About
Making Cash On The Web is a serious attempt to compile useful information about making money on the internet. It is a combination of things that I have learned myself, as well as information culled from other sources. It is NOT about get rich quick schemes, or wierd marketing programs. I am not going to sell you anything.
If you don't yet have a website but want to get started making cash on the web, start here.
Categories
Monthly Archives
Most recent entries
- Sites With A PageRank of 10
- Blogging For Big Bucks
- Ontok Highlighter
- Building Your Forums
- Font Usability Study
- Promote Your Site With Business Cards
- Get Started With Typepad
- Incorporate Your Websites
- Help Finding A Good Domain Name
- Google Adwords Keyword Tool
- Million Pixel Ads
- Develop Backlinks By Offering Free Articles
- From Blogs To Riches
- Hide Your Email Address
- Test Your Site Speed
Syndicate
General
Choosing A Domain Name
Your domain name is your identity on the internet. It serves two purposes: it is the address at which your site is found, and it is the means by which people remember you.
(Technically speaking, a domain name identifies one or more IP addresses. But you don’t really have to know anything about that.)
Given this, choosing and purchasing a domain name clearly is a critical part of making cash on the internet.
There are two general schools of thought on choosing a domain name.
The first says that you should choose a domain name that is “keyword rich.” That is, you should choose a name which is highly descriptive of the site’s content. If you were doing a site on collecting glass mushrooms, your site would be www dot glassmushroomlovers dot com.
The other school says that you should choose a name that is memorable, and brandable. “Yahoo” for example, says nothing about what the site contains, but is memorable. The same goes for “Google” and many others.
Of course, both of these are complicated by the fact that you have to choose a domain that is not already being used by someone else. This is difficult, because there more than 34 million names with the “dot com” extension alone. Domain names are bought and sold like a commodity between owners. There are companies whose entire business is speculating in domain names. Some really serious webmasters will invest thousands to purchase a domain name that they think they can leverage into a cash making machine.
I honestly think that at this time, you have to pick the best you can find. Frankly, all the REALLY good ones already are owned by someone else.
I’d suggest that you start by going to a domain registration service and hosting service like:
Netfirms Web Hosting for Small Business
Globat.com-Web Hosting Made Easy-5000 MB, 75 GB Transfer -$4.95
On any of these, you will find a box under “register a domain name” that allows you to type in trial names. It will tell you if that name already is taken, or if it is available. They also will suggest some alternatives.
When I was naming this site, I started out with NetCash, then makingmoney , then makingmoneyonthe net ... and so on. Eventually, I found out that makingcashontheweb was open.
Here’s another suggestion. If the topic you are writing about has some slang terms that other afficionados would recognize, try those. For example, golfers easily recognize the words mashie, niblick, and bogey. So those would be good terms for a golf site. They’re already taken, but you get the idea.
Once you’ve found a domain name you like, go on to this post on registering names.
Registering A Domain Name
Once you have found an appropriate and available domain name, you need to register it with a domain registrar. These are companies that have been officially licensed to handle this sort of work.
There currently are hundreds of such companies on the net. A few good ones are:
Netfirms Web Hosting for Small Business
Globat.com-Web Hosting Made Easy-5000 MB, 75 GB Transfer -$4.95
Prices on these things change constantly. It’s a low-margin business, and, I suspect, a loss-leader for some companies. At many of these, after you sign up for the domain name, you are bombarded with offers for other services: search engine submissions, extra email accounts, site statistics tracking and more. This is where they make their money. Ignore them all. You don’t need to pay for these things.
Before you settle on a registrar, though, there’s another thing to consider: It’s a lot easier if you register your domain at the same place where you decide to host your site. Any of those listed above also are a good choice for a web host.
But don’t make a decision yet. Go On To Web Hosting.
Improving Ad Placement Through Eye Tracking
This article uses scientific data on how the eye tracks across a page to determine the best location for ad placement. The advice, in a nutshell: integrate your ads as much as possible into your editorial content. Ads that are set apart in any way are “seen” less than those that are integrated into text.
Deciding On A Topic
The topic that you choose for your website probably is your most important decision on the way to making money on the internet. It is, after all, the site’s topic that will attract your visitors.
There seem to be a couple of schools of thought on how to choose a topic for your website.
