Do you want to know the secret to making money online? Regardless of what you might have heard, there’s nothing mysterious or difficult about making money online. But you do need to know one thing before you set out on your journey to earning money online.
The secret was something I learned the hard way. In my early 30s, I thought I had it all – a young family, a cushy government job, and a good pension. The thought of earning money online never so much as crossed my mind.
And then one day, out of the blue, I became sick. Before I knew it, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t pay my bills, and I was on the verge of losing everything.
After months of struggling to make a single cent, I finally found the secret to earning money online. The secret is incredibly simple, and yet it’s also something almost everyone misses when setting out.
So, what is the secret? Sell something.
I know what you’re thinking, “That’s it? That’s the secret?”
And while there is obviously more to it, anyone who sets out with the mindset of selling something online will make money. It may not be a lot of money to start with, but I guarantee almost anyone can make money online this way.
And yet, it’s something that virtually everyone misses when they start out. I can’t tell you the number of people who tell me they’ve set up a website but have no plans to sell anything. How in the world do they expect to earn any money?
If you want to make money online then you have to sell something.
How to Get Started
Now that you know the secret to making money online, how do you get started? In most cases, you’re going to need a website. While this isn’t always the case – like with Fulfillment by Amazon – if you want to really make the big bucks, then you’re going to need a website.
And while you might be tempted to try one of those free website providers, don’t. They may seem great to start with, but as you start to grow, they turn into huge headaches. You can buy web hosting for a few dollars a month, so save yourself the trouble down the road and sign up with a reputable website hosting company.
If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable web hosting company, I personally recommend Bluehost. They’re reliable, affordable, and make it easy for anyone to quickly set up a website. If you click here, it will get you started.
Choosing What to Sell
Alright, so you have your website. What now? Well, now you need to decide what you’re going to sell. The options are nearly limitless for what you can sell online, but it really boils down to two categories – e-commerce or affiliate marketing.
At this point, I’m sure many people are going to be saying, ‘Hey, what about ads’? Well, here’s the brutal truth – ads make pennies at best. You need massive traffic – and I mean massive – to earn anything close to a living wage from ads.
In contrast, it’s possible to make a living wage selling physical or digital goods with only a few hundred targeted visitors a month.
Now onto the real question – affiliate marketing or e-commerce? Personally, I’m a bit biased due to my crappy health, but I prefer affiliate marketing simply because I don’t have to be involved beyond getting someone to click a link. No worrying about inventory, shipping, or anything else. All I have to do is convince someone to buy a product.
If you want to get your toes wet with affiliate marketing, Amazon Affiliate is a great choice. Not only are they trusted, but they give a solid commission rate. And they’re incredibly easy to get started with.
Of course, many people prefer e-commerce, and there’s no denying you can build a huge business selling physical goods online. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to compete with the behemoths like Amazon these days. There used to be an incredible amount of money in running e-commerce sites even a few years ago, but now, if you’re not offering free shipping and competitive prices, good luck.
And everyone and their mother is trying to sell on Amazon now, so the market is absolutely flooded with cheap garbage. Until you have your own unique product to sell, it’s usually not worth trying to compete with all the other sellers on Amazon.
If you decide to get started with e-commerce, then you should look into using either WooCommerce or Shopify. While Shopify is easier to setup, WooCommerce gives you a lot more freedom. But both are excellent platforms and it really comes down to preference.
Do you want to jump right in? Then choose Spotify. Do you enjoy setting up a website and customizing everything just right? Then WooCommerce is the platform for you.
Choosing the Right Product
Alright, so now you know my closely guarded secret of ‘sell something to make money online’, and you’ve decided on whether you want to do e-commerce or affiliate marketing. That brings us to the next question – what should you sell online?
There are a lot of people out there who recommend you follow your passion when selling something online. I’m here to tell you that’s a load of crock. Unless your passion is making money, toss that idea out the window right now.
There’s not a lot of variety when you look closely at which websites are actually making money. The big ones are health and fitness, pets, beauty, apparel, and outdoor equipment. If you’re not selling in one of those niches, then you’re probably not going to make much money.
Of course, you always hear the tale of a guy who transformed his passion for My Little Pony pillows into an online empire, but those people are outliers.
Think of it this way: would you rather open a McDonald’s or start your own restaurant chain? Sure, a new restaurant might make money, but a McDonald’s is almost a guarantee to print cash. Choose what you know will make money and not something you hope will make money.
And don’t focus on the cheap piddly stuff when choosing something to sell. One of my first websites sold products which were all under 20 bucks. I sold tons of them… and only made a few cents per purchase. It eventually turned into a decent income stream, but I always regretted not going with something more expensive to get started with.
Final Word
There you have it, the secret to making money online. I didn’t get into the nitty-gritty details in this article, but if you want to learn more, take a look around this site. And remember, to make money online, sell something!
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