Last year, Ken Evoy of SiteSell.com conducted a video contest that paid $10,000 for the first prize.

Yes, $10,000.

He simply asked his customers to create a 2-3 minute video for why they love his product, Site Build It!.

Well, the video entries came pouring in, and even though there could only be one winner, many of the contest participants still feel like winners even though the contest ended months ago.

Why?

Because they are using their own videos on their websites to show their audience how Site Build It! has changed their lives. And as SiteSell affiliates, they earn a commission for every person that buys. Some of the customers reported sales immediately after they launched their video.

Here's an example of a customer video below...



Of course, these SBI! customers could have written an article talking about the product, but a video showing their expressions and emotions is far more effective, because video connects with people in a way that text on a screen cannot.

Anyone can write about how great a product is, but there's something about a visual that really adds a taste of realism to your testimonials.

If you have an ecommerce/affiliate website, I really hope you're thinking of adding video in some way. It is the future, and that's why we're starting to see more companies offering video tools for their affiliates to use on their sites.

WebVideoZone is a great resource for learning how to develop video for your website. Joe's site is super informative and suitable for all levels of expertise.

I've discovered a nice little way to generate residual commissions from my MySpace page. It involves showing your friends how to shorten their MySpace web page address.

I've always hated that the MySpace address of my page was long and ugly. Well, here's a way to resolve that and generate a little cash on the side.

Learn how.

Every now and then I'll get emails from people who are puzzled as to why they can't get ranked in Google. And almost every time I review the site in question, I see the same things...

• - Not enough unique, useful content


• - More affiliate links than content


• - Too few pages

Google makes its money from advertisers. Advertisers use Google because it's the Web surfer's #1 search engine.

Why is Google #1 among Web surfers?

Because it provides useful, relevant results.

Look at your site through the eyes of a stranger. Imagine someone arriving at your site after typing in the keywords you are targeting.

Would they find what they were looking for?

Does your site provide enough info on the topic that your visitor would want to stay and return later?

Is your content useful and unique?

If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, then that may be a big reason why you aren't having success with Google.

Now of course, there are other factors Google looks for - link popularity, keyword density, etc. However, the biggest problem I see with most people is that they simply do not provide enough useful content on the keywords they are targeting.

Google loves big sites that focus on one main theme. If your site is not "bookmarkable" then you need to work on expanding content. Take a look at your competitors and add information that they don't provide. What can you do to make your site stand out in your niche?

Become THE information source for everything related to your topic. Pretty soon Google and other Webmasters will reward you with traffic... for free!

It seems that everyone wants to capitalize on the success of MySpace.com and build a site like this successful company. While it sounds like a great idea based on their success, do you really understand what goes into creating a site like this?

After numerous questions on how to create a site like MySpace, I simply had to write an article about this.

Some say the article is discouraging. I call it realistic.

If you haven't heard, Microsoft is no longer selling or supporting Microsoft FrontPage. Windows Vista has a replacement product, and it's called Microsoft Expression.

So far the reviews for this new web publishing tool have been less than stellar. I've heard it's not nearly as easy to use as FrontPage, and there are still a lot of bugs to work out.

So until the Web hosts stop supporting FrontPage (and I think it will be a while before that happens), I'll continue to use it. Sounds like Microsoft Expression has some fine tuning to do.

By the way, you can still buy Microsoft FrontPage at Amazon.com.

I discovered this neat little trick by accident. If you are familiar with my site, you know I push Site Build It! (SBI!) pretty heavily. Not just because I'm an affiliate, but because it really worked for me and it has changed many people's lives.

I got tired of hearing all the raving reviews about SBI!, so I bought it in July of 2005 to see if it was really worth all the hype. My site, flat-stomach-exercises.com was an instant hit. Not just because I used Site Build It!. I have to give a little credit to all the hard work I put into it as well.

Remember, there's no product that can make you rich, you have to put the work into building content. SBI! gave me the guidance that helped me succeed. It's so nice to know that all my search engine and sitemap submissions are automatically taken care of while I work on keeping my content fresh.

Anyway, I digress. After about three months I started getting e-mails from people who wanted to know why I provide so much weight loss information for free when other sites charge for the same info.

So I created an "About Me" page that explains a little about myself and that I used Site Build It! to create the site. I explained how I used Google AdSense and encouraged my visitors to do the same with their own sites. I supplied a link over to Site Build It! and instantly the sales began to roll in.

