasing your web presence both for search engines and for your customers.

Intelligent marketing alone will get you customers.

8. Build Robust Backend Operations:

Backend operations are the backbone of your online storefront. Spend time in analyzing the backend operations provided by the ECommerce software. Features such as Inventory management processing, credit card processing, reporting systems etc. will shape your first impression.

All your backend operations are expected to be accurate, scalable and provide real time data. Your choice of ECommerce solution would largely determine the strength of your backend operations.

A potential threat to your ECommerce operations is systems failure owning to faulty backend operations. Ensure the existence of a strong backend platform before opening for business.

9. Learn Faster and Better:

To err is human, but failing to cover yourself and allowing your competitors to exploit your loopholes, is suicidal and is a major threat to E-Success.

Always have an unbiased assessment of your online business and be prepared to spot your mistakes. Learn the art of covering your mistakes and rectify them before your competitors come to know about them.

Business is all about speed. Speed is essential in identifying and rectifying mistakes. You need to learn about your loopholes and mistakes faster than your competitors and rectify them effectively.

10. Surprise your Customers:

Surprise your customers with frequent changes in your business offerings. Add incentives by providing surprise offers, price discounts etc.

Your estore can also help to add life to your business enterprise. Perform regular enhancements to look and feel, the display of products etc of your online storefront. Make changes that do not detract from the brand image in the minds of your customers. Make sure, as well, that the changes are not unattractive or are too frequent.

Constantly innovating while remaining focused on your business goals will lead to success in your online business.

Employment, Careers, career

10 Tips for Online Business Success (Part 1)

46 seconds is all you have...

The average time spent by an Internet user on a web page is a mere 46 seconds (Source: Clickz.com). Within these 46 seconds an online business needs to attract the customer, make a compelling proposition and close the deal.

The competition in the virtual world is growing day by day. Verisign reported 16% growth in domain name registrations in 2003. The total number of registered domain names now stands at a staggering 60 million, with .com consuming the largest share.

What can YOU do to stand out in the clutter and achieve E-Success?

We think the following 10 tips can substantially increase your chances of online business success:

1. Target the Un-Targeted:

Know your customers thoroughly and target those needs that are unseen by your competitors.

eBay is a bright example. eBay was quick to recognize peoples' desire to earn economic profits by trading second-hand products. eBay realized the need for a platform where such buyers and sellers could meet and trade. ECommerce technologies helped eBay to create the required platform required and the rest is history.

When you are new to online business- Start Small but Start Right.

2. Strong Business Planning:

Have complete knowledge of your revenue source, break-even duration and other important strategic details from the beginning, and decide on the milestones that are to be achieved. You should know the right moment to expand your business and plan for future sources of revenue.

The Internet business has a cruel history of bringing about disastrous changes at phenomenal speed. Be prepared to face such upheavals and have plans in place to manage such turbulent times.

3. Business Friendly ECommerce Software:

Always choose software that is easy to manage and allows you to focus on your core business activities.

Choose an ECommerce solution that fits your business requirements. Analyze ECommerce software in terms of its scalability, security and the amount of customization allowed.

Invest in a solution that not only meets your present requirements, but also is capable of accommodating your future business needs.

Employment, Careers, career

Microsoft Certifications: The Next Step In Your IT Career (Part 11)

Today, there are several online classrooms or mMicrosoft certification bootcamps that help career minded professionals better their standing. These classrooms have professional instructors trained in Microsoft Certification preparation with very high certification pass percentages.

A very large draw to the IT field is the salary. These certifications bring better positions with higher pay. As seen in many fields with more education, comes a larger salary. Jobs in the field may be plentiful, but it is also important that every IT professional be experienced in the latest technologies because you are only useful if you have something to offer the employer that other people can't.

Once you finish the base course you can also take further courses. This is a great way to be get a new and better job. Many employers encourage education, especially if it is going to benefit them. Microsoft Certifications are certainly seen as a benefit.

When seeking certification it is important to know what kind of certification you need. Microsoft offers an abundance of different certifications including SQL server certifications, Sharepoint Server, Windows and more, which allows a student to focus on one area in particular. This is useful for many people who need knowledge of one specific aspect.

This is also a great way to transition into a new career. These certifications allow anyone to have an office job in the technology field. There are also many different avenues within the certifications that anyone persue. Even if you are currently in the technology field, but want a job that will enable you to use different skills or will give you a greater challenge getting a certification will help you achieve your goal and give you a more satisfying career.

Like every other type of certification, you are required to take an exam. Depending on which certification you choose, you may be required to take anywhere from one to five exams. It will also be required that you pass each of the exams, if you are required to take more than one. You are also required to pay for the exams, as well as the study materials as well. Although the initial cost may be a deterrent, the end result will be worth it, especially if there is a promotion or a better job in it for you.

There are man different ways to study and it is important to know how you best respond to information. Most of the study aids will gear the work towards the exam, so you do not need to worry that you will be learning something that you won't have to know. Although this makes studying very direct it also means that you have to pay attention to what you're reading. Many people do not learn well from abstract theories, they need to do hands-on activities, so that they can learn it for themselves. The activities are for your practice and the answers can also be found, so you will know whether or not you did them correctly. Many times there is also an attached CD or course instructor to help you.

Employment, Careers, career

Author: Chester

Microsoft Certifications are an important career tool for anyone, but especially those in the IT field. There are many important aspects to the certifications including the benefits, change, salary, advancement, diversity, exams, and studying.

One of the biggest benefits of the certifications is that an IT professional will be given the knowledge of the latest platforms for Microsoft. Many computers use Microsoft programs, so it is important that anyone in the IT profession has a strong understanding of all the latest programs and platforms.

It is very simple for a professional to get the certifications, whether it is online or in a traditional classroom. It is most common to study for the exams by yourself. This will require discipline and hard work. There are many study tools that can be found, simply by doing an internet search. Many students put themselves on a deadline, so that they will push themselves to finish. This is similar to a classroom set up. If you remember when you were in school, exams were on a specific day and the teacher had to work and keep pushing the students. Students would have been exposed to all the information they needed for the exam (whether or not they reviewed, read the textbook, and studied was up to the student personally). Anyone can get certified in the very latest platforms and programs. Change occurs all the time in technology and it is important for everyone to keep up with it.

Employment, Careers, career