NetBusinessBlogWork from Home, Business Opportunities, Websites for Sale - Run an Online Business

After looking into the terms of the affiliate program agreement and deciding that it is acceptable. You become an affiliate, but the next question that enters your mind would be how much would I earn from this program and how do I get paid. Well, the answer on how much you will get paid mainly depends on your performance and your ability to generate as much sales for the merchant as possible. Answering how you will get paid is much simpler.

Different affiliate programs make use of different payment options to suit the needs of the affiliates. The most popular types include checks, PayPal, wire transfer, Epassporte, and even E-gold. Most merchants try to accommodate the preference of the affiliates so you can basically get your payment in whatever way you choose.

Checks – checks are usually shipped to your through a delivery company such as FedEx, UPS, and through the mail. You will need to go to your local bank in order to cash it.

PayPal – everyone who transacts over the internet most likely already has a PayPal account, the “safer, easier way to pay”. And it does makes good on its claim because you can instantly receive your money after the merchant sends the payment.

Wire transfer – this is a highly popular payment method in Europe although it seems as if checks and PayPal is preferred in the US. Wire transfer is basically transferring money from one bank account to another.

E-gold – this is an innovative way to receive payment over the internet. E-gold is the only global electronic payment system that is 100% backed by gold. E-gold allows you to transfer “gold” from one account to the other.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Everyone wants to have his brand name listed on all 10 listings on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when people search for a particular key phrase but this goal is next to impossible. It is not wrong to try though…

So how you can improve your SERP then? Well, making use of hugely popular websites will enable you to own some of the top spots in Google. Having for more a single result for your brand lends it credibility because people know that your brand is active and that it is doing well in the market. Here are some sites you can utilize to improve your SERP:

1. Your Website – this should be your primary focus because this is your “property” in the World Wide Web. It is important for you to utilize effective SEO tactics for your website.

2. LinkedIn – a very popular networking site for business professionals; you need to create a profile page that will enable your site to rank highly as well.

3. Technorati – if you are promoting a blog, Technorati should be one of your first stops. Getting a Technorati space has a lot of benefits for a blogger.

4. Squidoo – you need to create a “lens” which will be ranked by the search engines; you can expect to be in the first two pages of SERP when you choose the right key phrase.

5. Hubpages – I previously mentioned that Hubpage is an alternative to Squidoo but right now, it is no longer just an alternative because it can definitely deliver great results for your business.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Popularity: 9% [?]

Mistake # 1: No Clear Goals

A lot of blogs start out with no concrete business goals except to make money. Because of this, you will discover that a lot of blogs contains information that has been rehashed over and over again. Some bloggers believe that they will make money if they simply post something on their blog everyday. This cannot be farther than the truth because with the number of blogs available on the internet today, it is possible that you will not enough money for the time and effort you invested.

It is important to know what kind of blog you want to develop and what you want to achieve then focus on this goal. It would be best if you can provide original content as well. Original articles can be created through interviews, conferences, and even resource articles. What is essential is that these articles should concentrate on your blog’s theme and provide value to your readers.

Mistake # 2: Irregular Posting

If you want to establish your blog in the minds of the readers, make your blog their “habit”. This is especially true when you are just starting out and need to prove something to your readers. After some time, reading your blog becomes something of a habit that the reader simply must do in order to complete a routine. Have you noticed that if you are a regular reader of a blog or two, you want to visit that blog at least once a day to see what the blogger has posted? Well, others can feel the same way about your blog so post something regularly.

Mistake # 3: Wrong Metrics

Every serious blogger needs to implement some kind of web analytics software. But be careful in focusing too much on the wrong metrics. A lot of bloggers obsess about people linking in, who are mentioning their names, and what their current Technorati ranking is. Remember not to focus on metrics that are unrelated to your blog so that you can focus more on the things that will be beneficial to your blog. Bloggers need to pay attention to the metrics that serves their purposes.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Popularity: 6% [?]

