Buying and Selling Domains: How the Business of Names Can Help You Earn Profits

Who would have thought that money could be made from names? With the advent of the Internet, industry regulars slowly realized the gold mine sitting literally under their fingertips in the form of domain names. These days, buying and selling domains has become a real business, with some highly sought-after names selling for five-digit figures. The domain name ClearDay.com, for example, reportedly sold for $60,000 while Mercury.com made a lot more -- $700,000. Think there's a market out there for your domain name? Here's how you, too, can make money from a name:



Find domains that you can sell later on.

Generally, people who buy or 'grab' domain names don't really have industry-specific monikers in mind. If you like jewelry, for example, you don't have to stick to buying domains such as PreciousGems4U.com or SparklingJewelries.net. You can pretty much pick any name that strikes your fancy and then buy it.



However, paying for names that won't sell later will considerably drill a hole in your pocket if you're not careful. You could buy dozens of names for a small fee but if you're not going to use them or can't sell them later, what's the point of grabbing them, right?



Do a search on domains that have a potential or those that have shown some sort of following in the past few months. Use the Alexa toolbar to find out which domains or sites are these. Look for names that have registered a minimum of 1,500 to 2,000 hits 30 to 60 days prior to your search. If you're willing to pay more, look for domains that have registered five-figure hits because that's an assurance that these domains already have a strong following. You can either sell the domains back to their former owners or have interested parties bid on them. Either way, you'll profit from your efforts.



Automatically bid on domains.

You can't always spend hours online searching for domains to buy. Try online grabbing systems that let you automatically bid on domains you're interested in. Sites such as Pool.com and Snapnames.com are just two of these sites. You'll pay them a fee if they successfully grab the name on your behalf.



Get your domain name listed.

Before you can sell your domain, you have to be registered. That's how you can be 'legally' recognized. Getting the name registered also bestows upon you the right to claim it and if you so wish, sell it later.



Registering a domain name may be done for a limited period of time, usually as short as 12 months to as long as 10 years. Beyond the chosen period, the registration expires and you can choose to renew it and continue to claim ownership over it. Or, you can choose not to; at which point the domain name will be made available to another buyer. This is where you can sell the domain.



Register a potentially valuable domain.

Many people scour popular shows and events to try to find out which personalities, events or gadgets are developing a following. If you've been watching shows such as American Idol, for example, and you check out sites that register domains, you'll find a few that are familiar. This is because some people will try to register a name of some rising star who will potentially become famous enough to want to build his own website someday. Since his name is already registered, he will want to buy it back and thus earn the investor a nice profit.



If you don't mind speculating, this may be a good route to take. Just remember, though that it can go either way in which the domain name gets sold or it gets ignored.



Build traffic to your domain.

If you want to take this route and build your domain from scratch, prepare to work. If you have a domain name that you created by yourself or bought, you need to make it valuable to potential investors. Offer high quality content, build a reputation, link up with quality sites, allow your visitors to interact using your website. Once you start appearing on major search engines' radar and gain a good following, you raise the value of your website and your domain. When the time is ripe, you can then sell that domain for a nice, fat profit.

From Product Creation to Selling: How to Take an Idea and Turn It Into Tangible Merchandise

If you take a look at every product you've ever used or heard about, you're actually looking at the manifestation of an idea. Once upon a time, it was an idea that spawned its creation from mobile phones to video games to sneakers, even the food we eat and the movies we watch. Some of the biggest and most respected companies today began their business by creating and then selling an idea that later became a product. That little seed of genius that floats around in your head may just be your ticket to fortune, fame and a dream come true. Here's how:



Creating the product

There are several ways you can create a product. One is to create it from an original idea, another to rehash an idea that's already there and modify it and still another is to find the market first and then create an idea that will either meet a need or create one.



Design your product

You could keep your product as an idea in your head but it's best if you put it down on paper. This will help give you a different perspective on how you want it to be. Ask yourself questions: What will your product be? What will be its purpose or value? What will it look like? Will its design compete with what's already out on the market or will it affect its marketability?



