If you're a beginner who wants to know how to make money online, then welcome to this series of tutorials on how to do just that. Before we begin with Lesson 1, however, let's start at a point even before the first step a lot of us take when we rush into this thing called the internet.

You probably have so many questions right now about computers, blogs, internet marketing, and how all these things tie together to help you make money immediately, but there's a question that is conveniently avoided in so many free and for-a-fee ebooks floating around the web.

And here's that uncomfortable question...

Do you like to write?

If you don't like to write, can you make yourself write? And if you can't do that, can you find someone who will help you write?

Please note that I didn't ask if you like to tinker with computers or adjust code. Nor did I ask if you're so in love with web design that you can't keep yourself from making your web site "look just right" every now and then.

Are you committed to writing online?

If this is your first time to enter the waters of internet marketing, please don't jump on the outsourcing or using someone else's content (via private label rights) bandwagon. It will just leave you disillusioned three months down the road.

But if you're determined to write (better if you're one of the few who actually enjoy doing this), then this series of tutorials is for you.

Still with me? Okay, let's get started...

What Will You Write About?

Think of your interests. Think of the interests of your friends or the people you bump into and engage in a conversation outside your home.

List all of those interests down. (Go ahead, grab a sheet of paper.)

Please don't evaluate, and please do not judge. Just focus on scribbling down all those topics that enter your mind.

You now have your list of at least 10 items? Okay, let's classify what you've written down. (If you haven't written anything down, please take the time to do so first.)

On a separate sheet of paper, create three columns. Label those columns with the following headings:

  • Love/Relationships
  • Health
  • Money

Now go back to your first list of (hopefully) at least 10 items, and copy each one under the appropriate column. If for some reason you are unable to classify anything under any column, if your interests are in no way connected with Love, Health, or Wealth, then please go back to the drawing board and make a list of 10 interests.

(And if you still are not able to come up with such a list, then thank you for taking the time to do this. You might wish to pursue another field of interest, because making money online might not be worth your time.)

Let's take something concrete now, shall we?

Let's say you're interested in your children. That topic can fall under Love/Relationships.

And let's suppose you're looking for a baby stroller for your youngest child. You've search through different stores near your place, and you've even asked your friends for advice.

Next, go to Google and search for any of the following: stroller, baby stroller, strollers, baby strollers.

On the righthand side, do you see a column of Sponsored Links? Do you see a lot of advertisers? If you do, that means there are companies out there who are interested in people searching online for strollers.

So if you write about strollers, and subsequently attract the crowd that's searching for those items, then you can work with those advertisers. Your interest, therefore, is now a potential topic which will help you make money online.

If you don't see any advertisers, or if you only see ONE advertiser, well... It's up to you if you still wish to write about strollers. Then again, your aim might be to sell your own line of baby products and not rely on advertisers, right?

Now go down your list of 10 interests and check Google for advertisers.

After you complete this exercise, you'll have a better idea of the earning potential of your topics of choice.

(Just to let you know, the Make Money Online market attracts a lot of people, but does not necessarily earn a lot of advertising revenue. That doesn't mean you should turn your back on it, though, as will be revealed in succeeding lessons.)

Assuming you've seen a fairly good number of advertisers interested in the people searching for the topics you will write about, ask yourself this question:

Can you write seven 400-word articles about EACH of those topics?

If you can't, or if you're not willing to, then we'll just have to accept the reality that this whole make money online dream will forever remain just a dream.

I remember a friend of mine who asked how often she must publish a post in her blog, and when I said she has to post at least once a week, she said: "Gaaaa! I don't have time to write that often!"

Well guess what? I visited her blog and was surprised to discover that she had written every single day!

Which brings me back to you...

Are you COMMITTED to writing at least once a week?

And if you are, then... are you also committed to succeeding online?

If you still are, then avoid the urge to build a web site on some free host (i.e., Blogger.com) for now. Build one you yourself will own. You can experiment with those free sites later on. For those of you who are committed today, focus on building your own site.

To build your site, you'll need a budget of around $15/year (for your site's name), $25/month for your web site, and about 1 hour of writing time each day.

(Correction: Make that $30 for your domain name's first two years.)

Before you do go out and start your site, you will need a domain name (those names that end with dot com, such as Google.com). So, what domain name should you register?

That will be the subject of an upcoming MMO lesson.

Thank you for taking the time to read this longer than usual post. If you have questions at this point, feel free to use the comment box below. Thanks!

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"Making Money Online Lesson 0"
First Posted: February 25, 2008 | Filed in: Make Money Online

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