Build it Right to Learn How to Make Money Online

Ok, listen, don't make the same mistake that I did not that long ago. I built a fairly successful site a couple of years ago that was moving up in the Google rankings - I can't say it was one of my more carefully thought out sites, but, had a fair amount of content nonetheless.

You see, about a year ago I started to get very excited about keyword optimization by focusing more on my blog titles, headers and highlighted information. Thinking that I was helping my other site, I went in and altered all of the headers, meta tags, main page title, etc. Guess what? Google dropped my site like a rock out of their top listings. Ouch - that's one tough way to learn how to make money online!

After sitting back and pondering this a bit I realized that I had shot myself in the foot by over optimizing (and, really over thinking) the problem at hand. Google got it as well - my site had changed too much - thus the search king had to re-index it. Lesson learned (or, as the oddly say in England 'lesson learnt').

Today's web marketing lesson is all about building it right the first time - why keyword optimization must be a priority when you plan and prototype. Yes, you can change core keyword phrases along the way but, you must do it very gradually. That's really beside the point here.

What I want to stress to you is the need to start with good keyword research first - targeting your core keyword phrase and then all relevant variations on it. Let's take a great example that, I think, will show you how to approach this problem with some powerful ammunition for your own work.

If you've done some research online for sites devoted to earning money online - you may have noticed a site appear about 1-2 years ago for the search term 'make money online'. Go ahead and type it into Google without the quotes.

The #1 site is Alan Liew's Blogger site (yes, a Blogger site!) - here's a screenshot:



Now, if you pay special attention to his site you'll see that the keyword phrase 'make money online' is the predominate term on his site - from the main page and throughout his post titles and links. What's not quite so apparent is that all inbound links to his site are also titled 'Make Money Online' from forum posts to articles.

What Alan did right was focus immediately on the keyword phrase he desired to dominate and did it in about two years! Kudos to him and his perseverance - his example is a complete success in a massively competitive market (157,000,000 results).

This shows that staying the course with your keyword phrase is one of the most important steps to building your site. Be sure to use one of the keyword tools out there to find a phrase you want to market to and stick to it! If you keep diligent - you will succeed.

Do you Really Want to Learn How to Make Money Online?

Well, an interesting start to this blog entry, huh? How to make money online? Yes, yes - everyone is out there pitching money making ideas. But, I have to start this with my noticeable absence from blogging - why no posts - what's happening in this year?

The real secret here is that I've gone deep into research and education . What do I mean by that? Over the last 8 months I made a pact with myself - walk away, dust off all of those internet marketing ebooks I've purchased over the last 4 years, go heads down and hunt for every possible tip I can find - add to that some serious online research specifically on successful SEO and Email list techniques.

Well, I can honestly say that I've picked up even more from the online research of successful sites than the library of ebooks (most have the same information) that I now own (at my current count, 27)- but, both have convinced me of some certain rules of success. Frankly, the basic rules of online success are easier than you think.

But the first rule I want to stress to you, the reader, is that making money online comes down to your mindset - yes, you! One of the biggest scams out there today is the mass of top marketers selling products to beginner marketers over and over until they walk away with millions. You say 'Hey! I want to do that!'. Well, I've got news for you - they've got a huge advantage - they've got money to repackage and sell you again using top copywriters and product packaging. Not to mention they have your psychology in mind - the hungry beginner; ready to conquer the world of online marketing and make millions!

Where they have the advantage is that only a very small percentage of the population will buy something, and, an even smaller percentage will have the ongoing motivation to keep doing it. So, back to that first rule - you have to change yourself first! You have to prove that you can do the day to day work (yes, I'm going to say it is work!) to succeed. Writing little tweets on Twitter is easy, creating a Blog is a bit harder, building a decent website is even more work, and writing a successful ebook or valuable, deep content is very hard!

So, I ask you - 'do you really want to make money online?' Or, from the seasoned internet marketer's viewpoint - 'do you really want to invest yourself into an industry that takes hard work, dedication, education and long term commitment?' Notice that the marketers don't ask you this question - because most of you will run to the hills!

