You are on page 1of 22

TheShoeMoneyTools OfficialBeginnersGuideTo

InternetMarketing

ShoeMoneyToolsOfficialGuide
Withtherecentadvancesintechnology,theAmericandreamhastransformedfromthoughts ofwhitepicketfencesandawellpayingninetofivejobintotheideaofhavingalucrative,work fromhomeandmakemoneywhileyousleeptypecareer.Youmakeyourownhoursandhave yourselfasaboss!Thatsthedreamoftoday. Mostpeoplethinkthatjustbecauseyoureabletodoitfromhomeandatyourowncomputer meansitsgoingtobeeasy.Unfortunately,whileitscertainlypossibletoearnasubstantial incomefromhome,itrequireshardwork,dedicationandanunyieldingdesiretosucceedjust likeeveryothersuccessfulendeavor! AsyoulearnmoreaboutShoeMoneyToolsandtheindustryasawhole,youllrealizethatthese toolsareperfectforbothnewcomersandprofessionals.Infact,thesearetheverytoolsIuse everydayhereatShoeMoneyMediaGrouptodevelopPPCcampaignsandmarketdifferent businesses,brandsandproductsacrosstheInternet.Nomatterwhereyoureatinyour Internetmarketingcareer,itisbothbeneficialandnecessarytonotonlybuildasolidfoundation ofthebasics,butexpounduponthisaswell.Withoutthisfoundation,youllbelostand confused. ThatswhereShoeMoneyToolscomesin.Thisguidecontainstheinformationyouneedtobe knowledgeableabouttheindustrywhilealsolearningthebestwaystouseourtools.Whileyou dontneedtobeanexpertinallofthefieldswelltalkabout,youwillatleastbecomeaJackof alltrades(sokeepthisinmindthroughoutthetraininganddocumentation). SincetheinitiallaunchofShoeMoneyTools,wehavereceivedmultipleemailsandcomments fromourloyaluserssuggestingthatalthoughourdocumentationandvideotutorialsweregreat, theywerestillabittooadvancedforsomeonecompletelynewtotheindustry.Andso,inorder tomakemytoolstrulyaccessibletoeveryoneofeveryskillandexpertiselevel,Ihavecreated theShoeMoneyToolsOfficialGuideaseriesofdocumentsthatintroduceyoutoallofthe basicprinciplesoftheindustrywhilealsowalkingyouthroughhigherend,morecomplicated actions. Beforewebegin,remembertokeepanopenmindthroughoutthisadventure.Bereadyand willingtolearnanythingandeverything!Fromtimetotime,certaintopicsmaysoundorseem toocomplicatedtounderstandatfirst.ButIpromise,allofthesepiecesofknowledgewill eventuallycometogether.IfyouabsorbtheinformationImgivingtoyou,youroverallsuccess inthecrazyworldofInternetmarketingwillbedramaticallyimproved. Thinkofthisguideasacollectionofsmallpuzzlepieces.Asyoureadsectionbysection,the pieceswillbegintoconnectandbytheend,youwillhaveaclear,completepicture.Doesthat soundpromising? Good,thenletsgetstarted 2

BasicNecessities:HTML101
Okay,welcometotheveryfirstsectionoftherestofyourInternetmarketingcareer.Imgoing totalklessabouthowwhatyourelearninghereequatestomakingmoney,andmoreabout howusefulthisinformationwillbeforeyoudowntheroad. BeforewelookatwhatexactlyHTMLcando,letsfirstlearnalittlemoreaboutitHTMLthe programminglanguageitself. HTMLhasbeendescribedmanytimesasthemixtureofawordprocessorandaprogramming language.Yearsagothiswasusedmuchmorewhenprogramminglanguageswerentso complex.(Notthatthelanguageisincrediblycomplexnow,butitdoesntreallyresemblethe simplisticprogramminglanguageitoncewasforsolong).Theupsidetoacomplexlanguage, however,meansthatthemorecomplicateditis,themorethingsitwillallowyoutodoaswell asofferingseveraldifferentsolutionstoonesingularproblem. AverybasicHTMLsitecouldeasilybecomprisedofnothingbuttext.Luckily,forprettymuch everyonewhohasundertakenthetaskoflearningHTML,thebasicsofthelanguageare incrediblyeasytounderstand.Whileyoucancertainlytakeonthetaskoflearningthelanguage aswhole,fromanInternetmarketingperspective,youmustbeabletoidentifythetaskyou needtheHTMLperform.WithaGoogleorYahoosearch,youshouldbeabletonarrowitdown. Inordertolearnmore,Ihavelistedmultiplesourcesforverywelldone,basicHTMLtutorials: http://www.htmltutorials.ca/ http://www.echoecho.com/html.htm http://www.tizag.com/htmlT/ http://www.myhtmltutorials.com/ http://htmldog.com/guides/htmlbeginner/

Althoughyoullhavetodabbleinmultiplecomputerprogramminglanguagesoverthecourseof time,HTMLisbyfartheeasiesttolearnonthefly.Thereisntnecessarilyamustread beginnersguidebutinsteadmanyhighqualityguidesthatcaneasilyprovideyouwithexactly whatyourelookingfororneed. ThegreatthingaboutHTMListhatitcanbecombinedandembeddedinavarietyofother differentcomputerprogramminglanguages.Becauseofthis,itremainsanabsolutehallmarkfor anyonelookingtodesignawebsite,whetheritsanInternetmarketingwebsiteorjusta personalwebpage.Whiletherearecertainlyotherlanguagesthatwouldbebeneficialforyou tolearnfirst(ifyouwereveryfocusedoncomputerprogramming),learningHTMListhebest placetostartunderstandingprogramming.

Someofyoureadingthismaybethetypeofpersonwhodoesbetterwhentoldexactlywhat youneedtodo.Ifyourethistypeofperson,thenhereswhatyouneedtodo.Makesureyoure wellversedinthefollowingareasbeforemovingontothenextsection: ThebasicsyntaxandlayoutofHTML. BasicHTMLcommandsandageneralunderstandingofhowthelanguageworks. GeneralinformationfoundthroughouttheaforementionedHTMLtutoriallinks HowHTMLwillbeincorporatedintoyouroverallInternetmarketingstrategy

Atthispoint,keepyourlearningsimple.Dontdelveintothecomplicatedaspectsifyoufeelyou arentready.Essentially,theresnoneedforyoutodigdeepintothemorebefuddlingsidesof HTMLuntilmuchlaterinyourInternetmarketingcareer.

