The Web Game
Making a website that provides a steady flow of cash is possible, but not as easy as most people would like to believe. Whether it is the promise of freedom from financial struggles or the desire to be one’s own boss, many individuals have flocked to the internet gold rush. In fact, millions of domain names are purchased every year in the hopes of launching the next great website, but few of these ever get up and running and even less become successful moneymaking ventures.
It’s extremely difficult to even calculate how many websites there actually are. Estimates assume the total to be near 2 billion already and the rate that new sites are going up is increasing. It can be daunting when you’re attempting set yourself apart in this type of infinite climate, but it’s a must if you want your website to be a moneymaking machine. There are several things to keep in mind along the way.
Stay away from the get-rich-quick schemes. Scams are abundant on the internet and these types of promises are the most obvious sign that one is afoot. You’re going to have to work for your money just like everyone else. It takes a great idea and a ton of effort that no scheme can remedy.
Success on the internet, like success in business, requires a certain level of technical knowledge. If this is lacking, the marketer must be willing to hire experts in search engine and social media marketing if he or she wants to produce a professional product with some buzz. The market is competitive and will require committed resources. As with any business, pouring your own resources into production and marketing can be extremely risky, but if you believe in your idea and have a solid business plan, the rewards are well worth it.
Popular methods of earning money through websites are charging for premium services, membership fees to access content, pay per click, direct sales of unique items like books, software, and anything you could possibly dream up that people would want to purchase. Each of these strategies, to an extent, is most effective when you operate at a professional level within a particular niche.
Create a website that focuses on a specific industry. For instance, if you were previously involved with a stock broking company, you could use your knowledge and experience to lend your expertise through your website. Write blogs displaying your knowledge and encouraging people to make use of your services or subscribe to your site. Don’t give away all your specialized information, but enough to show people that you are a professional and capable of providing them with expert service. Be sure to avoid sounding like too much of a sales pitch as this can often be interpreted as a red flag for a scam.
Also, research similar sites and check the forums and comments from people who use the site and what they like and dislike about it. You can use this knowledge to make your site better without going through your own trial and error. The voyage isn’t easy, but the bounty is alluring. If you’re smart with your decisions, you’ll reap the rewards.
WordPress Themes
WordPress themes are everywhere, from free ones that are okay, to premium ones that look fantastic and can really make your space stand out. Themes are easy to find, easier to install and they come in a lot of different shapes and sizes, all of which are meant to give you the site that you want. Appearance is everything, and you want to make sure that you are projecting the style and attitude that reflect your personality or the personality of your business or service. Finding themes is easy, but getting a hold of really good ones may take a bit of searching around through the many, many premium sites that are out there.
As with almost anything else online these days, you will have to pay money for the good ones, and prices are wide ranging and choices are vast. You can get any design, color, style, font, space, layout and feature that you can imagine from a nearly infinite number of artists and designers. The most important thing to keep in mind is that installing them is easy and only requires a download and a couple of mouse clicks to get the themes that will really make your space look awesome.
How much are you willing to pay? You can get some of the best themes available if you are willing to spend the money for them, and a lot of people do. However, the free ones are just fine, and there is no shortage regarding these either. So it all depends on what kind of look you are trying to achieve and the message that you are trying to convey to your potential future readers. But, you can avoid the default settings and stay from the stock ones that everyone else is using and get a hold of some truly awesome designs in a matter of minutes.
Since there is no programming required, and all you need to do is point, click and install, wordpress themes are the easiest things in the world to install. So, whether you are a blog, a florsit or a dental practice, you can give yourself a wordpress makeover in minutes with a theme that will really impact how your site is viewed by the trafficking public. Take a look today at some of the various designs that are available and start thinking how you can change how your site looks and feels.
Free WordPress Themes
Are you tired of searching all over the place for decent looking free wordpress themes that actually look good and come with no strings attached? There is such an enormous amount of creative talent floating out there in cyberspace, but most of it is buried deep within search engine listings and they are difficult to find. With the high price of pay themes that are available, more and more people are turning to free themes instead, there are only a few decent sites that catalog only a few good looking ones to download.
As more and more people rely on wordpress for their blogs, small businesses or other services, more and more people are contributing to the improvements that we are seeing, but it is still taking a while for most of them to show up at the surface. Since there are so many spam sites that clog up search results, it can be a time consuming annoyance that deters many people from looking too hard. However, there are a couple of really great resources that are showing up that are making it easier than ever to look through extensive collections of wordpress themes that can be yours for the low low price of zero.
Free wordpress themes are almost as good as the pay ones, and some of them are even better. Of course, you can judge for yourself when you see them, but they really do look great. This means that if you like what you see, you can download it and plug it into your wordpress account and change the way your page looks and feels instantly. Best of all, these sites are safe to browse, and you won’t experience the teases and annoyances that are found in some of the junk sites that show up early in search results.
