The Best Web Development Resource of the Month

Want to take the guesswork out of building your own membership site? Check out this month's best web development resource of this month:

Build Me This

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Importance of a Site Map

A site map is often considered redundant in the process of building a website, and that is indeed the fact if you made a site map for the sake of having one. By highlighting the importance of having a well constructed site map, you will be able to tailor your own site map to suit your own needs.

1) Navigation purposes

A site map literally acts as a map of your site. If your visitors browses your site and gets lost between the thousands of pages on your site, they can always refer to your sitemap to see where they are, and navigate through your pages with the utmost ease.

2) Conveying your site's theme

When your visitors load up your site map, they will get the gist of your site within a very short amount of time. There is no need to get the "big picture" of your site by reading through each page, and by doing that you will be saving your visitors' time.

3) Site optimization purposes

When you create a site map, you are actually creating a single page which contains links to every single page on your site. Imagine what happens when search engine robots hit this page -- they will follow the links on the site map and naturally every single page of your site gets indexed by search engines! It is also for this purpose that a link to the site map has to be placed prominently on the front page of your website.

4) Organization and relevance

A site map enables you to have a complete bird's eye view of your site structure, and whenever you need to add new content or new sections, you will be able to take the existing hierarchy into consideration just by glancing at the sitemap. As a result, you will have a perfectly organized site with everything sorted according to their relevance.

From the above reasons, it is most important to implement a sitemap for website projects with a considerable size. Through this way, you will be able to keep your website easily accesible and neatly organized for everyone.

Source: Profits-Marketing

Monday, June 9, 2008

5 Important Rules in Website Design

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.

1) Do not use splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that -- pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the "back" button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered drop down menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors because confusion means "abandon ship"!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping over and over on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it -- volume or muting controls would work fine.

Source: Profits-Marketing

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Make Passive Money Online with Membership Sites!

The perfect home business opportunity is going to look different for each and every person alive. If one person succeeds in one business, it doesn’t mean that the next person will succeed in that same business. We all have our likes and dislikes; strengths and weaknesses, which makes this article a little difficult to write. Why? Because not everyone is going to see the same possibilities for themselves with the same opportunities.

So how can you start a home business that will help you get rich and quit your day job, at the same time, building a passive income? I have put together some innovative ways to help you to do just that with a home business. To get a home business started online, I have outlined the 5 simples steps you need to get started on your home based business. Watch for other articles by me on how to drive traffic to your business…

5 Steps to an Online Business

  1. Go to Build Me This and sign up for a fully loaded membership site. (Pre-built or Custom)
  2. Read the Owner’s Manual and follow the directions to get your site set up properly.
  3. Write your content, or hire someone to write your content, and upload to your site using the very simple control panel.
  4. Follow the steps outlined in the Bum Marketing Method to begin driving traffic to your site.
  5. Set up profiles on social networking sites and gently push traffic to your site.

The uniqueness of membership sites comes from the “Golden Cord” philosophy. For someone to be a member of one of these sites, they are able to obtain information and products that they may not be able to obtain elsewhere. It makes them one of the 'elite' and part of a 'family' of like-minded people, and are part of the “Golden Cord” club.

Owning a membership site can be really rewarding, if you set it up properly and drive tons of traffic to your site. You get to talk about what is important to you; you can almost set this up on autopilot; and you could potentially live off of work you did three years ago today! So what are you waiting for? Get going!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Starting a Home Business with Your Expert Knowledge

You can start your very own home business by writing about what you know. Sounds simple enough, right? You can even build residual, passive income by setting up a membership site with your expert knowledge. Don’t know what to write about or set up a membership site about? Believe me, you know a lot more than you think you do.

Everyone knows a little about something that someone else knows nothing about. Each and every one of us has experienced the good and bad in life, and can help others with this kind of information. And once that experience is packaged as an "information product", it's knowing who to send it to, that is interested enough to buy it. Or you can set up a membership site about it, and give a little bit at a time.

Perhaps you have a deep passion about something...well chances are there are many people who share the same passion. So why not share it in a membership site?

It truly boils down to our life's experiences. If you've experienced something very difficult in life, and have lived through it, overcome it, and was victorious over it, you have information to share that people will pay for...because more than likely, someone else is experiencing that same pain and wants desperately to know how you made it through.

Maybe you've worked at the same job for twenty years and know everything about the industry. Maybe you beat cancer, smoking or obesity, and have an amazing story to tell that can help others going through the same adversities. What you have to share is knowledge, and knowledge is power. Power to fight, power to overcome, power to win. And this is what people will pay for. This is what people want to buy.

They need your information. And your information will lead you to money...Lots of money. People will line your pockets with cash every month if you have the information they are desperately searching for. And that's why membership sites are the best online home businesses to create.

