You know about search engine submitting, blogging and writing/submitting articles for other sites. So what do you do when you've done all these things and still can't get enough traffic?

The video below discusses topics which often get overlooked when people create websites. While some of it may seem like common sense to you, why are you and so many people still neglecting these key tasks?

While people are encouraged by my online success, some often frown when I tell them it took me six years to make enough online to at least match my 9 to 5 salary. Even though I made a profit every year, there were a lot of ups and downs in the beginning as I learned from my mistakes.

My success didn't happen overnight and if I could do one thing over again I would have learned how to write for my audience instead of myself.

What I mean is that so many people build sites without regarding who their target audience is and what they want to learn about. For example, if you are going to build a fitness site, don't write 10 pages about you and your weight struggle. Write to help your readers.

To put it bluntly, people don't really care about your story until you show them how your site can help them first.

Check out your competition and add information that they are missing. Instead of talking about all the things people should do in regards to the subject, switch it up and focus on what they shouldn't do.

Be different.

Stand out from the crowd.

And once you really know who you want to target and focus on their needs AND offer information that cannot be found anywhere else, then you will have success much faster than I did.

In the beginning, I kept copying other people's concepts and would only have minimal success because my site was not unique enough and got lost in the crowd.

But once I realized the secret was to take a topic and offer information that my competitors were not, add my own voice/personality, really learn how to communicate with my audience, that's when my traffic and sites started to take off.

Not only does 2CreateAWebSite.com have a new look, but I've finally abandoned the little annoyances of Microsoft FrontPage and decided to design and manage my site in Dreamweaver.

I must say, FrontPage does have its quirks such as adding unnecessary HTML code and not handling certain file extensions very well (.php, for example). But it isn't that bad if you want a small, simple site that is mostly written in HTML.

But if you want to do more with CSS (a must for a large site like mine) and have the ability to add Flash elements and other cutting edge web features, you really need to graduate to something like Dreamweaver.

Plus, with Microsoft now abandoning FrontPage for its successor, Expression Web, I decided to move to a more "Web acceptable" design tool. Besides, I've heard nothing but horrible reviews for Expression Web so I was not going to continue to support their web building tools.

My new site design is managed with CSS and SSI (server side includes). In English, that simply means I can update my entire look (layout, colors, navigation, font size, etc.) by simply editing one file. And when your site is over 130 pages, this is a must-have!

When I used FrontPage, I did use CSS, but FrontPage doesn't handle CSS very well and was constantly adding excess code that overwrote the styles I setup in my CSS file. (Sort of defeats the purpose of using CSS). I'm really glad to be done with FrontPage and have much cleaner HTML to work with.

As I continuously emphasize on my site, I am NOT a designer, nor do I want to be (which is why it took me so long to graduate to a more acceptable piece of design software), but I'm very glad to have my site managed in a program that is much more "Web acceptable" and does not add all this extraneous, annoying code.

Thumbs up to Dreamweaver!

Selling products online can be quite the challenge, particularly if you are building your first site and have no brand awareness/recognition. A big mistake many newbies make is they try selling products before they have the traffic and credibility.

Building a store is not a guarantee people will just flock to your site. You must give them a reason. More importantly, you must give sites like Google a reason to bring free traffic to a newcomer such as yourself.

The best way to succeed with an online store is to build content first and the store last. And if you don't understand what I mean, watch the video below and for complete details read this article on building online stores.

The first contest at my Webmaster forum, WebsiteBabble.com really helped grow the forum quite a bit so I've decided to hold another one. This time there will be multiple winners (3) and they will be randomly selected.

For more details, read the announcement at WebsiteBabble.com.

And while you're there, why not join the friendly community? It's a great place to meet other people just like you who may share similar questions and ideas.

A lady asked me today why I created a site on fitness (flat-stomach-exercises.com) when a topic like that is so saturated.

I have to agree. Fitness is a very competitive niche. That's why I narrowed my topic down a bit to just flattening the stomach.

Plus, it was a topic that interested me since I began to notice my mid section wasn't nearly as toned as it was when I was in my 20's. I figured it would be a fun topic to dive into since I had done so much reading on toning the stomach lately.

But the main reason I created that site was for an experiment. I had been recommending Ken Evoy's products on my site for years because I was so impressed with his first book he first released in 1999 and then re-released in 2002 called Make Your Site Sell (It's now free.)

