Starting a home business is actually very easy, the problem comes when trying to make a success of it, and this is where most people will fail. Take for instance the fact that you come up with a great idea to sell something online, and you launch a new web site after having put a lot of work into it. Yet one month later you have not had a single order. So what is going wrong?
A lot of people seem to think that just putting a web site online is enough, and then you just sit back and wait for the sales to come flooding in. If only it was that easy. When you have a bricks and mortar shop, people will walk past and see it, and some of those will come in. On the internet though, no one is going to be walking past, you have to get to traffic to your site by working on it.
Organic traffic is when you appear in search engine results, and the target is for you to get on the first page of results. This is not easy these days with billions of sites, and so rather than waiting for the search engines to rank you well, if they ever do, you need to do some work to get people to your site yourself.
One of the best methods has always been to use a link in your signature on a forum, but you need to use a forum that have a decent amount of traffic. Remember that you are not going to spam the forums as you will soon be banned, you participate in the forum as a normal user. The more posts you make, then the more likely it is your signature will be seen. Some forums may not allow a signature until you have been promoted or made X number of posts. If that is the case then hire someone on Fiverr to post for you.
Another method that seems to have fallen out of favor is using article directories. Write a 400-500 word article about your business or one of the products you sell, and then include a link to your site. Only submit articles to the top 5 directories, the others are a waste of time. You need to submit a few articles a month, and over time you will get hits from them. If you can’t write your own articles then as with the forum posting, use Fiverr for someone to write one, or find an article writing service but never pay more than $5.
These techniques for bringing people to your site also have the added benefit of improving your overall rankings in the search engines. Do not expect an instant increase in rankings though, as it can take up to 3 months before you start to see results. The best method for getting instant traffic is the forum signature, as that is viewed by others the minute you post it.
Great Opportunities For Home Business
For many people the economy has had devastating effects. Many are out of work and searching for alternatives to nine to five employment. For many of these people this search has resulted in frustration and devastatingly low self esteem. For others the downturn has provided them with the motivation to begin a new career based on a home business. For others a home business is a way to get a second income in order to cope with the increased cost of living.
Whatever the reason now is the ideal time to take a good look at the opportunities that are available for those who have the discipline and entrepreneurial spirit to start and maintain a home business. By leveraging their knowledge from their hobbies or even the knowledge that they have gained during their working career these people are finding that a home business is not only helping to make ends meet, but also providing them with a creative outlet.
One of the reasons that the environment for a home business is now more suitable than has been the case in the past is because of the increased opportunities that are being made available by using the Internet to make a living. There are various options when it comes to harnessing the power of the Internet.
Among the most popular ways to make extra income is through writing for various websites that offer even inexperienced writers a steady stream of articles that pay either per word of for the finished product. Some of the rates per article may not seem very high, however the aspirant Internet writer should realize that these websites are not looking for great prose. For the most part good spelling and grammar, combined with a knowledge of how to write and introductory paragraph and a closing paragraph is enough to set you up as a provider of writing services.
This is by no means the road to wealth and riches, however those who apply themselves can move on to other sites which allow them to bid for specific jobs in their interest areas. These websites are potentially more lucrative markets. By specializing in a niche writers can gain experience until they are recognized experts. Once this happens they can begin maximizing their income and searching for better freelance opportunities.
There are other ways to use the Internet to make money. Among these is to leverage specialist knowledge.
If you have a hobby such as making fly fishing lures or even quilting there is a market for the goods that you produce. There are also websites that specialize in providing a showcase for these goods. Some will charge a flat monthly fee to host pictures and descriptions of products, while others will take a portion of each transaction. Once again the key is specialization, if you can fulfill the demand for specific products that are in short supply and your products are high quality then there is certainly a market on the Internet for the goods that you manufacture.