BasicNecessitiesPart2:CSS101
CSSisacomputerprogramminglanguagethataddsstyletoyoursite,everythingfromdifferent colors,images,marginsandborders.ThinkofCSSasmakeupforyourwebsite.Sure,websites couldexistwithoutmuchstylingorcustomizationbutthentheInternetwouldbeincrediblydull. DontassumethatCSSissomethingyoullneverneed.Trustme,theresnothingworsethan havingqualitywebsitecontentmaskedbyacrummy,uglylayoutanddesign. Colors ColorsarerepresentedintheCSSlanguagethroughdifferentsetsofwhatareknownascolor codes.Youmaynothaverealizedit,butyouhaveprobablycomeacrossthesecodesatsome pointinyourInternettravels.Forinstance,toobtaincodesforcertaincolors,takealookatthis CSScolorcodefinder/picker: http://www.quackit.com/css/css_color_codes.cfm

Layout Nowthatyouunderstandthecolors,letslearnalittlemoreaboutthelayoutstructure.Nextto HTML,CSSisprobablythenexteasiestlanguagetolearnandunderstand.Inashortperiodof timeyoucanlearnalargeportionofthelanguage.Thefollowingsitesallfeaturesome wonderfulCSSprimersandintroductionsforbeginners: http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/Style http://www.w3.org/Style/Examples/011/firstcss http://htmldog.com/guides/cssbeginner/ http://www.davesite.com/webstation/css/ http://www.htmlprimer.com/htmlprimer/cssbeginners http://themetation.com/2008/12/21/cssfor beginner/http://themetation.com/2008/12/21/cssforbeginner/

AftercompletingtheseHTMLandCSStutorials,youwillhaveenoughknowledgetocreatea websitethatlooksandfunctionsbasicallyasyouwouldlike.Infact,ifyoureinapositiontotest outsomecodeonawebsite,doso.ThebestwaytolearnbothHTMLandCSSisbyactually doingitindaytodaysituations.Beforeheadingintothenextsection,makesureyoure comfortablewiththefollowingaspectsoftheCSSlanguage: CSScolorcodes TheoverallCSSsyntax(layoutstructure) Thebasicsofheadersandfooters HowCSScanbecombinedwithHTMLandthetypesofthingsthatcanbedonewiththe combinations.

Onceyouhaveanice,comfortablegrasponthisinformation,youcanmoveontothenext section. 5

BasicNecessitiesPart3:Programming
Whenitcomestoprogramming,Iadvisethatyousoakinasmuchinformationaspossible. BesidesHTMLandCSS,youshouldknowthatPHPisoftenoneofthemostpopularanddynamic computerlanguages.Therearecertainlyothersthatyoucanlearnanduseeffectivelysuchas Java,PerlandPython,butintheInternetmarketingindustry(atleastontheaffiliateside),youll wanttosticktothebasicsatfirst.Youcanlearnmoreasyouachievegoalsandprogress. Iveseenmanypeoplesfailuretolearnanewlanguagestemdirectlyfromthefactthatthey justwerentopentotryingveryhard.Itsalmostasthoughoncewehearthewordscomputer andprogramming,weimagineanerdsittinginadarkroomstaringatacomputerscreenwith MSDOScodeashepoundsawayathiskeyboard.Thisisnttrueofcourse,butmanypeoplelet theirdoubts,inhibitionsandstereotypeskeepthemfromreallyachievingtheirtruepotential. Listedherearejustafewofthemanyfree,basiconlinetutorialsthatwillhelpyouunderstand programmingprinciples,aswellasthePHPlanguagementionedearlier: http://www.developertutorials.com/tutorials/php http://www.phpmysqltutorial.com/

IfyouthinkofyourInternetmarketingknowledgeasatoolboxthatyoucarefullyplacetoolsin overtime,wouldntyouwanttokeepthatboxnearbyorevenopenmostofthetime?DoNOT fallintothetrapofkeepingthattoolboxlockedbecauseyoudontwanttolearntouseother toolsyoufeelmaybebeyondyourskilllevel.Youveprobablyhearditathousandtimes,but nothingincludingInternetmarketingisimpossibleaslongasyouputyourmindtoit. Thisismakingmoneyfromhomeweretalkingaboutpeople!(P.S.Nearlyeverypersoninthe worldsdreamjob!)Ifyoureffortsinthisindustryyoueverbegintofeeltootoughorhard,then remindyourselfhowmuchyouwouldlovetoworkforyourself,orhowmuchyouhatedyour officegig. Youdontneedtolearneveryprogramminglanguagebutyouneedtounderstandthebasics ofthemostpopularones.Learnthenamesofthebestonesandthentryandfindoutwhichone isthebestsuitedforcertaintasks.Onceyouhavecompletedsomevariousprogramming tutorialsandfeelasthoughyouarebeginningtograspthebasicconcepts,feelfreetomoveon tothenextsection.