Look, I don't want to scare you - but to be truthful. My best success online has come for daily commitment - that's where I've earned big dollars. My worst examples online have been quick-hit profits that promised immediate gratification and success.

Don't stop reading! Here's my motivational side - what's really missing is that anyone can do this! Yes, even the most inexperience newbie can be successful. Patience and daily work is the key - it is going to take some time. But, if you stay motivated, stay focused, set long term goals (say, over the next 12 months), establish your business ( Internet Marketing 101: Business Before Web ), you will start to see some dollars coming in.

With that said, I have an assignment for you. I want you to type this phrase into Google - "How to Make Money Online" (192M results without quotes and 2.1M with quotes) and specifically look at the top 10 results. If you haven't noticed - about 2 or 3 of the results are blogs. Go to those blogs and look at their archive history - how long have they been blogging? Take a look at their content - what is unique? Note down why you think they're successful -based on content, keywords, dialog, even subtle psychology. I guarantee this will be a better education for you than any ebook.

IM101 Step 1: Start Internet Marketing with EPIC Steps

I've spent most of the spring working on providing you the free advice necessary to get started online. You'll be seeing a combination of blog entries, articles and emails (for those who have subscribed) that tell you exactly step by step what you need when promoting and monetizing your online business.

My goal is not to provide all of the deep details of each step - you can learn these from any of the ebooks I promote. I'm going to focus on the action steps with a brief explanation. My only assumption is that you understand how to use some of the basic internet tools, services and strategies (again, any of these can be found in Newbie List Machine or Honest Riches).

So, let's get started!

I hope you've spent some time reading and reviewing my free ebook, Passions to Profits. This should have solidified your basic online idea - your first starting point. Remember, this idea is based on my EPIC principle: basic Education, Passion, your key Idea, and focused Control. I'm telling you right now that if you follow this principle you will succeed! Just by getting one simple education guide (E - Education), understanding what you love to do (P - Passion), going online with one idea (I - Idea) and staying focused for a duration (C - Control) the dollars should start to appear.

Next, be sure to review my previous Agile Marketer posts:

Business Before Web
Website Hosting
Get Listed in Search Engines Early
Use the 80-20 Rule to Make Money Online
Where to Focus Your Marketing Dollars

Read, review and get ready! Part 2 is coming soon - differentiating your online email IDs.

Internet Marketing 101: Business Before Web

I wanted to start this essay on the positive benefits of defining your business first before building any online sites, blogs or special projects. (Note: this article is primarily focused of those living in the US - but, you may find some benefits in other countries as well).

What many people tend to forget is that there is a significant tax incentive in this country if you define your online work as a business. This is much easier than you think and should be your primary focus before doing anything else. If you haven't started this activity I would strongly suggest taking a look at the rest of this article!

By no means am I a lawyer or an accountant - but, I can give you the basics from what I have learned. The core lesson I want you to get out this is that by declaring yourself as a business, any purchases, costs, fees, etc. can potentially be deductions on your taxes if your business is at a loss for the first year or more. This includes any equipment you may purchase dedicated to your online work. Granted, if you make a lot of money then you will be taxed - however, the expenses you have for your business will reduce that profits such that the tax impact won't be as great.

How does this work? First, there are three basic forms of a business you can setup in order to do this - Sole Proprietor, LLC, or Corporation. I'm going to focus on the Sole Proprietor for now because it is the easiest and cheapest way to get started - you can do the research online for more information regarding LLCs and Corporations.

A Sole Proprietor simply means a business entity that has no separation from you, the individual. However, it is still a business - thus, even though the business debts and profits flow through to you, the accounting and tax advantages are still separate. It is a simple way to have a trade name for yourself while using basic accounting expenses and profits.

Setting up a SP is typically very easy in any state. Although the rules tend to differ slightly state to state the basic steps are:

1. Find a name for your business - I recommend a generic end expression such as Enterprises, Services, Systems, Productions, Adventures, etc. For example, you might pick Smith Enterprises. I like to recommend this only because your primary business focus may change.

2. Register your new name with your state - this is defined as running your business under an assumed name. There typically is a small registration fee of $10-$35 and a very easy form to fill out. Check your state's Secretary of State website to find out what you need to do.

