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Your Own Web Based Home Business: What You Need to Know About

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Your Own Web Based Home Business: What You Need to Know About

Tired of working the nine-to-five job? Tired of your boss? Tired of working to make someone else rich? Want to work at home so you can be with your family more? Do you like the Internet? Do you want your own home business?

Some of those questions are the titles to spam emails you get. They offer get rich schemes, just fill out surveys and get paid, get paid just to surf the web, get paid to shop, etc. etc.

But what is the real scoop about starting your own Internet Business from home? You will learn the truth about how to avoid the hype and tell you the straight facts about how to start and maintain your own Internet Business.

You have all probably read many stories about how people with nothing have become millionaires on the web. You have no doubt received tons of spam email promising you that the same thing can happen to you, all you have to do is buy this ebook, this software, sign up as a member, etc. etc.

Multi-Level-Marketing or MLM programs were around before the Internet was in everyones home, but since then they have boomed. There are many programs that offer to get you in on the ground floor. All you have to do is sign up and those who sign up after you will make you rich.

Most of these are actually pyramid schemes. If the primary goal is to recruit new members and not to sell products, then it is likely a scam, so beware of those.

The first thing you should know about starting any business is that it is hard work. You think your boss was bad? Wait until you are your boss.

For some reason many people think that while starting an offline business is hard work, starting one on the web is easy. I really dont understand that philosophy, except for the fact we get so many emails promising to make you rich with little or no work at all.

When you start any business, whether its a store, a gas station, or whatever, you know you will have to go in everyday, put in long hours and be smart if you are going to become successful. It is no different when starting an online or home business. If you are not prepared to put in the hours and the work, you will not be any more successful online than you would be offline.

There are no shortcuts, no magic pills, no marketing plans that can make you rich online without hard work. If you are not prepared to put in the time and the work necessary to any successful business, dont quit your day job and just continue to be a consumer surfing the web instead of trying to find a way to get rich without work.

That may sound harsh to you, but the web is full of people trying to get something for nothing and we dont need any more of those. However, if you are a person who is willing to put in the time and effort, the web can be a great place to make your living.

How do you get started? Well, first of all, what are your interests? If you choose a business you dont have a lot of interest in, you will find it very difficult to stay motivated. Look at things that interest you when deciding what type of online business you want to have.

Not all online businesses require having a website, but most do, so we are going to start there. Lets say you have chosen what you are going to sell, whether it is products, services, or promoting affiliate programs.

You will need a domain name. The first thing people think is that they should have a catchy name that equals the name of their business and that it should be their domain name. Not true. Generic domain names that contain keywords that describe your products or services are best. Your company name will be on the front page of your website, but the domain name is what people will remember and what will help people find you through the search engines.

Where do I register my domain name? There are many cheap registrars out there for registering domain names, but dont go with the cheap ones. You get what you pay for. Go with the ones that provide you the most service. Do you really think saving $20 per YEAR on your domain name is going to make or break your business? If so, stop now, do not pass go, go back to your day job.

Now you have a domain name, now what? You will need hosting for the new website you are going to build or have built. Again, look for the hosting that provides you the most service. You want 24-hour tech support. You want a lot of space, but most of all you want a lot of bandwidth. You want easy access to your files and a control panel, not just ftp access.

You also want a host who provides a lot of extras like instant install of gallery managers, content managers, calendar programs, and other scripts for forums, blogs, and more. The more they offer, the better, because you dont know where your business might lead you. A cheap host is just that, a cheap host.

Now you will need a website to put up on the host. You can buy a website on Ebay or from others that are already built and ready to go or you can have one built to your specifications. You can also learn to build your own website and save money, but make sure you research how to do this very well before you choose that option.

Building a website that is not optimized for the search engines or one that does not function or navigate easily will hurt your business, so if you are not ready to build one you are sure will work, have the work done or buy one.

Also, people have the perception that their website must be beautiful in order to be successful. They think they must have flashy introductions, databases, dynamic content, great graphics, etc. etc.

None of those things I just mentioned will help you become successful on the web. They are great to have, but do not put undue importance on the dressing. Promoting your website will be the key to its success along with the content that is in your website. Those are the things you will focus on if you wish to have a successful online business.

