It’s the time of the year when millions of resolutions are made all over the world. Weight loss and financial gain are two of the most popular ones made each year.

Speaking of financial gain, many Webmasters have set financial goals for their websites in 2008. If you’re reading this now, you are probably among that group. No matter the size of your goal, here are some tips to help you get off to a good start in 2008.

1) Stop and Analyze

If you’ve already started your website and aren’t seeing the results you’d hoped for, it’s time to analyze your situation.

a) Did you choose this topic because it interests you or because you’ve seen so many other successful sites in this niche?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to create a site on something that’s hot, but if the topic doesn’t interest you, and you aren’t motivated to create enough useful content for your visitors then it may not be the best topic for you.

b) Are you focusing too much on building and not enough on marketing?

People make money online because they learn how to write and market, not because they are top programmers. In fact, some of the most successful sites outsource a Webmaster to do all the technical stuff.

Making money online is 80% marketing and 20% website building (unless you are a Webmaster who gets paid to build people’s sites).

I’m not saying learning the basics of building a site is not important, because it is. Just don’t feel you have to know everything about design, programming, etc. to create and maintain a profitable site.

There are templates on the Web and software you can use to help design your site. I use Dreamweaver and bought my site’s template from Dreamweaver-Templates.net. I’ve never taken a class in Web design nor have I had any formal training.

Much of my time is spent reading sites and blogs authored by other successful Webmasters – particularly those skilled in writing and marketing.

Two of my favorites are Allan Gardyne of AssociatePrograms.com and Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net. These two gentleman are great examples of how writing useful content can turn into long-term passive income. I would highly recommend adding these two sites to your favorites.

2) Set Small Goals and Reward Yourself

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re just starting out. So many options, ideas and information to sort through. And rather than trying to do everything at once, break down your to-do’s into small tasks and reward yourself when you complete each one.

For example, your goal for this week may be to write 3 new pieces of content. When you accomplish that reward yourself. Treat yourself to a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant or endulge yourself with a serving of your favorite dessert.

This is important because setting goals and achieving them, no matter how big or small, creates a feeling of accomplishment. And with each goal you meet, you continue to move forward with your business and over time you’ll see results.

3) Read Make Your Content PREsell

I was responding to a thread on my forum the other day and I was reminded of how good this free book really is. Even though it was written years ago, the evergreen content is still highly useful for all Webmasters today.

It won’t cost you a cent, yet you can receive some powerful information about copywriting and how to engage your audience – a skill highly ignored and overlooked by most Webmasters.

It’s so easy to get overly involved with promoting – from slapping up AdSense ads and banners, to finding the best affiliate program for your site. But none of that matters if you cannot draw in traffic and captivate your audience. And this is done through your writing.

Do your website a favor in 2008 and implement some outstanding tips found in Make Your Content PREsell.

In fact, I think I’ll download it again after I’m done posting this to give myself a refresher course.

4) Prepare to Invest

Remember, this is a business. You may not have a physical storefront, inventory or a lease to deal with, but if your goal is to make any money on the Web, you’ve started a business whether you realize it or not. And all businesses require some sort of investment.

That doesn’t mean you have to empty your wallets to be successful, but if you are not willing to spend any money you could be in trouble down the line.

a) Don’t Use Free Hosting… Ever.

If you’re using a free host, take the time to buy your own domain name. Domain names are so cheap these days and so is hosting.

In my opinion, there’s just no excuse for not owning your own piece of Web real estate. Sites hosted on free hosts look unprofessional and show a lack of seriousness about your business.

b) If generating traffic is an issue, try bidding on some cheap keywords through Google AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing.

Remember, you only pay for traffc you receive and some SEO experts believe paid ads could build your online credibility and improve your ranking in the natural (free) search results. Keep in mind, this is just speculation, but I wouldn’t doubt it helps.

5) Capitalize on Your Competitor’s Gaps

One way I get ideas for my content is viewing my competitor’s sites. No, I don’t plagiarize, but I do get ideas from their content. I read articles and look for information they’ve left out and capitalize by building an even better article.

Remember, people are always looking for fresh information and new perspectives. Don’t just recycle what’s already out there. Get ideas from your competitors, then improve upon them.

Surely you’ve read articles and thought, “Why didn’t they mention that?” or “It would have been nice if they had explained this better.” Now build your article in your own words, and expand upon ideas they either missed or didn’t expand upon.

6) Have Fun!

This tip probably should have been #1. After all, if I didn’t enjoy what I do, there’s no way I would have lasted 10 years out here.

I love to write and help people, and it’s exciting to see others learning from content I’ve written. Never has this felt like a job and I’m always looking for new opportunities to grow and improve my site.

This is the attitude you should have about your site or blog. If you are constantly struggling for content and ideas, perhaps you’ve chosen the wrong subject (see Tip #1 again).

Don’t get caught in the “I’ve-got-to-choose-the-most-profitable-topic” trap because that “profitable topic” varies from person to person.

Creating successful websites for beginners is a profitable topic for me because I enjoy writing about it and I’ve been motivated enough to build content that separates my site from many others.

However, car racing or how to repair computers may be just as profitable for someone who is interested in those topics. Remember, you can generate an interested audience for almost any topic.

The more interested you are in your subject matter, the easier it will be to develop useful, unique content. Writers block won’t be as much of an issue and you’ll have an easier time finding online communities where your target audience hangs out. Suddenly this business becomes a fun, profitable hobby because you are engaged in your topic and your audience.

One of the biggest reasons people quit their sites is they become bored, frustrated and uninterested. And with the massive competition out here, you can’t afford to build a site that will lose your interest after a month. You’ve gotta keep building and growing or you’ll get lost in the shuffle.

I got frustrated many times out here, but because I enjoy writing and learning how to market my sites, I was able to sustain the down periods and failures. You’ve gotta be able to take the good with the bad.

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Well that about covers it. Take the above tips and focus on the ones you need to approve upon. Yes, the competition keeps growing with every passing month, but there’s still enough money out here for those who work hard.

Here’s to a fruitful 2008 and I’ll see ya the top!