Need some advice on where to begin please

You can find people on this forum talking about their making no significant money after trying affiliate marketing for a couple of years, it's certainly not a sure thing. It's almost a certainty that your learning process will involve losing some money at least at first, some advise you "fail fast" so you can move on to another test campaign more quickly.

If the whole internet thing is relatively new, you might start by creating a blog about something you have a passion for, getting free traffic from search engines is a gradual process that takes time to develop, might as well get a start right away, it's helpful to know what searches you want to rank for, the free Google Keyword Tool will list actual search phrases for a subject, you can make a point to incorporate these keywords in your articles to help your site's search ranking. You can make OK blogs for free on Google's Blogger, they allow custom domain names you might get at Godaddy or Namecheap, which enables you to change hosts later, while preserving most of your search ranking. After you get a following and a significant number of daily visitors then you can add advertisements or affiliate links, (it may e a little easier to get ranking without advertisements at first.)

There are less risky ways to earn money online, check out the job lists on freelance marketplace sites like freelancer.com and odesk.com less technical types can earn about $5 for writing a 450 word article for a web site, while there is worldwide competition, a native English writer has an advantage. You can see how non technical these can get in the "Anything Goes" section of Freelancer. You are dealing with individual employers each time, so results can vary.

Welcome,

It's great to see that you have decided to take action! A free and profitable way to get started is by becoming acquainted with SEO. Learn how to do keyword research, rank a site, etc., which can all be found on this website for free if you spend some time searching!

SEO should be done manually at first anyway so you understand the process comprehensively, the only thing that may cost you a few dollars is a domain name, but hopefully you can afford that!

Hey Marvin,

I will say that you seem to have a great attitude in terms of your willingness to work and get after it. I agree that the best place to start might be to start up your own blog - and find a niche (topic) that you are truly interested in so that your commitment won't fizzle.

You might also want to explore Hubpages or Squidoo Lens - a great way to introduce yourself to writing about various topics that you are interested in. You can make money from Hubpages/Squidoo (maybe not much, but I have known some people that do quite well from those).

If anything, it will get you started on writing, and then you can look into building your own website, using the tactics mentioned by others:

- finding a good niche
- researching rankable and profitable keywords to target
- building/designing your website
- writing articles daily for your site and other article directories to help further drive traffic to your website
- monetizing your site (i.e. adding ads or products to promote that relate to your niche)

Good Luck to you - with persistence and a bit of determination you may find yourself reaching your goal(s) in no time!

Elizabeth Fee

Marvin.
I have a ton of free ebooks I can give you that can help if you tell me what sort of topics you want to learn more about.

Hi Marvin, welcome to the WF, and to making money online. It's an adventure.

It shouldn't take you anywhere near two years to make great money online -- as long as you stay focused.

Important:

* Start from where you are. What skills do you have that you can sell?

The big benefit of selling your skills initially is that you have some money coming in, AND this trickle of money shows you that YOU can make money online.

It's a confidence thing. You can read and study forever (as many do), and never make a cent. Get some cash however, and you'll see the potential for more cash.

In addition, selling your skills helps you to make contacts. Marketers will help you, once they know you. Ask questions of the people with whom you're working; most are happy to help newbies.

* Once you have money coming in, go with your gut. What money-making strategy appeals to you?

There are various ways to make money online: product creation (creating your own products and selling them); affiliate marketing (selling others' products for a commission); selling advertising (creating sites and blogs and monetizing them by using AdSense and other advertising)...

Choose ONE thing, and start doing it.

* Avoid Bright Shiny Object (BSO) syndrome, and focus on what you're doing.

This is easier said than done. :-) Just remember that if it sounds too good to be true, chances are that it is.

* When you have questions, ask them here. You'll get answers.

Good luck. :-)

Angela

Coming from another newbie, that kind of advise really helps. A generous bunch of people taking time from their day to give some well needed tips helps more than y'all may know.

Having been new myself, once I found all the pieces, I put it together and give it away.

Since you and your wife will be unemployed, you will need some cash flow asap but you will also want to build something for the future.

Regardless of what other advice you take here, you will want to build a list.

Even if you create a blog, squidoo page, etc. you should add a opt in box and build your list.

You can make money doing affiliate programs, just don't use the saturated ones.

Glad you are here and that you have such a great attitude. That will help you a lot.

Remember, it is a process. There is no one shot deal. This is a business and will take some type of a plan and focus but you can do it.

Don't be taken in by the headlines to buy a lot of stuff until you have more knowledge of what you want to do and look for free resources.