BasicNecessitiesPart4:WordPressOutoftheBoxSites
WordPress WhileWordPresshasbeenamajortoolforInternetmarketerssinceitsinception,ithasreally takenoffasoflatewithitsnumerousupdatesandwidearrayofpluginsthatallowyouto customizeandoptimizeyoursite.Althoughyourmarketingtravelsmayhaveyoutryingsome otherservices,itishighlylikelythatyouwillusetheWordPressplatformatsomepoint. WordPress,atitscore,isabloggingserviceplatform.However,ithasevolvedintoawebsite plugandplayproduct.Throughpatchtypelayoutscalledthemes,youcanbrowseavarietyof differenttemplatesforyourwebsitesoveralllook.Andwithalittlebitofprogramming knowledge,youcanevencodeyourown. WhenyoufirststartoutonyourInternetmarketingendeavors,itishighlyrecommendedthat youbeginaprojectusingWordPress,especiallysincethisplatformallowsyoutodosomany differentthings.Forstarters,familiarizeyourselfwiththeplatformsothatyourecomfortable whenitcomestimeforyoutoseriouslyuseit. Headonovertohttp://WordPress.com/signup/andthinkofasiteanysite.Itdoesnt necessarilyhavetobesomethingfocusedonmakingmoneyyet,butifyourecomfortablewith anofferononeoftheaffiliatenetworksthenbyallmeansgetpracticingwiththat! Yourmaingoalistogetyourfeetwetwiththeinsandoutsofthesystemandseewhatcooland possibleusefulthingsyoucando.Forinstance,trygettingsomepluginstohelpbolsteryour siteinoneofdozensofcategories.Orevenbravethethemeworldandoutfityournew WordPressbloginitsowncustomizedskin.Itdoesntmatterwhatyoudo,justaslongasyoudo itonWordPress.Simpleenough,right? Iftheaforementionedtasksseemabittooeasy,tryandfindsomethingthatWordPresscant helpyouaccomplish.Thatshouldbeabitmoredifficult! Afterthissection,ifyouvecompletedeverythingupuntilnow,youshouldhaveaprettyfirm understandingofHTML,CSS,whatittakestosucceedintheindustry(andnowWordPressthe specialsaucethattieseverythingtogether)!

BasicNecessitiesPart5:OtherOutoftheBoxSites
Contrarytopopularbelief,therearesomeothergreatoutoftheboxsitesavailablebesides WordPress.WeregoingtobefocusingonVBulletin,Drupal,PostNukeandPHPNukeinthis section(althoughtherearecertainlymanyothersthatworkjustaswell).Thefour aforementionedsiteseachofferadifferentsetoftoolsforyoutouse.Letsbeginwith VBulletin! VBulletin VBulletinisanoutoftheboxsiteservicethatallowsyoutoeasilyandeffectivelymanageyour veryowncustomizedmessageboard.Whiletherearemanyothermessageboardservices, VBulletinisgenerallyregardedasoneofthetopifnotTHEbest!Itsimplifiesthewholeprocess ofrunningamessageboard,fromthecustomizationofthesiteslookandlayout,allthewayto keepingtabsonnewmembersandanyoneyouvedeemedanadmin.Wellgetintohowa messageboardwouldbeaneffectivemoneymakingtoollateron,butinthemeantime,I suggestlookingatsomeofthemessageboardsthatutilizeVBulletin. Drupal Drupal.orgisthehometoanopensourcecontentmanagement.Itcomesequippedwithalarge andpowerfulmixtureoffeaturesanditsupportsavarietyofdifferentwebsitesrangingfrom personalweblogstolargecommunitybasedwebpages.YoumaybeaskingyourselfwhyDrupal isevenworthalookwiththewondersthatmakeupthephenomenonknownasWordPress. Well,itboilsdowntothefactthatsomepeoplesimplylikevarietyandoptions.Atitscore, DrupalisahighqualityalternativetoWordPressforcreatingandmanagingcontentbased websites. PostNuke PostNuke,isalsoanopensourcecontentmanagementsystem.Forstarters,thesetypesof systemsarealsoknownasnukes(whichshouldhelpexplaintheservicesuniquename). PostNukesprimarygoalistoconstantlyprovidethemostopendevelopmentenvironment.This serviceisdefinitelyanoptionyoumaywanttopursueonceyourereallyupandrunning.Dont thinkthatbecauseImentionedWordPressasthepremiercontentmanagementsystemthatthis istheonlysystemoutthere.BothPostNukeandDrupalwouldmakeworthyprimarycontent systemsforanyInternetmarketeranytimeoftheyear. PHPNuke PHPNukeisalsoawebbasedautomatednewspublishingservice.Asyoumayhaveguessed,its basedinPHPandMySQLandthesystemiscontrolledusingawebbaseduserinterface.Unless youalreadyhavepreviousPHPand/orMySQLexperience,youmightnotbeabletojumpinto PHPNukerightaway.Itshould,however,beplacedonyourradarasitisincrediblypowerful anduserfriendly.

Nowthatyouvegottenabriefprimerabouttheothertypesofcontentandwebbasedservices available,itsuptoyoutotrythemout.Atthispoint,simplybrowsethewebsitesforthese services.Signupforanaccountandfamiliarizeyourselfwiththelayoutsandavailableoptions. Theremainingsectionsofthisguideexplainexactlyhowyoucanapplyeverythingyoure learningtoyourInternetmarketingendeavors.Ifyouvebeenstudyingupanddoingthe suggestedassignments,youshouldhavenoproblemapplyingyournewskillstotheremaining assignmentsandhopefullyearninganincomefromhome.Congrats!

Whattypeofsitedoyouhave?
Perhapsyoualreadyhaveawebsiteandknowexactlyitspurposeandyourintentionswithit.Or maybeyouhaveagreatideabutaretryingtodeterminethebestvenuetodrivetrafficand revenue.Inthissection,wewilldiscussthedifferenttypesofwebsitesthatyoucandevelopas wellastheirbestuses.

