Online Business Articles

3 Key Internet Business Start-Up Ideas - Without a Website
by: Mark Bellinger

A great deal of money has been made by online entrepreneurs who have implemented these 3 highly successful business models that can help you create income online without having to invest a single a cent in website design, hosting, optimizing or website maintenance.

1. Affiliate Marketing

This is how to set yourself up as an affiliate marketer

1. Becoming an Affiliate

Firstly you need to sign up as an affiliate with individual companies or affiliate networks that represent several companies.

These affiliate networks usually have a wide range of products and services to choose from and offer everything from e-books to networking products to sell.

They also administer your account in such a way as to provide you with up to date earning and traffic statistics.

2. Get Products and Services to Sell

Next you need to identify the products or companies whose products you would like to promote.

You can do this by either choosing the most popular, hottest selling products or the ones that you have an interest in or are knowledgeable about.

3. Selling and Marketing

Once you've got your unique affiliate link, which you'll get from the affiliate network, for each product that you want to sell you need to start getting it all over the internet.

This link can then be promoted by,

1. advertising it

One of the most effective and most popular advertising models involves you setting up a Google Adwords account

You then purchase pay-per-click keywords on which determine when, where and how often your Google Adsense ads appear all over the internet.

Your affiliate tracking code will be embedded in the Adsense link which will send buyers directly to the affiliate merchant.

You will then earn commission on each sale made.

This is the best way of getting massive targetted traffic to the merchant's site where your prospects will hopefully make a purchase.

However, whilst you may be generating traffic don't forget that each click your ad gets costs you money and if you are spending more on Adwords advertising than you are generating in commission you will be out of pocket soon.

2. having it included in someone else’s website

3. using it in an e-mail newsletter - direct marketing

2. Start Selling on eBay

eBay is the hottest e-commerce site on the web today, and for good reason...

* More than 2 million people visit eBay.com every single day, spending an

average of two hours navigating through eBay's pages and listings

* More than $1,000 in sales happen on eBay every single second

* 72% of eBay users have incomes in excess of $50,000 per year--so they come ready to spend!

And while those listings will cost you only pennies to place on eBay's pages, you gain immediate access to millions of buyers who are looking for items just like yours.

3. Start Selling on Purpose Built Websites

One of the easiest ways of setting up an online business is to buy into a ready made store front that will be populated with thousands of digital products and services all embedded with your unique affiliate tracking code

So everytime a purchase is made from your site you are credited with the commission.

So there you have it, employ one or all three methods to launch a legitimate and sustainable online business.

About The Author
Mark Bellinger, a university graduate, is a successful businessman and entrepreneur exploring legitimate and lucrative internet opportunities, ways to make money on the internet and how to generate income online without a website.

Posted by Manature at 8:21 AM | 0 comments

Labels: affiliate programs, home based business

Have I got a deal for you!
by: Gayle Wiegand

Shopping the Online Deals!

Shopping online offers many positives: convenience – you shop in the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night you choose; selection- thousands of stores at your fingertips; security- contrary to what many believe, online transactions with secure sites can be the more secure than handing your credit card to a sales associate, or walking through a mall and subjecting yourself to possible theft; and perhaps most inviting, the opportunity for substantial savings!

I have to admit to being a devoted online shopper. But, I am even more devoted to finding the best deal possible. There are dozens of ways to save online.

First, of course, the stores themselves often offer online discounts not available in brick and mortar (B&M) stores. Plus, the online stores that do not operate B&M stores, like Amazon.com not only discount most items on their sites, but regularly offer additional savings in the form of discounts, free shipping, or both. For the novice, try the Amazon.com Friday only sale!

Next are the “deals” sites. Most of these sites provide two or three services. First, they alert you to special savings on virtually any product daily. Next, they catalogue all of the discount codes that can be used in ordering to reap greater savings. And, third, some will even hunt down a bargain on a specific item for you. There’s even a site that posts the “Black Friday” sales at major B&M stores like Best Buy and Kmart weeks in advance, and one that posts on Saturday the grocery coupons that will appear in your Sunday newspaper supplements. It doesn’t take long to do your homework, investigate the best sites for your needs and bookmark them for use when you are ready to shop.