On building your website or buying one, make sure that it has a lot of text content rich with keywords that apply to the products or services you will be selling. You want it to have a professional look and feel, but you dont need it to be too flashy.

There are a lot of freelance websites out there where you can post the job you want done and people will bid on doing the job for you. That is a good way to find a web designer that wants to do a good job for a competitive price.

Now you have your domain name, your hosting, and your new website. What now? Well, its not like in the movie Field of Dreams, where If you build it, they will come. That doesnt apply to websites unfortunately.

You will need to promote your website. This is where the work starts. This is what will demand the most of your time, because if you do not promote your website, the customers will never come buy anything. They wont be able to find you out of the millions of websites that are out there.

You have to be better than the next guy. You have to be willing to promote your website for more hours than the next guy. And you have to beat the next guy to the latest and greatest methods of website promotion.

There are several things you will be doing with your new website. First and foremost, you will be writing articles like this one about the products and services you sell and topics related to them. You will also spend time submitting these articles to websites that offer free content to webmasters.

A lot of website owners are hungry for good original content. They go to these content providers and pull articles related to their products and services and put those articles into their websites. Since your article, like the one I am writing here, has an author bio section at the bottom with links to your website, every website owner that inserts your article into their website is now another website that links to you.

That increases your link popularity, which in turn helps you get better listings in search engine results for your keywords. Writing at least one article everyday will move you up in the search engine rankings before you know it.

You can also post a lot on blogs and forums that are related to your products or services. In the signature line you put a link to your website. In this subtle way you not only create another website that has a link to your website, but by participating in the forum or blog you may just have users there want to see your website and might want to buy your product or services.

You also want to put your link in your email, on your business cards, on your letterhead, and anywhere else you can. Having your own business, whether online or offline is a way of life, not a nine to five job. So be sure you are ready to do whatever it takes to be successful. Because if you are not ready to work harder than you ever have before, think it again, before starting your online home based business. There are no miracles only Work!!

Guide: How To Start Your Own Home Business

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Guide: How To Start Your Own Home Business

If you’re like most people, you may have a lot of qualms about owning your own home business, but the main thing that keeps you from making the leap is that you don’t have any idea where to begin!

The first step in how to start your own home business is to know what type of home business you want. This is the most important decision you will have to make when it comes to starting your own home business.

Some questions you want to ask yourself when making this all-important decision are:

• What skills do I have?
• Do I have the education and experience I need?
• What do I enjoy doing?
• Do I want to be out and about or working from a home office?
• What do I love?

The final question is ultimately the most important one of all. To have a successful home business, to be able to meet the challenges and overcome the obstacles to making your business a success, it is imperative that you love what you do. If you don’t love what you’re doing when it comes to a home business, it is far less likely that you will have the enthusiasm and energy that it takes to make it successful.

After you’ve decided what home business you want, you will need to do some research. Even if you love the business you’ve chosen, if there’s no need for it, you won’t be successful. Research will show you whether you have a viable idea or not. Usually, some slight tweaking of the idea you have for starting your own home business will help you find a need that you can fill by doing what you love.

You will also want to take time to write up at least an informal business plan. Things that should go into your home business plan is what is your ultimate goal, do you have the finances you need for now, how about in six months? You want to look at both short- and long-term goals for your home business.

After all you can’t build a house without a blueprint and the knowledge of what you want to house to be like not just today but in three years. So take the time to write out a business plan. You won’t regret it, and your home business is certain to benefit greatly from the thought and care you put into it from the day you seriously begin to consider the idea of how to start your own home business.

Once your planning is out of the way, you’re ready to start thinking about the realities of having your own home business. Realities such as setting up your home office, marketing your home business, setting your hours, purchasing needed equipment and supplies, and any hiring or subcontracting you need to do.

And remember that how you run your home business is every bit as important as how you start your own home business is. There are many misleading scams and images that portray home business owners as living a life of luxury and ease. For a rare few home business owners this may be true, but for the rest of us, it takes a great deal of effort and energy to make a home business a success.

However, because you’ve chosen a home business you love and have taken the time to do some upfront planning, the realities of running a successful home business are well worth the effort. Just be sure you add being aware there will be obstacles and challenges that you will have to face as a home business owner, along with the fact that you will actually have to do some work, and you’ll be way ahead in the home business game.