Not all online businesses can afford to pay for brand monitoring services. So it is a good thing that there are free ways that enables you to monitor your brand and online reputation on the internet. But why exactly is online brand monitoring important for your business? Well, because of the popularity of Web 2.0 these days, people are relying more on what other people have to say.

When a distraught consumer complains about your business; a single blog post can cause a great damage to your brand especially if the blog is popular. Take note that if this particular blog posts is linked to other blogs and websites, more people will begin to associate negative connotations with your brand. But the opposite is also true because brand monitoring can help you know about positive feedbacks so you can replicate your success. Below are some of the free tools that an online marketer can use for brand monitoring:

Google Alerts – you can set this up for your business. Google will send an email whenever a press release, blog post, or any other kind of document uses the keywords you specified.

Omgili – Omgili is actually a search engine that focuses on discussion boards and other consumer content.

Server Logs – consumers who are angry or delighted by your business will usually link to your website. When you look at your web analytics, you will find uncharacteristic sources of traffic from these sites.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Advertising using banner ads is not as easy as designing eye-catching graphics and placing these on the website you want. It is first essential for you to look into the feasibility of placing these ads of these websites; otherwise, this endeavor would only be a waste of time and money.

A lot of advertisers seem to prefer the (120 by 60 pixel) button banners and the (88 by 61 pixel) micro banners. The “prime” space in the web page is actually the top of the webpage because this is the area that the visitor will immediately see without the need to scroll down. If you can put your ad on these type of space, good for you. It is also essential for you to look into the website thoroughly before deciding to place your banner ads there.

Inspect the area – you need to determine which other ads will compete with your banner ad once you decide to place it on the website. Other advertisements are competing with you for the audience’s attention. You need to make sure that your ad will stand out and get noticed by the target audience.

Page content – look into the content of the website you want to place the ads on. People visit websites not for its advertisements but for information. Make sure that the website you are interested in has high quality content that complements your products or services.

Open space – your banner ad will be easier to, notice if there is a certain amount of “open” space that surrounds it; this is the white space that make some ads stand out.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Popularity: 7% [?]

There is a wide difference between offline branding and online branding. This is because unlike traditional branding wherein your brand is presented to the target consumers in the form of newspaper advertisement and television commercial; online branding requires you to interact with the consumers. This means text, sound, and design should merge together to form the brand personality while encouraging the consumer to participate. Online branding present great opportunities for the entrepreneur but it has intimidating challenges as well.

Of course, all efforts in online branding should be concentrated on the website. A good website needs more than just good content, attractive logo, and well-designed graphics. As was mentioned earlier, interaction is important so a web owner also needs to focus on is communication with the consumer.

Know your goal. Determine if you are an offline brand who wants to use the internet as a promotional tool or if you are solely an online brand. The branding strategy you should use is dependent on this answer.

Utilize your web space effectively. The top of your webpage is the prime spot on your website. Generally, visitors don’t like scrolling downward just to know what your site is all about.

Interaction. Because the internet doesn’t have the “human” factor that is available offline, a web owner needs to build interactivity in order to generate trust.

Don’t use hype. The internet is a huge marketplace and there are a lot of web owners who use hype to attract visitors. Don’t fall for this strategy because hype can destroy the credibility of your brand.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Popularity: 7% [?]

While website acquisitions by big boys such as Google and News Corp. gets the most attention, there are thousands of small-scale websites that are being traded or “flipped” over from one person to another everyday. Basically, website flipping involves spotting an already existing website and improving almost everything about it including the content, the Page Rank, and its SEO and then selling it to another buyer at a profit.

Website flipping uses the same principle as “real estate” flipping except that it has the potential for exponential profit margin. This is because the website you acquired for $1,000 can be worth $25,000 in a few months assuming that you have dramatically improved its perceived market value. All kinds of websites can be candidates of flipping including blogs, entertainment sites, dating sites, and even mini sites. These kinds of sites needs varying levels of expertise to run so you need to be sure that you can run the site you acquired.