Good Luck.

my advice is first find real jobs, because this takes time to figure out and you need a roof on your head. later when you have a little money to spare start with affiliate marketing especially with products that people use on a daily basis. eg. In uk, there is moneysupermarket affiliate program that pays $7 for leads. its easy to find customers because we all shop everyday; literally everyone is a potential customer.

Am sure this program is open to anyone, has long as customers are uk based (plenty of them on twitter/facebook) but find out if walmart has a similar affiliate program.

Beware of shiny objects and information over-load!

Actually, the information over-load is never ending in this business.

However, think of IM this way: You have no clue what to do, you will need an education. Education takes time and money. Depending on the route the education is obtained, the time will go by faster than imaginable.

Unfortunately, IM has so many varied opinions and avenues to actually providing an income, I have never found the magic pill/course that can explain everything in one place/course. If it exists, I have missed it.

That said, read this forum for the next two weeks very day for eight hours. You will likely get a feel for the industry and some of the ideas available. Then focus on one idea and get started.

Seriously, do not depend on IM to put meat on the table anytime soon; you may actually starve first. Do not follow anyone that says YOU can make money in 24 hours or 30 days or whatever without learning and doing something and probably buying their program so they can earn a fee. It just is not a get-rich or stay-alive policy at all.

In my many years of IM, I have tried to teach others to do what I do. No one ever had the sticktoitivity it does take to learn and do this IM thing as a real business. I have stretched and lectured and for free tried to teach and pass along a vast amount of knowledge: and not one of 17 people ever stuck with it more than a few weeks. It takes a special person to do this, like this, and stick with it long term.

Please do not hang onto IM to make money fast for your family. There are probably many other ways to care for yourself before getting into this industry. Ask me how I know.

Marvin...I was were you were at back in 2008. The economy forced me out of a great paying job and forced me to do things I did not want to do. But I was of sound mind and was not going to fail.

The first thing you need is exactly what you have...you have to be in a place where you need to succeed. This can not be a hobby, or something you will try...this has to be something you NEED to make work.

Second thing is if you focus on a blog, niche, or SEO, or anything like that, you will not make enough money to survive up front. It takes some time to build those things up...I know...

Third thing is that you have to find a way to start making money now, I mean in the next few days. If you dont then you are going to jump from thing to thing and it will be very tough on you.

So what you need to do is two things to start making money right now, and as you start making money then work on building your business.

I would make sure you have a part time job or full time job as you get this going...I just had to throw that out there...

First thing you do: Make a list of everything you are good at and everything that you have done.

Mine would look like this...

• High school drop out
• Went back to school at 30 got a degree
• care taker for my mom
• Quit drugs and drinking
• quit smoking
• built a brick and mortar company to 150 employees
• Started over and built a full time online company
• served in desert shield and storm
• raised two teenagers
• married 20 years
• love to write
• know SEO
• know wordpress
• know how to outsource
• Know how to make money online
• Started non-profit

now the list would go on...but as you get more in tune with the market you can see that I have success within some niche markets, working with people, and doing work that others would be willing to pay for.

I made a quick video...this is from one of my products I created on how to make money in seven days or less...but I will share it here with you...


The Second Thing You Do

Take your services to the places that can use you...here is a suggestion, again from the same series I created...

If You Need All Five Videos You Can Get Them Here For FREE

just enter your email and it will send you link that contains the entire series along with another 8 part series I have on starting your own consulting business, and I add new training videos all the time. Dont worry I wont spam you, every email has an unsubscribe in it, and usually only send one email every Friday...and updates on new articles I write. Make sure you verify your email, if you don't the link wont be sent...get vids here

But the idea is to find something that you can start making money now. When I was starting out I would do a lot of things to bring in cash, I was not making as much as I thought I was worth, but what i realized was that it all added up. And as I did these things, i learned a whole lot.

All I am saying, is that when you are in a place where you need to start making money and making it now, you have to find something that pays quickly, and as you are getting paid, then start looking at ways to automate and use business models that work for you. And selling services is the quickest way...

Because when you start talking about affiliate marketing, blogs, SEO, and the works it is all a numbers business, and you need massive amounts of traffic to your sites, and then know what to do with those people once they get to your site, so it is learning curve....its like knocking on doors,,,i know all about that...you are not feeding your kids unless you knock a hundred doors a day...same in IM marketing, your not feeding the kids unless you figure out how to drive massive amounts of traffic to where ever you want people to go...

