If 100 random people set out to make money online, statistics show that only 2 will ever make anything worthwhile.

Of course, there are many reasons people get off track, but in the video below I discuss what I believe is a common reason people struggle.

I’ve noticed from reading other blogs, readers seem to enjoy learning how other sites make money.  So I’ve developed a “Top 7″ list of my top income generators based on nothing more than monthly income earned.

Note: This list is from all my sites combined.

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1. Domain and Web Hosting Reselling

This program is a great example of why you should look for affiliate or reseller programs in your niche that pay residual commissions.

If my site got wiped out today, I would still be able to live off the residual income I’ve generated since joining this program in 2002. If you have a site that targets Webmasters, reselling domains and web hosting is a great way to build a long-term income that continues to grow and grow.

As a reseller, you receive your own customizable website that allows you to set your prices and determine your profit.  The parent company handles all the customer and technical support, so all you do is promote your own reseller store.

It would be hard for any other affiliate program to bump this from the #1 spot.

2. SiteSell

I’ve been receiving checks from SiteSell’s affiliate program since 1999, but nothing like the ones I started getting when I bought Site Build It! and displayed my own success story.

(See the post about my February 2008 check)

This was my biggest lesson in the importance of knowing and actually using products you refer from your site.

SiteSell’s affiliate program pays a generous $75 per Site Build It! sale, plus residuals on all yearly renewals.  I really wish more affiliate programs would put the same amount of time and energy SiteSell does into helping affiliates.

I’ve never known another company to offer so many tools to help their affiliates make sales. From videos with your affiliate links embedded in them to over 60 audience-relevant landing pages, this program has it all.

3. Affiliate Networks (CJ.com, ShareASale.com, etc.)

I promote a variety of products that I find on some of the larger affiliate networks. From web software, web hosting, HTML editors, to anything I can find that’s useful and related to my audience.

Belonging to an affiliate network has its advantages…

1) If you’re looking for a specific product to promote, you can do a search to see if there are any relevant affiliate programs that offer the product.

2) You can join multiple programs with a few mouse clicks.

3) All of your earnings are tracked in one place, so you have one-stop reporting instead of multiple affiliate account logins.

The downside is that many companies who run their affiliate programs through large networks tend to have sub-par customer support.

There have been many occasions where I’ve sent an email to a company I’m affiliated with through CJ and never received a response. Companies that run their own in-house affiliate programs seem to have better customer support over all.

Nevertheless, large affiliate networks are definitely worth exploring, particularly if you’re looking for a specific product to promote on your site or blog.

4. AdSense

I hate using the term “easy money”, but if you have enough traffic, AdSense has got to be one of the easiest ways to generate an income from your site or blog.

AdSense performs much better on my sites not targeted to Webmasters and Bloggers – which is a big reason why you don’t see many AdSense units on this blog.

Bloggers and Webmasters tend to be immune to Google ads so they ignore them. However on my fitness site, my click-thru ratio has been much higher.

Even though my main site, 2CreateAWebSite.com targets Webmasters, it does OK with AdSense because it gets enough traffic to make displaying the ads worthwhile.

Watch a video about my record Google AdSense Earnings…

5. Thesis (DIYThemes)

This program bumped Amazon.com off the list.  So in August, 2009 I had to update this post.

I make most of my money from affiliate programs that are tied to products and services I own.  It’s so important to build credibility and trust as an affiliate, and one way to start is to buy and use what you recommend.

As soon as I learned how to use Thesis and realized the sheer power, I added a page here that illustrates how it works.  Since this site gets a lot of traffic from Bloggers, it’s a perfect fit and the earnings started coming in right away.

Thesis has a very generous affiliate program and if a person buys the Developer’s option, you can earn over $50 for one sale.

6. ClickBank

With ClickBank, you really have to feel it out and see what works for you. Even though it’s on my Top 7 list, I must admit there is a lot of garbage on ClickBank.

Many of the eBooks you can sell are a bunch of recycled facts you can find anywhere on the Web.

They are usually promoted by an over-hyped landing page with a loud sales pitch that promises you to either get rich quick, lose weight tomorrow, or get out of debt in seconds.

However, if you really comb through the ClickBank marketplace, you can find some winners. I was able to find a few good e-books to promote that convert very well on my sites.

The great thing about ClickBank is that the commissions are extremely high since product development and delivery costs are low. You could earn up to $75 on certain products in their marketplace.