3. Publish your assumed name - Some states require you to publish your assumed name in a local city newspaper showing your intent to do business under that name. This will only cost you $10-$20 (this only has to be in your small suburban paper - not, a major city paper.)

4. Get a Federal Tax ID - Once your name is approved by the state, get a Federal Tax ID so you don't have to use your SSN for receiving income (this is free).

5. Get a checking account and a credit card under your business name. It will have both your assumed name and your own name on the accounts. You should use these from now on for any business transactions.

That's it!! Now you can do business under your new business name, purchase equipment, supplies and training all as part of that name. For example, once my business was setup I specifically purchased a laptop devoted only to my online work. I never install or use personal software on this laptop - business only. That capital expense was not only deductible on my taxes, it is also something that depreciates in value over time which may be deductible in the future as well.

Any general expenses can be deducted against your profits as well such as printer paper, fees, training, traveling, disks for backups, advertising, etc. Using a tax accountant is advisable to understand the additional forms you must complete at tax time.

To keep track simply pick up a copy of Quicken and create three accounts for each year:

1. Cash Expense Account - for general expenses
2. Capital Expense Account - for office equipment, computers, peripherals, etc.
3. Income Account - for any income from your affiliate accounts, ebooks, special offers, etc. - all the ways you make money online.

Just keep track of everything in those accounts for each year. Use these to help you categorize your finances at tax time.

One final note of warning - as a sole proprietor you are still personally liable for any legal actions. It does not protect you or your income as a corporation would. Always consult a lawyer to find out more about your own liabilities. Nevertheless, becoming a sole proprietor is much better than just using your own name and SSN!

Holly Mann's Honest Riches - A Review

Back in the fall of 2005 I was browsing the Warrior Forum and started to see quite a bit of buzz regarding The Rich Jerk (site is gone now 2011 - however, Honest Riches has been updated for 2011 and is better than ever). Many people were asking questions about who he was and his odd, unorthodox approach to marketing online. Using a negative connotations to drive sales, The Rich Jerk was attempting to lure sales by goading the potential buyer. As much as I would like to say I wasn’t interested I still felt the need to pick up a copy just out of curiosity.

However, before I bought his copy I happened to see a reference to a new ebook called No Thank You Rich Jerk by Holly Mann (now called Honest Riches). I took a quick look at her site and saw that she was offering some of the same material as The Rich Jerk but at 1/4 of the price. After reading through her sales pitch I decided to pick up a copy. I have to tell that when you have been working with Internet Marketing products and services for some time it was truly refreshing to find someone new who had a great product at a very reasonable price.

I read through her entire ebook in one sitting and found it to be completely and refreshingly honest, informative and very straight forward. I knew immediately it was a winner and that I had to contact Holly directly and find out a bit more about her background.

Holly Mann’s story is very interesting - just take a look at part of my interview with her:

"I am a single mom and my 4 1/2 month old son and I were cooped up in tiny room I rented out of my brother and his wife's home....I had lived in Thailand when I was 16 as an exchange student with the Rotary Club and I loved it there; the people, food and culture. I decided to sell all of our belongings and move there. I knew I could afford to live on $700 a month there while I got the Internet Businesses started. I didn't need to put my son in daycare - so I could take care of him and still break into Internet Marketing. It was a freeing feeling, but also very scary.

The last item I sold prior to leaving was my laptop which I worked on. It was a Sony Vaio I bought while I was working overseas in Iraq (and was actually saving a little money) and I sold it on ebay in order to have enough to buy our airline tickets. After flying for nearly 24 hours, we arrived in Chiangmai, Thailand. I found a small studio apartment and had serious troubles getting an internet connection. I also couldn't afford a computer.

So, I went to a computer parts store and bought all of the parts needed to put a computer together. I didn't know what I was doing, but the guys there put it together included in the total price. Most of the parts were used and so they were much cheaper. The total cost for the contraption was a little over $250 dollars U.S. The computer screen alone weighed at least 30 pounds and looked like something from the 1960s. The actual base and hard drive made a really loud buzzing noise all the time....I'll never forget how seemingly impossible it felt to publish a website with Microsoft Frontpage on a 24KBPS connection speed!