4 Tips For Successful Home Business

There are many ways to help ensure the success of your home business. Even something as simple as your frame of mind can determine whether or not your home business will be successful.

1. keeping with the idea that a positive outlook helps your home business, remember that not everything is as bad as it seems. When things with your home business are not going well, or you feel frustrated and discouraged, continue on. Perhaps there is a new sale for your home business, or some other bit of positive encouragement right around the corner.

2. Remember that you can do almost anything that you set your mind to do. With hard work and determination, your home business can be all that you’ve dreamed it would be. Don’t let people or problems discourage you or get you to let go of your home business dreams. At the same time, don’t sit idle and expect your home business dreams to happen without your help, either. Your hard work, tenacity, and determination can cause your home business to prosper in all the ways you’ve hoped.

3. It is important to remember not to let your pride get in the way of what you want to accomplish as a home business owner. Build bridges with your home business customers and other colleagues by admitting when you are wrong, making up for mistakes, and doing whatever it takes to earn their business. Additionally, in your home business, it is important to share credit with any other business partners or colleagues that have been part of something positive. Carrying out these good home business practices will keep you in good standing with your customers and business associates.

4. Remember to write down the goals for your home business. It is a proven fact that a home business, or any other venture, will get much further toward the goal if it is written down. Make a home business plan for yourself. What do you hope to accomplish in your home business within the next year or two? What about five years from now? How can you make that happen? This is beneficial to your home business, not only by causing you to remember your original intentions, but also by helping you to break down your hopes and dreams into smaller pieces of a home business plan.

Guide: How to Start your Own Home Based Business

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Guide: How to Start your Own Home Based Business

This guide gives you the basic tips on how to start your home based business. If you are considering starting your own business from home or have already started and just need a little help, here are some tips that can point you in the right direction.

You will read time and time again that the most important aspect of going into business for yourself is having the right mindset, determination and willpower. You will most likely have to acquire many new skills if this is a new venture for you. The good news is, it is extremely easy to find books, courses, programs, classes, etc. They all vary in price (some are actually free) and the amount of time it takes to finish them but you do not have to worry about a lack of information. It is all there at your fingertips on the internet.

One of the greatest advantages with starting a home business is that it does not require huge amounts of investment or time to set up. All you need is a computer with high-speed internet access and you can get started right away. If you don’t have a product or service to sell, then you can set yourself up by selling other people’s products and get a percentage of the profits (this is the famous affiliate marketing). Or maybe you already have a product or service in mind that you want to offer consumers. Either way, in order to do this, you will need to know how to create your own domain name, blog or website. This is where the learning part comes in. But it takes very little time to do all three of these things.

If you are going to try affiliate marketing, you just need to register a free account with ClickBank or many of the other affiliate marketplaces. These sites also provide you with free training and support to get you going.

You’ll then set up a keyword optimized website or blog to promote your affiliate product or your own if that’s what you’ve chosen. Once you have your website and/or blog set up, you need to get as much quality traffic to it as possible. And this is where things get confusing and overwhelming for many. There are infinite ways to get traffic to your web content.

Some of them are free (but take up a significant amount of time) and some are expensive. You can choose between using social media sites, forums, pay per click advertising, online classified advertising, ezine advertisng, safelists, traffic exchanges, article marketing, and the list goes on and on. Take the time to learn whatever method you choose well and give it time to see if you can get results from it. Then decide whether you want to incorporate something else or try something different.
Why you Need an Online Marketing Strategy for your Home Business
Online marketing is an incredibly strong tool that nearly every brand can benefit from. Online marketing will help you to reach consumers that you would be unable to reach through normal marketing means. It can help you to increase your image, increase the interest and the traffic to your home business.

Online marketing is more than a web ad and an email to a database. Online marketing covers multiple venues and tactics, spanning across the web to provide you with a winning strategy. If you want to have successful online marketing you need to plan out this online marketing strategy.

Know your Target

You need to make sure that you understand everything that there is to know about your target market. You want to know how they operate to understand exactly how to market to them. If you do not know your target, you will not be able to effectively reach them with your marketing strategy.

Know your Options

Every good marketing strategy will completely exhaust available marketing options. You need to know your various options, and need to work to understand which of these various options will work for your home business.

Work Cohesively

A marketing strategy needs to execute materials that are cohesive. Cohesive marketing tactics will help to create a campaign, making your Internet marketing as effective as possible. Keep the same tone in your writing style and the same design style to create a cohesive look.

