A practical, informative guide to making money online using search engine giant Google

Today, Google is as common to web searching as Kleenex® is to facial tissues.  Google has set the standard in search engine optimization.  Yet, what may be uncommonly known by most is that this search engine powerhouse can make you money.  This premier search engine continues to dominate the Internet as a money-maker for many online entrepreneurs and marketers.  So maybe you’re ready to put Google to work for you.  But how you ask?

Here are some proven ways to make money online using Google.  Consider each option and based on your business, background and industry experience, choose the option or options that best match your criteria.

Use Google AdSense and AdWords

Google AdSense is a free program that enables online publishers to earn money displaying their relevant ads on a wide array of online venues including websites, site search results, mobile webpages, apps and feeds.

How does AdSense work?  Google earns most of its revenue by allowing other website owners to advertise on their search result pages.  All of that is managed through a program Google calls AdWords.  So, by using AdSense, you can earn a share of the revenue that Google earns by displaying the same text ads on your website.  Basically, you’re helping Google advertise so they pay you a percentage of their earnings.

The key to making AdSense work for you is to optimize your website with keywords.  By using keywords that will give you top placement in Google will bring more traffic and more money.  Once you have a large amount of traffic, you can use AdSense to earn money for your website or blog.  AdSense lets webmasters and bloggers earn advertising revenue by placing the AdSense code on their sites.

AdSense ads become directly linked to your page’s keywords.  The top paying keywords will give you a higher return and more income.  Because AdSense ads are extremely targeted, it is an effective way to earn money from your site.

AdWords works in together with AdSense so you can advertise your business, product or services.  AdWords allows you the option of buying your way to Google’s first page results.  It is a Pay-Per-Click advertising system that has become very popular but also comes with cautions.  If you use the system incorrectly, it can become a money pit.  You are strongly advised to learn and understand AdWords completely before you put money into it.

Become a blogger

By definition, a blogger is someone who maintains a website or blog spot with information related to their personal life or information on the Internet.  For revenue purposes, a blogger is a publisher of sorts that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information from various websites.  Here, we are talking about  “Blogger”, a Google-based blogging platform that will increase your business and revenue.  So, whether you run ads, promote affiliates, sell products or use a blog to promote your business, Google can help you make money with this blog platform.

Freelance your talents

A freelancer is someone who works independently and provides services for individual clients and/or companies.  It is no secret that many freelancers are successfully using Google to showcase their talents.  Almost anyone can become a freelancer if you have a background in a viable area of business.  Some freelance areas include photography, graphic design, writing and editing, audio and video editing, CAD drafting, software testing, animation, accounting, medical and technical writing and data entry.

This is how it works:  The freelancer either creates their own website or showcases their services on a website created for freelancers (for a small fee).  Then, when the freelancer is awarded the work, they use Google to research the project.

Indisputably, Google has become a top revenue source for many online users.  And now, this dominant search engine leader can become a money maker for you too.  As with any endeavor involving finances, be sure to research making money with Google thoroughly before delving in.

Lately it seems every affiliate marketer and internet business person is talking about Squidoo. The search query ‘Make Money Online Squidoo’ seems to be typed into the search bar regularly. There is a lot of money to be made with this site.

So just how can you make money online with Squidoo? First, there is making money off of your lens (i.e. Your Squidoo webpage) directly. These web pages employ a profit sharing model. So to answer the search query ‘Make Money Online Squidoo’ I would say that you can make money by driving traffic to your lens and hoping that the visitors click on the various ads found around the page. You could also use an Amazon or eBay shopping module to make some extra cash. Although this method does work for making some extra money, there are far better ways to leverage Squidoo for profits.

Another interesting thing you should know if you are interested in making money online with Squidoo is that when you target a niche market and build a lens about it, you should not be surprised if you find your lens on the first page of Google within a month. It is common for a single Squidoo lens to outrank a site with hundreds of articles. This has two implications: First it means that driving traffic to your lens becomes extremely easy so making money with Squidoo becomes a cinch if you use the method talked about above. More importantly it provides the lens maker with a steady stream of highly targeted free internet traffic. It is this traffic that makes Squidoo a profit pulling machine.