That taught me a big lesson about PREselling. Even though that site isn't about website creation, my "About Me" page gave my site some personality and helped me build a bit of credibility. People genuinely liked my site, wanted to learn more about me and then were inspired by my story.

If you aren't using an About Me page to tell your story, you could really be missing out on additional revenue. People like to know there's a real person behind that web page, and it also helps to add a photo of yourself. After all, what do you have to hide, right?

Instead of trying to hard sell with banners, ads, etc. Sometimes something as simple as a small recommendation on your "About Me" page can be twice as effective.

Or if you don't have a Site Build It! success story like I have, you can simply refer your visitors to start their own sites with a regular web host. Join the Ultimate Domain Reseller program and earn a residual income (on domains and hosting) when your visitors start their websites through your link.

You don't have to have a site on website development to profit from these kinds of affiliate programs. Everyone wants a website these days. You just have to find creative ways of getting your audience interested. Start with your "About Me" page!

I get emails from people all the time asking me why they need to pay for a website when they can just create a free blog. After all, many people are making money just by blogging.

While this is true, the average person does not realize there's more to blogging than just "putting up a blog." Successful bloggers (I call them blog mavens) have created a following in their niche, and give people a reason to return to their blog. They're creative and understand how to draw in their audience.

Don't blog just for the sake of blogging. Find your niche. Know your audience. Develop your unique voice. Blog about unique topics and stay away from posting the same ole' info people can find anywhere.

Just like successful websites, blogs that succeed provide useful information to a specific niche, and the author continues to update it with relevant content.

Don't just put up a blog, build your brand of one.

With the huge MySpace revolution going on, thousands of people are flocking to myspace.com to create their home on the Web. After all, it's free, easy and you can make tons of new e-friends without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.

While MySpace is a great place for networking and sharing information, it's not an ideal place for a site that you'd like to get listed in Google and some of the other major search engines.

To get a top ranking in the major search engines, you need a site with a lot of content centered around a theme or topic. The majority of MySpace sites are personal pages with no real theme or focus. Therefore they don't score well with the major search engines.

And if you want to make money out here, it is crucial that you build a site that the search engines love. You can receive thousands of free hits per day from Google alone.

So while MySpace is an awesome site for a quick and easy personal page, if you really want a chance to rank well with the major search engines, you really should register your own domain name.

WebsitePalace.com is running a nice special where you can get domain names for $1.99 if you also sign up with hosting or any of their other products. There's no limit on the quantity of domains you can order. Better jump on this before it ends.

I bought CoffeeCup for the first time in 2005 and was mildly impressed with it. It was pretty easy to use, but one thing that bothered me was that you couldn't edit your pages in the "design mode." You could only edit in the "code view."

Needless to say, this didn't sit well with a lot of beginners. And even though I am pretty savvy with HTML, I still like having the ability to work outside the code.

Well, their 2007 version is a tremendous improvement over earlier ones because you can now edit right in the design mode, so you can see the immediate impact of any changes you make to your page.

I learned HTML by using FrontPage and I was used to being able to edit in "design view", so needless to say, this was a thrilling new feature for me. In my opinion, this makes CoffeeCup much more suitable for beginners now.

Way to go CoffeeCup!

My friends and family are in awe of the amount of money I make with my sites. To be honest, sometimes I am too. It's hard to believe something that started out as a hobby/side income venture, has turned into a full-time income that allowed me to quit my job.

The process is very simple, but unfortunately most people don't have or want to take the time to let something like this develop. It definitely takes time and I would never tell you this happened overnight.

Here are two important tips for long-term success online...

1) Choose a topic you love. This is the most important step and here's why...

The reason my sites make money is because I get a lot of traffic. If you don't have any traffic you won't make much money. The free search engines (especially Google) love large sites and they can also tell how many unique sites voluntarily link to you.

If you build a site with a ton of great information in a specific niche, over time people will begin to voluntarily link to you for free, and Google, MSN and Yahoo will begin to notice your site is popular and reward you with a ton of free traffic.

2) Choose affiliate programs that pay residual income for lifetime customers. For example, say you have a fitness site and you join an affiliate program for a gym membership.

So when you refer your visitors to sign up for a membership, the company pays you a percentage of your referrals membership fee for as long as they are a member. If a customer is a member for 10 years, you get paid every month for as long as they are a customer!

Those are the kind of affiliate programs I look for. The 5 Pillar Program is a great example. I actually bought their product and made a lot of money with it so getting my visitors to buy is pretty easy because they read about my success story.

That's another important tip...always buy the products you recommend!