6 Steps On How To Starting Your Own WordPress Blog

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6 Steps On How To Starting Your Own WordPress Blog

Starting your blog on your own hosting involves a little setup. It’s really not overly difficult and there are even some hosting companies that will set up your blog for free. Here are step by step directions on how to start your own blog with an email host using WordPress.

Step 1: Install Blog

Install blog using Fantastico or Simple Scripts available in your hosting control panel.

If you host has Fantastico or Simple Scripts then installing a blog is a fairly easy and quick thing to do. What you do is login to your web site’s control panel, and find the smiley face, the Fantastico Icon, and click on it. You’ll see a section in most control panels for WordPress, click on it.

Then you click the ‘install WordPress’ and fill in all the information that it asks for. An important step to remember is the location that says ‘install in directory’. If you want the blog installed on your main ‘index’ page you’ll want to leave the box blank. If you want it to be installed in a different location, such as [http://www.yourdomain.com/blog] then you’ll need to put ‘blog’ in the box.

Step 2: Add Theme

Choose appropriate theme and upload to server using FTP. You upload the unzipped theme to: blog location/wp-content/plugins.

Go into WordPress dashboard and activate the theme. Activate them by going to Presentation and then scrolling down until you see the theme. Click it and it will be activated on your blog.

Step 3: Customize

Customize blog by
– adding appropriate header – edit the ‘header’ section in ‘Appearance’>’Editor’
– changing colors in stylesheet ‘style.css’
– editing sidebar – remove/edit blogroll/links, adding RSS links, add opt-in form
– set up categories

Some premium themes such as Thesis and Headway make the directions above unnecessary as customizing is as easy as filling out the options you’d like and clicking what you want.

How to change the header:
Go into the header section and look for the files that make up the header.

Feedburner.com:
Go to feedburner and ‘burn’ a feed. You’ll want to use that feed to allow people to subscribe to your feed so that you can track the sign ups and also get statistics on your feed.

Step 4: Add Plugins

WordPress plugins are available on the WordPress website.

Plugins I like to add
– Akismet – to prevent spam
– Action Popup – this is a premium (paid) plugin
– Podpress
– All in One SEO Pack
– Broken Link Checker
– Comment Luv
– DISQUS
– Feedburner Feedsmith
– Search Meter
– Tweetable
– WordPress Related Posts

Step 5: Posts

You’ll want to get a good number of posts 10-25 before you start promoting your blog. The idea here is that you don’t want to send people to an empty blog or else they’ll never return. You want to have a blog full of useful information that you can then start promoting.

You want to create some solid content and some really good articles that you can refer to. Create a category for this but it is also a good idea to include it in a header menu so that people can find it fast. Include it with the normal content listings such as ‘about’, ‘contact’, etc and label it ‘articles’.

Step 6: Marketing

There are many ways to market a new blog:
– post to other blogs and leave a ‘signature’ when allowed
– add your signature to forum posts when allowed
– submit articles to directories – do this once a week with targeted directories
– send messages to your list when you post a new blog post
– pay per click marketing
– advertising
– guest posts on other people’s blogs

Blogging can be seriously advantageous to your business. It allows you a place to connect with your potential audience very frequently and get your message out there more often. While it may take some time and effort to get your site up and running in the beginning, you’re sure to enjoy the many benefits that blogging can offer in the long run.

Blogging and Advertising

Using AdSense to Generate Revenue

Using AdSense is one of the most popular ways for bloggers to generate revenue from their blog. This method is so popular because it is also very simple. AdSense is a program offered by Google where bloggers agree to have advertisements on their website and are compensated when users click on these advertisements.

Bloggers simply have to create a blog and submit the website address of the blog as well as some other information to apply for participation in AdSense. Once a blog is approved the owner is given code they can simply copy and paste to have advertisements displayed on their blog.

Google then serves appropriate advertisements each time the blog is accessed. Whenever possible, the advertisements served on the blog are closely related to the content of the blog because Google crawls the website ahead of time to determine which advertisements are relevant to the content. Blog owners do have some ability to place restrictions on the types of advertisements which may appear on the blog. For example the blog owner can specify adult advertisements are not to appear on the blog and Google will filter these out.