How Can I Actually Make Money From Web Sites? How Does It Work?

Whilst many have embraced the digital revolution, it is still a mystery to some people. A case in point to highlight this is that an otherwise intelligent person asked me this very question. Based on this situation, I decided to answer it in a broad manner as again, there are many variables. Websites on their own are nothing more than another form of media- in this case, on the internet. However, when it is embraced properly, it can be much more valuable than a traditional business in the high street.

To explain this better, let us consider a traditional store or shop, versus a well run website designed for commerce. In the case of the traditional shop, assuming no other forms of advertising, they will be relying on the passing traffic for potential clients as well as the word of mouth from other satisfied people. The website will have a greater potential reach, all other things being equal, as it can be viewed by anyone in the world with access to the internet. Naturally, a switched on person will at some point make the connection that having a website is one thing, but people need to actually find it or know of its existence. "How does that work?", you may well ask. This is a great question.

There are two types of results for searches performed online- organic and paid. Organic search results appear when you use a search engine to search for things with keywords. These will typically appear as the main results on the left hand side of the page. However, you may notice what look like small advertisements on the right hand side of the page when using a search engine. These are the paid results for the keywords used. In other words, you can create special ads that come up in search results for keywords of your choice, or just leave your site to be found naturally.

To explain this point further, as you create your website there will be a mix of text, pictures, maybe videos and hopefully, some words will be included as keywords. These are listed in a special section of your site called meta tags and keywords. In addition, links to other areas of your site and other sites will include keywords. All these details are picked up by search engines when people search for what you have. However, this is where it gets interesting. You may be asking "What about the thousands of other sites similar to mine?"

This is where you need to make sure you site is updated regularly and is the reason I recommend the word press site model. Either way, you site needs to be promoted to increase the chances of it being seen near the top of the search results.

Hang on a second. What about the making money bit.? How does that work? Yes, of course. You will either be selling a service, a thing in real form, or a digital download. These are the main options. Now, if you provide a service, people may need to contact you by phone or email to discuss the situation. If you are providing a physical service where you meet your client, then you can exchange payment at that time or send an invoice. You may however only have physical things to send out like art as an example. In this case, you could accept payment by a number of different means like a cheque in the mail, an electronic transfer or the use of a third party commerce provider like PayPal. If you go with a company like PayPal, they allow you to create electronic buttons with prices for each item and they provide you with code to put on your website.

To get back to the promotion issue, however, you need to do something to promote your website. You can write articles, create blog posts, and advertise on paid sites to name just a few possibilities. There are a lot of advantages to having a website, even if you already have a traditional business. In fact, to be taken seriously these days, it is an essential ingredient to any business. In my view, you can have just the website business model or a traditional business with a website. You will be amazed at the number of new clients you could acquire with this model.

Your business and personal life success depend on following known formulas. Unlimited abundance awaits those that are able to be effective with themselves and their people.

There are also virtual office assistants that can provide guidance and help for your projects.

forward by www.okzyy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_A_Cohn