photo credit: Arturo de Albornoz

October 7th, 2008 Dow Jones took a dive by a whopping 508 points. Over the past three months global markets were hit by an $8.1 trillion loss in value. Banks fail one after another, panic in the Wall Street… That’s what already came to be known as the biggest economy meltdown since the Great Depression.

The helter-skelter of the stock-exchange swiftly resonates everywhere. With media fuelling the buzz you need to have a steel nerve or live deep in the forest not to be concerned with the crisis thing. The home-grown economic prophets loudly predict ‘the end of the world as we know it’.
The last thing you’d want to do in times like that is start a business, right? – Not quite.
Great Depression Creates Great Opportunities

History knows a lot of cases when economic meltdowns created opportunities for new ventures and bold startups as well as remarkably profitable marketing investments. The Great Depression turned out the golden ticket for hundreds of businesses. Disney, Procter & Gamble, Camel and Chevrolet, to name a few, were among the companies that bloomed and thrived while others were desperately fighting for survival. They saw an opportunity and seized the moment. They were advertising when others cut down marketing budgets. They offered new products when others thought no one could afford to buy. They stayed calm in the across-the-board market mess and they ended up outstandingly victorious.

What does it have to do with you? Everything. The ongoing crisis is your chance to start a new venture, grow your business and make money even when the economy seems to go wild. And the best place to do this is online. Against the background of economic downturn the prospects of the Internet market look especially promising.

Why Online Business is Recession-Proof

Although the cyberspace is tightly tied to the real-world economy, the negative market trends seem to turn out the positive way online. Both retail customers and investors seeking ways to safeguard their capitals end-up putting their money online. Here’s the proof that Internet market is here to stay no matter what goes on offline.

* Shoppers go online

In every recession it is the low-to-middle class who take the biggest blow. When big companies go bankrupt it is the regular workers who suffer most. Off course CEOs and investors lose monstrous sums but at least they don’t have to worry about how to feed the family.

In times like that people do their best to tighten the belts and cut the expenses. We go hunting for bargains and the first place to look at is the Internet. The reasons are obvious: you can compare prices without leaving the house; you don’t have to waste time and money on the gas running around the shops and you can really buy cheaper over the Internet.

Offer the best price and people will buy. Make a discount on something they could do without but would rather own, and people will buy. What’s even more important, even after the economy goes stable, your customers will stick with you. Read on to learn how to pick the right product and get a discount for it.

* Companies Invest in Online Advertising

However slow the economy is a business needs to invest into advertising if it wants to stay afloat. Under the tight budget ROI (Return on Investment) becomes the focal point. The Internet offers lots of measuring instruments other media lack. Computer technology allows tracking the money you earn from each banner or text ad up to the last cent. Therefore businesses cut down or completely abandon the press, and TV, but they’ll never give up on SEO, contextual or banner ads.

Outsell Inc., The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), IDC and other research agencies all report Internet advertising growing at a galloping tempo (18.2% for the first quarter this year) while print, TV and outdoor ads lose their share of the market.

IAB reported that advertisers invested $5.8 billion in Q1 2008. Part of that money could be yours.

With marketing budgets zipped up businesses seek every opportunity to advertise online. If you have a website or blog with some traffic companies will line up to pay you for advertising. If you don’t have any, it’s very much the time to start one. Read on to learn how to create a successful advertising platform and promote it in the search engines.

Selling ads space is just one of the many ways to make money online. There are many more such as paid subscriptions, affiliate marketing, review posting, sponsored directory listings, etc. They all create great opportunities to start an online business. And of course, you don’t need to put all eggs in one basket. You can combine various online marketing techniques into a powerful money making blend that would be 100% recession proof, no matter what goes on across Wall Street.
Here’s a Step-By-Step Guide To Starting an Online Business

What does starting a business start with? Naturally before you start selling something you need to decide what that something will be. So your first step is

1. Choosing a Product to Sell

A product to sell is not necessarily a ‘product’ as such. It could be a paid subscription or a service and you don’t even have to ‘sell’ it directly. You just need to offer something of interest: information or functionality that will drive visitors to your website and will make them wanna stay and come back. Get traffic and you’ll have tons of ways to transform it into cash.