Don't underestimate design. According to Apple's Steve Jobs, it's so much more than just veneer; it's actually interior decor. That means it is integral to the identity and function of the product itself. For the latest iMac model, for example, Jobs fought not to have a fan installed on the equipment. This resulted to a more intensive engineering design but a far more superior machine in terms of thermal management.



Research the market

Having a product is one thing while having a market to sell it to is another. Determine who will buy your product. Is there a real market for it out there? Will it sell easily or will it have to rely heavily on a lot of promotions and advertising?



If you don't have a clear idea what your product will be, it will help if you look at the industry you're interested in and see if there is a need that you can fill.



Selling the product

The very first thing you should consider when selling your product is strategy. There is so much more to selling a product you have created than just pushing it at someone. Look at your product from all angles and determine how it will compete.



Decide on your product sales route

How and where you will sell your product will affect your pricing and even its production and handling. Will you be selling it exclusively online or offline as well? Will you be using an affiliate program or direct retail? If you use an affiliate program, will your pricing cover for the commissions? If you will be selling in bulk, can you give discounts off the original price? Can the selling method sustain your business and help it grow?



Set your pricing

The next concern you should have when selling your product is pricing. Pricing has been the downfall of many would-be entrepreneurs and even more established ones, so if you're not careful, it could ruin your chances of success.



Make pricing part of your strategy. Determine the cost of production including overhead expenses and then put a reasonable markup on the product. Pricing should cover everything from the creation of the product to its sales. It should also be priced in a way that makes it attractive and yet promote its value at the same time.



Supply and demand

Another consideration is supply and demand. How long you will be selling your product will depend on how long you can continue producing it. Where will the materials be sourced and are there factors that will affect how the product will be produced in the future? Is there real demand for the product or do you have to create it?



If your product has been created as a result of another product or to accessorize and supplement it, do you foresee any modifications that might adversely affect your product sales? If you sell customized leather casings for iPods, for example, you could face some serious production concerns once it changes its size or design in a major way.



Your competitors

When selling your product, you need to keep your eye on your competitors. What they sell, how they sell it, to whom they sell it and for how much will greatly impact your business.



Promoting your product

Now that you have created your product, it's time to begin promoting your product in order to sell it. What type of advertising do you need for the product and where will you advertise? Decide whether building a website is enough or if you need to tap other more traditional methods of promotion. You will have to review your advertising efforts from time to time to determine if it benefits your business or takes away from it unnecessarily.

Creating Directories That Will Attract Traffic and Raise Your Page Ranking

If your goal is to earn money from Google Adsense through content or article directories, you're better off setting your sights elsewhere. Directories are not high performers when it comes to Google Adsense ads and if you expect a good stream of income from these, you're bound to get disappointed. However, there are other things that you can expect from creating directories and if you look closely, they could be your ticket to finding a good source of revenue.



What directories can offer you

Online directories are repositories of Web content; usually articles, write-ups, news, video and audio clips or links to other websites. They can be part of a group of sites found on a larger host site or they can be independent. People go to these sites either to submit content and links or to find them.



Directories are beneficial in several ways:



They bring in traffic.

If you understand how, traffic can be used to bring in revenues through your directory. Once you set this up, visitors come to pay you a visit like writers and site owners who want to submit their articles and webmasters who wish to submit links to their websites. Traffic can be a good source of either cash (if and when you charge for links to your website) and lists for your Internet marketing efforts.



They can get you paid directly.

Again, charging for links will help you monetize your directory. But this can only be done if your site has already built a reputation, is generally popular or at least has a niche following and enjoys a high volume traffic. You can also charge for links if your directory is enjoying a high PageRank. Your directory's popularity will mutually benefit other sites because it places them in quality company.



Directories provide reciprocal links.

Reciprocal links are simply links that point back to your website. A high ranking directory can do this. More links mean more traffic and better relevancy for your directory.