7. Ad Sales

I sell ads on both this blog and my static website, 2 Create a Website.  I use OIO Publisher to manage the ads here (it’s very WordPress friendly since it’s a plugin.)  And I use Ad Peeps on my static site.

I used to use AdBrite, but there was a glitch with their system and my ads stopped displaying properly.  It was good to get rid of them anyway because now I don’t have to share my revenue with anyone except PayPal.  (They take a very small percentage.)

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These aren’t the only programs I earn money from, but these are the highest paying by far.  The rest of my income comes from a collection of other affiliate programs.

This post was not created to encourage you to join all these programs.  Quite frankly, if your site does not target the same people and does not have the same kind of traffic, your income will be drastically less than mine.

But hopefully this shows you what is possible if you build a website that allows you to become the “expert” in your niche, and you recommend quality products that you use and are relevant to your audience. You can apply this strategy to any niche.

There are so many articles and blog posts about how to build traffic, income, etc. but not a lot about building credibility — another critical component of online success.

After all, if your audience doesn’t trust you and see you as a credible source in your niche, generating an income will be difficult.

Here are some tactics you can use to help build credibility…

About Me Page

An About Me page is a must-have. It should not only provide your name and a photo, but should briefly explain the motivation behind your site.

This shows how you’re connected with your topic and can explain what motivated you to create your site or blog. The more detailed you can get, the more genuine you will come across to your visitors.

If you have a special offline connection to your topic, this is a great time to explain it.

Let’s say you have a site about diabetes. Perhaps you or someone in your family has this disease. Your “About Me” page could explain your personal motivation for creating a site on this topic. This is a great way to help your audience connect with you.

Now they can see you are a person who is personally involved with your subject matter, so they are more likely to take your advice and see you as a credible source.

Video

Video has been a wonderful asset to my online portfolio. It allows me to show my personality and it’s a nice way to give your visitors a break from a lot of reading.

I believe it helps build credibility because it says to people, “Hey, this Webmaster is not afraid to show who they are.” With so many faceless websites out here, people find video a breath of fresh air.

Another plus is that it may help extend your “length of visit” statistic. This is important when getting traffic from organic search.

When people find your site via Google for example, Google monitors the time it takes for that person to return to their results.

The longer it takes for them to return to their results, the more relevant your site is perceived to be for that keyword phrase. This could help boost your ranking over time.

Adding a relevant video near the top of your page will ensure your audience won’t miss it and will hopefully entice them to watch, thus increasing the amount of time they spend on your site.

Limit Your Ads

It annoys me when I view a site and the ads are the center of attention. Some sites are so bad that you have to scroll down just to read the main content.

Not only does this scream “Amateur!” but it lessens you’re credibility because people will feel your main goal is to sell them something rather than inform, entertain, or provide some other visitor benefit.

Remember, when people arrive at your site, they are subconsciously thinking “What’s in it for me?”

They don’t want to be bombarded with ads or annoyed by those flying ad windows that you have to chase down in order to close.

Dare to Be Different

How many articles and blog posts have we seen about building traffic or making money?

Most of the articles don’t really tell you anything new. It’s often the same material recycled and reworded over and over again.

People appreciate fresh content so if you’re going to write about a popular topic, that’s fine. Just try to add a new perspective to get people thinking in a different way.

Offer Useful Freebies

Everyone is so conditioned to believe that free comes with some kind of catch. So if you can develop some kind of useful, free offer for your site, that can really build respect and credibility from your audience.

And when I say free, I means really free. Not the free where you make them give you an email address or buy something first.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when these strategies are very appropriate and useful. However, sometimes it’s good to give away something for free with no strings attached.

You may not get an immediate return from doing this, but people remember things like this and the long-term benefits will be worth it.

Just don’t insult your audience with a low-quality freebie or something that can be easily found on the Web.

Take The Good With The Bad

When reviewing a product you’re affiliated with, it’s tempting to only highlight the positives. You feel that if you call out anything negative, people will not want to buy.

Sure, negative points may deter a few people from buying, but I believe the net effect is worth it.

Your audience will take your reviews more seriously because they don’t appear to be too biased in one direction.

The long-term result of this practice equates to more credibility and sales for you.

The stories of Webmasters earning six and seven-figure incomes continue to flood the Internet.

Everything always looks so polished and put together once success has arrived.

In fact, you may have even caught yourself thinking, “They make it look so easy!” or “Why can’t I do that?”

While these stories inspire, they often leave a trail of misconception behind.

They also cause some people to compare their own journey to the Webmasters they admire, which can be a very destructive mental pattern.