There are a number of things people are most interested in now. Here’s a list of

What’s Hot in Cold Economy:

* Information

People’s desire to know what’s going on doesn’t cease in bad times. Moreover, the worse it gets the bigger their interest. The ‘hottest’ right now is financial information.

According to comScore Media Metrix the number if visitors to finance-related websites jumped 30% this year. European websites skyrocketed to record peaks of up to 141% in traffic growth.

Start a blog or website about anything in the finances from the market trends to personal investments and loans, promote it in the search engines and you’ll see tons of traffic you can convert into money. Read on to learn how.

* Stress-Relief

During the Great Depression people went to the movies to relieve the stress and forget about their problems. Nothing has changed over time except for the movies. The general trend is when bad things happen people still pay for entertainment even though it’s getting harder to afford.

* Discounts

With economy staggering and stock exchange falling down the bills still remain the same. And bills are to be paid. Naturally we want to save on everything. If you know how to show us the way to a good bargain we’ll stick with you. And bargains are plentiful on the Internet. You just need to take the time to find them and gather in one place.

* Surviving the Crisis Guides

When it comes to our wallets we get emotional. When it comes to our wallets getting thinner we get extremely emotional and even start to panic. Surviving the financial crisis is a hot topic right now. Therefore if you read this article to the end you’ll get a double benefit:

* You’ll secure a sustainable income for yourself and your family.

* You’ll be able to help others do the same.

Moreover you’ll have an undeniable proof of your paycheck to show people the way, and they will follow. This will bring you not only money but also self-satisfaction of doing a good thing.

The list is just a small fraction of the niches you can take up with your business. Explore the web for a while and you’ll get tons of other ideas to choose from.

Once you’ve picked your product(s) you can get down to launching a website.

2. Going Online

Depending on the focus of your online business you need to decide whether you will use a website, a blog or both. Blogs are easier to start and maintain. If you decide to focus your marketing efforts around information this is your best choice to go. You can set up a free blog at WordPress.Com or Blogger.com

Websites offer more functionality but may take up more time and skills to manage. You can hire professionals to have a website set up for you. In the slow economy the quotes should get very affordable. You can also explore the free options for there are plenty out there. There are even ones that will get your website up and running in about 5 clicks.

Google ‘free websites’ and you’ll get one before you can say ‘How do I make a website?’.

3. Getting Traffic

A website without traffic is a dead one though. Visitors are the blood of your website that gets its heart beating. So your first and foremost concern now is to attract traffic to your website. The only most effective way to do it is promote your website in search engines.

According to Pew Internet 84% of internet surfers use search engines. About 68 million Americans will use the search engines tomorrow. If your website appears at the top of search results a large portion of this traffic will come to you bringing you money.

Now the question is how do you get your website to the top of search engines? The answer is by optimizing it for natural search. The process is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short. Even if you hear the term for the first time, it won’t take you long to figure out what it’s all about.

There are a lot of do-it-yourself SEO guides out there. However they all seem to miss the most important point. It’s actually doing SEO not just reading about it what drives your website up in search engine rankings and earns you money. Good news is that there’s one SEO Book that tells you the exact things to do in a way that let’s you get right down to doing them. The e-book is called SEO in Practice. It is the ultimate guide that will help you get your website to the top of search engine rankings in a matter of weeks.

One of the great things about SEO is that it gets you traffic (read customers) free of charge. No fees, no bills. You do everything yourself and you reap the benefits of what you’ve sown. However, when doing SEO you’ll most likely stumble upon the same problem all SEOs do: There’s just not enough hours in the day to do everything by hand. The way out I found for myself is automating some of the SEO tasks with special SEO software.

There are a lot of tools out there. I personally use SEO Software by Link-Assistant.Com (I’ve put a link to their website under the article). It has all the functionality I need and I like it. But you can use any software (just make sure it’s good quality) or no software at all. You can go and search around for free SEO tools. They are usually of limited functionality as compared to the paid versions, but can still be helpful.

4. Earning Money

After you’ve read and followed the tips outlined in the SEO Book you’ll see a sustainable stream of traffic coming to your website. This is great but we’re looking to make money not just traffic, right? There are many ways to monetize your website traffic, some of the most popular and effective are:

* Advertising

People pay you to put up a banner or text links on your website. The more traffic you have the more you can charge. Search around to see what the general pricing is and test several pricing options to see which suits your prospects best.