And even though I never bought his latest product, Site Build It!, I knew it had to be a hit because his other products OVERdelivered beyond my expectations. So I began promoting Site Build It! like crazy.

But still a part of me felt a little hypocritical. After all, how could I be telling people to buy a $300 product that helps you create a high-trafficked, money making website, when I've never used it myself? That's one of the big no-no's in affiliate marketing.

So I decided to buy it to see if the product really does do all that Ken's site says it does.

Well let me just say that Ken's products never disappoint me. Not only did my SBI! site's traffic start to take off after only 3 months, but in less than 2 years the total amount of daily visitors to my Site Build It! site surpassed my 5 year old website, 2CreateAWebSite.com.

Suddenly my guinea pig site has become one of my primary online income sources.

So if you're thinking of trying Site Build It!, I can confidently recommend it now. Not because I'm assuming it's good based on his other products. But because I use it and now have proof it really works. ;-)

It's wonderful to receive all the e-mails from the people my site has helped over the last 5 1/2 years. But of course, with praise always comes criticism from my er... "fans?" :)

I met a new "fan" today.

Apparantely this gentleman had a problem with my site because it's very limited in its teachings. Since I don't go into details on ColdFusion, XHTML, XML and many more of the advanced languages that are used for website building, that seemed to be a big problem for him.

I guess he failed to recognize not everyone who wants a website wants to become a programmer or learn a bunch of languages. Some people just want to get their site up quickly and be able to manage it without having to take a course in XML 101.

Don't get me wrong. You can do a ton of powerful things on a website if you want to take the time to go beyond HTML and CSS. And if that's what you want to do, I encourage you to do that!

Fortunately for me, though, you don't need to learn all those languages to make a living online. I prefer to spend my time learning how to market, write and build relationships with my visitors. These are the techniques that have helped me succeed over the years, and what I choose to focus on.

So how did I respond to Mr. Anonymous?

Well, I didn't bother to go into how much traffic my sites receive and how I make a living online. After all that wouldn't have impressed him anyway since my site is too simplistic, right? Surely a site as horrible as mine can't bring in any financial success. So what would have been the point?

As the Web continues to mature there will continue to be more and more developments in Web languages that will help people make their sites even more powerful. I think that's great for those who want to learn.

But thank goodness there will always be those people like me who prefer to keep it simple and focus on other aspects like generating revenue from affiliate programs, etc.

One of the keys to being successful online is to write about the topics that interest you. Programming in general has never interested me, but copywriting and online marketing has. That's why 2CreateAWebSite.com has always focused more on these topics and less on the former.

And guess what, Mr. Anonymous...

I have no plans to change that anytime soon.

Well, the $300 giveaway has certainly helped the activity on my new forum, WebsiteBabble.com. In fact, it's been so good I will probably continue the cash awards after the first giveaway next month.

Not only is it a nice tax write-off for me, but it really does encourage people to contribute quality information. Even though Website Babble is a spam-free forum (no self promotion allowed), you can still drive traffic to your site by using a sig file with your posts.

The more useful your posts are, the greater the chance people will visit your site. So if you haven't joined, what are you waiting for? It's a definite win-win for you.

Join Website Babble today.

I just received an e-mail from a gentleman desperate to find something to do online so he could quit his job that he hates so much. He asked me how long it took me to make a full time living online and I got the impression he would do anything to get rich on the Net.

First of all, I really hate the "How long did it take you to make money online?" question because people often use that as a benchmark for their own success. And because there are so many factors that determine how successful you will be and how long it will take, that is a very difficult question to answer.

I receive a lot of desperation e-mails from people who would do anything to make money online but unfortunately the desperate people generally usually have the hardest time finding success.

Why?

Because money is their only motivation and they focus so hard on the "how-do-I-get-rich" part that they forget this is a job and you have to enjoy yourself in the process.

I remember when I was only making $30 per month, I still worked on my sites 20-30 hours per week reading and learning because I enjoyed the concept of Internet Marketing. Even though I wasn't making a lot of money, I saw the potential and I still loved to write and help others with my websites.

Making money online is not about copying someone else's idea or getting rich quick. It's about understanding that you have to treat this like a business. You need a plan.

1) Who are you going to target?