I didn’t create this video to discourage you, but to help you put things into perspective. No matter how great the money may seem, understand everyone has their story behind the success.

Here’s mine, along with some raw facts many people don’t want to acknowledge…

Over the recent months I’ve gotten several requests from people who want me to review their travel-related websites.

Many of them are Site Build It! (SBI!) customers looking for suggestions on how to improve their site, make more money, etc.

I was just thinking the other day, “Wow, why so many travel related sites?”

Then it dawned on me…

While researching SBI!, many of these people probably came across and were inspired by anguilla-beaches.com – the heavily trafficked Site Build It! site created by teenager, Nori Evoy.

Site Stats:

PageRank: 6
Alexa Rank: 53,000
Ranks #1 in Google for “anguilla beaches”

Anguilla-Beaches.com is a perfect example of what to do when you create a travel-related affiliate website.

Not only does it help you plan your perfect Anguilla vacation, but there are personal stories and recommendations written by Nori that make the site feel real and definitely worth bookmarking.

This is not just your average travel info website. It’s an inviting site obviously written by someone who is enthusiastic about their favorite vacation spot and visits there often.

What’s even better, is that it doesn’t even look like an affiliate site. You don’t see Google ads before you see the main content. There aren’t annoying banners yelling for you to “click here!” and there’s nothing “pitchy” about her writing tone.

The opening paragraph gives you the impression this site is here to entertain and inform you on the island of Anguilla, nothing more. A good affiliate information website should never appear as if the #1 goal is to sell something.

Where People Go Wrong

Many Webmasters who create travel-oriented websites simply re-write content you can find anywhere.

Unfortunately that’s not enough to keep the average person interested – especially when they know they can go to tripadvisor.com to get similar information.

Airport information, embedded Google maps, basic restaurant and hotel information is all too generic and overdone in my opinion.

Nori includes hotel information on her site, but she does things most people don’t…

1) Her detailed review of the room, food, and landscaping draws you in and makes you feel you’re there.

2) Her writing style is personal and inviting. You feel that she is talking to you instead of at you. I cannot emphasize enough how your writing affects the level of “visitor engagement” on your site.

(Tip: Need a refreshers course? Download Make Your Words Sell. It’s now free. Yippeee!)

3) She adds pictures that she’s personally taken instead of using generic pictures found on the Web. Your audience wants to know that you’ve actually experienced what you’re talking about.

It makes a difference when you can walk the walk.

Be Original

If you’re going to build a site about “things to do in New York”, don’t just put up generic information that people can find on newyork.com.

First of all, narrow your niche enough to give yourself a better chance of being found in the search engines. Plus, the more narrow your niche is, the easier it will be to target content, affiliate programs, etc.

Instead of building a site about New York, why not narrow it down to something like “New York transportation.” Many first-time New York travelers are often anxious about getting around the fast-moving city.

You could ease their minds and provide an “insiders guide” to getting around the city. Using your own experience and useful tips, you can educate travelers how to use the subway, taxi tips and other little known facts that the average traveler may not know or be able to find (easily) online.

Choose destinations where you can add as much personal experience as possible. This is another reason it’s good to pick locations you really know or visit often because you can go above and beyond just the basic information that generic travel info sites provide.

This Doesn’t Just Apply to Travel Sites

Of course you could apply this advice to any topic. You have to learn to set yourself apart from your competition, or you’ll get lost in a see of “already-done” websites.

I felt compelled to discuss the travel niche because I see so many Webmasters making the same mistakes when they create destination websites.

Even though Nori’s site has been around awhile, you can still learn a lot from her technique. In my opinion, it’s a brilliantly done affiliate website. Mainly because it doesn’t look like one.

Remember, being successful with an affiliate site or blog goes beyond just putting up generic information. People bookmark sites because they are useful, fresh and provide unique information that can’t be found everywhere.

Whether your site is on travel or another topic, what can you do today to make it stand out like Nori did? Are you adding enough of your own personal experiences to make your site seem real? Is your writing inviting? Creative?

If not, maybe it’s time to re-work your content, add more personal touches and provide information that can only be found on your website.

Am I flashing my SiteSell affiliate check in your face to brag?

No, not at all.

When it comes to telling other people how to make money online, it’s all about credibility.

And if you can’t prove you’re actually profiting, then you sort of get lumped in with all the other “how-to-make-money” sites that leave people wondering if that Webmaster has the profits to back-up their advice.

So I thought about it and realized I could turn my success into a blog post to help inspire others.