Determiningyoursite:News/BlogWebsites
Perhapsthemostwellknownoutofallthedifferenttypesofsites,newsandblogwebsitesare creatednearlyeverysecondbypeopleallovertheworldthankstotechnology.Intheoutof theboxsectionwetalkedaboutservicessuchasDrupal,PostNukeandWordPresswhohave madeiteasytosetupanewsorblogwebsiteinthesameamountoftimeitwouldtaketomake asandwich. Beforecreatingasite,chooseanichethatyouwanttheblogtobeabout.Technically,youcould technicallyhaveasiteforjustaboutanythingandeverything.However,fromanInternet marketingstandpointthatprobablywouldntbeverysuccessful.Youhavetozeroinonsome typeofnicheortopicthatwillallowyoutocompetefortheattentionofallthepeoplewhoare lookingforsitesjustlikeyours. Thankstoaggregators(alsoknownasRSSfeeds),browsingdozensofdifferentsitesquicklyisa breeze.Thedownsidetothisisthatsometimesgoodandrelevantsitesandarticlesare overlooked.Toavoidthis,makesureyouarewritingcatchyposttitlesandintroparagraphs. WithyournewsorblogwebsiteyoucouldrealisticallybecomeanauthorityonANYsingle topicyoucouldpossiblyimagineandthedemandisthere!Whiletheremaynotbealotof peoplealwayssearchingforunderwaterglowinthedarkwatches,youcanbetthattheydoexist andwhynotbecomethegotoresourceforthem?Ifyouwantedto,itwouldbepossible! Takeyourtimewhenresearchingniches.Thenichethatyouchoosecanoftenbethedecision thatmakesorbreakswhetheryouretrulysuccessful.Thisdoesntmeanthatthereare incorrectnichesbuttheonlypersonthatsgoingtoknowhowyoullmarketandmoldthesite isyou.Ifyourenotplanningonputtingalotofworkintothesiteandyouchooseanultra competitiveniche,guesswhatsgoingtohappen?Thatsright;youregoingtogetblownoffthe map! Yourassignmentforthissectionofourtutorialistostartresearchingsomenichesforwhichyou mayliketocreatesites.Intheend,youwantthenichetoeitherrelatetoaproductyoucan pushorhavesomeothertypeofmonetizationvalue,butwelltalkaboutmoreofthatlater.Just focusonchoosinganice,solid,semispecificnichethatyoucouldtailoryournewsorblogsite around. 10

DeterminingYourSite:ContentWebsites
Whentalkingaboutcontentwebsites,thetermcontentsitedescribesasitethatoffers differenttypesofcontentsuchasvideos,songsandphotos(NOTtextwelltalkaboutthatin thenextsection). Thinkabouthowoftenyougotothesearchengineslookingfordifferentvideosorsongstoplay ontheInternet.Wow!Now,switchintoInternetmarketingthinkmodeandcomeupwithsome ideaswhyyouwouldwanttocreateasitelikethis.Goaheadandtakeafewminutes Comeupwithanything?Well,letsseetheresaconstantsupplyanddemandaslongasyou dontlasertargetaspecificvideo,song,orYouTubeniche.Theresalsoverylittleworkinvolved inputtingupthecontentsinceyoubasicallyjusthavetolinkorintegrateitintoyoursite.Unlike atext/blogsite,youwontbetypingupanythingorhiringotherstowritearticles.Instead,youll clickafewtimesonyourmouse,maybetypeinafixedwidthandheightandboominstant contentforyourwebsite.Easyaspie! Ifyougoevendeeperonapsychologicallevel,theaudiencesofpeoplethatusuallyviewthese websiteshavequickattentionspansandareusuallymoresusceptibletoclickingondifferent typesofadvertisementsthanothertypesofusers.AmediacontentwebsitecontainingYouTube content,songsorvideosisalsoagreatfirstprojectforyoutoundertakebecauseitsso incrediblysimple.Thedesignandcustomizationisfastsoyoucantestallsortsofdifferent thingsbothquicklyandeasilyuntilyoudiscoverwhatworks. Thereareplentyofwaysforyoutomonetizethesetypesofwebsitesandwellgetintothat morelateron.Mysuggestionisforyoutogoandlookatsomedifferenttypesofmediacontent. Then,brainstormasiteyoucouldmakeandwhereyouwouldgotogetthecontent.Once youvecomeupwithanideaforacontenttypewebsite,youcanmoveontothenextsection.

11

DeterminingYourSite:CommunityWebsites
Communitybasedwebsitesconsistofforum/messageboardsorsocialnetworkstyledsitesthat aimtogetvisitorstobecomeengaged,frequentlyreturningusers.Whendevelopinga community,focusonaparticularniche.Theoddsofgettingpeopletojoinandstayatyour communitywebsitearealothigherifthenichecommunityyouhaveforthemisnotavailablein manyotherplacesontheInternet.Thisisnttosaythatyouneedtocreateacommunityfor peoplewholiketocreateartbythrowingpaintontoawallbutyouregoingtoneedtodosome typeofresearchtoeasetheintroductoryphaseofyoursite. Themessageboardadminsystem,VBulletin,whichwetalkedaboutintheBasicNecessities section,isperfectifyouwanttostartaforumbasedcommunity.Allyouneedtogetstartedisa domainname,hostingandanideaforwhattypeofnicheyouwanttotarget.Thenyoureready toroll!SocialnetworkingsitesareabithardertostartthananInternetforum.Butdontletthat stopyou.Infact,becomingthetypeofpersonwhocreatesasocialnetworkingwebsitebecause ofthatveryreasonwoulddowondersforyourInternetmarketingcareer.Therewardsinvolved infinallyovercomingyourobstaclesareincrediblyrewardingbothmentallyandmonetarily sodonteverletadifficultsituationturnyouoff. Evenifyouarentplanningoncreatingacommunitysiteanytimesoon,yourassignmentforthis sectionistomakeasitemapasifyouweretocreateone.Mapoutwhatdomainsyouwouldtry tobuy,howyouwouldadvertiseyourcommunity,yourendgoalsofthesiteandhowyou wouldgoaboutobtainingthem.Inthenextsection,wewillfocusonmoregeneralbrochure websites.

12

DeterminingYourWebsite:Brochure&ServiceOrientedSites
Sometimesthemostsimplisticyetfocusedapproachisthebestoneintermsofmarketingon theInternet.Abrochuresiteisaverybasicwebsitemostoftenusedbycompaniesand organizationstomaintainanattractiveonlinepresencewhileprovidingcompanyand/or productinformation.Itisreferredtoasbrochurewebsitebecauseessentially,itisthesametype ofgeneralinformationfoundinacompanybrochure.Dependingonthelevelofcustomized design,brochurewebsitescanrangefromcheap$100templatestocustomizeddesignsover $8,000. Serviceorientedwebsites,asImsureyouvealreadybeenabletogather,helpvisitorswitha particularservice.Anexampleofthiswouldbeifyoucreatedawebsitethatofferedadownload ofaprogramthatscannedyourcomputerforadwareandviruses.Youcouldchargeforthis onlineserviceifitwasaqualityservice.Evenifyouofferedthedownloadforfree,youcouldstill makemoneybyofferingandincorporatingotherelementsandfeaturesintothedownloadand install. AsyouveseenoverthecourseofthisDeterminingYourWebsitesection,youcandevelopjust aboutanytypeofwebsitetofulfilljustaboutanytypeofneed.Themorethingsyoucantryand test,thegreateryourchancesofachievingInternetmarketingsuccessandultimately,yourend goaloffinallyearningalivingfromhome. Congratulationsongettingthisfar.Youvecertainlycomealongwayandintroducedyourselfto plentyofnewmaterial.Nowthatyouveloadedyourselfupwithinformationaboutthetypesof languages,servicesandwebsitesthatyoullneedtoknowaboutinordertosucceed,itstimeto getintothespecificsofhowtomonetizetheseventures.

