A few years ago, web 2.0 properties were hot. After all, there was something really incredible about writing posts, putting them on there, getting immediate traffic and making sales without having to search engine optimize or drive traffic to them. OK, you had to do a little of this but not a lot. In essence, these sites stood on their own. They had traffic, were well favored within Google and seemed to make everyone money. Then, something happened, Panda hit and these Web 2.0 properties fell from Big G’s good graces.

In essence, all of my favorite Web 2.0 blog properties tanked and so did my income. In one swoop I lost 50% of my income. For instance,  I used to make $xxxxs per month from one site and now I make only xx. per month. So, you may be wondering, if you should even bother with Web 2.0 properties any longer.

My answer is, it depends on you and what you want to accomplish. If you are using them to generate income, you may want to out the same effort into promoting your own site/blog instead. This way you can monetize them any way you like and can make changes if your income tanks. In contrast, if you’re looking to simply build quality links then keep web 2.0ing it all you like as they still provide quality backlinks that can help push your sites up the ranks.

As for me, I’m going to use Web 2.0 properties for backlinking only while I continue to build up my own sites. Only then will I remain completely in control and being in control is what I love.

If you’ve created a great website that is performing well as far as traffic and revenue goes, you might consider selling it for a nice profit. Website flipping is a very popular market today, and many entrepreneurs create or buy websites, make them perform well, and then ‘flip,’ or sell them for profit. However, sometimes, a website is worth holding onto. Below, we’ll discuss the question ‘should you hold or flip your site?’

Revenue

The most important thing to consider is the revenue when you’re determining whether to flip or hold your site. Think about how much you’ve got coming in each month, and then think about what you might expect to receive if you sold it. Steady income that is passive is very valuable, so if you’re making quite a bit of money each month, you might want to hold that website. However, if you are proficient at making websites that perform well, you might want to sell it for the lump payment from whomever purchases the site.

Spend a good bit of time thinking about the revenue and use the information you come up with to determine whether it would be best to flip or hold your site in terms of money.

When You Need Money

If you’re an entrepreneur and you need money, flipping your site might be the best idea. It’s possible to get quite a lot of money if the website receives a lot of traffic and if it’s bringing in a monthly income. The benefit of flipping the website is that you’ll receive a lump payment from the person who purchases it, and this can be helpful if you need the money at the time. In most instances, you will typically receive 10-20 months of income and this can help out tremendously.

Considering Your Schedule

If you just don’t have the time to invest in your website anymore, you might want to flip it. Not only will it free up your time, but the money can be great. Think about the revenue, whether or not you need money now or can benefit from the site’s monthly income, and your schedule before deciding whether flipping or holding your website would be best.

As you probably know, Google updates site page rank (PR) every 4 months or so and the last update occurred on April 2nd. With each passing day, everyone (including me) is anxiously waiting for the PR to increase. Now, before you get all frustrated, you must remember that Google is Google and they are never ever typical. They are like a physician in a busy doctor’s office, they like to keep you waiting. So, instead of getting depressed that your page rank won’t update there are some things you can do about it. Ready?

1. Stop stressing and strike back. For every day that you don’t get a PR update, make it a point to get 5-10 quality backlinks so that you can show Google that you don’t really care about their Pagerank ranking system.

2. Focus on increasing your Alexa ranking instead. After all, with a better Alexa rank, you’l most likely see a PR increase anyway so you can’t go wrong.

3. Google “Why My PR won’t change or Why Google doesn’t like my great site” and then write post after post complaining about how frustrated you are about Google, how you can’t stand them and how you wish they would get their act together. By doing this, you’ll feel better and if you only choose do-follow sites, with higher PR than you have, you could actually increase your backlinks and ummm your ranking too.

4. Bookmark PR checker sites. Visit sites like Google Page Rank Update and check them every 10 minutes to see if your PR has been updated.

5. Stare at the Google PR and will it with your mind to change, change, change. If you can’t bear to see that PR move, you can always go on strike and start using Bing until Google updates your PR.