If you are really serious about making money with Squidoo you need to build your own website or landing page to send all that targeted traffic to. You can basically use Squidoo as a method to pre-sell the product or service that you actually want to promote. It works best if you do not directly promote the product on your lens. If you do direct promotion you might run afoul of the Squidoo spam filter. Instead create a page that talks about a certain problem that your product will be able to solve and include the links to your site once at the end of the page and maybe another time at the beginning or middle. By linking your site to Squidoo not only do you benefit from the free traffic they will send you, but you are building back links from a site with a high page rank, this will raise your rank as well.

The design of your lens is crucial to your success. The trick to making money with Squidoo is to make a lens that people will want to read. The information on your lens must be good and it must be written for the web. Do not just make your page one long chunk of text. Computer screens are hard on a lot of people’s eyes. Use pictures and other modules to break up the monotony of the text. Try to make your lens as interactive as possible. People love having the ability to respond to the information they see on the screen. I always include a polling module, a guest book module and sometimes a debate module.

In fact if you can get enough people talking on your guest book or debate module you will essentially create an auto-updating lens that will always have fresh content. This is the ultimate method of making money with Squidoo. The search engines love fresh content so your Squidoo page will generate a steady stream of targeted traffic to your web sites for a very long time. That’s the same as having cash in your pocket.

To make money online Amazon, all you need is a little time and creativity.  Whether you want a second income or a career, there are simple ways to make money online with Amazon without even leaving the comfort of your home.

Working In Your Pajamas

We’ve all seen the corny ads inviting us to learn how to work in our pajamas.  Amazon is a legitimate multinational commerce company with headquarters in Seattle, Washington.  Currently Amazon is the largest online retailer in America, enjoying three times the Internet sales revenues of Staples.  Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon originally began as an online bookstore.  Today Amazon offers an array of products including VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, MP3s, video games, furniture, toys, food, software, video games, electronics and more.  With websites in Canada, Germany, China, Japan, France and the United Kingdom, Amazon offers international shipping.  By simply selling wares at Amazon, you can really work from home and wear whatever you want.

Amazon Affiliate Opportunities

As an Amazon affiliate, you don’t need to maintain inventory or have a retail store.  You are selling goods through Amazon and making a commission from your sales.  Affiliates are easy to find through Amazon or affiliate services such as Commission Junction.  With a little time and effort, you’ll be on your way to earning serious commissions.  Here’s a brief guide to get you started for an investment of about $20:

–        select a topic or subject you love such as French cooking or soccer so you can write meaningful product reviews to attract potential buyers;

–        choose a catchy, keyword rich domain name people will remember and register it;

–        choose an affordable, legitimate web host such as GoDaddy and set up web hosting for a simple site;

–        use WordPress to set up a simple site and blog with a professional look and the ability to easily make quick content updates;

–        set up categories and sections so shoppers can find what they want right away;

–        sign up to be an Amazon affiliate for free;

–        set up essential bookmarks and links to products;

–        write a detailed review to generate interest in the product;

–        promote your new Amazon affiliate website through link building, social networking and resources such as Blog Catalog.

When visitors purchase items from your website, the link tracks back to your Amazon Affiliate account to earn commission for the sale.  The key to success is offering useful content people want to read and marketing your website so more people know about it.

Amazon for Writers

Since Amazon started as an online book store, it remains one of the top retailers of books on the Internet.  Amazon is an excellent place for new writers to effectively market their published books.  Whether you self-publish or choose a free or low cost publisher, Amazon is an outstanding place to sell your book.  A Complete.com survey conducted in 2008 revealed the Amazon.com name attracts more than 615 million visitors every year.  Harness that powerful market to sell more books as a newly published writer.  Have associates write reviews to attract more attention to your new book. Before you know it, you could be the next literary giant.