13

WaysToMonetizeYourWebsite
Well,hereweare.Youvefinallymadeittotherealgoodstuffhowtomakesomecashfrom yourwebsite.Therearejustasmanywaystomonetizeyourwebsiteastherearewaystobuilda website.Dependingonwhatyouresellingorplanningtooffer,youllneedtounderstandthe differentwaystomakemoneyandthebesttimesandsituationstousethem.Inthissectionwe willfocusoncontextualadvertising,affiliateprograms,subscriptionrevenue,productssalesand finally,advertising. ContextualAdvertising Contextualadvertisingisoneoftheeasiestandmostpopularwaystomonetizeyourwebsite. ExamplesofthisincludeAdSense,TextLinkAdsandtheYahooPublishingNetwork.With Adsense,adsareplacedonyourwebsiteandaredirectlyrelatedtoyoursitescontent.Ifyour siteisaboutfishandswimming,thenyoumayhaveanadvertisementforascubadiving companyforinstance.WithTextLinkAds,individualwordsthatareinyourwebsitecontentare targetedsowhoeverisreadingitcanclickiftheywouldlikemoreinformationaboutthat particularword. Throughcontextualadvertising,yourepaidwheneversomeoneactuallyclicksthe advertisementortextlink.Dependingonthetopicoftheadvertisement,theexactamount youllbepaidwillvary.Advertisementsdealingwithpersonallyinjurylawyersandthelikeare goingtopaymoreperclickthananadforachessset.Sowhileyoucertainlycantdotoomuch aboutwhatkindofadsareshownoverall,youcanmakesureyoudontfocusonany unprofitableindustry. AffiliatePrograms Forthosewhodontknow,affiliatemarketingatitscoreisdefinedasfollows: AffiliatemarketingisanInternetbasedmarketingpracticeinwhichabusinessrewardsoneor moreaffiliatesforeachvisitororcustomerbroughtaboutbytheaffiliate'smarketingefforts. Affiliatemarketingisalsothenameoftheindustrywhereanumberofdifferenttypesof companiesandindividualsareperformingthisformofInternetmarketing,includingaffiliate networks,affiliatemanagementcompanies,andinhouseaffiliatemanagers,specializedthird partyvendors,andvarioustypesofaffiliates/publisherswhopromotetheproductsandservices oftheirpartners. AffiliatemarketingoverlapswithotherInternetmarketingmethodstosomedegree,because affiliatesoftenuseregularadvertisingmethods.Thosemethodsincludeorganicsearchengine optimization,paidsearchenginemarketing,emailmarketing,andinsomesensedisplay advertising.Ontheotherhand,affiliatessometimesuselessorthodoxtechniques,suchas publishingreviewsofproductsorservicesofferedbyapartner. 14

Affiliatemarketingusingonewebsitetodrivetraffictoanotherisaformofonlinemarketing, whichisfrequentlyoverlookedbyadvertisers.Whilesearchengines,email,andwebsite syndicationcapturemuchoftheattentionofonlineretailers,affiliatemarketingcarriesamuch lowerprofile.Still,affiliatescontinuetoplayasignificantroleineretailers'marketingstrategies. (Source:Wikipedia) Tobeginyouraffiliatemarketingventures,firstbeginbyresearchingaffiliatecompanies.There areatonofaffiliatemarketingcompanies,butsomeofthemostwellknownandpopular include:Azoogle,Affiliate.com,MarketLeverage,Pepperjam,Convert2Media,Ads4Dough, NeverBlue,andCopeac.Registerwiththecompaniesyoufeelmostcomfortablewith.Thenyou canreviewtheoffersprovidedoneachnetwork.Dependingonthecompanyandtheoffer,you maygetpaidperleadorproductpurchased.Whatagreatwayforyoutostartgenerating revenue! Thetypesofoffersoneachnetworkvarygreatlyandwillfullyputtouseyourcreativeskills.The aforementionednetworksdoagoodjobofdescribingeachofferindetailandinformingyouof eachadvertisersrequirements.Ateachnetwork,youllalsogetwhatiscalledanaffiliate managerwhowillguideyouthroughtheprocess,giveyoutipsandprovidespecialoffersifyou turnouttobeagoodaffiliate. Subscription Offeringasubscriptionforyourserviceisanotherwaytoeffectivelymonetizeyourwebsite. Whileearlyonyoumayhavetotweakyoursubscriptionpricepoints,eventuallyyoullarriveat apricethatusersdeemacceptable(aslongasyourproductisofhighquality).Subscriptionsites arealsoagreatwaytogetalistofemailsforwhichyoucouldsendoutemailoffers. Runningasubscriptiontypesitedoescomewithsomedrawbacks,however,asyoullhavetobe fullypreparedtodealwithanyandallcustomerserviceinquiriesfromyourcustomersand thatincludescancellations.Thisshoulddefinitelybeafactorthatyoureawareofbefore startingasubscriptionbasedsite. Donations Donationsareanotherwaytoearnrevenuefromyoursite,especiallyifyouhavefrequent visitorswhoappreciateyourhardworkandeffort.Thegoodthingaboutdonationsisthatyou neverknowwhentheyllpopupandyouneverknowjusthowgeneroussomeoneisgoingtobe. Justthinkaboutitwhatifamillionairestumbleduponyoursiteandwasinaverygiving mood?Whatsthis?Athousanddollardonation! BesidesofferingadonationbuttonwherepeoplecanprovideyouwithaPayPalpayment,why dontyoucreateanAmazonWishList?Makethisavailableonyoursite,andnow,peoplethat appreciateyourcontentandworkcanpersonalizetheirgiftforyou.Ratherthana$3donation, youmayreceivea$50bookorpieceofequipmentyoucouldreallyuse. 15