As for me, I plan on doing 1, 2,3, 4 and 5 (in that order) until I see some Google love or upward movement in my rankings. What about you?

When I first started setting up websites I honestly didn’t even think about the importance of PR. I simply built some quality sites, did a bit of article marketing and hoped for the best. It wasn’t until I got deep into internet marketing that I realized how very important PR is and how it really does matter. Ever so often, I get a few emails from newbies about the importance of PR and whether or not it really matters. Well, this post will attempt to explain this issue a bit more.

Basically Google ranks websites from 1 to 10, with a PR10 being the best. Very few sites are rated a 9 or 10, and one example is Wikipedia. Now, the reason Wikipedia has such a high rating is because they are considered an ‘authority’ site. They have many incoming links from high-quality sites, especially in comparison with the number of links going out. This makes the site more important in the eyes of Google, and with high-quality content and keywords, the PR can really rise.

Many people aren’t sure whether it matters, but when you’re considering offering spots for advertising, it does matter. People will take a good look at your Google PageRank before determining whether they want to place an ad on your site. The higher your page rank is, the more advertisers you’ll have lined up to place an ad on your site. For instance, if you have steady traffic, good PR and a decent Alexa score you can make money from ad sites like backlinks.com, buysellads.com and more.

Sound good? Well, there are many ways to increase your page rank, including:
- Obtaining more links back to your site, especially from high page ranks. It’s even better if there aren’t that many outbound links on your site.

- Using high-quality content that is relevant to your site’s theme. Strategically placed keywords can help as well, but too many keywords are a bad idea and will be classified as keyword stuffing.

- Provide valuable information for viewers, allowing them to be able to link to your site in confidence.

By increasing your Google PageRank, you can gain more advertisers willing to pay for spots on your website, enabling you to make more money and increase your income streams. Check out how to automatically increase your PageRank now.

As you guys know, I’m always trying out new ways to monetize my niche sites. One great way to monetize sites is to sell ads. Keep in mind however, that your PR could drop if you decide to go this route however if you are more concerned with lining your pocketbooks with cold-hard cash, you probably don’t care anyway. Here are the 3 best ad selling sites that marketing writers use to monetize their sites.

www.buysellads.com

This is one of the best marketplaces for selling ads. It’s one of the most established, and there is a huge network of both buyers and sellers that frequent this website. In fact, there are more than 2,000 quality advertisers that use this website to find websites or blogs to publish their ads on. You must get your website or blog approved with this website, but that’s something you’ll have to do with most ad selling sites. They tend to have stringent standards and typically only accept sites with a PR of 3 or more and also seem concerned with Alexa scores too.

www.TextLinkAds.com

This is another of the best ad selling sites. There are already more than 40,000 publishers who are members of this site and for good reason. You can receive 50% of the money that is made when your ads are successful. You’re paid each month on the 1st of the month through PayPal, and you don’t have to pay any fees for the money you get paid. One of the benefits of the ads from this site is that they can increase your search engine ranking because they’re text-based. This site also has stringent standards and seems to approve sites with a PR of 2 or more and lower Alexa scores.

www.adknowledge.com

This site offers publishers the ability to sell different types of ad space, from text link ads to graphics and even banners. More than 50,000 advertisers use this website to sell ads, including companies like Virgin, The New York Times, eHarmony, and more. This site has a lot of flexibility but it is also a site that must approve your blog or website before you can publish ads. I haven’t actually used this one but it does get a lot of hoopla on a lot of forums that I visit and may be worth checking out.

Well, there you have it – the top 3 ad selling sites that you can use to increase your moola. Try them out – you just might like the money they make you!

Well, its the first of the month and I’m very excited that a new month is starting. Although I’m thankful that I reached my goal of $135 per day in online income, I’m a little bummed that I had to take on more active income jobs to get there. This month, I’ll attempt to earn $150 a day and to do this, I’m going to keep marketing my winners and will either flip or put text link ads on those sites that aren’t performing well. So, today’s blog post will discuss the pros and cons of selling text link ads.

