Getting Started Earning Money on the Web

There are many ways to earn money in the Web industry. Most people immediately jump to building Web pages for other people, but there are other ways:




* Advertising

* Affiliate programs

* Ecommerce

* Selling content

* Freelancing

* Working for a business



There is a lot of work involved in earning money on the Web no matter what path or paths you choose to take. But the great thing about working in the Web industry is that most of these opportunities have very low start up costs. In most cases, all you need is a computer with access to the Internet and a bank account to set up your business.

Earn Money with Web Advertising:

The key to earning money with online advertising is creating content that people want to advertise on. Your first step should be to create content on your site that is compelling in and of itself. Once you have at least 5-10 pages of content and articles, you can start your advertising plan. A good place to start is with Google AdSense. Then you don’t have to worry about finding ads that match your content. Google does it for you. Once you’ve got a good Google set up, you can start looking for other advertisers. Don’t get carried away with ads, as they can drive customers and thus income, away.



Earn Money with Affiliate Programs:



Affiliate programs rely on you selling things for other companies. One of the best known affiliate programs is Amazon.com. They pay well, and have lots of products available for sale. And it can take very little time or money to set up an Amazon affiliate site. As with advertising you need to have content to get people to the site, and you should try to get at least 5-10 pages live before you really start marketing. If you think of your affiliate programs as an adjunct to the content you provide on your site, you’ll get a better response from your readers.





Make Good Money from Advertising and Affiliate Programs:



The key to good money from advertising and affiliate programs is pageviews. The more pageviews you get, the better your revenue will be. So if this is your strategy, you should look into SEO and Web page marketing to keep getting more pageviews.



An alternate strategy that some people advocate is “niche marketing”. The idea is that if you’re the only website on widgets then you can corner the market and get all the ads, all the affiliates, and all the pageviews about widgets. But if no one is looking for widgets, cornering the market may not net you any money.

Earn Money with Ecommerce:



If you make something or have access to goods for resale, you can set up a shop online and sell your products. The simplest ecommerce sites provide details about the products for sale, costs, and a contact form for customers to request product. But once you’ve made a few sales, you might find it useful to set up an online store on your website for customers to order right from the Web. The quickest way to get started selling online is with eBay. If you sell enough, you can set up a storefront there and you don’t have any hassles with accepting credit cards or other ecommerce difficulties.

Make Good Money with Ecommerce:



You need to create a website that makes it easy, even fun, to buy the products you are selling. One of the most common problems with an ecommerce site is that the crucial information that customers want before they buy is hidden or missing. This means, don’t hide the price. You’re not going to make a sale if the price is too high. But if you make customers jump through hoops just to find that price, they’ll already be annoyed and less inclined to buy. So don’t be afraid to show your prices. Just make sure you have products that people want to buy at those price points.

Earn Money by Selling Content:



Selling content can seem difficult at first, but it isn’t any harder than selling goods (or services). Content can be articles, images, clip art, animation, or even movies. The easiest way to sell your content is to become a professional blogger. In most cases, you then write a weblog for another company on a topic that you’re familiar with. But beyond weblogs, if you create images, animation or video, you can sell these just like you would on a retail ecommerce site.

Make Good Money Selling Your Content:



The best way to make a lot of money selling content is to get a regular gig with a blogging company or stock photography company. Once you have a regular job, then make sure to do more than the minimum required of that job. It can be tempting to do as little as required, but there are lots of people who want the job you have, and until you prove yourself, these companies will view you as expendable. Plus, most pay by the pageview, so just like with advertising and affiliate programs, the more you write, the more people will see your content and the more money you’ll make.

Earn Money Freelancing:



As I said above, freelancing is often the first thought someone has when they decide to make money on the Web. But there is a lot more to it than simply putting up a Web page and signing clients. You need to know how to write contracts, set prices, and write a business plan. But once you get started, you can make good money as a freelancer.

Make Good Money as a Freelancer:



The key to making money as a freelance Web designer is to take your business seriously. You need to focus on all the standard aspects of a small business, including: marketing, advertising, accounting, management, legal issues and more. When you advertise your Web design business do it in a professional manner (no typos, professionally written, etc.). And treat your customers with respect, that includes using contracts for everyone. A contract isn’t rude, a contract tells your clients that you’re serious and that you respect them and their business. This helps them to do the same for you and your business.

Earn Money Working at a Corporation:



Getting a job as a Web designer or developer at a corporation is a great way to make steady money from your love of the Web. You should know at least the basics of Web design before you start, including: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Most companies want their Web designers to know one of the two major Web page editors: Dreamweaver or Expression Web, so having some familiarity with one or both of these programs can help. Then you just need to apply for jobs and follow job boards.

Make Good Money Working at a Corporation:



The path to riches working at a corporation is just like any other corporate job – advancement. As you get higher and higher on the corporate ladder the more money you’ll make. The problem is, the higher you get the less time you’ll spend actually working on the Web. Eventually, you’ll have to make a decision whether more money (or power or the CEO job title) is worth the fact that you open email much more often than you open a Web editor.