Creating directories

You could create a basic directory using good old HTML or you could make it easier on yourself by using applications such as Wordpad, Dreamweaver and FrontPage. If you're computer savvy and know your way around scripts, you can use those instead and simply build a MySQL database. If you want a cheaper way to do it, check out directory scripts being offered for free online.



Determine your subject matter.

What is your goal in putting up a directory? Make this clear from the get-go. This will help you design a well-organized website. You should also decide at this point on the type of subjects you want to include on your directory. It's a good idea to offer a variety of subjects. Try popular subjects such as finance, credit, gaming, travel, Internet marketing and the like.



You could also take one general subject and then offer to post content that are related to it. Instead of attracting a general-interest audience, you can cater to a niche market instead. You could build a strong following this way.



Provide original content.

Content found in your directory will be contributed from multiple sites. It's highly possible that those articles will appear in other directories as well. As such, you probably can't claim to have original material on your website. Since original content has a higher value for page ranking, try to produce original content on a regular basis. Write your own articles or pay for unique content. You can also try to do research on high-value content and then produce materials with those subjects.



Check your webhost for compatibility.

Creating a directory means you will be offering it from a hosted page so it's a good idea to ask your webhost if it can efficiently run your website. Get a hosting account with a provider that offers you sufficient disk space and plenty of support. To give you an idea of what you will be looking at, let's take a look at hosts such as Hostgator.com. They charge a monthly fee of about $7 in exchange for an account with 50GB of disk space. For $10 a month, you can increase that capacity to 100GB. There are several other host providers that can offer you similar services. Simply look them up online to compare which one will give you the best service.

Doing the Write Thing: Tips for Selling Copywriting Services

Being adept at putting words together can actually jumpstart your career as an entrepreneur. Copywriting has had its ups and downs but it is still one of the strongest industries to ever come out of the Internet. Whether online or offline, you can sell your copywriting services and enjoy a job that you like and will excel at. However, this isn't always the perfect job. Find out how to sell this business and what you can expect out of it:



Prepare to sell.

It's difficult to sell a copywriting service when you haven't got anything to show for it. To begin selling, prepare a strong portfolio of all the things you've ever written, particularly the good ones. This portfolio should represent you as a copywriter and should showcase your abilities.



If the articles you have written have already seen print, you might want to indicate where they appeared and when. Include the URLs of websites on which your articles and write-ups have appeared as well.



Show proof of your skill.

Your clients have different goals for hiring you as a copywriter. Some of them simply require content while others want your copy to sell their products. If you have written copy that has contributed to an excellent advertising campaign, say so.



Build a website.

This may be an optional step but it is highly recommended to help you build a clientele and promote your service. Many full-time and part-time copywriters have websites of their own where they regularly provide content, write blogs, advertise their services and communicate with clients. Some of them even use their websites to sell content to their subscribers, thus supplementing their copywriting services.



Actively look for clients.

Don't just rely on websites and advertisements to find your clients. Go after them yourself. Start with people you know to help you build your confidence level and then ask for referrals.



You could also get in touch with individuals, businesses, professionals, private organizations, clubs and associations who might need your copywriting services. You could also seek out or bid on available jobs that people post online.



Standardize your fees.

Of course, you could probably still earn decently by going renegade with your fees but it's best to set the rates for your services. That way, it will be easier for you to determine how much to charge.



Take into consideration your qualifications, expertise and experience. Depending on the project, you might also want to charge for incidentals such as photocopying fees, extra time or manpower spent for the writing project, meetings with clients, etc. Charges can also vary based on the type of writing required. Writing web content, for example, may not demand the same quality, style and expertise as writing a business proposal or a press release.



Pricing your copywriting services can be a challenge. You want to get paid and still be competitive at the same time. It can also be tricky; charge too low and you might not be taken seriously. Charge too high and you'll scare your clients away. Try to check how much copywriters in your locality are charging or how much is the going rate for a particular type of copywriting. Most copywriters, however, will charge from $45 an hour upwards, depending on the project and their background.