Now, why Text Lilnk Ads? Well, Text Link Ads is a huge marketplace where bloggers and website owners can sell ads for their website. Apparently ad publishers make bids for text link ads on your website and you have the opportunity to approve or deny the ads. Here are the pros and cons of this revenue generation model.

Pros of Text Link Ads

One of the most beneficial things about text link ads is that they appear as typical links within the text that goes out to advertisers. This is very non-intrusive, so your guests aren’t irritated with a lot of picture-based or changing ads that are distracting. If a visitor is interested in a particular thing, they can click on the ad quickly and visit the sponsoring site.

Another thing that is quite advantageous for bloggers and website owners is that most ads are automatically renewed. If an ad does well on your site, you’ll probably keep the advertiser for quite some time. You will receive 50% of the income made on the ad placed on your website or blog.

Cons of Text Link Ads

There are a few different cons to this kind of advertising, especially if your site is small. It takes a site with many visitors and a lot of keyword traffic to get approved for Text Link Ads. Even then, it can be difficult to find advertisers unless you have a very specific niche or your site is the dominant site in a niche. The more general your niche, the harder it can be to find an advertiser. For instance, if your site’s main keyword and niche is ‘losing weight,’ it will be quite difficult to gain advertisers because this is such a popular niche and there are so many publishers.

Overall, text link ads can certainly benefit you if your site is well-known and is in a different niche than the majority of others. I plan to use it on those niche sites that have little PR or the ones that I don’t really care whether the PR drops anyway.

What do you think? Are you using Text link ads? Are they beneficial or do they do more harm than good?

A few weeks, one of my readers commented that she had a really hard time seeing herself as an entrepreneur. I mean, she wanted to make passive income online and she wanted to be her own boss but she was having a hard time making it happen. She couldn’t get out of the employee mindset. When I left corporate America to become an entrepreneur, I too suffered from this ailment and I know many other marketing writers who suffer as well. So, here’s some tips that helped me conduct an entrepreneur mind shift:

Create a Realistic Schedule

Since there will be no one to look over your shoulder and tell you what to do when you’re your own boss, it’s important that you create a schedule and stick to it. Doing so, will keep you motivated to work. Divide your time between work and play, and stick to that schedule. Also, use the Pomodoro technique to get those tasks done.

Seek Motivation

Review stories of others who have started their own businesses and were highly successful at it. This will motivate you, and help you realize that you can do it too. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels, but when you have the right motivation, you can spin those wheels in the right direction. Wealthy Affiliate has an entire section dedicated to others who have succeeded at internet marketing.

Reward Yourself for a Job Well Done

Although it can take some time and effort to build up an online business, rewarding yourself for meeting your goal is a great way to find motivation. By doing this, you’ll feel proud of yourself and will start to see yourself as a real entrepreneur – someone who sets goals and meets them. Always keep your goals attainable and when you meet them, treat yourself to a movie, an extra slice of chocolate candy, or a mini shopping spree. Whatever it is, make sure you’re acknowledging the fact that you’re succeeding!

Join Communities of Like Minded Professionals

Join communities of other entrepreneurs. A great one is Wealthy Affiliate; a paid membership site for internet marketers. You can get feedback, tips, and support with your internet marketing efforts. It will help you get your mindset right to talk to others who are going through the same things.

By taking these steps and getting out of the ‘employee’ mentality, you can really get on the right track to internet marketing success. What do you think?

It always amazes me how internet marketers limit their marketing efforts to online marketing only. Although our businesses are online, we can’t be afraid to market our sites and establish ourselves online AND offline. By doing this, we will not only increase our prospective market but we will outshine those silly marketers that refuse to expand their marketing methods.

Here are some clever tips marketing ideas that you can use to market your business online.

Pass Out Business Cards. This should be obvious but you’d be amazed how many marketers don’t have business cards. If you’re one of them, get some cards printed right away. Give them out everywhere. You can leave them at coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries; anywhere you visit where potential customers might be.