2) What are you going to do with your site to attract that audience?

3) What kind of products are you going to offer?

4) If you plan to join affiliate programs, which ones are the best for your site and how are you going to promote them?

5) How much do you have to invest because starting a business does require money, even if it's just for hosting your websites. Please don't expect to make money hosting your site at a free host. It's a joke.

6) Are you good at writing to communicate and/or sell? If not, do you plan to get someone to help you?

People who are making money out here, didn't do it by luck. It's all marketing just like any offline business. It's time people start taking Internet businesses more seriously and understanding that it's more than just putting up a website. You really do need to...

1) Establish a plan

2) Understand that this is a business

And last but not least...

3) Enjoy yourself.

And if you are seeking a get-rich-quick solution, I suggest you take a look at this article.

Years ago a top search engine ranking wasn't too hard to come by. You simply created a site with a few pages, added your meta tags, stuffed some keywords, got a few links from other websites (related or non related)...

And Voila!

You've got a top 10 ranking!

However, times have drastically changed and Google continues to crack down on sites that offer no value.

Ken Evoy of SiteSell, has been saying for years that traditional SEO would soon be dead.

And that time is here.

Read a very telling blog post from Ken here.

I just launched a new blog discussing the things affiliates and merchants do wrong. I've been involved in affiliate marketing for nearly 10 years and decided to blog about the common mistakes I notice with affiliates and merchants.

Check out AffiliateNonsense.com.

What's the one job where you could take a year off and still get paid?

Yup... you guessed it.

Affiliate Marketing.

I got an e-mail from a gentleman today who wanted to know how many hours he'd have to invest upfront to make enough money online to quit his full time job. He admitted he didn't have much time to invest into his site.

Because the Internet appears so glamorous with all these inspiring success stories, people get fooled into thinking there is some short cut or easy way to make money. Just throw up a site and the money will come in, right?

Nope.

It takes work just like any other job, BUT the difference is once you invest the time upfront you can get by working only a couple of hours per day. Unfortunately, most people never stick with it long enough to get to that point.

I could take a year off from my sites and still probably come back to a very nice income because of the time I've put into building up my sites over the years. You can too, but you have to do the work now to get the rewards later.

There are no shortcuts to success and the Internet is no exception.

This entry was inspired by a post in my forum today. If you want to build a money making website, this message is for you.

People starting out often get overwhelmed by all their ideas and it's hard to decide where to focus. When something doesn't seem to be working, it's easy to get sidetracked and want to try something else. Or maybe you get tempted to copy someone else's successful idea.

Well here's my advice...

1) Stick to it. If you spend your time trying to many different things (or multiple sites) before you find success with the first one, then you're attention gets diverted and it's hard to stay focused.

2) Work on one site at a time and continue building content until the traffic begins to come in.

3) Be customer focused. In other words, what do people you are targeting want to learn about? What kind of helpful information can you offer from your site that your competitors are not?

4) Remember a good design is visually appealing, but it's the good content that keeps people coming back to your site. People often ask me how I got so much traffic to my flat-stomach-exercises.com site so quickly. Well I jokingly answer, "It certainly wasn't because of that design!" LOL

In all seriousness though, it's all about your content. The site's design is pretty basic, but frankly... my visitors could care less. I provide useful information about flattening the stomach that other sites don't, and I use a brutally honest approach. That's my unique voice for the site.

As a result, my traffic stats show me that sites all over the Net are linking to me for free just because they like my content. That is so important because the search engines notice this.

So as you're building your first site and trying to find success, remember these key points. Find your unique voice for whatever niche you're targeting and be customer focused with your information. Give folks what they want and they'll keep coming back for more!

The freebies keep coming at WebsitePalace.com. I recently blogged about the free ebook software you receive with each new order, and now they are offering 70+ html templates.

What a great way to encourage newbies to choose them as their domain registrar and/or web host... especially since most web hosts don't offer templates and cater to the newbies.

Read more about the free offer here.

I've always had a dream of being my own boss and having the freedom to go to any Starbucks and work while I watch the busy 9-to-5ers scurry in and out. Well, that time is finally here and I owe it all to affiliate marketing.

You too can have this life, and the quickest way to get there is follow your passion. What do you love? What can you help someone with? Write a site about it and go into the business of providing useful content. Yes, it's a lot of work, but the concept is very simple.

