Good for you! Your dream of becoming a webmaster is finally coming true.

Your site is up and running, easy on the eyes, and has a decent amount of content on it. The site is monetized and you’ve seen a steady increase in traffic since the [...]]]>

All that work for nothing?

You’ve:

• picked a niche
• made a site
• written content
• drive traffic
• monetized

Good for you! Your dream of becoming a webmaster is finally coming true.

Your site is up and running, easy on the eyes, and has a decent amount of content on it. The site is monetized and you’ve seen a steady increase in traffic since the site was created, however long ago.

You’ve done everything right, but something is wrong; you’re not making any money!

To understand why, let’s take a closer look.

The components of internet marketing are all connected to one another. Think of the website creation process as a pyramid: At the bottom is picking a niche and at the top is making money from the site. Every piece of the pyramid needs to build on the base, until the whole thing becomes concentrated in a single point.

For us, that is when the customer willingly pulls out his wallet.

Build a solid foundation for your site

For those of you on a shoe-string budget, doing it all yourselves, you’re going to have to learn how to build your pyramid the hard way. If you’re site isn’t making any money, you’ve got a problem with something in the foundation of the pyramid.

• It could be your topic itself. Are people paying for products and services in your niche?
• It could be the layout of the site. Is your site aesthetically appealing enough for visitors to return VOLUNTARILY on a daily basis?
• Or, it could be the content. Are you coming across as an authority or just out to make a quick buck?
• Or it could be the traffic. Are your only visitors Googlebots, or are you also attracting targeted traffic?

When all of these values are set correctly, turning your site into a money making machine will be much easier than trying to wing it.

Its for this reason that monetizing your site should be the last step in the creation process. After you’ve got the right amount of traffic and content on your site, feel free to focus on making money.

Hopefully, you’ve chosen a niche you’re passionate about. When you’re trying to figure out the best monetization strategy for your site, do some research about the most common strategies for that niche. Once you’ve checked out the competition, implement some of their strategies.

A fool is a man who has never tried an experiment

However, keep in mind that making money from your site is NOT a “set it and forget it”. If you’re smart, you’ll do testing to see what works best for you.

For instance, if you went the lazy route and started with your basic Google Adsense ads and they’re not working for you, the try switching to another format. Try in-text ads, or promote some affiliate products.

Don’t be afraid to change things around on your site. However, make sure you’re also allowing the ads/product links to get enough exposure before you replace them.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: sales is a numbers game. You’ll have good days and bad days.

Selling on the internet is no different. Give your strategy enough time to fail before you prematurely pull the plug.

Once your site starts generating some income, guess what its time to do?

Build another site! Yay!

Why You Still Aren’t Making Money From Your Niche Sites originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 11, 2009.

So the question is: How are [...]]]>

Every business hates the word “refund.”

That one word alone can erase all of the hard work that went into the sales process. The money you spent on web design, copy writing, advertising (and much more) all went down the drain because the customer didn’t get what he was looking for.

So the question is: How are you supposed to handle a customer request for a refund?

Those of you who have read any of my articles know my mantra: GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.

But does it apply here? Theoretically, if by giving a customer what they want you are in fact taking money out of YOUR OWN POCKET, then doesn’t that defeat the purpose of giving the customer what they want?

Short answer, no.

The slightly longer answer requires a small amount of explanation. First of all, when a customer requests a refund, YOUR IMMEDIATE ANSWER IS OKAY SIR, NO PROBLEM.

The prospect’s main fear is that you will keep his money and he’ll be stuck with an unsatisfactory product or service. If you relinquish his fear, he’ll be grateful to you.

After you’ve done that, find out what the problem is. Oftentimes, there is a solution which will make both you and the prospect happy. Try and find that solution.

One effective method for doing this is to offer to refund them partially while letting them keep what they purchased. This is a symbolic gesture on your part, designed to show the customer that you are willing to refund the money.

And that’s not all!

To complement the partial refund, offer an upgrade in the product or service offered. Throw in some extras or bonuses.

In the event that the prospect rejects the deal and MUST have a refund, then give it to them WITHOUT arguing or defending yourself!

You know the saying, “Win the argument, lose the sale.” Or in this case, customer. By giving them their refund, you may lose money on the sale.

However, if you handle it with the ATTITUDE that you are trying to help the customer get what they want, you will ENDEAR yourself to them.

While they may not have gotten what they wanted this time around, if you end the transaction in a respectful, helpful and civilized manner, who do you think they’ll turn to when they want to order again?

What To Say To A Customer Who Wants To Rip Your Head Off originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 11, 2009.

You know what I said? “Do it!”

I still cannot understand why today’s newbies still don’t understand this. People seem to have the impression that this is an exact science. Well, I have some news for you. IT ISN’T! [...]]]>

HOW does the chicken cross the road?

Someone asked me the other day, “What’s the secret to internet marketing?”

You know what I said? “Do it!”

I still cannot understand why today’s newbies still don’t understand this. People seem to have the impression that this is an exact science. Well, I have some news for you. IT ISN’T!

There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making money online. This is NOT a get rich quick scheme, so get that out of your head.

A much better description of marketing your business on the web would be to call it a time-consuming hobby that might make you some money in the future.

Why do I say it MIGHT make you some money?

The reason for that is simple. Most people don’t stick with it long enough to see any returns.

They get excited about the potential, but when they realize the amount of work that goes into making money online, they give up.

For your sake, I hope you don’t fall into this trap. Sometimes, when starting a new venture, you simply have to trust that everything is going to be okay and act accordingly.

Have faith, and ye shall be rewarded

Using myself as an example, I firmly believe 100% that some time in the future, I will be earning a full time income from various websites. This is because I am committed to furthering my education. Internet marketing is on my mind 24/7. If you want to be successful, that’s how you need to be also.

Now, this isn’t something that you can force. You can’t just MAKE yourself care that much, you have to feel it naturally.

But how do you get to the point where you have a (healthy) obsession about making money online?

Well, if you’ve found this article, chances are you’re already there if not close. You probably even have so much information stored up in that head of yours that it takes something special for you to actually LEARN anything.

So the next step is to TAKE ACTION. I promise you, once you discover how gratifying taking action is when compared to research, you’ll see your earnings skyrocket.

And once you see the results in your bank account, that’ll be enough motivation to last you indefinitely.

A great way to get started is to pick a promotional method and stick to it for a specific amount of time.

Set a goal and go for it

Tell yourself you’re going to:

• write 100 articles,
• shoot 20 videos,
• record 50 podcasts
• design a 20 page info product.

Don’t you think that’s better than gorging yourself on the same old boring articles?

The Secret To Having An Online Business: A Two Word Definition originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 7, 2009.