Seek out your satisfied clients.

Clients who like your services are a good resource for selling your copywriting skills. If a client is satisfied with your output, always ask if you can use them as reference for future jobs. You could also ask them if they are willing to be part of your list of testimonials. Having real-life people to back up your claims will help you gain the trust of prospective clients.



Offer something for free.

Some people just won't buy until they have a pretty good idea of what the product will be. For some of your clients and would-be clients, your portfolio is often enough to convince them. For others, however, you will have to do so much more.



Types of copywriting services you can offer

There is more to copywriting than just writing something. If you have no clear idea what type of copywriting services to offer, here are some of the things you can do:



Website Content

Press releases

Online and Print Advertising

Promotional Materials

E-mails for Direct Marketing

Newsletters

Copy for brochures, pamphlets and catalogs

Proposals for grants and businesses

Ghostwriting

A Practical Guide on Selling Advertising

Selling advertising can be your first step into monetizing your website. It will require a lot of work and some strategy but once you have it going, you can literally sit back and enjoy incoming revenues. The trick is to ensure that you design your business or website in such a way that lets you achieve steady sales from advertising. So whether you're managing a blog or selling an e-zine, it's important that you understand the things you'll need to implement to help you maximize your business. Here's how:



Define your niche or industry.

Selling advertising means attracting advertisers that have a specific industry. The industry you'll be involved in will also affect how many advertisers will want to buy ad placements on your site and how much you can charge. Technology, gaming and personal finance, for example, are just a few of the industries that let you charge higher fees.



Find out who your website attracts. Who are the people who visit your site, participate in your surveys and games or leave comments on your forum or discussion boards? You'll get a pretty good idea of the type of advertisers you'll draw in by knowing your audience. Furthermore, niche or industry-specific sites have better staying power than general-interest sites. That is, unless you find a way to become the dominant site.



Build a strong traffic to your site.

Remember Greg Kinnear's character in the movie 'Lil' Miss Sunshine'? He desperately wanted to sell a seminar about winning but was not exactly living up to his own standards. The same is true when you're selling advertising. Trying to get people to buy space on your website when it is essentially a non-entity is useless and ineffective. Why would people want to do business with you and of all the websites they can place ads with, why should they pick yours?



Look at how well-established your website is. If you were an advertiser, would you pay to place cheap ads on a website that receives only 100 hits a day or would you rather buy more expensive placements from a website that gets 10,000 visitors daily? If you have a strong following, the ads that will be placed on your site have a much better chance of getting noticed by more people, which is your advertiser's purpose of placing an ad with you in the first place. Strengthen your site and put effort in building traffic.



Remember that online, traffic builds reputation. The more traffic you have, the more reliable you are. And the better your reputation is, the more you can charge for your ad placements.



Understand the 'hot spots' on your website.

Certain areas on your website are well sought-after real estate. Top center, top left and top right spots, for example, are prime locations for advertisers that want more exposure. You could sell these ad spots for a higher price and sell other locations for a lower fee. It's part of your advertisers' promotional strategies to choose their ads carefully, whether yours is a website, a newsletter or an e-zine.



Vary your charges. Offer textual ads, text link ads, graphics and animation. The more attractive and strategically located your ads are, the higher fees advertisers should pay for them. A reminder, though: you can only charge high rates if your site has industry, 'juice', recognizability or influence. Otherwise, you'll have to build your rep first or sell ads at low rates. You can then increase that rate later on.



If you're still confused about ad positions, visit other websites with similar content such as yours and find out how they design and place their ads.



Show your potential advertisers where the goodies are.

When you begin selling advertising, put up ad blocks to indicate free spaces on your site or e-zine. Then advertise them by letting your advertisers know they are available. Place signs such as 'Your Ad Here' or 'This Could Be Your Ad' and include a link to a landing page where they can e-mail you for details.