Amazon Mechanical Turk

If you’re looking for a simple way to earn extra cash anytime of the day or night, Amazon Mechanical Turk is what you want.  It’s free to register for Amazon Mechanical Turk.  Once you’re registered, you can select HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks) to earn extra cash.  Ranging from $.2 to $5.00 or more, HITS include writing reviews, looking at photos, identifying information at a website and more.  Most HITS involve writing, processing or simple data entry.  Payments accrue in your Amazon Mechanical Turk account.  You can cash out at $10 or more and can have the proceeds conveniently transferred into your PayPal account.

The best part of learning to make money online Amazon is the flexibility.  Work on your business opportunities part-time in the evenings and on weekends.  Within a year or two, you might be able to fire your boss and work at home in your pajamas – just like all the ads promise!

Novice writers have a plethora of opportunities online to break into the writing market.  Years ago many would be writers were forced to just give up because opportunities were limited and finding a paid writing job was very difficult.

With the advent of the internet, opportunities abound.  Everything from online classes for beginners to pros, all the way up to sites that help you self publish electronically, and everything in between.

Depending on what you like to write will depend on how easy it will be to find an appropriate niche.  If your thing is poetry or stories, you may have a more difficult time doing this online because many of the sites that would normally pay you for writing do not pay for creative writing; they pay for non-fiction (articles, reviews, editorials).

Everyone needs to start somewhere, however, and it’s usually writing for free.  There’s nothing wrong with this.  If you do it correctly you can get some phenomenal exposure for yourself.  In return for writing for free you receive free advertising.  Check out a site called EzineArticles.com.  They not only publish all sorts of content on virtually any subject, they provide outstanding training and support to help turn you into a successful writer.

At EzineArticles, if you happen to be a pet groomer you could write short articles about pets and caring for them, and add links to your service at the bottom.  Even though you aren’t being paid for the articles, you are getting valuable free advertising and the opportunity to snag some new customers.

Once you have spent a few months there, you are probably ready to move on to a place like AssociatedContent.com.   Here you are actually paid upfront for each article.  You won’t get rich, but you can expect an average of $3.00 for a well written, informative article of about  500 words.  Once you get comfortable with your writing ability and the topics you like to write about, you can easily write five or more articles a day to submit.

After a few months you should be able to make at least $50 a week just by submitting unique content to them.  When you are confident about your ability, you can try a site called Constant-Content.com.    You submit your articles, wait for approval, and name your own price.

With this type of site you must wait to see if your article sells; you aren’t paid in advance.  They also take a commission on each sale.  For instance, if you sell an article for $10.00 you only receive $6.25.  There is no charge to submit articles, no membership, or commitment.

After you have had some success with sites like the ones above, you may be ready to branch out and compete with your peers by bidding on available writing jobs.  Just as the internet has provided writers with many brand new ways to make money, it has also provided the same type of opportunities for people who need to hire writers (and just about any other type of freelancer).  It is the most convenient and most effective way for writers and project managers to be put in touch.

There are many sites to choose from, but for beginners two good ones are GetAFreelancer.com and iFreelance.com.

They are fairly user friendly and easy to find your way around.  The concept behind these is a little different, however.  Rather than submitting articles you have written, you instead post a profile of yourself – essentially your writing credentials.   Remember, you are now looking for work.  You are a freelance writer.  Your profile is a vital part of your future online success and will probably be the one single reason a buyer chooses to work with you.

Your credentials will be anything and everything you have written thus far and published online.  You certainly don’t need to have a book coming out, but buyers want to see samples of what you’ve done in order to determine if you’re right for their project.  You can either post links to where these are published, or post a link to your own professional website or blog.

Once you have your profile up, you can start bidding on the jobs that interest you.  Formulating a decent bid can be difficult at first because you don’t know what others are bidding.   However, the job will have bidding guidelines to explain what their budget is.  Provide bids that stay within the budget and provide information so the buyer understands exactly what you know about the project at hand, and why you are the best choice.