There are also member sites (free membership) that provide monetary rebates, or the opportunity to accumulate points for discount redemption. All these sites ask is that you click through them to reach the store site you plan to shop with. The actual rebates are usually small – 1% to 6% of your purchase. But they add up, and how exciting when that forgotten about $15 or $20 check comes in the mail every few months!

Here’s an example. I needed a new pair of black pants. I found what I wanted – style and size - at an online store. They were onsale - marked down from $29.00 to $24.00. I went to one of my bookmarked deals sites and found a discount code for 40% off any item. Then, I opened my member rebate site, clicked to open the store site, located my pants and put them in my “shopping cart. I went to checkout, entered my discount code, bringing the cost of the pants to $14.40. Shipping was $4.99 – bringing the total to $19.39. I paid no tax; I didn’t drive my car, so spent nothing on gas or parking; and the entire effort lasted about 15 minutes and I did it in my robe and slippers. Then I received a credit from my rebate site for an additional $1.54.

Sometimes you can find “stackable” codes that allow both a percentage discount and free shipping. Many of the major retailers offer consistent free shipping – some with a purchase minimum, some with no minimum.

If you haven’t shopped online, but are looking at the shrinking power of your dollars, I strongly suggest hopping on the online shopping train!

Feel free to contact the author for specific site recommendations.

Written by: Gayle Wiegand
Gifts Alley
Outreach Pros

About The Author
Gayle Wiegand heads up a marketing communications consulting group, Outreach Pros – Outreach Pros . She has directed projects for private industry, not-for-profit, and government contracts.

Posted by Manature at 7:34 AM | 0 comments

Labels: online shopping

Make Online Auctions a Home Business
By: John Lynch

Everyone is aware of online auctions nowadays. We all know someone who has bought or sold something on an Ebay auction site. But how many people know that this hobby can be turned into a profitable business?

The fact is Internet auctions are a new kind of home- based business created by the Internet with no capital investment and no risk.

An online auctions business has the following advantages:
* No start-up costs.
* No financial risk.
* Work whenever you choose.
* Targeted customers brought to you by auction sites such as Ebay.
* Notechnical skills required.
* Start-up in 5 minutes.

How do I start an online auctions business?

First, if you are not familiar with the process of buying and selling, you need to understand how auctions operate. By far the biggest online auction site is Ebay (http://www.ebay.com), boasting millions of users worldwide.

However, this is the tip of the iceberg. Other popular auction sites include:
Yahoo Auctions - http://www.auctions.yahoo.com
uBid - http://www.ubid.com
OnSale - http://www.onsale.com
QXL - http://www.qxl.com
Start off by buying an item yourself to get the feel of how it is done. This will give you an overall insight into the process of registering with the auction site, bidding, paying for your goods and the delivery arrangements.

Don't Feel Forced to Buy

As a buyer you should not feel pressured into buying something that you know is overpriced because you think it is the last item. There are many online auctions and there is a good chance that you will come across the same item at another site.


Leave Your Bid Late

Experienced online buyers will leave their bids until the last few minutes before an auction closes to prevent the price being driven up too high.


Use Automated Bids

If you don't want to spend a lot of time waiting for an auction to close, you can use an automated bidding service such as eSnipe (http://www.esnipe.com). You can open a free account and type in the auction number and the amount you want to bid. ESnipe can then place a last-minute bid for you just before the close of the auction. If you win the bid, you pay eSnipe a small fee and if you lose you pay nothing.


Search for Misspelt Items

Savvy buyers know that many items listed for sale at Ebay are misspelt. You can use this to your advantage by searching for wrongly spelt items. You will have far less competition as most people search for correctly spelt items.


Once you have bought something and paid for it, you will know how the auction process works from the buyer's point of view. This is vital as it will give added insight into how you can provide good customer service when you set up your own business.

So now that you have bought and paid for an item on an online auction, you are ready to sell something yourself as a first step to setting up an online business. At this point, most people look around their own homes to rid themselves of some unwanted items for which they have no use. This is a good way to get started. When you list your item on auction sites, make sure you provide a photograph. This will grab the attention of the buyers.

Description of Goods

A good description of your 'for sale' items is essential. Give all relevant details including technical specifications and dimensions where necessary.