And you don't even have to create your own membership site...you can promote someone else's membership site. Or, you can buy one at BuildMeThis.com. Bottom line...people are hungry for information. They have a need to know...they want your knowledge. There is no limit to the topic or category of information that people are seeking.

That is how the search engines came to being. People are searching for every topic under the sun. The Internet has been deemed the "information super highway", because that is where people start for information. Catch the concept, and you're on your way to BIG profits with membership sites.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Google Adsense Do’s and Don’ts

Google Adsense is a fun and easy way to make extra money. It’s important to follow the rules though as Google is serious about the integrity of this program. Not following the rules could result in your Google Adsense account being terminated. Here are a few Dos for using the program:

DO

Read the Terms and Conditions and Program Policies thoroughly.

Read everything you can about Google Adsense. Learn from others’ experiences and mistakes.

Learn how to optimize your site for the most enjoyable and profitable Google Adsense experience. Realize it does take some time and hard work. That’s why it’s so important that you write about something you care about. Hard work is even harder if you don’t like what you’re doing.

Visit other sites that are benefiting from Google Adsense. Click on the ads only if you are truly interested in the product or service being advertised. Read other people’s blogs and comment on them. Only offer a comment though if it is truly sincere.

Hopefully, these helpful tips will ease you into using the program and help you avoid mistakes that could possibly cost you a lot of time or money.

However, not following the rules could result in your Google Adsense account being terminated. Here are a few Don’ts for using the program:

DON’T

Never, ever, ever click on your own ads. Google Adsense makes it very clear this won’t be tolerated.

Don’t ask your friends and family to click on your ads. Rather, earn money by referring them to the Google Adsense program.

Don’t participate in the Google Adsense program strictly for the money. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It will take time and hard work to make a profit.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything the first day. Although the Google Adsense program is extremely user-friendly, it may take a little time to integrate all the facets of the program. Be patient and above all, have fun!

Hopefully, these helpful tips will ease you into using the program and help you avoid mistakes that could possibly cost you a lot of time or money.

Adsense Resources

Hyper VRE

Set your virtual real estate on fire with Google Adsense—legally.

Wordpress Adsense System

Learn how to create your wordpress blog to be optimized to make a decent income from Google Adsense.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Work From Home Business Opportunities Exposed!

With our depressing economy today, more and more people are turning to the Internet to start their own home business opportunities. Everyday thousands of people are going to start a home business, and many times that are going to search online for the 'right' business opportunity for them to get involved with.

Most business opportunities are scams, regardless of what the “guru’s” tell you. All they do is tell you half of what you need to succeed, and then tell you that if you buy one of their more expensive programs or products, they will show you how to make as much money as they are. But when you buy the program, it ends up still being only part of the puzzle and you will never succeed.

So What Can You DO?

What is the difference between the people who succeed at business, and the people who wish they could succeed? Some people say it is because of a lack of money, but I say it is because they are just plain lazy. They want results NOW, without the work it takes to create the results. And even if they try a little bit, once things don’t happen as fast as they want them to, they give up and say that no one can make money on the internet. Is it any wonder people stay working at their J.O.B.? (That is Just Over Broke)

So what can you do to create your own work from home business opportunity? Membership sites. What? Yup…membership sites. This is the next big thing in online businesses. With each sale, you can potentially get paid again and again each month forever. So, if you make 5,000 sales in a year or so, you can stop working on driving traffic and still get paid each month. Sound exciting? I should hope so….I mean, this business is perfect for all who want to be lazy with results. Work hard for as long as it takes, and then back off for a while. Makes sense to me!

This home-based business goes completely against the concept of what people are taught in school and in the corporate world. The conventional wisdom is that if you work hard, you will get a good job with a nice salary. The more qualifications you have, the better your salary will be.

Membership sites are just the opposite. In the world of membership sites, you can become wealthy with little or no qualifications. This goes against the grain of how normal people think, beleagured as they are with the modern-day-slavery that is Corporate America, so that they immediately throw up walls of excuses, doubts, and disbelief to separate them from this strange concept of financial freedom.

What is going to hold you back from financial freedom??

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Work at Home Job vs. Home Business—What’s the Difference?

What is a work at home job? What is a home based business opportunity? You work at home with both, but they are two totally different ideas.

A work at home job is most like an job outside the home. You work for a company—a company that assigns work with a deadline. You do not have the benefits of working outside your home, however, because you work as a contractor, and are responsible for your own taxes, insurance, and office equipment. But the benefits outweigh the costs, don’t they? No commuting, no dressing up, no gas headaches.