It does take a while to build up enough credentials and experience to have a full time income doing this, but if this is what you want, it’s very possible.  There are unlimited opportunities out there.  Don’t get discouraged, keep at it, and you will make money.

A few years ago when the economy was booming and the stock  market became everyone’s personal ATM machine, it seems that anyone with a few extra bucks, a computer, a reliable internet connection, and some free time wanted a piece of the action.

And so “day trading” became the current “money making” fad.   Online discount brokerage services  couldn’t keep up with the new accounts being opened.   For a tiny $500, anyone could have the opportunity to open an account.

Discount firms already had a name for themselves, and they had envisioned their target market as intelligent, experienced traders who knew what they were doing, could make informed decisions, and did not need to pay the higher brokerage fees with other companies such as Fidelity who offered “free” trading advice along with their steep per-trade commissions.

However, once word got out about these deeply discounted brokerage firms, everyone wanted to get involved.   Most of these people had no knowledge of the stock market – certainly not enough to make informed educated decisions on short term investing.   And this is what day trading is all about – short term gains, not long term investments.

Oh sure, anyone could buy blue chip stocks and hold them years and years.   But with day trading, the idea was to hold them for minutes, hours, maybe a few days.   A quick turnover would hopefully turn a quick profit.

And so it could be.   But for very very few.  Many investors find out the hard way that real “day trading” accounts have severe limitations, not necessarily explained when the original account is opened.

The problem is that the SEC imposes very strict limitations on what “normal” trading is versus “day trading”.   Day trading has severe limitations of 6 or more transactions a week.  In other words, if you make fewer than 6 trades a week, you are a “normal” trader and you are OK.   However, anyone who makes more than 6 trades a week quickly learns they are in hot water!   They are usually notified with a certified letter that says something to the effect, “You must place a minimum of $25,000 in your brokerage account in order to maintain your level of trading activity.”

The investor then needs to call the company to ask what is going on, whereupon he is then read all the rules and regulations handed down by the SEC to online day traders.   Of course, not many of these new day traders can come up with the mandatory $25,000 so their only option is to limit their trades to the prerequisite 5 or fewer trades per week.

So – what’s the problem?   Most people get this bad news just as they are trying to sell one particular stock – usually for a very tidy profit.   And what happens instead?  They can’t sell for another week!   Chances are when they are finally able to sell, the profit margin is gone.

For anyone who can fund their account with the $25,000 minimum, it sometimes comes as a surprise to find out the account must have this minimum all the time.  This is not simply an initial deposit.  This is a federally regulated minimum that must be maintained consistently, as long as you are making more than 5 trades a week.   If you happen to make a few bad decisions, e.g., you lose a small fortune, you need to replenish the account pronto.

Almost everyone finds out the hard way that online trading is difficult to make any money at.  You’re lucky if you can make anything at all.  Even experienced traders find it almost impossible to know what will happen minute by minute.  It’s all guesswork, for everyone.

If your goal is to actually make a living trading stocks online, you’ll need to have thousands and thousands of dollars to keep in your brokerage account, and be able to afford considerable losses.   The old adage “it costs money to make money” certainly holds true with any type of online trading.  Your success will be a mixture of experience and luck.

However, if you are truly interested in playing the stock market, work with a professional who is not on commission.   Someone who can give you unbiased information – someone who is not being paid a  commission by a brokerage firm.   Don’t rely on books, internet courses,  expensive charting software, TV shows, or friends.   It takes years and years in the business, a thorough knowledge of what the market is doing and intimate insider details of what each individual company is planning.  This level of involvement only comes with years of experience and plenty of industry contacts.

Don’t be foolish.   If you can’t afford to lose big, open a good old fashioned savings account.  At least you won’t lose anything!

There is definitely money to be made on the internet, and it’s not a scam!   Don’t believe it?  Read on!

Apparently YouTube, a fairly recent acquisition of Google, has helped some lucky individuals become “movie” and “video” producers who found a way to make more money than they ever thought possible.