They pay you a 25% commission for every customer for life. So let's say I get 30 people to buy Site Build It! this month. That's roughly $2250 for that month. When those customers renew their SBI! subscription a year later, I get that $2,250 again PLUS any new commissions from new customers for that month.

So over time, the residual commission begin to pile up. There are some affiliates in the 5 Pillar Program making 5 figures per month largely because of the residuals.

The Ultimate Domain Reseller Program is another example of residual payments. They actually offer a reseller program. This is a bit different from an affiliate program because you can actually set your prices and determine your profit margin. For that reason, there is a yearly fee.

With this program you selling domain names and web hosting. You don't have to have a site about web design to successfully sell their products. You could write a small "About Me" page on your site and tell a short story of how you created your site, then offer them the links to begin their own.

Every customer that creates a site from your link will earn you a commission every month for as long as they keep their site.

I receive 5 figure checks per month from them because of the residual commissions. I've been a reseller since 2002 so the income is really snowballing now.

For a listing of more lifetime commission affiliate programs, see LifetimeCommissions.com

I talk a lot about Site Build It! on my site, mainly because I use it and it works. A site I barely update, now pays my mortgage and it only has about 30 pages.

I want to show that I'm not the only one experiencing success with SBI. Check out Elad's video below...




For more SBI customer videos, see this link.

I get a lot of emails from people asking me if I really earn a full-time income online. I can understand their skepticism. There's a lot of hype surrounding making money online and often times it's presented in a way that seems too good to be true.

Plus, the Net is faceless so your interaction with people is often limited to e-mail or instant messaging. It's hard to know who to trust and you certainly don't want to waste your time and money on a worthless scheme or program.

Well, my online success story is indeed true. I began my venture back in 1998. I invested $20 in an MLM program and I turned that $20 bucks into about $6,000 over the course of 9 months. I was in college at the time so you can imagine how elated I was to make that kind of money during one of the poorest times in my life. :-)

That MLM program has since shut down. However, I took the knowledge I gained from that and began creating websites to help people create their own personal and business websites.

That's when 2CreateAWebSite.com was born. Even though the information on the site is completely free, I earn money by participating in various affiliate programs that relate to the theme of my site.

You can do the same. You don't have to sell any products to make money online. You can build a content-rich website on your hobby or a topic you are passionate about and monetize it with related affiliated programs.

For example...

Say you love crafts. You can create a website about this. Your goal would be to create as much content as you can on the topic so you can attract free search engine traffic (Google, MSN and Yahoo, for example).

Once you begin getting traffic, you earn money with different monetization models. For instance, Google AdSense pays you to display ads on your site.

If your site is about crafts, the AdSense program will automatically display ads related to your content. When your site visitors click on your ads, you earn money. I make anywhere from $1500 to $1800 per month just with this program alone.

You could also join Amazon.com's affiliate program and promote their craft-related books. Refer your audience to buy these books and Amazon pays you a commission for every sale. There are tons of free programs on the Net like this.

I also have a fitness site called www.flat-stomach-exercises.com and it earns money in the same ways explained above. See how my two sites are totally different in regards to the topics, but the money making concept is the same?

If you decide this is something you'd like to try, do me a favor. Don't use any host except Site Build It!. They are the only company that provides all the tools you need in one place AND the coaching that will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Could you do this on your own without Site Build It!? Absolutely. BUT... you will be left to figure out how to attract traffic and finding programs to earn money from your site. After all, with no traffic and affiliate programs, you won't make any money.

I didn't create 2CreateAWebSite.com with Site Build It! but I used it for my newest site, flat-stomach-exercises.com and I received free search engine traffic to that site 3 times faster than I did with sites I've built using the old fashioned method. That's because SBI! coached me as I wrote each page to ensure it ranked well in the major search engines.

I'm so glad SiteSell finally launched a video that allows you to see how Site Build It! works. It's really difficult to explain the process in words because there's so much to tell. So watching a video will give you a much clearer picture of what you'll be getting for your money.

I'll say it again...

If you want to make money with a website, Site Build It! is the only way to go. If you do decide to go the cheaper route and you have no website building experience, you'll have a lot to learn on your own.

But if you have Site Build It!, it eliminates a lot of the technical things you'd have to figure out if you didn't use it.

The key to making money online is not becoming a web programmer or designer, it's about writing content and ranking high in the major search engines.

SBI! takes care of all the programming in the background while you can focus on what's most important. Watch the video here!