A home business is like any other business. The person is generally responsible for every aspect of the business from customers to products to administration. However, if you choose to do affiliate marketing as your business model, all you have to be responsible is driving traffic to the affiliate site. The company does the rest! However, the main point to a home business is the person is not given work to do. They are responsible for managing their business. Sometimes a company may send them a commission check, but often the business owner handles their own pay.

Understanding the above concepts should help you figure out what you would rather do. Income is a big motivating factor in which you choose, I would like to think. On the one hand, the work at home job will put a cap on how much money you can make by how much work you can take on. On the other hand, if you have a home based business, you can make as money as you want, especially if you use the leverage of other people—namely affiliate programs. Meaning—you use their product, sales letter, and proven success to your advantage. So…what do you choose?

Resources

Build Me This

Get your fully custom membership site now!

Profits-Marketing

Learn marketing, get a free website, and more!

Pay per Post

Get paid to blog, and review products on your blog. Work your own schedule from home!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Starting a Home Business Has Never Been Easier!

How do you know if you have time to start a home business? How about a business online? If you are launching a new internet based business opportunity, or if you are trying to build on something that you have done for a long time, you need to make sure you set aside the time and the room to get started. If you do not do this, you will fail. You have to MAKE the time to get started.

This is the major problem people face—making the time. People get lazy and give up easily. If this is you, then don’t bother. Keep your day job. But, if you are thinking of starting an online based business opportunity, and if you have a solid idea, that is brilliant news. However, unless you happen to have a lot of extra money, or unless you can get a lot of funding and you can get it fast, you are not going to be able to get started no matter how much time you put into it. Unless you read further…

Starting a business while you are still working a day job can prove to be difficult, if you go about it the same way as the masses. There are smarter ways to get started in a business than what you have seen so far. One of these ways is to start your own membership site. Once you can get this set up, all you have to do is to provide fresh content on a consistent basis and drive loads of traffic to your site. Then, watch the profits come in, while working your day job.

Where can you get a membership site set up? One of the best resources I have found is the Build Me This website. They offer fully loaded pre-built and custom made membership sites for a fraction of the cost that others charge per hour to build you one! Just sign up and follow the directions… After your site is set up, begin working on driving traffic to your site by a number of efficient methods. The best I have found so far is the Bum Marketing Method. It is the same process I am using right now, and it’s how you found this article. The goal here is to promote your business everywhere online, so that your membership site begins working almost on autopilot. I say “almost” because you will still need to provide fresh content and handle other admin tasks from time to time…but it is a lot easier than many businesses out there!

So get started right now, and let your profits soar! Isn’t that the goal? To be able to quit your daily drudgery of a job?

For a free site, why not check out Profits-Marketing? This it truly free--not like those that say it is free, only to find out you have to pay to get it set up...

Sunday, June 1, 2008

If You are Technologically Challenged...

...you may like this nifty resource. If you do not know how to create your own website properly, and by that, I mean optimized for the search engines, as well as good sales copy, back end sales, etc., then you need to look elsewhere for your own website. But where would you go? You could get one of those sites that are "free", but cost $997 to set up through someone's affiliate account....yeah, how free is that?

Building a website can be complicated if you do not know what you are doing. And most people do not....want a secret? You can be lazy and still look professional to your potential customers. How? For full details, click here.

If you want your own product, then it may take a bit more work, but it is doable. For example, building a membership site. Why a membership site? You can get paid over and over again for the same work it would take to get one customer. It's residual income. You could potentially make thousands of dollars per month with just a few hundred subscribers. The key, of course, is to provide fresh content monthly, or you will lose subscribers.

If you are ready to set up a membership site, be prepared to pay hefty fees just for the set up. Especially if you are not proficient at these things. You will need to pay a programmer to build the site properly…a graphic artist to design your logo…a credit card processing service so you can process payments flawlessly…it could add up to a lot of your hard earned money, and frankly, I don’t think you have it. Unless I am wrong, I don’t think you can afford to lose thousands of dollars just to set up a fully loaded membership site with all the bells and whistles. Only the big companies can…

Instead, why not save your money and sign up for a pre-built site at Build Me This? You can choose from several pre-built sites, and request a custom made site at a fraction of what it could cost you otherwise. Once you have the site, you can quite easily build up content on a subject that you are passionately interested in or are an expert on.

The uniqueness of membership sites comes from the “Golden Cord” philosophy. For someone to be a member of one of these sites, they are able to obtain information and products that they may not be able to obtain elsewhere. It makes them one of the 'elite' and part of a 'family' of like-minded people, and are part of the “Golden Cord” club.

Owning a membership site can be really rewarding, if you set it up properly and drive tons of traffic to your site. You get to talk about what is important to you; you can almost set this up on autopilot; and you could potentially live off of work you did three years ago today! So what are you waiting for? Get going!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Membership Sites are Making its Owners Money Very Fast!