However, even as late as June 12, 2008 the TimesOnline, a U.K. based online news tabloid, posted an article where a Google spokesman is quoted as saying, “We don’t know how to make money from YouTube.”   Well, Google, sit back and take a few lessons from the video amateurs you have helped become “financially independent”!

Because sites such as YouTube must rely solely on advertising revenue from sponsors, they devised a plan where members (anyone who uploads videos) could become “partners” if they allowed advertisements to be included in their videos as people watched.  These partners would then share in the advertising revenues.

This is a superb way to make a few – or a bunch of – bucks for anyone who loves to shoot video and has the time and ability to make it worth viewing.   Whether you are taping grass growing or kids getting into mischief, who cares if there are ads for dating sites and real estate auctions next to your video?

The trick, however, is to get people to watch your videos.  As with any sort of online marketing you need to drive people to your presence whether it’s a webpage, blog or your YouTube video.  This is not a money making venture for anyone afraid of technology and unaware of simple viral and internet marketing schisms, however.

If video is your passion and time is your friend, you can turn a hobby into a full time fairly lucrative income by following a few simple guidelines:

• It takes money to make money!  (Even setting up your first lemonade stand as a child meant your mom still had to buy enough sugar, cups and lemon juice to get your business going.)   Buy the best quality video cam you can afford to ensure high quality results.  People aren’t going to spend more than a few seconds trying to watch something they can’t make out.   Also make sure the audio is perfect.  This type of quality could easily reach the $2,000 range, so if money is an issue check out eBay or Craigslist for options.
• Be patient.  The advertising splits aren’t going to amount to much until you have thousands and thousands of viewers/visitors on a regular basis.  This level of success could easily take a year to reach, so don’t quit the day job just yet.   Learn how to advertise your videos so people will send links to their friends to watch, too.
• Not every kind of video will be profitable.  If you are not a YouTube regular as yet, take some time and check out some videos randomly.  On their home page they have a “most popular” selection.     You might be shocked at what the average person finds interesting, but if you can produce videos in these genres, you’ll have a better chance of success.

Not really into shooting video?  Not a problem!   You still have options.  You can turn video (especially reviews and “how to” videos) into written scripts or articles and submit them to online “content” sites (such as AssociatedContent.com) that pay upfront for this type of information.   Payments can range from $2.00 and up for a simple 500 word blurb.  Consistent submissions could possibly net you $100 a week or so.

You can also use YouTube as a type of (free!)  business ad or website for yourself.  If you are a carpenter, a dentist, a nanny, or even a chef, have someone work with you to do a short “commercial” of sorts, upload it for free, sign up for the YouTube partners program, and then make sure that your own advertising drives people to your YouTube video.   Your revenues will be a combination of ad revenue splits from YouTube, and an increase in your own business.

For instance, a nanny could put up a video of how to diaper a baby with one hand (a task any mom or nanny would love to master!).   A chef could do a video of how to decorate a cake.  A carpenter can upload instructions on how to install a front door.   You could end up with quite a following!

How to Make Money Online with EBay

In these harsh economic times, making money is important. There are lots of opportunities for making money online, but few have stood the test of time. EBay has been helping people make extra cash or a really good living for years. Since it came on stream in 1995, Ebay has grown into the largest online auction site on the Internet.

Some of the positives about making money on EBay are:

• No or very little start up capital is needed. Many persons who start out on the site sell things they need to get rid of such as old paintings, used clothes and toys or even a service.
• Easy to start doing as there is no need to build a website or wait on anything. All that is required is to have something to sell and signing up with the site – so in less than 5 minutes you can be up and running.

Some people fail at making money on EBay for the same reasons people fail at lots of other types of businesses. They fail to fully research the venture before diving in. Before starting any business venture, even selling on EBay, you must do the necessary research. This will or should answer three basic questions, namely:

1. Do people want what I have to sell?
2. What is the competition like for my product and similar products?
3. How much can my product be sold for?