ProductSales PeopleuninvolvedintheindustryassumethisisallInternetmarketersdohawkproducts. Whileitstruethatmanypeopledosellitemsonline,wevecertainlyshowedyoumanyother waystoearnanincome.Youcouldeithercreateaproducttosellonyourwebsiteorstrikea dealwithacompanylikeeBaytoadvertisetheirauctions.Amazonalsohasanaffiliateprogram thatallowsyoutosellpracticallyanythingyouwantonyoursite. Likewitheverythingelsewevediscussed,theresatonofdifferentwaystotackletheproduct saleswayofdoingthingssoalwayskeepyourmindopen. Advertising Ifandwhenyourwebsitebecomespopular,youcanselladvertisingspacetoothercompanies whowanttogettheexposurethatyoursiteoffers.Usuallythetypesofsiteswhoeventually obtaintheabilitytodothisareblogsthatareupdatedconstantlyandhavealargeandstrong readership. Youdontnecessarilyhavetowaituntilyoureahugelypopularwebsitesinceyoucanputcost perimpressionadvertisementsonyourwebsite.Howevertheseareincrediblyhardtogaina seriousamountofmoneyonandwhenyoursitegetstothepointwhenyoureearningenough moneyonthemtosatisfyyourselfthenyouprobablyshouldbetakingthemdownandlooking forpeoplewhowanttopayyoutoadvertise.Itsaviciouscircleintheendbutitssimpleto understandhowtobesuccessfulwithadvertisingtomakemoneyonline. Whilefocusingononeofthesewaystomonetizeyourwebsitecannetyouplentyofmoney,the bestapproachistouseaconstantmixtureofallofthemoverthecourseofseveralwebsitesand campaigns.Internetmarketingisallabouttesting,testingandtestingsomemoretoseewhat works.Whenitdoeswork,yougunitto115andletitrideuntilthegasrunsout. YourboxofInternetmarketingtoolsisnearlyfull.Congratulationsongettingthisfar!Nextup, weregoingtobetakingalookathowtodrivetraffictoyourwebsite,regardlessofwhatkindof siteitisorwhatyouretryingtoachievemonetarily.

16

WaystoGetTraffic:Part1
Youcouldknowhowtocreateeverytypeofwebsiteandeverywaytomonetizeit,butit wouldntbeverybeneficialifyoucouldntgetanyonetocometothesite,right?Whilefactors likeyoursalesapproacharejustasimportant,youcouldmakeacasethattheprocessofdriving traffictoyourwebsiteisthesinglemostimportantelementofInternetmarketing.Whatgoodis anythingyouvemadeorlearnedwithoutsomeonetomakethewheelturn? Luckily,thereareplentyofwaysyoucangettrafficandweregoingtotalkabouteachandthats whatwellbetalkingabouthere,everythingfromPPC(Payperclick)traffic,SEO(SearchEngine Optimization)traffic,organictrafficandsocialmediatraffic.Letsgetstarted. PayPerClickTraffic Payperclickmarketingisoneofthemostpopularwaystogettrafficbecauseithasquick results.Inbasicterms,PayPerClick(PPC)marketingisanInternetadvertisingmodelusedon searchengines,advertisingnetworks,andcontentsites,suchasblogs,inwhichadvertiserspay theirhostonlywhentheiradisclicked.Withsearchengines,advertiserstypicallybidon keywordphrasesrelevanttotheirtargetmarket.Contentsitescommonlychargeafixedprice perclickratherthanuseabiddingsystem. WebsitesthatutilizePPCadswilldisplayanadvertisementwhenakeywordquerymatchesan advertiser'skeywordlist,orwhenacontentsitedisplaysrelevantcontent.Suchadvertisements arecalledsponsoredlinksorsponsoredads,andappearadjacenttooraboveorganicresultson searchengineresultspages,oranywhereawebdeveloperchoosesonacontentsite. AlthoughmanyPPCprovidersexist,GoogleAdWords,Yahoo!SearchMarketing,andMicrosoft adCenterarethethreelargestnetworkoperators,andallthreeoperateunderabidbased model.Costperclick(CPC),variesdependingonthesearchengineandthelevelofcompetition foraparticularkeyword.(Source:Wikipedia) Letssayyousellapples.YoumaysetyourGoogleAdWordsbidat$.50perclick.Thismeans thatwhensomeonegoestoGoogleandsearchesforapples,youradvertisementmaybe shown(dependinguponyourbid)totheuserwithinthesponsoredresultsportionofthepage. Andnow,ifauserdoesclickonyouradvertisementandgotoyourwebsite,youwillpayupto $.50forthattraffic.Thepricethatyouactuallypayperclickisdependentontheimportance and/orcompetitionofthekeyword.ItstheoppositeofGoogleAdSense.Insteadofgettingpaid whensomeoneclicksonanad,youllbeontheothersidepayingforpeopletocometoyou. ThekeytoPPCsuccessisnotonlygoodadcopy,butalsoexcellentkeywordresearch,quality trackingandseparationofkeywordsintodifferentadgroups.Ifyoudonthaveeachelement justright,PPCcangetveryexpensiveveryquickly.Bysplittingupadgroupsandusingservices suchasTrackingandProsper202,yourresultswillimproveasyoullbeabletoviewindetail