There are a number of things you can do to ensure that you make money as fast as possible from your home based business. Why is it important to make money as fast as possible from a home based business, or any newly set up business for that matter?

Experienced veterans will tell you that when setting up a new business, one of the important things that can keep you going during the critical early days are encouraging signs. There is nothing more encouraging and inspiring than seeing your home based business starting to make some money or at least generating some sales and cash.

To make money fast from your home based online business, it starts right from the business idea that you select. Some folks prefer to create and sell their own products. While others prefer to set up their own membership sites. If you want to make money fast from your membership sites, then you need to do the following steps:

  1. Go to Build Me This and sign up for a fully loaded membership site. (Pre-built or Custom)
  2. Read the Owner’s Manual and follow the directions to get your site set up properly.
  3. Write your content, or hire someone to write your content, and upload to your site using the very simple control panel.
  4. Follow the steps outlined in the Bum Marketing Method to begin driving traffic to your site.
  5. Set up profiles on social networking sites and gently push traffic to your site.
  6. Sit back and watch the money come in.

One other way to create a free site can be found at Profits-Marketing. All you have to worry about is marketing…they take care of the rest!

The key is to get started with something you love doing, stay with it, and drive lots and lots of quality traffic to your site. That’s it! Work from home and love it!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

3 Simple and Inexpensive Ways to Build An Online Business

Ready to build your business? If you think it has to be difficult and expensive to build, you couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it is easier and cheaper than ever to build a profitable business online. Think I am lying? Okay...let me share with you something. I joined a program just a few weeks ago, and then didn't do anything to promote it. I mean--NOTHING!! I was busy with other things and didn't get around to promoting it. Well, today I looked on my reports, not expecting to have any commissions yet, because I hadn't promoted it. The funny part is that I had earned $8.81!! I mean, that isn't much considering how much I could make, but wow! What if I actively promoted that? And wouldn't it be cool if I had a website to promote it for me, instead of just the link?

That is what I am going to show you how to do today--build a super simple, super profitable, and super cheap business that you can build in your spare time. This will not take any complicated code to learn, nor will you get a crappy site that looks like it was made by amateurs. Instead, you will get a full site that looks professionally made, complete with several ways to profit from your site. Take it from me--I do not know the first thing about programming, writing code, or even creating websites WITH step-by-step instructions! Let's face it--you could be a grandparent with no internet experience, and you could succeed with these ways to build a business.

So, are you ready to get started?? Great! Keep reading...

Blogging
This is my ultimate favorite way to build an online business! Why? Because it takes absolutely no technical skills, aside from web surfing skills. Point, click, type and done! If you have never heard of blogging, or you don't know what it is, where have you been? This has been popular for the last few years! Okay...all kidding aside, it is simply a Web Log. Basically, an online journal for the hobbyist, or an easy and free publishing medium for businesses, or anyone who want to make money from their passions. You can set one up for free at one of my two favorite blogging services: Blogger. This is Google's own blogging service, and it gets high ranking traffic. It's the best one to get started on. Then, when you are more advanced, you can seek out other place to blog at.

How can you make money from this medium? There are so many possibilities available, but for the sake of time and space, I will limit it to just two simple ways. (I am working on a book that will outline these additional money making methods for blogging. Stay tuned to find out when that will be available.) The first way to make money is from Affiliate product reviews. With this method, you will take products of other people (that you have signed up to receive commissions on) and write informative and honest reviews. Then, insert your affiliate link at the end of the review for more information, and there you are!

The second way to make money from blogging is through Google's ad payment system, Adsense. These are the ads that people buy to put on Google search result pages, as well as other people's sites. Put this on your blogs, and then when people visit your blog, clicks on an ad, you get paid per click. And all you have to do is set up your blog, write good content, and monetizing it--voila! You are in business!

Membership Sites
The next trend in hot business opportunities online! Membership sites are beginning to get more popular, because of the residual income possibilities. And, as I said at the beginning, you do not need to be well-versed in coding or be highly technical to build one. In fact, an amazing company will build custom sites for you in 30 minutes--all you need to do is order one! If you want your site faster, you can order a pre-built site available at Build Me This.

Free Sites
If you do not have the money to pay for any sites right now, or you do not want to write content forever, you do have another option--getting a free, pre-built site that you can promote, even if you have no previous marketing experience. In fact, this comes with a 30 Day Success training guide--absolutely free. Or, if you want to explore it more, go to Profits-Marketing for educational and informational articles and tips on starting your own business.

There you have it--3 super simple and inexpensive ways to get started at building your own business online. You can work from home, leave the long daily commutes behind, and be there for your kids (if you have them) or be flexible for other things going on in your life. Stop being tied to a job--now get going!