That check meant a lot to me. Not just because it’s the largest check I’ve received from SiteSell, but because it caused me to reflect on what so many people do wrong in affiliate marketing.

So I thought I’d tell you what has worked for me…

I Use Most Products I Promote

I’ll be the first to admit, when I first started telling people to buy Site Build It!, I didn’t own it.

I was extremely wowed by the fact I could earn $75 per sale (and yearly residuals) that I immediately begin blasting banner ads and text links for SBI! all over my site.

Not a single person bought it for months.

And why would they?

I was just another cold, impersonal website asking them to shell out $299 for the possibility of making money with a website. But of course, I couldn’t really prove it worked because I didn’t own it.

As the years went on, I kept reading all the successful case studies about SBI!. It seemed that every month SiteSell was adding a new success story to the batch. My curiosity got the best of me.

So I bought SBI! in 2005 and created flat-stomach-exercises.com. Not only did I make my investment back in 3-4 months with Google ads, but the site rose to the top of the search engines faster than any site I’d ever created.

Of course this made for a great story on 2CreateAWebSite.com – a site that teaches people how to build websites.

Case studies and real-world examples sell like crazy. So if you are trying to get your audience to buy something, why not build a case study that outlines your experiences with the product?

Saying “The product’s great!” is one thing, but being able to show how it’s worked for you takes PREselling to a whole other level.

I Try to Be Brutally Honest

It seems when I started emphasizing that not everyone succeeds with Site Build It!, my affiliate sales went up. Sounds kinda strange at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense.

When you are reviewing a product and only talk about the benefits, people get suspicious – especially when there’s an affiliate link tied to the recommendation.

However, when I started creating videos and explaining that Site Build It! is not a get-rich-quick program, it’s a lot of work and does not promise instant success, that increased my credibility and helped my sales.

People are so used to websites aggressively pushing products, they find it refreshing when someone doesn’t sugarcoat everything – especially when it comes to a product that supposedly helps you make money.

People Often Ask Me For My Affiliate Link

When you PREsell effectively, you’ll find some people want to make sure you get that commission. I get emails all the time from people who want to make sure they are purchasing from the right link.

Long gone are the days when I used to hide the fact I was an affiliate.

I decided that if I’m giving people my honest opinion of something and showing that I use the product, why should I hide the fact I’m getting a commission?

Sure, the affiliate link probably turns a few people off, but for the most part, people don’t mind it if they believe you are being upfront and honest.

So What’s the Point?

I didn’t write this post to tell you to join SiteSell’s affiliate program, because if I may be honest, most people are not going to generate 4-figure checks every month. (Unless your site is geared toward Webmasters.)

SiteSell’s products perform well on my site because I have the traffic and the right audience. And you can do the same with a product or service that fits with your visitors.

The point is, if you are not seeing the type of commissions and sales you’d like to receive from your affiliate programs, think about your model and approach.

• Are the products you market relevant to your audience?
• Are your recommendations filled with all fluff and no facts?
• Do you even use the products you promote?
• Do you make it easy for people to ask questions?

And if you’re spending so much time trying to hide the fact you are affiliated with the company then ask yourself “Why?”

The way I look at it is, if you really do like and use the product, what reason would you have to hide your affiliation?

Years ago I would never admit I was an affiliate because I thought it would turn people off.

And while that is still true to some extent, the majority of the people won’t care as much when they feel you are being honest and giving them valuable information.

Yes, developing case studies can be a lot of work, and that also means you’ll have to invest in some products along the way.

But wouldn’t you agree the credibility and rewards you’ll gain in the long-run are well worth the effort?

A previous post about earning $57,000 in one month created quite the excitement.

After all, some people don’t even make $57,000 in one year so the idea of earning that kind of money in a month is fascinating.

While I was happy to see that post generated interest, it also produced some unrealistic goals and ideas among many of my readers.

Reselling domains and hosting can be quite lucrative because of the recurring commissions, but it doesn’t mean it can work for every site.

If your site is about gardening, I wouldn’t suggest promoting domain names.

I don’t know which website earned the $57,000 in January (the company doesn’t disclose this info), but I am willing to bet you it’s web development related with a very big audience.

Reselling domains and web hosting works great for me because I have a heavily trafficked site on website creation. Notice you don’t see me promoting domains on my flat stomach site. That’s not what that audience is interested in.

If you really want to generate lifetime commissions, find programs that fit the theme of your site.

Think about products and services that tie in with your niche that have recurring payments.