The average webmaster just needs a simple program that will upload and download files to and from their server. These big name software companies want you to spend $30 and $40 bucks on features you don't need.

Download this free, easy-to-use FTP program today.

2 Create a Website is proud to announce our own HTML software that we are offering for free! Download it here.

Webmasters, you are free to offer this from your site for free or as an incentive to get others to buy your products.

Let's face it. The Internet is not for everyone. You have to enjoy being out here and learning the ropes (how to get ranked in Google, partner with other sites, writing content, etc.) If you don't, this journey will feel more like a job.

It's never felt like work to me and I believe that's why I've done so well. Unfortunately, though, when people hear my story of earning six figures per year with my websites, they think all they have to do is build a site and they'll do the same.

If it were really that easy, we'd all have six figure websites now wouldn't we?

People often want instant gratification with little work and then they don't succeed, they place the blame on everyone when 9 times out of 10, the only person to blame is themselves.

Sure, I make a lot of money out here, but I've worked hard. I've been doing this since 1998 and there were times in the beginning when I only made $14 per month. But I never gave up. Yes, I've had several failed websites and made tons of mistakes along the way.

Mistakes are OK, but laziness is not. I get emails all the time from people who want to make six figures but can only devote an hour per day on their sites. If you're just starting out, you have to devote much more time to this than one hour. If you can't, then your results will mirror your efforts.

Then there are the slugs that think they can just plagiarize other's content in hopes of stealing their traffic. What they don't know is that the search engines are now much smarter and than they were years ago so it's not easy to just rip off someone else's hard work (thank goodness!).

Bottom line...

If you are looking for a free lunch or looking to get rich overnight, then the Web is not the place. The Internet is often over glamorized and many people think you can make a killing out here by doing virtually nothing. Just like an offline business, an online business takes work.

The Web is not for lazy people so if that's you, you may want to try something else. :-)

One major flaw I see with websites is that the owners don't put much effort into their writing. This can make a HUGE difference in your sales, whether you're an affiliate or you sell your own products.

The best web writing book I've ever read is a book called "Make Your Content Presell!." PREselling is the process of building credibility through your writing and it's especially important to learn if you are an affiliate (i.e. someone who refers another company's products and earns commissions.)

This vital lesson is not emphasized enough and is a big reason why many people never learn to make money on the Net. It's an excellent read.

The best part...

It's free and you can download it here!

My template collection has really matured over the past couple of months. As I mentioned in September, I launched a handful of professionally designed HTML templates that you can download for free.

Now, I've added some Flash templates. Unfortunately these aren't free and when you see the design you'll understand why. :-) I've partnered with Templates247.com and am pleased to offer a wide selection that appeal to a variety of tastes and website themes.

They make it easy for you to pay (PayPal) and give you a nice deal if you buy in bulk. View the Flash templates here.

1) ...your blog content is an exact duplicate of what's on your site.

In other words, your blog should be a nice addition to your site...not a duplication. It should offer unique, relevant information that people won't necessarily find on your site. For search engine optimization, you should frequently link back to pages on your Web site (if applicable).

2) ...you don't plan to blog often.

If you want your blog to become popular, it's important you update it often...otherwise, what's the point? Just like a website, you want to keep it fresh with new content so it doesn't become stale and forgotten.

3) ...you have unrealistic expectations of what a blog will do.

Don't get me wrong, there are some very savvy bloggers out there getting thousands of visitors per day. However, that is not the norm for most bloggers. So many people think can just throw up a free blog and floods of traffic will come.

The majority of heavily trafficked blogs are owned by Webmasters who already have sites with decent traffic. A blog can be a nice traffic generator if you come up with a creative theme that offers relevant content to your audience. However, don't expect miracles.

4) ...you don't plan to promote it.

Just like a web site, a blog needs to be submitted and promoted. There are tons of blog directories out there that will allow you submit yours for free. But don't stop there. Link it to your web site so search engines can spider it, submit articles and add it to your signature box, etc. Treat it like a website and promote it any place you can.

I have to admit, I was a little ummm....overwhelmed by this free tool called Search It! because there are so many options. However, once I took some time to play around with it, it can be an extremely powerful assistant to your Net marketing efforts...and it's FREE!

This one tool alone will tell give you information on...

1) Your competition (where are they?)
2) Your site's popularity
3) Local business competition
4) Forums/discussion groups in your niche
5) Blogs/RSS feeds in your niche
6) How many of your site's pages are indexed in certain engines
7) And so much more...

Try Search It! today. Be careful though, you might get addicted. :-)