Guaranteed Refund

Give a guaranteed refund to potential buyers to reassure them of your integrity. Most buyers and sellers on the Internet are honest but there are a few rogues, and buyers like to be reassured.


Positive Feedback

Getting positive feedback from your previous customers is the best way to prove you are trustworthy. Always request feedback politely after a successful sale.


Reserve Price

Set a reserve price to ensure that your goods do not sell for less than you want. Make it reasonable. If you set it too high, you will not receive any bids.


Payment Options

The more payment options you offer your buyers, the more likely you will be to make a sale. Ebay auctions offer the online payment transfer system Pay Pal (www.paypal.com) which is free to set up. Credit cards also offer security and are popular.


If you intend to set up an online auctions business, it is best to specialise in a niche which is a little out of the ordinary. Thereby facing less competition and guaranteeing your profitability. Setting up an online auctions business can become a reality for anyone who is prepared to do the necessary research and put in the effort. The enormous interest in auction sites created by the success of Ebay has provided huge numbers of targeted visitors ready to part with their cash for a great variety of goods.

(C) John Lynch
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Visit Merchant Account Servicew for a FREE extensive auctions EBook on how to start and source goods for a successful online auctions home business.
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Read more articles by: John Lynch

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Posted by Manature at 10:07 AM | 0 comments

The Amazon Book Reseller: How To Make Money With Books?
by: Keith Lee

About a year ago, Kevin found himself searching for a book that he wanted to purchase. His searches lead him to Amazon. He had used this internet site for many purchases but did not know until now that he could purchase used products here. This really cut down on his costs. As an avid reader, he found it very useful to go to this website and to tap into the vast amount of used books that came to him in perfect condition.

After making a few purchases, a light went off in his head. He realized, after looking around at the piles and piles of books that he had accumulated that he could potentially sell these books and at least get some of his money back for them. After doing some research, he found that many people were interested in some of the books he had. He found it simple to sign up with Amazon as a seller and was soon making enough to fund his reading habit. After a while, Kevin learned more and more about this business and actually turned it into a healthy second income for him. Why not? He loved to read and he loved to get things back in the form of cash too!

The Business Of Amazon Book Reseller

Amazon.com is a website which millions of individuals venture to each day to make purchases. Many of the industries leading retailers have their websites linked to Amazon as it draws so many viewers. One of the nice features here is that individuals can resell their products. What is also nice is that Amazon features these on the searches that people do for related products. This means that individuals can choose to pay full price or they can go with a used product.

For those that have bookcases of books (you know you are out there) that you have read, or planned to read about ten years ago, there may be a market for them. If you have dusty books that are in decent shape (always make sure they are not musty or mildewed) you may find that Amazon is the ideal location for you to find a way to get rid of them and earn some money for it.

The process is quite simple. You will first need to list with Amazon as a seller. This is a free and easy step that will take only a few minutes. Next, sit down with a stack of books that you would like to sell. All you need to do is list the title and author on the website and Amazon does all the rest for you. They provide all the details of the book to the viewers. Like eBay, Amazon will charge you a percentage of the amount that you sell the book for. But, unlike eBay this is not an auction but just a listing service. You are not charged anything until the book (or other item) sells.

In order to make it profitable, it is necessary for the individual to research how well the books of this type or by this author are selling. You do not want to go so high as to keep the book from being sold but you don't want to go so low as to undermine your profit abilities. This research is simple to do on Amazon as well.

Don't have any books to sell? You simply need to check out the wide range of options open to you in your local area. For example, there are often garage sales filled with books (again, make sure they aren't smelly!) Or, you can visit a thrift shop or other second hand type stores, giveaways, or even the bargain bin at your local bookstore. Even second hand bookstores are a great way to buy cheap books which you can retail on at a profit!

Another way that you can earn an income from Amazon if you are a webmaster includes earning an income for referral fees. If you refer others to come to Amazon, you can earn a little extra income too. You can learn more about how to do this right on the website.

The process is simple and the rewards are fairly good. There are no outright costs to becoming an Amazon book reseller and much to be gained. In fact, it is a decent way to easily make a second income from home. Gather up those dusty books and begin your search for money through Amazon.com reseller programs.