17

exactlywhichkeywordsareconverting.Byanalyzingthis,youradcopyandyourCTR(clickthru ratio),youcanlasertargettheadsandkeywordsthatworkbestforthatparticularniche. Onceyouhavethisinformation,youcantrimthefatbyrunningonlythekeywordsandads proventobesuccessful.Bydoingso,youllalsogetabetterqualityscore(alltheengineshave them).AhigherqualityscoreisawayofrewardingpeoplewithgoodadcopyandCTR percentagesbyloweringtheirCPC.Althoughthismaysoundconfusing,afteryourfirstfew campaigns,youwillbecompletelycomfortable.Afterawhileitliterallybecomessecondnature andyoullbeimprovingupontheprocesswithlittletweaksalongtheway. SinceyoullbejuststartingoutinthePPCworld,mostofthePPCadnetworkshavecoupon voucherssoyoucantrytheservicewithoutriskingactualmoney.Lookaroundforsomeofthese offerssoyoucangetyourfeetwetwithoutlosingyourshirtalwaysagoodthing! SEO SearchEngineOptimization(SEO)istheoppositeofPPC.Youcanutilizebothtactics,butsince theyaresodifferent,itshardtosayyoudontpreferonemethod. SearchengineoptimizationisjustaseffectiveasPPCbutittakesamuchlongertoreapits benefits.Althoughitmaytakelongertoseetherewards,youmustrememberthatallofthe trafficyoureceivethroughSEOisfreebecauseitsorganic(yourenaturallypartofthe searchresults,notapayingadvertiser).Aslongasyoumaintainthesiteandmanagethe optimizationaspects,youcanachievegreatorganicsearchrankingsforalongperiodoftime. AlthoughPPCisaneasywaytoreceivequickresultsandSEOmaytakelonger,thereisstillvalue inlearningmoreaboutSEO.Todoso,thereareplentyofwebsitesavailableforlearningthe tricksoftheSEOtrade.Andifyouknowwhatyouredoing,withindaysyoucanrankonthefirst pageforcertainkeywords. UsuallythekeytoSEOisgettingyoursitetogainanauthoritythroughlinkssentandreceived fromotherwebsiteswhoareequallyormoreimportantauthoritiesinthespace.Whileyoure tryingtogainlinks,youcanbegintoinsertthekeywordsyouwanttorankforintoyourwebsite andcustomizethehtmltitletagsamongavarietyofotherdifferentthingstopleasethesearch engines.WordPressoffersamightyfinesetofSEOpluginsthatwilldomostoftheworkbehind thescenesforyou.Allyoureallyneedtodoiswriteyourcontentandkeepyoureyeonwhat younameyourpostingtitlesanddescriptions.Thesearejustafewtips,butthereareplentyof resourcesonlinetohelpyouunderstandtheartofSEOmuchbetter. Thistechniquecanbeafairlycomplicatedyetartfullygracefulskillsetattimes.Ifyourenot surewhatyouregoingtodowhenthetutorialisoversinceyoullhavesomanyideas,Iwould suggestatleastfocusingoneprojectonsomethingdealinginSEO.

18

WaystoGetTraffic:Part2
Organic AsImentionedbefore,organicrankingmeansthatyounaturallyrankforcertainkeywords. UnlikeSEO,purelyorganictrafficmeansthatyouarenottryingATALLtogetthetraffic.For example,letssaythatforsomecrazyreasonyouboughtMichaelJordan.com(hadtheInternet existedbackwhenhewasafreshmanincollege).Afterawhile,somanypeoplesearchedfor informationabouthimthatyourwebsitewouldautomaticallyappearintherankingsduetothe domainname.Completelyorganictrafficrightthereyoudidntreallydoathingtogetthemto cometoyoubutyoustillgotthetraffic.Itscertainlyagreattypeoftraffictohavebutacquiring asubstantialamountoforganictrafficusuallyreliesonhowwellyoucanplanoutyourwebsite beforehand. Howwellyouresearchandpredicttopicsandtrendsthatarentnecessarilybigrightnowbut willbecomebigshortlyisanotherfactor.Youmustlearntobearealtrendspotterifyouwantto gainorganictraffic.Successfullypredictingatrendorfadbeforeithappenswillhaveyoubelow theradarduringthebuildupfollowedbyyoursitegettingarushoforganiccontentnotlong after.Abitdifficultyes,butdefinitelynotimpossible. SocialMedia Socialmediahashittheroadrunninganddoesntappeartobeslowingdownanytimesoon. FirstitwasMySpace,followednotlongafterbyFacebook(whoisarguablythesocialmediaking rightnow).Intheshadowofsuchbigandbustlingsocialmedianetworks,othersmallerand moretargetednichesocialmediasiteshavepoppedup.Insteadoftryingtocompeteagainsta Microsoft,wouldntyouwanttoinsteadgivethe2530yearoldmaledemographicyour undividedattentionbecauseyoudfocussolelyonthem?Thatswhatmostofthesesmaller nichesocialmediawebsitesaretryingtodo. Regardlessofwhichsocialmedianetworkyouuse,theimportantthingisthatyouhavethe abilitytomarkettoandnetworkwithhundredsofthousandsofpeople,ifnotmillions!While theyprobablywonttaketookindlytoblatantspammingiftheyhavenoideawhoyouare,they certainlywouldntmindalinkortwoinyourprofile.Youcanevensuggestoneofyourwebsites inaconversationthatisclosetothetopic. Thekeytogettingtrafficfromsocialmediaisntreallyhowyouplasteryourprofilepagewith ads;itshowyoubefriendcompletestrangersovertheInternettofurtherbuildyourlistof friendsandconnectionsandthus,theamountofpeoplewhocouldviewyouradsatanygiven time.Thankstothenichesocialmediasites,youcouldprobablyfindasocialwebsitetailoredto whatyouoffer. Animportantthingtorealizeandrememberisthatsocialmediaisbeingusedbyjustabout everyonetweenstograndparents.Whileitstartedasasocialmediawebsiteforcollege studentstonetworkwithoneanother,Facebookhasevolvedintoanentirelydifferentanimal, 19

capableofrisingtonearGooglelikeheightswiththemanydifferentfrontsofproductsand servicesthattheycanoffer. Thosearethemostbasicwaysforyoutodriveuserstoyourwebsite.Hopefullyyouvelearneda lotofnewthingsandnowhavesomeinterestingnewideas.Allofthisinformationmaynothave clickedyet,butitwill.Thisis,ofcourse,assumingyoudidthemajorityofthedifferent assignmentsyouweregiven.Youveonlycheatedyourselfifyouchosenottodoanything becausenow,theresagoodchanceyoumaybestuckattheendofthiswholethingwith absolutelynoideahowtoputitalltogether.Ifthisisindeedthecase,Isuggestyougoback, writetheassignmentsdownanddoasmanyasyoucan.Theyarentpartofsomeabsolutely guaranteedwaytomakeyouanInternetgurubuttheywillworkwondersinhelpingyou understandthevastarrayoftopicswevecoveredandmoreimportantly,howtoputthemall togetherinthetoolboxthatwillbetheammoofyourcampaigns. Ifyoudidasyouwereaskedthencongratulations!Inthefinalsectionofthisbook,wewilltalk abouttheToolsoftheTrade.Thiswillreallywrapeverythingtogetherforyou.Kickback,relax, patyourselfonthebackandgetreadytolearnthetoolsofthetrade!

