When some Webmasters set out to build their websites, they have a lot of big ideas.

They want forums, profiles, user interactivity and all the Web 2.0 features that make a website look cool and fun to visit.

Nothing wrong with having goals to build the baddest site on the planet, but it’s important to think realistically and put things into perspective.

Unless you are a skilled programmer, have a good understanding of Net marketing and possess a ton of money for promotions, then I would not suggest that a new Webmaster begin by creating an interactive Website that targets a large audience.

You can’t assume that if you build it, they will come. You have to know how to bring people to you.

And unfortunately, the average new Webmaster doesn’t know much about building traffic.

Getting ranked high in Google, having the top article on digg.com and getting thousands of visitors per day doesn’t happen just because you’ve launched a “cool” site.

Internet Marketing is a complex subject, and it’s getting more complex as the Net matures.

Start small. Target a small group of people by providing valuable information they would find interesting. Then as your site gains popularity, look into launching forums and other user interactive tools to support your audience.

Here’s an Example…

Say you love video games. While I know it would be cool to create the Net’s largest video game networking site, you have to take this in small steps.

1) Start by focusing on one video game niche (Role Playing, for example.) Build a simple site that offers reviews and the latest news on games in this niche.

2) Learn the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) and start generating traffic from people searching for these games. Your reviews are important because that content will help the search engines find your site.

3) Once you start building an audience, install a forum or a simple chat room to get your visitors talking.

4) As your audience grows, now it’s time to think about expanding and developing more advanced applications where your visitors can interact on new levels.

Useful content builds traffic, not Web applications (unless you have deep pockets for advertising.) So you might as well start out small, learn the basics of free SEO and then launch your fancy website when you have the traffic to support it.

Nothing worse than learning how to build a complex, MySpace-like site (or paying a programmer big dollars to do it) and your site goes virtually unnoticed.

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.

I get a lot of questions about website topics and what’s the most profitable niche. First of all, what’s profitable for someone else may not be profitable for you and vice versa.

For example, a lot of people make money online because they choose topics they love to write about, then affiliate themselves with companies that sell products and/or services that relate to their subject of interest.

Having an interest in their topic is what motivates them to build the best site possible, and they enjoy spending time promoting it.

Two people can choose the exact same topic, but one could be tremendously successful while the other one fails miserably. It happens all the time online, and the big difference is often passion and interest.

For example, I make a lot of money reselling domain names, but that’s because my site is about teaching people how to build websites.

If your site is about car repairs then obviously this program is not going to pay as well for you because your audience is not interested in buying domain names. They want car info.

And I’m sure there are many profitable car-related affiliate programs that can earn money from your site if you provide useful information and build up enough traffic.

Find Your Passion, Not Someone Else’s

So before you choose your topic on the basis of what’s the most profitable, dig deep and think about a topic you would love to write about. What interests you? Do you have information on a topic that can help others?

Unless your topic is totally obscure, you can make money from virtually anything thanks to Google AdSense and other affiliate programs. So there’s enough money out here for everyone.

But if maintaining your site becomes a chore then you’ll never see the money because you won’t be motivated to stick with it long enough to make it succeed.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t topics out there that are more profitable than others. Nor am I saying you can’t choose a topic you know very little about and make money.

Some people are clever at pay per click marketing so they choose hot, competitive topics, bid on keywords for search engine placement and make money by placing ads. If you’ve got the budget, then this method could be for you.

Others choose topics they know very little about, but take the time to research it until they are knowledgeable enough to build a useful site that becomes successful.

However, for most people it’s easier to create a successful site if you write about topics that interest you. This allows you to come across as the “expert” in your niche, build credibility with your audience, and most importantly, enjoy the ride.