Many people are running away from CPC because the payout is getting lower and lower. If you are using Google Adsense, you’ve noticed that the payout is REALLY low (sometimes just a few cents per click). It’s not easy to find high payout ads these days. ShoppingAds is a hybrid product that serves both CPA (cost per action) ads provided by eBay and CPC (cost per click) ads provided by their shopping comparison engine partners. They’re promising payouts averaging 20 cents/click.

If you have a website or blog, this is a great way to easily monetize your website.. ShoppingAds makes the process very easy - You just pick a keyword, select an ad format (letterboard, horizontal, vertical), and choose your colors. They’ll give you a piece of JavaScript code that you just embed onto your website, and you’re done! If you can setup an AdSense block, you can setup ShoppingAds.

In an effort to boost membership, they’re rumored to be offering a free $25 credit just for signing up. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now, and see how it works out for you..

It’s a simple concept - Don’t rely on a single source of income, because if that revenue stream dries up, you’ll be screwed. And that’s exactly what happened with Henry and Wilson, twin brothers from Baltimore who got banned from Google AdSense earlier this year and lost roughly $200K as a result! AdSense was the only way they were monetizig their websites, so this was a devastating blow.

If Google suspects that you’re involved in click-fraud, they’ll ban you first, and ask questions later (if ever). It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. It’s great that they’re so proactive when it comes to click-fraud, but many innocent bystanders have unjustly fallen victim to Google’s ban-stick.

Never let yourself rely on a single source of income or traffic. Making money online is all about maximizing income and traffic from multiple sources. Yahoo banned one of my sites about 6 months ago for no apparent reason, and my pleas to them fell on deaf ears. Has it affected my traffic? Sure, but I’ve worked around it, bringing in other streams of traffic to compensate for it.

Below are some AdSense alternatives that you should consider implementing on your site:

Some Good Affiliate Programs:

You’ve got nothing to lose, so try them out - The results might just surprise you!

I showed you how to get started with Google AdSense yesterday. It’s a great program to make some extra cash, but the majority of us won’t be getting checks for $132,994 each month like Shoemoney!

If you want to make real money, you’ve got to get involved in Affiliate Marketing. People make it sound complicated, but it’s really not. Here’s how affiliate marketing works:

1. You sign up to be an affiliate for a specific vendor, either through their website, or through an affiliate network.
2. You wait for the vendor to approve your application.
3. Once approved, they will provide you with “creatives” that you can use on your website to promote them. (Creatives = Graphics, Banners, Text Links, etc.)
4. You place these creatives on your website.
5. A visitor comes to your website, and clicks on one of these creatives.
6. You earn MONEY!

Ok, maybe I made it sound a bit too easy. Note that each vendor has different terms; Some will pay you for each person that clicks on their ad, which is known as Pay Per Click (PPC). Others will pay you for each lead you generate (a person that signs up for more information, signs up for a mailing list, etc), which is known as Pay Per Lead. But the majority of vendors will do what’s known as Pay Per Action (PPA), where you’ll only get paid if the person makes a purchase from the site you referred them to. Sometimes this is a flat-rate payment, and sometimes it’s a commission.

Affiliate Marketing is a win-win for everyone. The vendor gets the sale, and the affiliate gets paid for directing that visitor to their website.

Most companies run their affiliate programs through one of the major affiliate networks. In order to get started, sign up with the following networks as an affiliate:

Commission Junction is by far the largest affiliate network out there, with 2079 merchants! However, I also use the other networks listed above, as CJ doesn’t manage the affiliate programs for a number of merchants that I wanted to promote. Since you’ll be promoting multiple products from various vendors, you should sign up with all of the networks.. There’s no cost to you, so sign up today!

So you’ve decided to setup your own website, hoping to become the next Amazon.com? That’s great! I also started out this way, and my business has really taken off. Hopefully I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way, and become profitable that much quicker.

1) Registering a Domain Name

This step should not be taken lightly - A good domain name is worth it’s weight in gold, and will be paramount in the success of your site. When you’re ready to register your name, you’ve got to lock it in with an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar. GoDaddy is the Number 1 registrar in the world, and I’ve got dozens of domains registered with them. At $8.95/yr for a domain name, it’s a great deal too!

Another registrar worth considering is Network Solutions. They’re been in the domain name game since the beginning. You often hear horror stories of domains being held hostage by registrar companies that have gone belly-up. With Network Solutions, you’ll pay a bit more for your domain name, but you’ll never have to worry about that scenario, as they’re the company that started this whole business!

2) Hosting Your Website

Most people start out with a shared hosting plan. They are low-cost, suit the needs of most growing websites, and are usually scalable to meet your future needs.

If you’re launching a site that’s going to get a ton of traffic or utilize a lot of resources, you’re best off going with a dedicated server. For most people, this will be overkill in the beginning stages, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind for when your site outgrows it’s current host.

Tread carefully here, as not all hosts are created equal. Sometimes it’s worth spending a few extra dollars a month to get RELIABLE service. I’ve been through a number of hosts over the years, and it’s been a real nightmare at times.. Below are a few hosts that I would suggest without hesitation:

3) Building Your Website

You’ve got the name, and you’ve got the server space. Now comes the hard part - Actually create the website. Unless you’re a web designer, this step is probably best left to a professional. But if you search out a web design company, you’ll usually end up with a quote in the $5000-$10000 range. This isn’t rocket science, it’s HTML and graphic design. There are plenty of freelancers that will do an incredible job for a LOT less. Check out the Sitepoint Marketplace, where you can find some of the web’s most talented developers! You could also try Elance, although I don’t have any personal experience with them.

During this step, you’ll need to decide which eCommerce platform you’re going to use. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on the forum, these people know what it’s like to get started, and are there to help.

Hopefully this helps you get started in building your first website. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help.

If you jump into the game without careful thought ahead of time, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. So take some time and formulate a plan.

There are a number of ways to generate income on the Internet today, but I’m going to focus on the two most popular methods:

1) Affiliate Marketing - In affiliate marketing, you’re simply promoting another merchant’s goods or services, and making a commission if the visitor makes a purchase. You don’t ever deal with the actual customer, so you’re not responsible for processing credit cards, order fulfillment, shipping, inventory, etc. You just drive the sale, and collect your commission check at the end of the month.

** This is a great option if you’ve still got a full-time job - The websites run themselves, and since you don’t have any interaction with the customer, you can be at your 9-5 job while you’re making residual money!

2) E-Commerce - Creating your own e-commerce site is a big project. You create a virtual storefront, and sell your products at whatever price you like. You’ve got the potential to make more money, but you’ve also got lots of overhead - The inventory, an e-commerce website (development/maintenance/hosting fees), a merchant account (to process credit cards), shipping costs, advertising, phone/fax lines, equipment, etc. You’re also dealing with customers on a daily basis, and the headaches that come along with that.

Once you decide which option is right for you, you can move on to the next step..