As I sit down to start typing “How to Make Money Online with a Website: Fact and Fiction” I wanted to try and separate the two with some distinguishable characteristics.
In a perfect world one would like to think that it should be pretty obvious. However with all of the companies out there promising fast cash and little effort, the lines between the two have become blurred. I have seen companies promise thousands and thousands of dollars and still claim to be legitimate work at home business opportunities.
While that should be your first red flag, amazingly people are still falling for it. They sign up for some program with the impression that you really don’t have to do anything for it. Spend a few hours a day posting something, taking some survey, and that’s all you gotta do!
Simply not true. While there are some companies who will legitimately pay you for services like taking surveys, you will not generate the kind of revenue you want. Think of it this way, ideally a person could put in the time and effort one time and with little added effort create a residual income that comes in month after month, year after year.
This is possible. You will not however find this kind of income with companies like SwagBucks. Nor will you likely find it with a multi-level-marketing company. With all of the “scams” available on the information super-highway, MLM companies have gotten a bad name. Some are very undeserving of this criticism. That doesn’t alter the fact that the poor light has already been shed. Sadly the sins of the few reflect upon the entire industry.
So what really works?
That depends on who you ask. Every company says they have the secret figured out so now you’re right back where you started. Asking the same question. There has to be something, because as you look around the internet you see people making money. So how are they accomplishing it?
Likely when you see someone actually creating the type of residual income we spoke of earlier, they are doing so through a tactic called “Affiliate Marketing”. Simply put this means that the website owner is partnered with a large “parent company” and is making money based on sales through their website.
Traffic moves through the website, then makes purchases based on the website’s recommendation, and the website owner gets paid. Pretty simple concept and amazingly genius. No risk for the website owner. No actual product on hand, which means no inventory management. Everyone wins.
So we see the key to making real residual money on the internet is through affiliate marketing.
One company that I have run across has taken this concept to the next level. Something that everyone needs to remember as they start their journey with affiliate marketing is that you actually need a few things to get started.
- Domain name (www.example.com)
- Place to host your website
- Proper training (without it your success will likely be very limited)
- A solid plan in place (website direction)
- Easy to use interface
- Concrete affiliate program
Ok so that’s more than a few isn’t it? Even so you will need each one of those items in order to create the successful online business that you are after. Don’t be fooled though. it is going to be a lot of work, especially at first.
WHAT?! DID YOU SAY HARD WORK?!
I sure did. Your website’s success will be directly related to what you put into it. I mentioned a company that had taken the affiliate marketing program to the next level. That same company has covered all six of those with one program.
Wealthy Affiliate is a company that has been in business for over ten years and has developed an affiliate training program specifically designed with the affiliate in mind. Not only is their training extensive but is so extensive that it has qualified as an online university.
They are also a web hosting company. This means that while you are participating in their training program, your website gets hosted right there. Boiled down that means when you pay to have your website hosted through Wealthy Affiliate, you get the access to their online university for free.
What is contained in that online university? Every tool and training that you will need to ensure your success. Literally. Wealthy Affiliate has developed a step by step process for website owners to follow that takes a person from their initial website set up, through the process of generating revenue, to the generation of traffic and rankings inside the top search engines.
This is a very critical factor that most people overlook when beginning down the road of affiliate marketing. Usually this ends up destroying the person’s confidence and leads to another defunct website. I was there. I know what it’s like to spend money, time, and energy on a website only to wind up abandoning it in the end because no one was seeing my site. I even tried a paid campaign. I paid money for an ad to pop up on someone’s website and if they clicked through to my website, I got charged for that click.
A way to generate traffic sure but that gets expensive! In the end, I found out that only through the proper SEO practices can you achieve the page one search results that you will need to drive the kind of quality traffic to your website that you are looking for.
Ok I get it. Solid company. All the training I will need to guarantee success. If I can follow directions I’ll be good at this…buut SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Yea, yea I was getting to that. I did say that they weren’t just a web hosting company and online university, but that they had an affiliate program as well. Do they ever. One of the best that I’ve ever seen actually and I’ve seen a LOT.
Take a look at this breakdown that I pulled directly from their website.
As you can see the earning potential is enormous. The ability you gain to make real money through their affiliate program cannot be understated. You see they have a vested interest in your success. They want you to succeed. That is because they realize that only by ensuring your success do they ensure their continued success.
Wealthy Affiliate has taken all the necessary steps to make sure that you as a website owner see the results that you are looking for. From being a web hosting company, to providing you all the training that you will need, to a community of individuals sharing the same goals of being successful website owners, Wealthy Affiliate has provided all the tools that you will need to be a top affiliate marketer.
What if I don’t want to be Wealthy Affiliate’s affiliate and want to go a different direction?
No worries. Remember the only thing you are actually paying for is the web hosting service which you will need anyway. The training, community, and university are still yours. Simply take their training and apply it to whatever affiliate program you like!
One final thought before we wrap things up. I have been through a lot of programs searching for one that lived up to the hype. I found Wealthy Affiliate to be a hype-free zone. So much so in fact, that the owners of the company are readily available should you need anything.
Kyle and Carson began Wealthy Affiliate in 2005 and have built one of the most solid affiliate marketing programs on the internet. How? Through a desire to pass along what they have learned and see others have the same success that they enjoy.
If they have such a desire to help people why do they charge?
Remember you are paying for the web hosting service at Wealthy Affiliate. Nothing more. It is a service that you have to have anyway as a website owner. The training is all free. So in essence they are just helping you to succeed. They don’t need the money. They already own a successful web hosting company. In my opinion this was one of the biggest selling points for me. To have already successful businessmen and women readily at your disposal to answer your questions is by far one of the most important things you can have.