About The Author
Keith Lee is a motivational speaker, a life coach and a fitness instructor for the past 10 yeras. He study and did research on the Internet Marketing Industry for years. Go to his webiste My Internet Marketing Success (close new window/tab to return to this page) for some superb tips.

Posted by Manature at 2:00 PM | 0 comments

Labels: Amazon

Ensuring A Profitable Home Based Business Opportunity
by: Leonard Bartholomew

If you would like to be one of many who has found a home based business opportunity and become successful with it, then hard work is going to be needed to achieve this goal. A home business opportunity is quite popular now for various reasons. Some people need a home business to help them supplement the income received from there regular job, while others need the home based business as a way for them to keep busy as they might not have another job.

There are many different and numerous types of home based business opportunity for people to become involved in. They range for medical transcription services, to selling cosmetics and toiletries. Each opportunity is unique and suitable for just the right kind of person. There are a number of people or companies who will try to convince you there home business opportunity is perfect for you, when in fact, it might not be. It is up to you to weed through all of the different opportunities to find one that will make you successful. The question, which now arises, is how to ensure that when you have started your home business opportunity that is a profitable one?

You should be aware that a profitable home based business must first start with the correct home based opportunity. Most people choose a home business opportunity, which is quite popular, and everyone knows about. However, the problem, which arises with this, is, without realizing it, the market has already become saturated with many people selling the same product. In this way, your chances of having a profitable home business will diminish due to over availability of the product. On the other hand, choosing a home business opportunity that no one has ever heard of is too risky if this is your first time working with a home based business opportunity. Just because a product or concept might be new, there is no guarantee that it will sell. Therefore you run the risk of not making a profit at all with your home based business opportunity.

In order to ensure you are on your way with a profitable home based business opportunity, everyone thinking about working at home, should think about the amount of money necessary in starting a business. Each different type of home based business opportunity will require various amounts of time and finance dedicated to the job to make it work. For you business to be profitable, it is necessary to first plan out how much will initially be invested into it. A new startup business can quickly drain a bank account if a business plan is not initially drawn up. Therefore, to ensure you business is a profitable one, spend time budgeting out your much money will be allocated for each aspect of the business, and stick to this business plan without spending carelessly.

When first starting a home based business opportunity, a lot of hours are necessary in order to make the business as profitable as possible. This would initially include time spent away from family and friends growing your business to a stable level. Therefore, to ensure your business is profitable, the hours spent away from loved ones must be factored in.

After considering the amount of money and time which is needed to make your home based business opportunity profitable, the most important advice would be to start marketing your business as much as possible. There are many forms of business marketing available such as word of mouth, business cards, brochures and flyers, or ads in the newspaper. Yet whatever type of marketing you choose to adopt, be consistent with it. With more people becoming aware of your business, and telling their friends about it, the more profitable your business will be.

About The Author
Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science. Find all of the elements of an extraordinarily simple online home based business opportunity that you can prosper with at Moxie Drive (close new window/tab to return to this page).

Posted by Manature at 1:57 PM | 0 comments

Labels: home based business

Make Associate Programs an Extra Income
by: Steven Gerber

Do you have a connection with another site that can offer something new? Then you should know more about an associate program or sometimes called partnership program. This is where the companies selling products or services online gives a part of their profits as a commission on any sales you create for them by introducing new customers.

These have become very popular for both companies who are looking for an increase in sales and websites who have been inadequate in producing some earnings. Whether you have a website that sells a certain product/service or a website that has nothing to sell, you should not stop from joining related associate program for your website, product or service because it can give you additional earnings.

Some companies who offers associate program usually weigh their compensation rates in terms of those sites that send the most clicks and converted actual sales. When somebody reaches an industrial site and make some purchase from the site, you will get a commission for that as a return.

You will greatly benefit when you join any associate programs that are related to your business that definitely would sell other products or businesses to your clients. Indeed, it's really an additional source of gaining cash.

The examples of companies that have affiliate programs are the software retailer Beyond.com and bookseller Amazon.com wherein anyone can have affiliation with these commercial sites and direct people to visit them.