I thought about giving up on it as it took hours and hours to publish one simple website update. But I didn't give up, and within four months I was making 12K per month and FINALLY got DSL Internet!...I didn't follow anyone's formula. If something I did worked well, I continued with it and built on it. I have tried out many different methods to find the ones which are most successful and quickest to implement. My search engine optimization techniques, along with keyword research have made me the most money.

I've learned patience - and not to jump into creating a site without conducting full research to know exactly what the market is searching for, how many times are they typing that phrase in the search engines per day, how many competing sites, similar phrases, etc. Some people think certain phrases will get them traffic but without doing the proper research, you can set yourself up for failure."
After following her work for some time now I can truly say that Holly is part of the class of 2006 for successful Internet Marketers. When I compare where she was in January of 2006 to today (June 2007) I see a completely independent and successful online marketer who has not only made it big but still has a great product.

Holly changed her book’s title to Honest Riches which is currently in its new edition newly updated for 2010-2011. She has taken some the very best information available for making money online, packaged it, and marketed directly against the latest Internet Marketing Gurus material and created a masterful winner!

In fact, I personally credit Holly with boosting my own online work to become consistently profitable. I decided to create an Honest Riches blog to specifically prove her techniques work. Using the Honest Riches techniques my blog went from absolutely no traffic to top search terms in Google within 4 months.

Frankly, I believe it is the single best guide to getting started as an online marketer out there today. I’ve purchased many of these guides and Holly’s is still the best. Her story is truly amazing and shows how focus and perseverance have paid off.

Here's a highlight of what you get: How to get your line business started, Search engine optimization techniques (which she tells you how she got her site this high placement and how you can do the same), ways to make money online through Affiliate programs with no Web site and no start-up money, Content management solutions, Free Web sites that you can easily setup with no experience, free advertising that you never knew existed, and much, much more.

I’m still in contact with Holly from time to time today and very pleased to see just how far she has come. She has truly achieved her dreams and is now back in Thailand helping orphans using the profits she’s earning online. I assure you that if you are a new or intermediate online marketer then Holly Mann’s Honest Riches guide is worth every penny.

An Exclusive Interview with Ryan Orrell - Internet Millions!

Update 2011 - Looks like Ryan Orrell has made his millions and is off doing some new things online with his money.  We wish him well!  I'll keep the interview here for reference but remove the links to his site. If you are interested in a guide much like his I would suggest getting Holly Mann's Honest Riches which has been updated for 2011 and continues to be a great guide.

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Ryan, from your Internet Millions ebook and reviews I get the sense that you have worked very hard to get where you are today. Can you tell me a bit about your background?
Believe it or not I used to be a police officer in the city of Hot Springs where I live. I was making about $15,000 a year and just wanted a better life for myself and a family one day. I still love law enforcment andstill have kept touch with many old friends, though.

How did you happen to get into the Affiliate Marketing industry? What were the deciding factors?

I had a stint selling health and life insurance after being a policeman and it was feast or famine and eventually the famine part took over. I saw a commercial on TV one night in 1998 on a website offering life insurance quotes and thought..."I can do that"...although I didn't even have a computer or had no idea how to check email. I went the next day and got a computer from the Gateway store and just started learning and teaching myself through books I bought at local bookstores, ebooks, and stumbled on affiliate marketing during my research. I decided to do it because I didn't have a choice - I was flat broke and struggling.

What do you attribute your online income growth to?

Determination...let's face it. Anyone can build what I built. Anyone. The thing that separates most super affiliates from regular affiliates is determination and "the grind". When I say that I mean their willingness to continue on and not give up...battle through the problems and tough, confusing times....not quitting.

Have you been following anyone's formula or path?
No...not really. Everything I've picked up is from a million different places along the way. You'll hear me say a lot that internet marketing to me is a "way of thinking". Eventually when you learn a lot it starts coming to you naturally...like a job you eventually get good at yet knew nothing when you started?