So what are you waiting for? Get started today. There are millions of people out there searching Google for information that you could be providing. Your dream lifestyle is only one website away. ;-)

Wanna talk about this? Come to WebsiteBabble.com and find out how a website can help you achieve your financial and lifestyle goals.

Cheers!

It's THE age old question heard around the Net. "How long does it take before I start making money with my website?" It's a question that's very difficult to answer and one I'm usually very careful about addressing.

The Internet is flooded with products and websites that make ridiculous claims about getting rich quickly, and if you're not cautious... you could get sucked in. I know many people who have.

I cannot emphasize enough that making money no matter whether you're online or offline is work. The Internet is glamorous. There are countless stories of people like myself who are earning a living online. And to some, this "Web thing" appears to be a quick and easy way to escape a humdrum or stressful 9 to 5 job.

You read the stories all the time, but you rarely hear about the work that actually went into making these successful sites. While I've had a ball out here the last 9 years, I've definitely done my time and worked very hard. Anyone who is making good money out here will tell you the same.

Now, back to the "How long before I succeed?" question. There is not one answer to this question. It depends on your dedication, work ethic, and enjoyment.

Yes, I said enjoyment.

That's another factor that's often left out of these success stories. If it's not fun for you, it will feel like a job.

Then you're in trouble.

One thing I can say is that I have enjoyed every step of this journey. I continue to learn new things almost everyday and I truly love helping people. So the enjoyment didn't come because of the money. The money came because I enjoy what I'm doing.

People who attach a timer to their success often begin this journey with the wrong focus. After all, there is no right answer to the "how long" question. Some people take a few months, others take years. But when you are doing what you love... that success clock stops ticking, and the money will naturally come over time. I promise.

Here's a great thread from my forum that does a great job of addressing the age old question.

No there's no typo in the title. Yes, I'm giving away $300 in an effort to promote my new site, WebsiteBabble.com. It's a brand new forum site (just launched yesterday!) where people can go and post questions related to website building and making money online.

To be honest, I've never had too much success with getting people to participate in forums, so I thought I'd add a little incentive and offer $300 to the MVP (Most Valuable Poster). In other words, the person who can offer the best advice over a period of time will win the handsome reward.

No, this is not a hoax. I will be paying someone out of my own pocket on July 31, 2007. The details are here.

So if you've got some great advice to give, head on over to my brand new forum and I'll be watching. If this $300 incentive works, I'll be running another contest after this one ends.

Please support my new forum!

WebsitePalace.com is offering free e-Book software (Windows users only) to anyone who purchases from their website.

All you do is create your book on your computer using your favorite program, (Microsoft Word, Notepad, or even an HTML editor) and tell the software where your files are located.

Within seconds, your book is compiled into an .exe file that you can upload to your server and it's ready for your visitors to download. You can even set it up so a password is required to open it.

I've actually used the software and it's not as cheesy as I thought it would be. (You know how some of those freebies are!) Sure, it doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles that a non-free program like eBook Edit Pro would have, but you can still create a very presentable e-Book with this software.

Special Tip: The link to the free download is located on the order confirmation page, so don't miss it!

So I've decided to give this "video thing" a whirl. After countless questions from people who ask me "Why should I pay $299 for Site Build It! when there are tons of web hosts out there for under $10 per month?"

Well, here's my answer... video style!

In case you don't know, Yahoo! Answers is a free Q&A community that allows people to ask and answer questions on virtually any topic.

I was doing a backlink check on Yahoo the other day. (A backlink check is a way to see how many other sites link to you. Go to Yahoo.com and type in linkdomain:www.yoursite.com to check your site's backlinks.)

And I was pleasently surprised at the number of people who posted a link to my site on Yahoo! Answers when answering questions about website creation.

Wow! Free traffic and I didn't have to do a thing.

This further drives the point of how important it is to build the most useful site you can in your niche. Whether you reach golfers, doctors, stay at home moms, you name it. If your site is useful, people will link to it volunatarily. The other benefit to this is that the search engines will notice these multiple one-way links and reward you with higher rankings.

So don't just put up a 3-page site and hope for the best. Build a site with a wealth of useful information. Check your competitors and offer tools and advice that they don't. Get people to remember you, and you will be rewarded long-term.