20

ToolsoftheTrade
Inadditiontoallofthethingsthatwevetalkedaboutthusfar,thereareevenmoretools availabletohelpyouconvertusers,monetizeyoursitesandachieveyougoals.Whilethereisa hugeamountoftoolsyoucanuse,inthisfinalsectionwellbefocusingonGoogleAnalytics, CrazyEgg,ClicktaleandGoogleWebsiteOptimizer. GoogleAnalytics Justbecauseyouhaveyoursiteupandrunningwithasteadyflowoftrafficcomingindoesnt meanyoucantstepupyourgame.UseGoogleAnalytics,oneofthebestwaystomonitorand tracktheactionsofyourusers.GoogleAnalyticsisanallinclusivetoolthatprovidesyouwitha massiveamountofinformationincludingthewaypeoplegettoyourwebsiteandhowthey interactwithitoncethere.(GoogleAdWordsactuallygoeshandinhandwithGoogleAnalytics soyoucanhypertargetyourPPCcampaignsandkeeptrackofwhatthevisitorisdoingafter theyclick.Thiswilleventuallyprovetobeinvaluableinformation!) ThebestpartisthatGoogleAnalyticsisfreeandnotverycomplicated.Ifyouvebeensavvy enoughtosetupanInternetmarketingcampaign,youlleasilyunderstandGoogleAnalytics. Startusingthistooltoday. CrazyEgg CrazyEggisthetypeoftoolthatmakesyourjawdroponceyouseeitspower.Byutilizingthe latestintrackingtechnology,CrazyEgggivesyounearlyeveryconceivablepieceofinformation concerningwhatlinksyourwebsurfersareclicking,listsuponlistsofrawclickdataandthebest partaheatmapofsortsthatshowsyouwhichpartsofyourwebsitearehotintermsof mousearrowhoveringandwhichotherpartsarecold. Basically,CrazyEggislikeabigbrotherprogramthatallowsyoutomonitortheactionsofthe peoplebrowsingyoursite.WithCrazyEgg,youcanalsotrytodecodeerrorswhentheyhappen withmultiplebrowsers.Talkabouttroubleshooting! AtfirstyourCrazyEggdatamayseemoverwhelming,butonceyousitdownandstudythestats, youllstartredesigningpartsofyoursitetotrulyoptimizeitslayout.Andyouruserexperience willimproveexponentially. ClickTale ClickTaleisverysimilartotheCrazyEgganalyticalserviceexceptforoneincredibletwist. ClickTaleallowsitsuserstorecordacertainamountofawebbrowsersbrowsingcontentsoyou canseeEXACTLYwhattheyweredoingwhentheywereonyoursiteliterally! ClickTalehasareputationforbeingafavoritetoolforseveralhighprofilebusinesses.Actually, itsamazingsomepeopledontknowaboutityet!TheservicehasalsobeennamedOneofthe 100MostPromisingCompaniesDrivingtheFutureofTechnologybyTheRedHerringinEurope. 21

Justasitsnameimplies,ClickTaleliterallytellsyouanactualtale,orstorywithsomepartsof thattaleactuallyvisibletoyourowneyes!Notonlyistheservicefun,butalsothedatayou compilecouldmeantheworldforyourconversionspercentage. Itssimplyamazingtherateatwhichthesetypesofservicesandtoolshavebeenadvancing. Becauseoftherateatwhichtechnologychanges,itsextremelyimportantthatyoukeepyour mindopentonewtoolsandmethodologies.YouneverknowwhensomethinglikeClickTaleor CrazyEggisgoingtocomealong,andthesooneryoucanfinditbeforeyourcompetitors,the better! GoogleWebsiteOptimizer TheGoogleWebsiteOptimizerfactorsdirectlyintolandingpageoptimization,ormakingyour landingpageasuserfriendlyandprofitableaspossible.EssentiallytheGoogleWebsite Optimizergivesyoutheabilitytotest,test,testandtestsomemore.Youcanfindoutwhat works,ceasedoingthingsthatfailanddecidewiththerestofthereportedinformationwhich otherelementstofocusoninhopesinordertogainmoreconversions. Inrecentyears,therehasbeenamassiveinfluxofnewmarketers(withvaryingeducation levels)providingvariousaffiliatetypeoffers,drivingconversionratesdownandadvertisement ratesup.Thismeansyouhavetostayonyourtoesinregardstoanynichechanges,trend fluctuationsandfindingouteverybitofinformationaboutyourvisitorsandtheiractions.Thats whereGoogleWebsiteOptimizercomesin. Thetruthofthematteris,beingintheInternetmarketingindustrycertainlyisnteasywork. Whiletimesaregreatforsomepeople,theycanbetemporarilyroughforothersandwhatyou needtogetthroughthosetoughtimesisathickskinandanunyieldingdesiretobustthrough andsucceed.Ifyoukeeptryingandtryingandtestingandtestingandresearchingand researchingandyoustillarentseeinganyconversionsormonetarygainwhatdoyoudo? Exactly!Fallbackontheknowledgeyouvegainedinthistutorialandthensighinreliefwhen yourememberthe532otherideasyouhadrunninginyourheadthatyouwantedtotrybut neverhadthetimeto. ShoeMoneyTools Andfinally,themostimportanttoolofthetradeShoeMoneyTools!Withtoolsthatwillhelp yououtinallaspectsofyouronlinemarketingventures(LinkBuilding,SocialMediaTools,PPC Tools,andSEOTools)youwillseebigresultsoneachofyourInternetsitesandmarketing efforts. Congratulationsoncompletingthetutorial!NowstartusingShoeMoneyTools!

22

You might also like