* Affiliate Marketing

I had been earning a good living from affiliate programs for several years before I completely jumped into the SEO services. The system is dead simple. You help businesses sell their products and earn a percentage of every sale. To achieve the best you need to pick a product you believe in (preferably the one you own and use). This way you’ll be speaking confidently and with authority and people will buy from you.

* Paid Subscriptions

If you deliver quality info or analysis that is unique and is of value to your visitors you can offer paid subscriptions. The subscription can grant more info, earlier delivery or whatever bonuses you can think of.

As your online business gains momentum you’ll find yourself living a new life. The one that is stress-free, recession proof and incredibly enjoyable. And what’s more important you’ll be living your whole life for yourself. No one can fire you; no one can cut down your pay. You’re an independent entrepreneur and it’s up to you when you come to work and when you leave. Your paycheck solely depends on you.

Please note, this is not a get-rich-quick kinda trash. You’ll have to work first and most likely work hard. Not too hard perhaps, but hard enough. This is how it is and I strongly believe this is exactly as it should be. First you work for your business, then your business works for you. Invest into your future now and you’ll be able to reap the benefits later. Do nothing and nothing will happen.

What are the Risks?

The word venture itself contains a pinch of risk attached to it. Starting a business certainly has its risks. But the world is like this:

“Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it’s the things you don’t do and you get screwed.” – Fight Club

You start a business and you may fail, and then start another one and still another one until you succeed. But if you don’t try you never succeed. You may sit and wait for the economy meltdown to hit you in the pocket or for the company you’re working for to go under. These are also the risks we take by just living in this world. And compared to them the risks of starting an online business are nothing. In fact all you invest is your time and effort.

You can start securing your future right now. Work for you business an hour a day at first, than more until you can finally go your own way.
So Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing

Slow economy is sort of a market janitor. It gets rid of the mismanaged thrash and gives way to new players with fresh ideas and innovative approaches. The big and weak go under and the apt take over their place. This is your chance to change your life once and for good. Go pick your product -> set up a website -> promote it in search engines -> and earn the living you’ve always wanted to.

SEO software

Jon Sparks is a freelance SEO and marketing expert. Having quit his 9-to-5 job years ago he made up his mind to help you do the same and start living your life entirely to yourself.

Focus is something you want to share with other like minded people
1) A hobby
2) Your interest
3) Your Family
4) A product
5) How to on something
6) Instructional

A blog is constantly changing and includes new updated information unlike a website. There is much talk about on line work from home. I’m here to tell you how to earn money blogging online however there is a big factor to consider.

The Factor, You Will Have To Work At IT.
1) Time and effort, if your will to invest both you will succeed.
2) You must learn to navigate the internet and own a computer.
3) You must have internet access.

So with that big factor out of the way let’s move on. The following is an outline of how to make money on line.
1) You will need a computer and internet access
2) You sign up to be a affiliate or publisher at sites that provide you with things to sell. These sites are; * Clickbank * Commission Junction Plus, you can Google search anything your interested in selling by entering the name and adding + affiliate program. You then just go through the application process. It is really effortless and easy.

Then you learn the art of building lens on Squidoo. This is a free site where you can build your own 2.0 site and tell the world about the product your interested in and want to sell. Bonus, there are lot of other ways to earn money with your Squidoo site. You can sell Amazon products plus many other options.

Then you write articles about the same product and submit them for publication. URGENT! You must read the guidelines for article submissions first. EzinesArticles has great tutorials to guide you through this process. IMPORTANT! Include the links to your product by way of your Squidoo 2.0 site in your article. Blog about your product and link your product sales page to this. Free blogs are available and with ease to follow instructions.

Visit http://www.blogger.com or Google free blog sites to find many more.

The SECRET is… * Create a circle from one point of your sales pitch to the other. This is the full circle technique.
Why?
1) Few people buy something after only having seen it once or twice.
2) Full Circle Technique creates your continual linking to you.
3) You allow the buyer to see the product more than once
4) Creating many blogs serves this purpose
5) The visitor buys after they have seen enough convincing evidence as to why they should buy.
6) You want to be that convincing evidence over and over.
VITAL! Make certain your put helpful, truthful and useful information out there.

So your not a blog Master… Not YET!

