Why should you start an Internet business?  The next and better question may be why not start an Internet business?

There are hundreds of reasons why an Internet business can be a great opportunity. 

Think about this one.  How much time do you spend online anyway?  What if you could be making money in that time?

What if you could spend just a few hours a week and make an additional $300 a week? Or $3000 a week? Or $300,000 a year or more? 
Would that spark your interest? 

The fact is people all over the world are doing it.  The Internet has leveled the playing field for ordinary people to become entrepreneurs.  You no longer need a brick and mortar building to house your store or your office. The Internet has slashed start-up and marketing costs.  The Internet also allows you to serve the entire world as your marketplace.
 
Think about what is sold online.  Everything is sold online.  You can incorporate online techniques to improve your existing brick and mortar business or you can start something new. 

Think about this.  Could an online business that takes a couple of hours a week and brings in an additional $1000 per month help your family?  What is you invested a little bit more time and started making more money at home than you do at your full-time job?  Could you give up that commute? Could you give up that shirt and tie or nylons and high heels?  Do you think you could enjoy working your own hours, when you want to work?  Do you think you could enjoy working in your pajamas?  What about spending more quality time with your family?  Do you think you could enjoy that? 

Are you willing to learn something new, something that can potentially change your life for the better?  If you are, an online business may be just the thing you’ve been looking for. 

The possibilities are endless.

This articles is included in the Carnival of Wahms and Wahps for May 4, 2007, located at Possibly…Maybe….baby!

 How to Solve Money Worries carnival has included this post in its May 4, 2007 edition.  You can see the carnival at Widowsquest.

The Working at Home Blog Carnival thirty-first edition from May 4, 2007 has included this post.   You can check out the carnival at Working at Home on the Internet.

Would you be intertested in making money with your blog?

You’ve seen the towers on hundreds of sites ever-changing boxes of text ads that reflect the content in front of the reader’s face.  If you are reading about an election, the ads may be related to political parties.  If you’re reading about automobiles, the ads may be hawking car parts.  Whatever the ads are selling, they are somehow related to the content and therefore of interest to the reader.

The most popular ad program of this nature on the internet is Google’s AdSense program.  Google ads can be found on thousands of blogs and retail sites, and there’s a reason for it with AdSense you don’t need to choose which ads you’ll display and you don’t have to find your own advertisers.  You simply sign up for the program and Google will scan your page, assigning advertisements based on your content and displaying them in a box (or tower) on your page through a small piece of code you integrate into your design.  When a reader clicks on the ad, you receive a commission for delivering that reader to the advertiser’s website.  Because the ad content is related to your page, the odds of a reader clicking are much higher than random ads you might otherwise feature.

But Google’s AdSense is not the only choice available; the number of blog-ready ad programs has multiplied with the popularity of the blog business.  Other choices include programs dedicated more toward blogs, give you control over the advertisers on your site, and pay your commissions online, even in small amounts.

A few smaller programs worth exploring are:
Blog Ads
Crisp Ads
Grokads
Tagword

New ad programs arise every day, but it’s important to decide, before you commit, if a programs will give you the best return on your limited ad space.  Check a few of your favorite blogs to see what they are using.  Compare the content of the page to the content of the ads.  Decide if you feel motivated to click on an ad. If you feel the temptation to follow an ad to another site, chances are your readers will feel it as well.

The second pay-per-click type is less direct but perhaps more profitable in the long run: associate or affiliate-based programs.  A one-time option (called one-time because you’ll get paid once for every sale) is available through online retailers like Amazon.

Have you ever seen a book review that featured a clickable link allowing you to buy a book right at the time you’re thinking about it?  Chances are that the site you’re reading has a deal with the retailer for a cut of the purchase price.  Amazon’s Associates program will provide you with a user id and code for any item they sell, giving you a kickback from any sale made via your site.  There are literally hundreds of retailers that offer similar programs, so if you routinely talk about any item sold online, be on the lookout for ways you can profit from the interest you are creating in your readers.  If someone is going to profit from your writing, shouldn’t it be you?

But other associate and affiliate programs are available that may continue to pay you even after the first click.  For example, if you’re talking about blogging a site like make money blogging, joining their affiliate program ahead of time can result in a lifetime of profits from a single post and banner.  In the case of Unleash My Marketing, readers can sign up for a free online course guaranteed to help you with your Internet business.  If they purchase the full course, you receive a percentage of the sale price.  If those customers become affiliates, you receive a small percentage of their sales.  It’s 2 tier affiliate program can result in a growing number of referrals.  When you mention the product on your site, be sure to feature an unobtrusive banner or text ad.  It will remain on your site, continually building your customer base, even as those customers seek customers of their own.

It is important, however, not to post simply for the purpose of selling, because your customers come to read your content, not your ads.  It’s doubly important to check the reputation of any company you advertise.  The internet is full of scams, and your customers will not appreciate you taking part in any scheme that bilks them out of money.  Your reputation is paramount and you want to protect it even at the cost of missing out on a few dollars of short-term revenue.

To learn more about how to make money with your blog