Premium WordPress Themes
Premium wordpress themes are often far better looking and vibrant than their free counterparts. This isn’t to say that they are of less quality or the result of a lesser talent, rather the public just thinks that the pay ones are a little bit better. Why? Because people are willing to pay premium prices for these awesome looking themes. Some serious businesses need serious themes for their space. People’s impression of your interests will be made the moment they look at how your page looks and how it is laid out, and it definitely needs to make a positive statement.
You want your business or service or even your blog to really stand out, be unique and carry a look and feel that projects your interests in a way that will attract the audience that you want. And, honestly, free themes or even worse, the stock ones that come with your account simply aren’t going to project that image. If you are a serious business that needs to make a good impression on visitors while adding to your credibility, then you need to look at some of the premium wordpress themes online and consider a page makeover.
Themes are very easy to change in wordpress, unlike other blog hosting sites, and they come with many other features than their competitors provide as well. Taking advantage of these little bonuses while having a great looking page can get the attention of the traffic you receive and hopefully boost your success. Who could have imagined that a simple background on a page can make such a difference, but it does and the reality is that if you really want a quality look and feel for yours, you should seriously think about paying for some of the better themes which are available.
Web Site Marketing
I know it sounds cliché, but it takes money to make money. It is the same for starting a business with a storefront or an online business. The difference being that it can be less expensive to build an online business rather than a storefront business.
With a storefront business, you need a building (buy or lease), signage, shelving, merchandise, inventory, employees, payment resources (for buying and selling) and advertising. The list goes on and on. One nice thing is that people can actually see your store and if in a good location will get a lot of walk in traffic and along with some advertising, good products, prices and customer service, you could do quite well once you get it running.
Now what about an online store? You build yourself a nice web site but nobody can see it or know that it is there. That is one of the biggest challenges on the web today. How to get people to your online store – traffic?
Advertise!
There have been hundreds of books and e-books written on this subject – impossible to cover it all in one article but here are a few tips to give you food for thought.
Before starting any advertising campaigns you need to be sure and have the right products. Who is your competition and are your products priced right in the first place. Think about the big boys, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, Amazon etc..
All of those (except for Amazon) already had a store front with their name brand built up so coming up with a web site was just an extension of their store front.
Now Amazon had no storefront. You can’t walk into an Amazon store because they do not have one. They started out online and it took them years to become profitable. The big difference between them and you is that they had a solid plan, time, and money to invest and advertise until they moved their business in to the profit zone.
You can do the same but remember it is going to take time, patience and money to get your online business zooming along. You are going to need an advertising budget – period!
You will need to set aside each month a certain amount of money that you are willing to spend on advertising and it must be for the long term. Consistency each month over the long term can possibly get your the results you need.
Start out small and build. On your site use google ad sense. They will place ads on your web site and you can receive small commission for people that click on those ads. Also invest money each month on PPC(pay per click) advertising.
This is a way where you put ads on other web sites and each time someone clicks on your ad your pay a certain amount. Set up a monthly advertising budget for this because it can get rather expensive.
Search out other web sites that are selling products (different than yours) and work out a trade link agreement with them. This is where you will put some links or ads about their site on your site and they will do the same.
Pay someone or do it yourself, but go to blogs that are similar to what you are selling and post a comment that is relevant and include a link back to your web site. Also submit your web site to search engines.
Research and read as much information as possible on advertising and traffic building. Remember that this will take time, patience and money. Your long-term goal is to get your web site making you money instead of costing you money.
Tax write offs are nice, but making money is better.
Domain Names
Most people that live in a residence have an address, and in the online universe, every website, blog and form of social communication via the web has an address as well. In terms of domain names and websites, a domain name is simply the address that your site lives at. But, a domain name is much more than just an address, it is also an identifier of you and your website or blog. It tells people where to go when they want to visit your spot on the web and take a look at whatever content you have posted there.
So, because domain names tell people and traffic where to find the information you are trying to get them to look at, it is important that you choose one that is easy to remember, catchy and will help people to associate it with whatever you are offering. Choosing a domain name can be just as hard if not harder than actually building a site, and some people often compare it to choosing the name for a baby. Finding the right balance between simplicity and something that resembles whatever message your site is trying to convey can be a time consuming process until you settle on the best one.
One of the biggest problems is that many people have already chosen domain names that you may be thinking about. Considering how many places there are on the web and how many more are being added everyday, there is a good chance that someone already has a domain name that you would really like to use. Also, some companies try and think of domain names that will be popular now or in the future, and they register them and then sell them to the highest bidder when the time is right. Think of this is real estate speculation internet style, and it is a popular way for people to make some cash for doing virtually nothing except paying small registration fees.
Choosing the right domain name is one of the most important things anyone building an internet presence will have to consider. Careful thought should be given to what it is you are trying to accomplish online and what name will best represent that concept. But, also consider that it should be something that is easy for people to remember and short enough that it doesn’t annoy surfers when they want to visit your site or blog.
