Yesterday, I got a friend request on Facebook (if you want to be my friend on Facebook, find me here). I approved the request, and just a few minutes later my new friend sent me an e-mail.
Basically, the fellow is currently unemployed, as too many Americans currently are. He is considering a number of possibilities on how to get an income going, and right now he is considering trying to build some kind of Online Income from building a website. In fact, he has a desire to move to the Philippines where I live, as it is sort of a dream of his. Basically, in his e-mail he told me that he needs to earn $700 to $1,000 per month if he were living in the Philippines, but even if he could just earn $500 per month he could make it. He asked me how he could build a website that would earn him $500 per month and possibly more.
Below is my answer to my new friend, but it could just as easily apply to you or anybody else who wants to build an online income.
Hi Kenny,
Your question is both easy to answer and also hard. Making a site that makes $500 per month is very easy to do. And, I mean VERY easy. However, making your first site that makes that much money is very difficult. Think of it like making a million dollars. There is an old saying that making your first million is nearly impossible. Making the second million is easy. That’s how it is with making money on the internet too.
Right now, I would guess that you’re relatively unknown on the Internet. You don’t have an audience of people who follow you. For example, you have 146 friends on Facebook. On the other hand, I have a lot of people who follow me. Heck, I generally get about 800 e-mails every single day, 7 days per week. It’s relentless. I have 2,405 friends here on FB.
So, if you put up a site, no matter how good it is, you will have to work hard to make people take notice of the site. There are a limited number of people that you can tell about it by announcing it here on Facebook or in other places. If I put up a site, even if it was only a mediocre site, I could announce it here on FB, and in a few other places where I have a big following, and I’d be making money on the first day that the site goes live. So, that is the difference.
Once you have a successful site, people will start following you, and most of your other, new sites will also succeed, because you already have a crowd of people who are following what you do.
So, how do you get that first popular site, which is critical? Mostly, you have to work really hard. You have to act like there are thousands of people reading your site even though the truth might be that you are the only one reading it. Oh, maybe your wife and your mom are reading too, ha ha. When I say “act like people are reading it” what I mean is that you have to keep on writing articles EVERY DAY. Even if nobody is reading those articles, keep writing daily, don’t miss even a single day. You might have to do this for several years, although hopefully it can happen in only a few months. A few people will start trickling in, then they will tell others about this “new, cool site they found” and that will bring more readers.
The problem that most people face is that they quit too early. A lot of people can’t make it one week and give up. Very few can continue to produce new content for a full month. That’s the only way to success, though, and if you want to succeed you have to do it.
As far as I know, Kenny, this is the only way to really succeed on the internet. So, if you have the fortitude to do that… go for it! If you will fold in a week or a month… probably best to not even waste your time on making the site.
Good luck to you, my friend.
So, in the end, it all comes down to one thing… work. If you are willing to put in the work that is necessary to build an audience, you can do it. If you are not willing or able to do the work, you won’t succeed. There is nothing magic about online business, it is just the same as any other kind of business. If you want to succeed and make a good living, you have to do the work.
Are you willing?
Does a person only have to write one article per day or should they write more for each day?
Hi Darin – Within reason, the more content you create the better. My goal, though, would be to do one good article per day. More than that is usually not sustainable, and you will lose interest, leading to you to not write even once per day! 😉
Is that once per day for 7 days a week? I will assume this is the case.
Hi Darin – I would say that is a personal choice, really. When I first got started, I went 7 days per week. Now, I generally post 5 days per week. But, the real key is to get on a schedule and enforce regularity on your writing.
this would be alright
I hope so, Steven!
Nice writeup Bob, as usual. The real issue is sustaining the regularity of your own schedule, a thing I’m struggling heavily with after 6 years… 😉
Thanks, Christian. I really believe that writing with some regularity is one of the key aspects to blogging success. Thankfully, I forced myself into a schedule, and am generally pretty good at sticking with it! Take care, my friend.
Good idea. How long did you start this kind of business?
Hi Dong – I have been doing business on the Internet for about 16 years now. For the past 11 years I have made my living exclusively from the Internet.
Great piece Bob..I have day job, so I’m earning.. reguarly But hey extra income is much welcome too. Is it a good idea to start first selling stuff on an auction site? But I feel there’s too much competition if it’s like that. Also Bob, one really earns money just by havig many ads on a website? Thanks.
Hi Sugar – Absolutely you can earn money by selling advertising on your blog! Of course, you need a successful blog and the right ads to make money that way, though. I make more money from ads on my blogs than I used to make when I had a “real job” in the States. So, sue you can do it!
Just another curious question..sorry if it sounds ignoramus..I’m wondering.. the ads, do they like contact you and say, I’ll place my ads on your site? something like that. BTW, the first time I saw ‘Groupon’ was on LiP. And I always see that and got curious so.. read online it’s an internt darling.. that and ensogo are ads I see on your site.. good ads. Now I know why you’re earning great 🙂 Thanks, Bob.
Hi Sugar – Generally, you have to sign up for the advertising, at least for the big players (like Groupon) and such. If your site gets big enough, though, people will come to you and ask about advertising on your site.
First, he should make it earn $5 per month. Then $50, $100… if the pattern is there, that’s it.
No doubt on that, Carlos! You can’t start out at the top, you have to start low and climb to your goal! Nice to hear from you Carlos!