Most online dating sites have monthly or yearly payment systems, so if your audience appeals to this topic, find dating sites that offer an affiliate program with recurring commissions.

Comb through LifetimeCommissions.com. There are a handful of programs here and they are organized by category.

ClickBank recently began offering a few recurring payment products. I don’t think there are that many, but you may find a few here as well.

Keep it Real

You can still sell domains to your friends and family who want to build their own site, but if your site is not about web design, don’t expect to earn 5 figures per month reselling domain names and hosting.

And if your site is not about web design, you could use your About Me page to tell people how they can start their own site.

This is a much more subtle and less pitchy way of promoting your reseller store than just slapping up banners for domains on a site that isn’t even geared toward wanna-be Webmasters.

While it’s harder to find good quality residual affiliate programs, you really only need to have success with one or two to make good money in the long-run. Since the income is residual, it can really build over time.

Most of the affiliate programs I belong to only pay a one-time commission, but the few that pay on a recurring scale, make up the bulk of my income. So they’re definitely worth scoping out.

One of the most common ways people get lured into making money online is by discovering an affiliate or MLM (multi-level marketing) “make-money-online” program.

Usually, they promise lucrative profits if you promote a pre-created, turnkey website and get other people to join the program and/or buy certain products.

YTB.com and SixFigureIncome.com are two programs that come to mind, but there are many more.

One major flaw with these programs is they don’t tell you that in order to make money you are going to have to drive thousands of targeted visitors to your site per day.

Not an easy task for someone who has never marketed anything online before.

Also, it’s difficult to convince total strangers to pay their money for a program that does not guarantee a return on their investment.

People are incredibly skeptical about programs that ask for upfront money in order to make money (and they should be), so immediately the cards are stacked against you.

Just because the company has provided you with your own turnkey website, that doesn’t mean you are any closer to striking gold. In fact, they are leading you into a false sense of hope and security.

Here are more reasons to avoid the “Make Money Online” niche…

How can you expect people to trust you if you aren’t making money yourself?

People who make a lot of money online have spent years building credibility from an audience who trusts them.

They do that by providing useful advice that actually helps their audience. Over time, they develop large mailing lists, faithful blog subscribers and/or loyal website visitors.

When you do this, it’s much easier to make money online because when you recommend a product or service, that credibility you’ve earned now works in your favor.

Your audience trusts you and they are more likely to buy something you recommend.

People often believe that the best way to make money online is to join a program that teaches others how to make money. When that’s probably one of the worst niches (unless you are really making a lot yourself and you can help others succeed.)

The reality is, you begin living a lie. You’re encouraging people to fork over money for a chance at making money when you don’t fully believe or know how to master this program yourself.

So you end up recruiting more people who recruit more people who recruit more people on the hopes of getting rich someday.

The replicated, turnkey website you receive does you no favors.

The problem with those pre-created websites that you receive is they are not unique.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. are now smart enough to realize it’s just a duplicate of the other 180,000+ member sites in the program.

So reeling in all that free, targeted traffic like Webmasters who have their own domains with unique content will be next to impossible.

The money making niche is too saturated.

Type make money in Google and look at the total number of results on the top right-hand side. That number right there should be enough to scare you away.

The topic is saturated to no end so getting found, even if you had your own domain name, is a very tall task.

It can’t be any fun.

How boring it must be to promote a program on how to make money when your income is $0. Suddenly this is turning into a discouraging task with no reward.

People who are successful online enjoy themselves. They know a lot about their niche and it’s evident by reading their sites that they know what they’re talking about.

Their sites have personality and appear to have a real person behind them who is engaged in the topic.

Compare that to your anonymous, money making site, with its impersonal, over-hyped content written by the creator of the company (who, by the way, is the real beneficiary of programs like this.)

One of the joys of owning 2CreateAWebSite.com is when I learn how to do something new, I write content to help my audience learn too. Knowing I am helping thousands of people all over the world is quite fulfilling.

It’s also clear to my audience I am living what I write about so it helps build credibility.

Your income often depends on the success of others

One of the traps with these programs is the multi-level or tiered factor. If you sign up people who then sign up people who then sign up even more people, etc. multiplies your income.

Sounds great right?

The problem is 99.99% of people who join these programs never sign up a single soul. So don’t get too comfortable, expecting your downline to make you rich because chances are, they are running into the same roadblocks as you.

There Are Always Exceptions

I don’t want to imply that no one ever makes money from these kinds of programs. A few people do, but they are the exception more than the rule.

