It occurred to me while reading another blog’s comments that what people really want to know is exactly how to make money online. I vaguely remember being impatient to get started when I first discovered it was possible to make a living online, and I know it took me a number of years before I actually managed to give up the 9 to 5. I also know that this could have been achieved a lot faster had I not been caught up in details and processes, but given a basic idea of what needed to be done.
I’ll be first to admit that I held myself back. I could have done much more sooner, but I listened to the bad advice and ignored the good. I was lazy, and the bad advice was by far the least work and therefore the route I always took. Looking back it was obviously not the right choice, and what is so annoying- is that in the back of my mind I knew it. I wanted success but made excuses, and was just simply not willing to put the hard work in. The first step is always the hardest!
The first step is always the hardest for a number of reasons, not all of which you can control. It is hard because you doubt that it is possible, doubt that anyone (even the bloggers you read) are really making a living online, and because you are new to this online world doubt that you have the ability to make it work. Believe me, the hurdles don’t stop there.
Most affiliates give up within the first 6 months (if they last that long), and then the balance (bar a few determined souls) give up within 12 months. I almost packed it in on a number of occasions, but always found my way back. I was pretty determined, but lacked confidence that it would ever work out for me. I had also never met anybody that had made it work, nobody in person, nobody I could 100% trust. It is a hard way to make an easy living, and trust me it just gets harder. When you are eventually making money and pack in the 9 to 5, you have to make money. Any consideration that this is a hobby, or that there is a way back no longer applies. If you want to eat, you need to work hard.
The main hurdle you will face is the feeling that you are not getting anywhere, and that your chosen website will never make money. Let me tell you a secret: chances are Google won’t even acknowledge your website exists for a minimum of three to twelve months. That’s right, you have to fight your way out of this sandbox and onto people searches.
sandbox – your site stays there until it gets mature enough to be allowed to the Top Positions club. Although there is no direct confirmation of the existence of a sandbox, Google employees have implied it and SEO experts have seen in practice that new sites, no matter how well optimized, don’t rank high on Google, while on MSN and Yahoo they catch quickly. For Google, the jailing in the sandbox for new sites with new domains is on average 6 months, although it can vary from less than a month to over 8 months.
Getting out of the sandbox
Getting out of the sandbox is easy! You wait. But you don’t wait by twiddling your thumbs and putting nice pleats in your hair – you start building the machine that will eventually take the world by storm. Here’s where it gets easy.
There are only two things that must be done on every new website. These are the same things that need to be done on every website full stop- whether new or old. Yeah sure there are other things that you can also do to gain exposure, and improve your site as a whole, but there are only two things that MUST be done above everything else. The two most boring tasks known to mankind, which inadvertently are the two tasks that every lazy want to be affiliate marketer really doesn’t want to do. Write content and build links. If you have a good (or even half decent offering) and you do these two things you will make money. If you don’t believe it, maybe you should be promoting something else.
**NOTE**
Seriously! Would you buy this sh*t?
I would like to add a note at this time. I DO NOT promote Clickbank products. I personally prefer to promote real tangible items that people want and are looking for. I do not need long sales copy, these people are already looking for what I am selling. I cannot promote Clickbank products because I do not believe in the products enough.
I am running a marketing business, and I would like to sell to the converted rather than have to convert the customer before selling. In addition, I like to sell products and brands that already have massive advertising campaigns ….trust has already been established with the customer , they are searching for the product and are just looking for someone selling it. DO NOT let the high commission rates of Clickbank fool you into thinking you will make more money promoting their products, chances are you will convert 1% of what you could with a tangible branded product that people are actually looking for.
Yes, it is possible to make money with Clickbank….just a lot harder!
In conclusion:
- Choose a niche & Build a website
- Write a lot of quality content often
- Build some links to your website (don’t build 1000′s a month, 20 – 100 should be fine to begin with)- THATS IT!
YOU WILL SOON BE GIVING UP THE 9 TO 5.
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Great article Sam. I’ve always found it easier to build a solid website first and then worry about the affiliate marketing side of things later (though obviously I consider what ways the site can make money before starting).
Whenever I have looked for the quick way out i.e. putting in a few hours work and expecting a good return, I have failed.
It’s a long hard slog but in the end it’s worth it.
I think a lot of people underestimate how difficult it is to build a lot of traffic to a website and because of this they get caught up in doing tasks that don’t matter (if nobody is visiting the website anyways) rather than doing those tasks that will actually attract visitors (ie. writing & building links).
We (you and me) focus on very different ways of making money (content site Vs straight affiliate offer promotion), but even though they are very different in nature there is always one constant – both require lots of content & links (whether natural or helped along by a link building campaign)
That was a refreshing, no-BS post. Thank you. I’m starting to feel the same way you do about ClickBank. What would you suggest as one or two good alternatives?
Obviously this would very much depend on your selected niche, but assuming you avoid the “make money online” area for everything but a labor of love (Demons Lounge is mine) I would be looking at networks such as CJ & Affiliate Window (although this one is UK only) that provide “real” products from respected merchants. Where are you based?
I’m in the US. I had a CJ account a couple years ago, but it went dormant. I’ll have to see if I can reactivate it, or start a new one.
I really do want to thank you for this post. It was like a bolt of fresh thinking out of the blue, and it reminded me that instant gratification isn’t a reasonable expectation. I think I forgot that.
We use a fantastic tool to help us promote “real” products from a number of merchants. It is only currently in Beta for the US but hopefully it will be launching there soon. We are planning an in depth post explaining the product soon but if you want to have a quick look here is the link for Easy Content Units. The guys that run it are really cool and will really go out of their way to help you anyway they can. Glad you liked the post, thanks for the comments.
Great article on making money online.Thanks.