You may be like me and need step by step simple terms to start with.
For more simple basic instruction check out this free review of

http://www.squidoo.com/howtoearnmoneybloggingonline

From the Mom who went from no income to a six figure income and taught me…she is a helpaholic and that’s good for us all.

Also check out another of my sites to see what I’ve gained from this knowledge.

http://www.wroteitdown.com

Internet Marketing is a love of mine that I can’t stop talking about.

My mission is to utilize my gifts and talents to help others realize their most positive dreams.

I hope to pay it forward!
Much Love and Success

When it comes to being a successful affiliate marketer it is much the same.

Being an affiliate marketer just means that you sell products and services for other people. It isn’t necessary to clutter up your house with products you are trying to sell. You just promote them and direct potential customers to the company’s sales pages.

You get a cut of the profits when someone buys a product.

That is the process in a nutshell but if you were to read some of the descriptions on this business it would appear that you can become fabulously wealthy, if not overnight certainly within a few months. This of course is hogwash.

There are many people who have made huge sums of money online from affiliate marketing but they didn’t do it overnight. You wont either. Having said that, internet marketing does offer a fabulous opportunity to people.

It takes hard work and many hours to be successful online as in any business. There is a lot to learn of how to approach the business but I have always found it interesting. Mastering the techniques has the added benefit of being very profitable.

Finding products to promote and how to work with keywords is probably the first step for a marketer.

Not having to invest any of your own money to get your business up and running is one of the bonuses of affiliate marketing. It is quite possible to get your business earning $1000 a day using totally free methods.

Learning the techniques to perform that are not hard and the rewards can change your life. Once you see the checks starting to arrive you tend to work harder.

Doing the work and making the effort is the real secret to internet marketing and if you take action you will start to see profits.

It is always said you should follow a plan. But what plan?

I know how difficult it is to trust anything you read on the internet, especially when it comes to making money but if you are interested in Making Money Online and want to learn exactly how to become successful quickly, visit http://4day-moneymaking-blueprint.info to get all the information that will convince you to get started.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/online-business-articles/making-money-online-without-spending-your-own-1374635.html

photo credit: Christina A-Guerrilla

The truth of the matter is that there are currently hundreds of thousands of people around the world making a living off of the internet. And the funniest thing is that they are making this money using thousands of different proven money making methods. When making money online, it’s just like learning how to throw a football. If the person who taught you to throw the football couldn’t actually do so effectively than more then likely you won’t be able to throw the correctly either. It’s almost the same aspect with making money online.

The only way to actually make money online is to learn from the experts who have been making millions of dollars for years, and that’s where the problem begins. You see since everyone has access to the internet and has the potential to make money online, online Gurus and Internet Junkies are taking advantage of them. Even though these people have made millions of dollars over the internet selling information products, using Google AdSense and affiliate marketing they are not the one’s to learn how to do so from.

What they do, is give you information on only one aspect of internet marketing so that they can make more money. Let’s look at an example. A guru has just written an E-Book on making money online. They have decided to make there topic about affiliate marketing. Instead of giving you all of the information on how to make money online through affiliate marketing, they give you bits and pieces of information about the subject and a lot of gibberish. WHY? It’s easy, so they can make more money. Instead of giving away all of there information at once on the topic, they can now write four or five other E-Books on the topic and make five times the money that they would be making with just one.

What this does is get the reader frustrated or guide them down a path to a failing internet marketing career. They don’t have all of the information on how to make money online, so they leave out various aspects in their campaigns and never make a dollar. This is sad, because the potential to make money online is almost endless in the world we live in today, especially with new and hot online markets emerging every minute of the day. People actually want you to fail at making money online, so that they can make more!

But the good news is this, even though all of these internet marketing courses attempt to teach people how to make money online only a few actually do. Some of them are so in-depth that you can be making huge online profits within a week. Making Money Online is one of the easiest things to do because of all the readily easy tools available. Yes even you, can start earning some extra income via the internet as long as you learn the proven methods of how to do so.

Learn about some of the top rated internet marketing courses available to you on the internet today, and start making the money that you have dreamed of. For more information:

*Visit the Internet Marketing Wealth Blog at http://www.theprofit-lancereview.blogspot.com

*Get the inside reviews of top rated courses at http://www.theprofitlancereview.com

Earn and extra $200-$1500 a day from the convenience of your home, and never have to worry about any of your financial troubles ever again