Because so many persons are now aware of the site, the competition is immense. Having a product that is rare or in demand almost guarantees success, however even commonplace products can be sold successfully. While it costs a small amount per month, consider signing up for EBay’s market research tool for a few months. This will allow you to search for historical details of similar items you plan on selling. Having historical data shows how much buyers are willing to pay for an item. This information will help in determining the price of the item and how well it sells.

Other important things to know and do to succeed on EBay include:

• Description: The written description of the product must be appealing and true. Use search engine-friendly terms so as to reach buyers even when they are not searching on Ebay.
• Good quality pictures: No matter how well you describe a product; a good picture will do a better job of selling the item. When it comes to selling on EBay a picture is really worth a thousand words.
• Payment options: Do not limit the payment options for your goods and services. The more acceptable payment options you use the more likely you are to get buyers.
• Shipping and handling fees: This is the last but a vital part of the process of selling anything on EBay. There are many different options available to ship an item to a buyer. You can offer all or a select few, just make sure to charge the correct amount for shipping so that you still make a profit.
• Be professional and you will get good feedback: Professionalism is important once in business. This is true whether it is an online or brick and mortar operation. EBay’s feedback system enables customers to rate the seller. Satisfied customers leave positive reviews which indicate to new buyers that the sellers are safe to do business with. Negative reviews do just the opposite.

Scamming on EBay

It is necessary to be prepared for possible scammers and dishonest people on EBay. Following the rules of transacting business as well as good old common sense offers great protection. One of the first rules of protection is not to transact business outside of the EBay system. Some scammers tempt sellers and buyers by saying that a better deal can be done privately. In this instance, there is no protection for you if you send an item and cannot receive payment.

With careful planning it is possible to earn money online with EBay. It has proven to be a lucrative work-at-home opportunity for many.

Would you like to find a way to earn a few extra bucks without making any sort of long term commitment?   Do you like flexibility?   Doing online paid surveys for market research companies is a great way to accomplish both!

Other than having a reliable internet connection, there’s really nothing else you need to get started – just some free time you want to turn into cash.

Here are the answers to some common questions about making money with online surveys which should help you see that while you will not get rich by taking online surveys… in most cases, it IS a legitimate way to make money online.

Can you really make $50 an hour like the ads say?

No.  Scam artists want you to believe that so you’ll buy into their programs that cost money and provide nothing in return that you couldn’t have done on your own.   Their allegations result from a simple but faulty math principle:  if you do five surveys in an hour at $10 a piece, you’ll make $50.  However, that assumption is absurd because $10 surveys are rare.  You would be lucky to get one a week; you are not going to get five in one hour – or even one day.

Where can you find survey companies?

Do a quick Google search for “online surveys” and you’ll have page after page.  Only register with companies that don’t require enrollment or any type of up front fees (reputable companies don’t).

A few reputable ones to start with are:   www.GreenfieldOnline.com, www.CreationsRewards.net, and www.SurveySavvy.com.

A fun one is www.DollarSurvey.net.   You can take multiple surveys a day and they pay at least weekly.

How much can you realistically make?  

You certainly won’t get rich but you could easily make enough for some groceries, a few tanks of gas, or some new video games for the kids.  Surveys usually average a few dollars each.   Some go as low as .50 and others can go as high as $10 or even more.

A few companies don’t actually give you cash.  You accrue points and can then turn them in for various gift cards and prizes.  For instance 1,000 points might be worth a $10 Home Depot gift card (or Macy’s, or Starbucks…you have a wide range of choices at most places).  Earning 1,000 points won’t take long if you are getting 100+ points for each completed survey and take the time to finish one each day.

What kind of surveys can I do?

This depends largely on what information you add to your profile.  Each company will ask you to fill out an online profile which consists of demographic information, personal information, income, education, size of family, etc.   This information is necessary in order to provide you with surveys that pertain to you and your interests and your lifestyle.  In other words, if you don’t have any children at home, you probably wouldn’t be interested in doing surveys about video games or toys.  If you are in college, you wouldn’t be interested in doing surveys about retirement villages.

