How to Make Money Online: Step-By-Step

Looking for a legitimate online business? Interested in working from home on the Internet? Typing "make money online" in Google will generously return over 170 million business opportunities from which to choose. On a good day, about four of them are real jobs that after some hard work may result in your getting paid. They're difficult to distinguish, however, from the countless millions of scams disguised as investments, ground-floor opportunities, typing jobs, data-entry jobs, writing jobs and marketing jobs. But legitimate paying jobs and business opportunities do exist online and you're about to learn step-by-step how to find them, work them and collect from them.

I've been looking for ways to make my fortune on the Internet for over a decade, ever since Al Gore invented it (fold cheek, insert tongue). I've tried it all. Really. I shipped off $1,300 worth of electronics to Romania once, and I even waited until after the credit card transaction cleared and the money was in my bank account. Sadly, the charges were reversed as soon as the real owner of that VISA reported it stolen. My banker politely informed me that, yes, I was pretty much completely screwed. I've spent thousands on various online ventures over the years and have learned some tough lessons. I've sifted through a ton of crap, and today I make a handsome sum online. I don't see quitting my day job any time soon, but perhaps eventually. So save yourself some time and money. Begin your foray into the cutthroat arena of online business using one or more of the options outlined here.

Option 1: Writing

If you enjoy writing and have even a little bit of skill, there are several good opportunities to make money online. You can develop a lucrative blog, write essays, write articles, write advertisements or write fiction and sell it to online magazines. All of these are viable options, but I will focus on writing articles. Here's the step-by-step instructions for getting started.

Writing for Cash: Step-by-Step

Step 1. Set up a PayPal account if you don't already have one. This is how you'll get paid.

Step 2. Sign up for free with Associated Content. This website will pay variable amounts for articles that you write and submit in a variety of different subjects. You are paid one time for your article, upon publication.

Step 3. Sign up for free with Helium. Contact me with your name and email address, using the link at the top of this article and I'll send you an email invitation. Helium is an excellent place to sharpen your writing skills, discover how you rank against other writers, and earn a long-term residual income. You write short articles on various topics of your choice, rank other authors' articles relative to each other and earn money when people read your articles. Every time somebody reads your article, you earn a small sum and this continues indefinitely. Over time, as you contribute more, your residual earnings will continue to increase and you'll make money on your articles in a fashion similar to receiving royalties.

Step 4. Every day, write at least one article for both Associated Content and Helium. On Helium, participate in article ranking each day as well, as this will increase the exposure your articles get in the rating system. The more exposure they get, the more often they will be ranked and the more they will move up or down in ranking. Of course, your goal is to write quality articles that kill the competition so you gain the #1 ranked position. Higher ranked articles receive more visits which in turn earn more income.

Step 5. For extra income potential, drive traffic directly to your articles, or to your author profile on each site. There are many ways to do this, but the topic is beyond the scope of this article.

Option 2: Sell for Profit on Ebay

Don't fall for the Ebay scams out there. You'll see many claims of Ebay "selling secrets" that will be happily divulged to you for a mere $39.99. Don't waste your money. Selling on Ebay is very competitive and there's no magical formula. It is, however, quite possible to make money by selling on Ebay if you know some basics. Here's the step-by-step method to follow.

Selling on Ebay: Step-by-Step

Step 1. If you're one of the 13 people left on the planet who don't yet have an Ebay account, get one.

Step 2. Read some of the help material on Ebay about selling. They provide plenty of excellent information. Particularly pay attention to the Selling Overview, How to Sell, and Seller's Tips. This will give you a good start in understanding how selling works on Ebay.

Step 3. To practice selling, first sell some of your own stuff. We all have clutter that we'll never use but is still sitting around the house or the garage. Spend a couple hours and collect some items you can live without that might be of value to somebody else. Kid's toys, clothing and tools usually do quite well.

Step 4. Decide which selling approach to take. You can buy things at flea markets and garage sales then sell them for a profit on Ebay. You can sign up with a wholesaler and order products online or through the mail and sell them on Ebay. Avoid the hassle of maintaining stock by hooking up with a dropshipper who will take your order and ship directly to your Ebay buying. You can sell your arts and crafts if you're into that kind of thing, or tackle a particular niche market of which you have interest and knowledge. I recommend starting with garage sales. You can find some very interesting, collectible items for next to nothing that will attract interest on Ebay. In comparison, the wholesale market is very tight and competitive on Ebay and may serve well as a longer-term goal. The advantage is that with dropshipping you don't maintain any stock and you don't have to be in the mailing business. The disadvantage is the competition and small profit margin, forcing you to have a high volume of sales.

Step 5. Whichever sales approach you've decided to try, get started doing it. Post a dozen or more auctions and experiment with different selling approaches. You can play with many factors including starting price, auction type, reserve or no reserve and others. Through some experimentation and good documentation, you'll discover how to fine-tune the selling process for your products.

Option 3: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a popular way to make money online. The idea is that you do the marketing for somebody else's product and in return you get a cut of the sale. The trick for success is to sell enough product to make enough money to pay for your advertising efforts and still make a profit. This can take some time and experimentation, but once you hit a formula that works and get the process set up, there's very little work involved and a high potential for profit.

Become an Affiliate Marketer: Step-by-Step

Step 1. Sign up with Clickbank, one of the biggest and most successful online conduit for affiliate marketing. On Clickbank, sellers sign up with their products and offer a percentage of the sale to affiliates. You, as the affiliate, choose which sellers and products to promote. You'll receive a special URL for that product that will, when used to make a sale, credit you in the Clickbank system.

Step 2. Browse around in the Clickbank Marketplace and choose which product to promote. Start with one or two and select products that have a high %/sale. That is the percentage of the sales price that you will earn with each sale. Another number to understand it the product's affiliate gravity number. The higher the number, the more affiliates have sold this product in the last eight weeks. Some affiliates do well with popular items, while others choose to promote products with lower affiliate gravity to avoid the competition. Experiment to see which approach works best for your methods and styles of marketing.

Step 3. Use the "hoplink" URL provided by Clickbank for the product that you've chosen to promote. There are many free ways to promote items online, including your email signature, discussion forums, free classified ad web sites and your blogs. There are also many avenues of paid marketing online including Google Adwords, Yahoo Search! Marketing (formerly Overture) and Miva (formerly LookSmart). Don't neglect old fashioned advertising either. Place fliers around or put an ad in the paper.

Step 4. Be patient. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It will take time and practice to become an effective affiliate marketer, but don't give up. As long as you stick with free or low-cost marketing options, you have all the time you need to find the right combination of product and advertising to begin nicely supplementing your income.

Making money online is not "so easy a monkey could do it," nor will you "make $1000 per day" anytime soon. Forget getting rich quick. You'll just spend too much money on worthless "secrets" that don't amount to anything. Instead, follow the advise you just read, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Be confident, patient and persevering and you will find success.