What has been the general response to your book so far?
Great! Several incredible reviews - I care about the success of the people who purchase my book and I think that comes through in my words. Quite a few people who have reviewed my book have commented on that. Plus, I'm getting a ton of compliments on how it's already helping people.

What would you do differently if you were starting today?

WOW!! I'm not one to really play monday morning quarterback griping about how I'd do this or that different...whether it works or blows up in my face. I'm just blessed God has given me the determination and good fortune to be successful doing what I love to do.

Who are your favorite mentors and/or online marketers that you follow closely?
Don't have that many...guess I've made more of a list of liars whose sh.t books I've bought over the years have ripped me off and I've bought a lot....I may have to say I did enjoy reading the success and some reports of the late Corey Rudl but that's about it. I do have many friends however that I really admire for what they've accomplished.

What is your advice to newbie's out there looking to get started?

Don't quit or give up and you can do it. Here's the deal....my number one pet peeve is someone wanting you to do everything for them. I get those emails everyday...I go by the old adage...if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day but teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime...that's so true with my book...there are so many incredible techniques that I could use if I'd never heard of internet marketing and do $20,000 or better a month inside of three months or so....this stuff works. I know it works because I've done it personally. Just don't give up and keep moving forward and eventually you should make it to the great land of oz. ;-)

If there was one marketing secret you can share with everyone what would that be?
Honestly, I've put what I know in the book. No more secrets really here.

What are your plans now that you have released Internet Millions?

Focus on the sale of the ebook and support my followers and help them the best I can....that in itself is a full time job and I'm happy to do it. I want to help people realize they can achieve thier dreams just like I did and I'll do it one affiliate at a time if I have to. Determination and Dedication is the original formula I followed and it payed off and I'm gonna stick to it.

- Ryan Orrell

The Very First Thing You Should Do

I've met a fair number of people who like to do some part time work, consult, build sites on the side, and also try to become new internet marketers. Recently I heard a cry from a couple of people asking what they should do when first trying to break into the online marketing business.

Here is the problem at hand for many of the newbie marketers out there - panic, impatience, and impulsiveness. If you are in this business to try and make the quick buck because you are panicked and out of money, or, you find yourself drifting between products, methods, affiliates, and the next big wave then you are on the wrong track. I'm going to be blunt here but you must stop what you're doing and think this through.

As you probably know only about 5% of those in this business are really making significant money to be completely independent. And of those, only a handful are multi-millionaires. The problem most keep running into is what I call 'the big sell'. That is, the hype associated with this industry. Much like anyone I was struggling with the same question 4 years ago when I started.

Now, I know you are excited and anxious to get started and have very high hopes. But, if you move too fast and don't sit back an evaluate what you really want you can waste a lot of time and money. I know I did! Thankfully, with a significant amount of time and effort I was able to make back what I've put it and earn some more. With that in mind stop and ask yourself this question: Am I going to market to marketers or market products and services? What I mean by this is - are you going to create new marketing strategies and/or be a marketing affiliate, or, are you going to create and/or sell a product?? Make sure you answer this first.

Then, as I noted yesterday: Are you going to get into an online business that you enjoy? This is important!! I suggest getting away from your computer and taking a walk - try to imagine what it would be like if your online business was a success. What would you really want to be doing that drives you?

Take a look at Digital Photography Review. Here is a guy who loves photography and has turned his passion into one of the best digital camera review sites on the internet and makes a living doing it. Yes, the site is now huge and has a massive amount of content. But, he started somewhere.

Also take a very close look at Holly Mann's site: Honest Riches Pay close attention on how she's taken all of the best online marketing strategies and put them into practice. If you've learned most of the basics and you've studied her sites you'll see that she has jumpstarted her business in record time!

And the last thing I must note is that you are starting a business - remember that. If you haven't created a sole proprietorship or LLC to get started (in the USA) then you are losing money right away. A sole proprietor is a business entity that allows you to deduct any expenses (domain names, web hosting, ebooks, advertising, computers, software, etc.) on your taxes. Be sure to do that at a minimum before you start. Just register with your state - the fees are low (typically $30-$50 total). You will save money on all of your expenses. (Note that the closer you get to becoming a corporation the higher the protection of your business).