Customer service is highly recommended.

Regardless of what the main purpose of your website is, once you start selling advertising, you will be doing business with people. Take care of your advertisers and offer consistent customer service. Make ordering your ads simple and efficient. Offer several payment options (credit card, Paypal, online checks, etc.). Then top it off with great customer relations.

Five Great and Easy Ways to Make Extra Money Online

Everyone wants to make some extra cash. Perhaps you want to buy new set of clothes, a new pair of shoes or the latest gizmos available on the market or simply, your current job isn't enough to satisfy your financial expenses. If one or more of the mentioned reasons apply to you, then you're not alone. People who ventured to making money online have these reasons too. Here are five easy ways to make extra income using the Internet.



1. Become a member of an affiliate program

By joining an affiliate program, you make commissions when you generate sales through the affiliate link. To do this, you promote other peoples products and/or services on your web site. When customers purchase any of these products through your link, then that's how you earn money. Most affiliate programs are free therefore, you don't need a big investment for this type of business.



2. Start blogging

Blogs nowadays are one of the most popular ways to generate money online. To start your own blog, select a particular subject to discuss and provide people with useful information and encourage them to comment on your posts. This is how you drive traffic to your blog site. Keep your site updated by adding new articles on a regular basis.



3. Make use of Google AdSense

Another easy way of making money is to rely on the use of Google AdSense. Provided that you keep a regular flow of traffic on your web site, a percentage of visitors would likely click on the ads that interest them. Just be sure never to break any of the rules the Google has implemented upon using Adsense.



4. Join Internet auction sites

There are things that are no longer useful to you yet they may be a treasure to other people. Sites such as eBay allows you to sell your items by posting your items condition, price, etc. You can just imagine the number of people who visit these sites when they are looking for items unavailable to where they reside. Lots of people have made great success by simply selling their used products.



5. Provide people with product reviews

There are sites on the Internet who pay you for every product review you send. Note that prospective customers would like to be given feedback before they purchase an item. The Internet is the most widely used tool when it comes to information. Aside from earning money, you provide people with information that may be very helpful to them.

How You Make Money with Google AdSense

Most marketing experts use Google to post their ads for prospective customers to see. This is often a very effective means of making money. The Google AdSense is one of Google's programs which allows you to host a number of pay-per-click ads on the website you own. When someone clicks on one of those ads on your site, you earn your income. Additionally, the Google AdSense delivers image and text ads automatically which are specifically targeted to the content of your web site. Unlike other affiliate programs which demands most of your time with signing up and maintaining good relationships with the advertisers, Google will do these things for you making your site easier to manage.



How you earn money

When you post Google ads on your site, you may likely have a bigger chance of generating your revenue. How does Google do it? Google auctions relevant ads and allows various advertisers to compete against each other for the display of their ads. When the auction is over, Google AdSense immediately posts the ads that will have the most possible maximum revenue for a given web page, thus allowing the web site owner to generate maximum earnings.



Joining the AdSense program is fairly easy. You'll be required to fill up the application form provided for you. Once Google has approved your application, you can log in to your account and you may start copying the HTML codes of the ads and paste them on any of your web pages. Ads will immediately show on those web pages and visitors can start clicking them.



Other features of Google AdSense

With Google AdSense, ads that may provide relevance and connection to the content of your web pages are automatically delivered. Furthermore, it lets you modify the look of your ads to match your sites whole appearance and design. It allows you to construct your own custom palettes using its color selection tool which is by the way, very easy to use.



How to generate maximum online earnings

The key to generating maximum revenue with Google AdSense is to check the performance of your ads regularly. Make use of online reports which are available online. They offer important details such as the number of clicks your site generated, number of delivered page impressions, and the rate of clicks. You can also spot the trends of how to maximize your revenue thus providing you what type of content your site should provide. It is very important to increase the traffic of your site continually so your ads gain more number of clicks. The type of content you need to post on your site should contain what people find these days.