So start off with what people will pay you for now...and as the money rolls in figure out how to expand and automate whatever it is that you do...

Hope that helps...

Hey Marvin,

I think that if you need money right now, there are basically 2 things you can do:

1) Sell stuff around the house on eBay or Craigslist

2) Sell services to online marketers and businesses.

As a few other people mentioned, selling services is a GREAT way to get started. If you can create content (such as write or make videos), you can sell services.

If you decide not to go with services- just make sure you focus until you're making consistent income.

The most important thing is to hire a project manager that understands how to operate a successful internet presence. If you can get someone for a few hours a week, it will help you immensely by keeping you from doing a lot of mistakes that take years to iron out.

Hi that is great that you have a tenacious and strong attitute to work and learn and my advice is that you stumbled onto the right place. My second advice would be to look for a mentor that can teach you internet marketing strategies and cut your learning curve. Or i would say to look for a membership site that helps you earn while you learn if you need any more info feel free to contact me.
Take Care

Want to echo the advice on what NOT to do as being as important as what TO do. Do not start more than one project at a time, and do not buy into promises about quick money on the internet. It would be a good idea to only go to the WSO section with a pre-planned purpose, such as: "I need a written guide to Google Places." Specific, to the point. Find what you need and get out of there until the next specific need comes along.

Wishing you and your wife all the best!

I think you should first know what subject you are most interested to learn on net.When you focus on the special skill and topic.just learn the basic knowledge and know how to do it well by other people.like the earning by ppc.You should firstly know how to build a well-known blog and how to promote it well.if you know well about seo,you may start to earn by the adsense ads and other afiliate marketing.
So i mean the difficulties don't exist in work.It is in the beginning of the choice-- what do u want to do?

Someone on this thread said to not waste time buying useless products that you will get emailed everyday and is so true. Take a month or two and just study this forum and you will know or can purchase everything you will ever need. Take the time to study this forum for some time and you won't become someone who 5 years later is still lost. Good luck .

I believe this would be pretty helpful
The Noob Guide to Online Marketing (With Giant INFOGRAPHIC) | SEOmoz

By the way, I also think you should try to find some offline job first that could give you some stable stream of income while you are in the learning process...and even while actually starting out in IM...its a highly dynamic market and returns can be quick or too slow... Good Luck to you

Just checking in to see how you are doing...

Hi...Dont wories what is come

I am just like you,
hope this can help,
maybe sound like miss topic but it is the point,
like the word say

" How to change things when is hard to change "

This 3 steps can change what ever you want in life

1. Energy = dont let you get sick = you need power
2. Missions = The reason and paint that you feel make you change
3. Actions = do it now, never give up, if you dont want feel it that paint anymore

What I want to say is what ever in life you need this 3 things No matter what you do !

Now you have your missions or big reason you want to make money online because jan 2012 you lose your income, That what I understood from your post,

I can feel the reason is big ( " no excuse " ) is very strong to push you to success.

Dont forget " Energy" and "Actions" please...

Online business is not push a botton and make money,
1 to 1000 ways to go. and keep changging everytime, to be honest with you 99% people fail on this business! I hope you in 1 % success.

I am not scare you or anything , I just look back your reason!

This forum is great, million ideas here for people want to learn business online,

my sugestion follow people who succes online already!

you have time to learn and you did already ,

My freinds I wish you luck, I pray for you !

Good luck !

I learned everything I know from WF (Warrior Forums) and youtube videos. I've have spent no more then $20 on Ebooks and that was mainly just for fun, after I was already making money. You can use youtube to learn about being an Amazon affiliate (perfect for the Holiday season coming up) Just be aware that some youtube videos are just big advertisements, they will talk about something for 5 mins and not give you any real good information then ask you to visit a link for more info, don't waste your time with those, there are people who give out lots of free info in their videos you just have to find them. If the video is only 30 seconds or 1 min don't bother clicking on it, it will probably just be a still frame telling you to go to a link (where they want you to buy something). If the video is more then 5 mins or if the video has multiple parts to it (like a video that says "something..part 1") you will more then likely get lots of good information from it.

Hope this helps,

TF

Read your post. Good luck OP. Don't give up!

I'm glad I came across your thread, Marvin. Experienced members have shared a lot of newbie-friendly advices above. This forum has wealth of knowledge.
I myself started making money online by selling my computer skills!
So you might want to look at your existing expertise and put it to use. New opportunities will unfold as you continue to move forward with your action-plan....
Wish you all the best!