Just like in real estate, the key to success in website flipping is understanding the “product” you are buying. For example, if in real estate you need to consider the location and the current condition of the house; you need to determine where the site appears when you do a Google search. You also need to look into its Alexa.com traffic results, its revenue figures, and how active the community is. These factors will determine how much you should offer for the site and how much you will charge for it after you had “renovated” it.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Take a closer look at the payment options of some of your favorite retailers and you will discover that they are using other payment options beyond Google Checkout and PayPal. Alternative payment options entice buyers who don’t have credit cards or who are wary about sharing their personal information online.

Bill Me Later

Consumers who want to extend their payment over a certain period of time, Bill Me Later ma be a good option because it allows consumer to pay on an installment basis. There are currently around 3 million consumers who are using this system and it is becoming increasingly popular today. Although only large retailers are using this system right now, this will soon change as more businessmen realize the potential of giving the consumer a “way to pay”.

Revolution Card

Revolution Card gives merchants a chance to give back to their customers because of its incredibly low processing fee. The 0.5% processing fee is certainly a far cry from the usual 2%-4% processing fee that consumers have to pay in the past; this in itself, is already an attractive enough benefit. And when you consider the fact that they also offer privacy protection by asking consumers for their PIN for every transaction, anyone will inevitably conclude that Revolution Card is definitely about to revolutionize how consumers pay for goods and services over the internet.

eBillme

For consumers who prefer to use their debit cards instead of their credit cards, eBillMe is the way to go. Debit is an incredibly strong trend both in traditional businesses and over e-commerce businesses. Currently, this service is still not available for small retailers but the company is developing a small business system which will be introduced later this year.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Taxation is a highly debatable issue as far as e-commerce is concerned.  Those who favor taxes will say that online businessmen definitely need to pay their due because they are putting brick-and-mortar businesses at a disadvantage. On the other hand, those who are against e-commerce taxation will argue that it is up to traditional businesses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the World Wide Web; and in fact, many brick-and-mortar businesses have an online presence as well.

Also, people who are against tax on online earnings argue that taxes can put some online businesses at a disadvantage particularly because if one country regulates their tax laws, their competitors in another country will still enjoy the benefit of not paying the proper amount in taxes.

But the fact is, most people have no idea how they can pay the exact amount of tax from their online earnings even if they want to. If you are starting an e-commerce business, the Internet Tax Freedom Act which was authored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and House Policy Chairman Christopher Cox is a great resource that will help you determine how much tax you really need to pay.

There is always a misconception that an online business is tax-free. This is not so because similar to a brick-and-mortar business, you are also engaged in a legitimate business which needs to carry its share of the tax burden.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Popularity: 9% [?]

It has been said countless times that a web owner should treat his online venture as a serious business undertaking. Being able to meet various legal requirements of setting up a website is essential in this case. Complying with internet laws and regulations is actually more simple than you think; most of the time, web owners are actually complying with the laws without even being aware of it. Basically, there are two legal aspects every web owner should meet: the business notices and the legal notices.

Business Notices:

The About Us Page – this is important to let your visitors know about you and your company. You should include your name, the name of your company, and pictures if applicable. If you have other partners in the business, you should do the same for them.

The Contact Us Page – at the very least, the contact us page should include your e-mail address. And if you have an offline office, you should include the physical establishment of your company. However, try not to disclose your home address and personal phone number on the website.

The Affiliate Program Page – if you are using affiliate programs as a marketing method, you need to include a page wherein interested affiliates can look for more information. You need to describe your affiliate program, the payment terms, and the support affiliates can expect from your company.

Legal Notices:

Copyright – basically, this is just the copyright information of your website which needs to be included on the webpage. Be sure to include the word “Copyright” and the copyright symbol.

Disclaimer – this is the extent to which visitors can use the information available on your website. It should also state that your company will not shoulder any liability that may arise from using or downloading some information from the website.

Privacy Policy – when you need to gather contact information about your consumer, you need to make a “privacy policy” stating the purpose of gathering their data and what you will do with the information you gather.

Terms of Service – visitors should be informed about who is legally allowed to visit a particular website. You need to put an age statement as well.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Popularity: 15% [?]