Each time you open a survey you will need to qualify for it in order to finish it and get paid.  Sometimes this process can be frustrating, especially when the surveys are in the $5, $10 and up range – and you just never seem to qualify for any of them.

In conjunction with some surveys you will be asked if you’d be interested in rating food, cleaning supplies, personal care items, etc.  It’s not unheard of to be sent a bottle of expensive perfume right before it is launched to the public, or a case of soup before the ads are finalized.

How long does a survey take?

The average is 15 – 45 minutes.  A lot depends on your internet connection and how quickly you can click over to the next page.   Before starting a survey, however, make certain you know exactly how much you’ll be making – some surveys just aren’t worth the time investment vs. the reward.

When and how do you get paid?

Unfortunately, it does take a while to be paid.  As you register with each company, look through their FAQs  to learn what their payment policies are.   Some companies who pay cash are pretty quick.  They use PayPal and usually pay within a week or even less once you request an amount.  Others mail checks.

In order to request a payment you may need to reach a certain threshold in your “account”.  That could range from $5 to $30.   Keep track of your completed surveys (don’t rely on the websites – they do make mistakes) and once you reach whatever limit you need to, you can have your money.

Things to Be Aware of

• Don’t waste your time with “getting paid to read email” schemes.  It will take you years to make enough points to do anything with.
• Some companies give you points only, and you’ll need 10,000-20,000 before you can turn them in.  But the prizes you earn aren’t worth more than a few dollars.  One company wants you to earn 20,000 points, and the best prize you can choose at that point is a tiny calculator which you can buy anywhere for a few dollars.
• Read the fine print on any screen where they are asking for your phone number.  There are all sorts of scams out there that tack on charges to your home and cell phone bill that you “agree to” once you enter your phone number and click on “next” or “submit” – thinking it’s part of a survey.
• Ignore claims of “Here is your $1,000 gift card”.  In order to quality you will need to spend hundreds of dollars on offers and services you don’t want or need.

We have probably all been looking for ways to make more money or even to work from home.  Maybe because of kids or other family reasons or just to get out of the 9 to 5 routine.  If you have been looking to do this, then you probably have looked for online jobs that can be done from home.  There are hundreds out there, they all are a little different in some aspect or another, however the reality is many are only scams.  When looking for online work you will encounter many money making scams and work that truly is not work at all.  Here are some online money making scams to look out for.

• Stuffing Envelopes:  Usually there is an advertisement that companies will pay you to send out their information for them.  What you are actually doing is placing fliers, want ads, and online ads getting people to answer the same ad you answered.  The company will ask for a fee from you to send you a sheet of paper with the ad on it to send to other people and additional information on how to get people to respond to your ad.  Sometimes they may send you multiple ads, each with a different fee to make copies of.  People respond to your ads and pay you the same fees you paid, that is if people respond.  There is no real job, you will be doing all the work yourself.

• You Can Be A Movie Extra:  This is a newer online scam.  Pay a fee to get on a list to be a movie extra.  Except there is no reason to do this.  You can actually go to any local agency where you live and sign up with them for free to be an extra.  They will take a polaroid for you and put you on a list.  There is no reason to pay any fee to any talent agency.  A variation of this is paying a fee to get acting work.  Again, actual movie companies, TV shows, and casting companies do not find people through these online sites.  Also, no legitimate agency will charge you to work for them.

• I’ll Show You How To Make Money In Your Sleep:  These sites are everywhere and usually can involve some hefty fees to join.  Supposedly you sign up and they will show you all sorts of secrets to making money online, even while sleeping.  However, usually they are comprised of pyramid schemes where you have to get more people to sign up or similar to the stuffing envelopes, selling something, such as an ebook on how to make money online.  Sometimes they refer you to more sites to sign up at and pay more fees too.