Some people are extremely marketing savvy and/or have the initial income to advertise and compete. So of course there are always going to be those select few who do well.

But you should still proceed with caution. Often times companies add fake testimonials to make it look as if there are more successful people than there really are.

Isn’t it funny that no one ever knows any of these people personally? And if that many people are making so much money, why aren’t they featured on the national news more?

Who are those people smiling on the site with the six-figure income totals under their pictures?

And why don’t they ever provide an email address so you can contact them and ask questions?

Hmmmmm……

The Bottom Line

If you want to increase your chance of success online, choose a topic that interests you and build a useful website on that.

Go to www.associateprograms.com and find affiliate programs that match your subject-matter.

While you’re there, subscribe to Allan’s free newsletter and read his archives. There are some very encouraging stories and great lessons.

You don’t have to promote “how to make money” programs to make money online. You could create a site on cooking and recommend kitchen gadgets and other products related to your topic.

Yes, that means there is work involved and you probably are going to have to learn how to build and manage your own website. Making money takes work, and there’s no way around that, I promise.

- If you’re allergic to the concept of work, this is not for you.

- If you need money immediately, this is not for you.

- If you are constantly looking for shortcuts to success, this is not for you.

- If you cannot accept the fact it may take months before you see any money, this is not for you.

Are You Incredibly Desperate For Money?

I often get emails from people who are in desperate need of an income. The problem with many of these people is they are so hungry for instant gratification, they want to somehow bypass the learning and work involved.

When you are so focused on how long it will take to make money, then it’s nearly impossible for you to remain patient and enjoy the learning process.

Even though money is your ultimate destination, you must enjoy the ride. So you might as well choose a niche you enjoy and allows you to appear credible.

Someone who belongs to the same domain name reseller program as me earned that amount in January.

Every month the program publishes the top performers. While I was pleased to have earned a spot in the top 10 with my own personal record, I was floored when I saw the top earner pulled in nearly $60,000.

Usually the #1 reseller earns around $40,000.

Shows you how lucrative the domain name business is these days. And it makes sense. With the U.S. headed for a recession, more and more people are looking for ways to make money at home.

Why So Hot?

Thousands of people start websites each month, and that number grows drastically every year. So it’s a great business to be in these days.

Websites are cheap to start and Web hosts are making them easier to build.

So even if your site is not about website building, surely you know people offline who want a website. Why not join a reseller program and benefit from their new venture?

You’ll earn lifetime commissions on their domain name, hosting and any other web related products they purchase from your own branded reseller site.

So the residuals can really pay off over time. I am still earning commissions from people who bought their sites when I started reselling domains in 2002.

Remember, domains and hosting have recurring fees for customers. So as a reseller, you earn a commission for all domain and hosting renewals… for each customer. Your income will snowball overtime if you keep signing up new customers.

So if you know people who want to start an online business or even build a personal website, you could join a reseller program, send them to your turnkey website and earn a commission on every order placed.

Control Your Destiny

You will have the opportunity to customize many functions on your reseller site, including your prices. So you determine how much you’ll profit from each sale. You can even setup discount pricing for friends if you wish.

Customer support and online ordering are both handled by the registrar, so you don’t have to worry about answering emails, phone calls, tech support etc. All you do is send people to your branded reseller site and wait for the commission.

So if you’re looking to make some extra cash on the side, why not give it a go? The domain biz is scorching hot, especially now!

While people are encouraged by my online success, some often frown when I tell them it took me six years to make enough online to at least match my 9 to 5 salary. Even though I made a profit every year, there were a lot of ups and downs in the beginning as I learned from my mistakes.

My success didn’t happen overnight and if I could do one thing over again I would have learned how to write for my audience instead of myself.

What I mean is that so many people build sites without regarding who their target audience is and what they want to learn about. For example, if you are going to build a fitness site, don’t write 10 pages about you and your weight struggle. Write to help your readers.

To put it bluntly, people don’t really care about your story until you show them how your site can help them first.

Check out your competition and add information that they are missing. Instead of talking about all the things people should do in regards to the subject, switch it up and focus on what they shouldn’t do.

Be different.

Stand out from the crowd.

And once you really know who you want to target and focus on their needs AND offer information that cannot be found anywhere else, then you will have success much faster than I did.

In the beginning, I kept copying other people’s concepts and would only have minimal success because my site was not unique enough and got lost in the crowd.

But once I realized the secret was to take a topic and offer information that my competitors were not, add my own voice/personality, really learn how to communicate with my audience, that’s when my traffic and sites started to take off.