How to make money on the Internet

11th March 2009

There are lots of ways to make money on the Internet and many can be done with little or no investment at all. Some proven methods are to:

1) Start a blog

You could start a blog about your favourite topic. Just add a quality new article every few days and eventually you'll become a respected voice in your field. Blogs can be setup for free, and writing an article might only take an hour or two. To get started, here is a link to the most popular free blogging software . Also, here is an article on 'How to get started blogging '.

2) Be a web designer

Web design is a creative and rewarding career. You could start out by building websites for local businesses in your area. There are lots of small companies who would love to upgrade the 'place-holder' web site they built five years ago and there are even more which don't yet have a web presence at all. All you need is some cheap web hosting and a bit of talent. There is an article on CSS here, which you'll need to know about to start building websites.

3) Build web applications

If you have an idea which you think other people might find useful, what are you waiting for? Build it! You can learn online and many great programming languages are free to use. There really is nothing to stop you. Again, you'll need some cheap web hosting and a you might want to look into a web application framework such as CodeIgniter or Django to get started more quickly.

3) Become an affiliate

Being an affiliate for other companies products can be a lucrative way to build web sites. Often it will involve building a simple web site which ranks well in Google, then you'll need to either sell other companies products or even simpler, link to their web sites and take a percentage of the sales you send their way. Getting to number 1 in Google will be essential knowledge. You'll also need to know how to become an affiliate.

4) Target a keyword

Another option is to build a web site around a specific keyword. The keyword will need to have very few competing web sites so that you rank highly in Google. Then all you need is a few well-placed Google ads on the site and with a bit of luck you'll take home a tasty profit each month. You'll need to know how to find a good keyword and how to get started with Adsense.

5) Offer your services

If you know a lot about the web, why not provide companies with your expertise? Your skills might be in SEO, building brands, building communities, optimising databases or improving user experience. You just need to ensure people know what you can offer as an expert in the field. An article to get you started might be how to sell your services on the Internet.

But, which one is the get-rich-quick scheme?

Many people regard the Internet as an 'easy' place to make money. In reality none of the methods highlighted here are 'easy'. They all require thought, planning and a lot of hard work.

Also, because of the way the Internet works, websites usually take a while to gain traction. This may be due to the time it takes to gain respect in your topic area, or the time it takes for your site to get indexed by Google. Even becoming a web designer takes time, due to the skills that need to be developed and the experience that needs to be gained.

This means that spending a few weeks on lots of diverse ideas will probably get you nowhere and leave you frustrated. You really need to choose one method and stick to it.

What are your skills? How do you intend on making money through the web?