• Typing:  This one can also be called data entry online too.  Once you pay your fees you get a list of companies that are survey companies, secret shoppers companies, or tester companies.  These are all free, you do not need to pay to find out about these companies, doing a search on Google will actual yield many survey, secret shopper, and tester companies that there are no fees to sign up with.  They call this data entry or typing since technically that is what you are doing, however the actual likelihood that you can make an entire living off of taking surveys, testing products occasionally, signing up for trials, and maybe doing secret shopping is low.  Doing all of those are great to get a few free gifts here and there and to do when you have some down time, however you have to fit a profile and match the surveys that are being given.  Also, signing up for free trials many times requires a credit card and you have to be sure to cancel so you do not get charged if you do not want the product.  Trial sites give you points when you sign up for their trials or test a product, however sometimes there is nothing you want to sign up for or you do not want to give out your credit card.

• Process Rebate Checks:  This is similar to the data entry/typing except now they say you can process rebate checks.  What they do not tell you is that you are giving a rebate on a product that you are selling for another company.  You have to do all the posting of ads and leg work again.  If a product is $50.00, you may offer a rebate of $10.00 for purchasing, there is your payment.  You are not actually processing rebates that a company gives you that were sent to them.

One thing you probably noticed about every make money online scam is that you have to pay the fees and shipping costs and start up fees.  That should always be your first warning that something is wrong.  You should never have to pay a company to get work.  Also, most companies never want to tell you what you actually will be doing until you pay.  So you are in the dark on what your actual job will be.  Furthermore, many of these companies lead you to believe that you are working for a company when in realty you are working for yourself, coming up with the leads, posting to websites, buying supplies, and so on.
There are legitimate ways to make money online, however very few are easy and take just as much time and effort as any 9 to 5 job does.  But, there is rarely any start up costs and are solely based on your actual skills and abilities and not how much money you send them.

While this article cannot give every specific detail related to making money with online auctions, it will provide a great overview of the some of the most important elements of running a successful online auction business.

The first step in finding success with online auctions is to sell products that people want to buy.  There are two common mistakes people make when considering what to sell online.  Some believe that no one will want to buy what they have to sell.  While this is certainly true at times, often, with a little research, sellers may find that while they may have no current use for the item, others could have a need.  Similarly, some list things believing there is huge demand for them only to find them unwanted.  There are definitely some more high demand product categories that find success in online auctions.

Whether one uses EBAY, Yahoo, or one of the many other online auction sites, selling online as a novice, amateur, or expert business person requires some effective use of marketing.  While a basic product listing makes an item available for sale to a large audience, it does not guarantee it will be noticed.  With hundreds of thousands of products listed at any given time through online auction sites, it is very difficult for an item to stand out in the crowd.  Effective titles and use of key searchable words are very helpful.

Each site offers unique add-on services for listing customers to increase the marketability of their products.  Buying all the available marketing options is not always the right move.  If a product is likely to sell for a lower price, adding the extra costs for highlighted, bolded, or otherwise upgraded listings may not create a great enough return on investment.  However, if a product has a moderate or high potential value the extra costs for upgraded marketing may significantly increase the final value of the product.  The general rule is the more demand the product has the more necessary to use effective marketing to draw attention.

Listing items for sale through online auctions is relatively simple.  A simple registration gets one an online account, and a small fee of $.20-$.50 could get a product listed.  A highly demanded item and effective marketing makes a sale likely.  But, to make money online with auctions consistently, effectively, and over an extended period of time, customer service is as important as the sale process.  While many people sell through online auctions and do not consider themselves to be in business, that does not change the fact that people inherently seek and expect to be treated with reasonable kindness, especially when spending money.

Follow up emails thanking winning bidders for orders, efficient shipping, and effective communication are a few keys to good follow up service.  Most importantly, to sell successfully over time, and have repeat customers willing to pay good money, a seller has to approach auctioning with a respect and genuine concern for people.  There are occasional issues and problems that come up after sales, which may not be the fault of either party.  However, responsibility must generally lie with the seller.  Right or wrong, people will not return to a seller when they feel cheated.  Similarly, as all online auction sites have feedback systems, repeated negative experiences for customers can lead to a quick end to a willingness on the part of people to buy one’s products.