By using the associate program, every one has a chance to add a significant value to any website. And a good quality website can become more valuable and dynamic if it offers a wide variety or different products and services as an associate.

There are also several types of associate programs like the Web Cards. This is an associate program that pays one dollar to affiliates each time a consumer asks for a free sample of their merchandise. The product is actually a postcard of an image or a website. Wherein the user does not need to spend some money yet an affiliate gets a small fee for it. One should remember that associate programs increase the usefulness of a site only if the commercial site offers the users something valuable. An associate program may affect the accessibility of a site, but it will make it easy and convenient for users, they may visit a site searching for a product or service that it does not offer. However, the site can at least direct the customer to another site that offers that particular product or service. People would definitely like to revisit a site that leads them to a good purchase. That is a very important factor to have a good rapport with the client.

For the success of an associate program, it is necessary to make sure that the content of a site matches the program. Otherwise, the visitors may get irritated. For example, if one has a website on watches, it is better to keep away from giving a link to a pastry shop. It will just give a negative impression to the customers about the products and the company.

When joining an associate program and reselling their products or services, there are critical things that needs to be considered because your customers are also counting on you for the good recommendations that you will make and your reputation will depend on it.

It is really valuable if one would join an associate program because of the benefits that they will get, but if you are serious in joining a program you should first get and try the product or service of the company before recommending it to somebody or to a customer.

About The Author
Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a protégé of Dan Lok, the World’s #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven’s totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: Website Conversion Expert (close new window/tab to return to this page).

Posted by Manature at 1:55 PM | 0 comments

Labels: associate programs

Researching An Internet Home Based Business Opportunity
by: Leonard Bartholomew

If you are a looking for more ways to earn more, consider an internet home based business. When choosing the right internet home based business, it is important to choose the opportunity that matches the skills you have, in a field that you enjoy. Shifting through the different advertisements and flyers, you will find that there are lots of internet home based business opportunities being promoted, and it might be hard finding the right one. There is also the problem of finding a home based business opportunity, which is legitimate. There are a number of people looking to sell you an "opportunity" which is really a scam. Therefore, all these things must be considered when starting to look for the right internet home based business opportunity.

To choose the right internet home based business, start with the field that you already know something about. For example, if you have experience in the healthcare field, look for opportunities to work from home in the healthcare field. This is actually one of the most important factors for any job - finding something you like and putting all your energy into making it work.

After you have determined the area or field you want to look for your new internet home based business in, the next step would be to actually research the different opportunities available to you as a home worker. Home based business opportunities can be found almost everywhere we look. You can search for your new business opportunity in the newspaper, magazine ad, Internet, posters in your neighborhood, or on the Internet. The Internet is one of the best places to look for home based business opportunities, as it is not limited to your local area, but will have information about opportunities occurring worldwide.

When a list of internet home based business opportunities has been compiled in an area or field you feel comfortable in, spending time comparing and contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of each business opportunity. It is important to really consider every aspect of an internet home based business, before taking the plunge into it. Things to compare and contrast about your different internet home based business opportunities would be criteria such as the amount of time needed to set it up, the amount of money involved in running it, the amount of support given from the parent company, and the length of time estimated before you start achieving a profit.

After all the different advantages and disadvantages have been considered in regards to your internet home based business opportunity, it should be more clear to you, which opportunity will cost the least of your time and money, and be right for your to promote. But it should be cautioned to not rush into any opportunity before carefully considering all the disadvantages attached to it. The worse scenario to occur would be for you to decide midway into your internet home based business, that you are ill-suited for it, after investing so many hours into your new business.

In the end, when researching internet home based business opportunities it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to choose the create opportunity for you. A new internet home based business opportunity can be something that comes "prepackaged". In these types of opportunities, you are more likely to have the support of the company's more senior members. However, some people opt to choose a business opportunity that they have heard about from somewhere else and perfected themselves. In this scenario, less or almost no support is available. Regardless, of which of these options you choose, the bottom line is find an internet home based business opportunity you can enjoy!

About The Author
Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science. Find all of the elements of an extraordinarily simple internet home based business opportunity that you can prosper with at Moxie Drive (close new window/tab to get back to this page).

Posted by Manature at 1:50 PM | 0 comments

Labels: home based business