Some experts say that you should do some research to figure out what are the hottest topics on the internet. Google, for example, publishes statistics on the most searched terms. There also are companies that compile this information and will provide it to you for a fee. The theory here is that you should pick a topic that will inherently attract more visitors and thus, generate more income.
In a similar vein, some recommend that you research which topics are generating the most income. Generally speaking, advertisers bid against each other for advertising space on websites. You can find out which advertisers are paying the most, and use that information to choose your topic.
I don’t think that either of these is the correct approach. Here’s why:
First, it is likely that the hottest topic is one that you know little about. You could spend a lot of time doing research, but you will always be behind the websites of publishers (web site owners) who really are experts.
Second, the hot topic of today may not—and likely will not be— be the hot topic of tomorrow. Right now, one of the highest paying topics relates to a medical condition for which there is an ongoing class action lawsuit. But when the lawsuit is settled, it will cease to generate revenue.
Third, the hottest topics are also highly competitive. Among your competition will be full-time web-masters who do nothing but chase the hottest topics and quickly generate web sites about them. Some even speed up their site creation by paying other people to write the web site’s articles (content). With custom-written, specialized software, such a publisher can generate thousands of web pages on a subject in a few days. Part timers don’t have a chance.
Finally, it’s awfully hard to write material—and continue to write material—about something that you don’t really care about.
Which brings me to my solution: choose a topic about which you are really passionate.
Do you love kids? Create a website about children and children’s issues. Are you an ipod fanatic? Write about that. A history buff? A model railroader? A skiier? A recovering substance abuser? A cat lover? There are literally millions of topics. And if it’s something you’re interested in, chances are there are a lot of people out there who are also.
Writing about something you love will make your task much easier. You actually will enjoy sitting down to write another article and add another page. You likely will be an expert on that subject—or your passion will enable you to very quickly fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Your writing will reflect your passion, and make your site more enjoyable to visit. You already likely know of several sites on the topic, which can serve as both role models and contacts.
There are a couple of caveats to this.
First, if you intend to create a site about sexuality, illegal activities, gambling or other vices, you probably are going to have difficulty finding advertisers. Most of the major advertising services avoid websites that may offend people. So keep it clean.
Second, try not to get too esoteric. You may be an expert on antique glass toadstools, but it is not likely that there are more than half a dozen other people who are interested in the same thing. Write about antique glass instead.
If you have two ideas, start with the one you know best. You can always start a second site at at later time. I actually currently run four, on four different things.
Continue On To Choosing A Domain Name
Setting Realistic Expectations
When you begin your “making cash on the web” project, you’ve got to set some realistic expectations.
You are probably not going to get rich.
That’s not to say that there aren’t people out there getting rich on the internet. There are. There is a group called the “UPS Club”, whose checks are so large that Google expresses them overnight. There are perhaps thousands earning a full time living on the internet.
It’s just that you—or I, for that matter—are not likely to be in that club. Getting into that club is a combination of hard work, and good luck. I never had that kind of luck. And you shouldn’t count on it.
You can, however, earn a good chunk of change. The terms of service (TOS) that I have agreed to with the various programs that I subscribe to forbid me from giving specific numbers. However, I will say that I have earned enough to pay off more than a few credit card debts. I am earning enough to make it better than any part time job I could get.
What about a specific number? Most webmasters say that $20 a day is achievable in a relatively short amount of time. That’s $600 a month. Not bad. And that number will only climb as your site achieves more exposure, and your skills improve.
You also need to develop realistic expectations about the level of work required.
You probably won’t start making money overnight. I have worked steadily on my websites for more than a year. I have generated thousands of pages of content to attract visitors. I have studied every piece of advice I can get my hands on. I have tried and discarded much of that advice. I have spent time learning HTML and PHP.
I didn’t generate my first penny for three months. And it was only after nine months that I started making what I consider to be good money. But then, I was working with a pretty steep learning curve. I didn’t find a site that had instructions on how to proceed. That’s why I created makingcashontheweb dot com.
To make it really work, you’ve got to treat it as a part time job. You need to put in five to ten hours a week—more if you want greater rewards sooner.
Finally, realize that there is going to be some initial outlay of cash. You need to buy a domain name (Under $10), get a web hosting service ($2 to $10 a month), and acquire some software (generally free, but depending on your needs, as much as $100.)