Give Out T-Shirts. T-shirts are my favorite. They are cheap and everyone wears them. Simply, have some t-shirts printed up and give them out to family, friends, or customers. Include your domain name and any relevant information, as well as your logo. Others will see the t-shirts and if they’re in need of a service like yours, they can visit your site.

Toot Around a Website License Plates or Decal. Another cool idea is vanity plates or decals for your vehicle. Both of these are a great and inexpensive way to get the message across and help you expand your brand awareness. Use your car as a moving advertisement for your business, and interested customers will see the information and visit your website.

Put an Ad in the Local Paper. Depending on your business, you can (and should) put an ad in your local paper. Direct customers to your website by offering incentives, eBook, or even coupons. People love saving money and go crazy over free offers.

Buy Offline Advertising Space. There are many places where you can buy advertising space offline. Children’s yearbooks, menus at diners, signs near phone booths, etc, are all places that potential customers could see the information about your business.

Sponsor a Sports Team. Another great way to get your name out there is to sponsor a local sports team, cheerleading team, or something similar. It is typically an inexpensive way to market plus you’ll get alot of exposure (especially if your team wins regionals).

So, these are just some of the many tips marketing methods that you can market your stuff offline. Be creative and try to think in terms of where your target market might see your ads, your merchandise, or information about your business but whatever you do, don’t limit yourself to online advertising only!

When I first started freelancing over 10 years ago, I relied on only one website, Elance, to secure the majority of my projects.  It was just so easy to submit and win proposals back then. In fact, over 10 years ago Elance was free for both providers AND buyers. It was really cool because I was able to really dominate the writing marketplace by delivering quality work that exceeded expectations. In only a few short years, I was one of the highest paid ELancers and I commanded $15=$20 per page for eBooks and routinely receive $15 per article.  Back then, clients didn’t complain about the prices – they simply paid and I delivered the goods.

Then, about 3 years ago, I started noticing a huge decline in the projects and the clients. It seemed more and more foreign writing companies were joining Elance and that more American writers were leaving. I also noticed that clients started expecting more and more for less and less. Although I noticed this, I held steady and simply submitted proposals with my regular rates. Although I received less projects, I wasn’t concerned because I was dibbling and dabbling in internet marketing and had less time and energy for clients’ projects anyway.

Fast forward to now, it is much harder for me as an internet marketing writer to find Elance clients that are willing to pay $15-$20 per page for eBooks and even harder to find clients willing to pay $15 or more for a well written and informative article. Instead I see requests for $2 per page for eBooks and $5 for 600 word articles. I  personally think that this is somewhat reflective of our economy but more reflective on the fast that many clients don’t value good solid content anymore. Instead, they are looking for quantity and not necessarily quantity.

Although I could lower my rates on Elance, I refuse to do so. Not because I am pigheaded (which I am) but simply because I value my work and know that if I were to submit lower proposals for the same amount of work – I would be taking a step backwards – a bit step backwards. This would only frustrate me and I would end up procrastinating and not getting the work done.

Instead, I would rather put more time into my own business and building passive income. I would rather make nothing than make a little bit of something. This probably means that I’ll have less active income now but, in all honesty I don’t care cause I know that the investment I make now will pay off much higher in the future.

Plus, if times get too tough, there are always sites like Demand Studios that I could write for if I really needed some quick cash. There are also fun sites like Fiverr where I could also make some fast cash. What do you think?

I am a firm believer that internet marketing writers should NEVER EVER put all their eggs in one basket. That is, smart marketing writers must diversity their income streams so that they can protect themselves from hard times.  And, when I say diversify, I mean diversify both active and passive income streams. By doing this, you will increase your odds of success and protect yourself (and your income) if one of your eggs dries up.

Take me for instance, I make over $500 a month from eHow but in their clever terms of service, eHow states that they can legally cancel or modify the WCP program at any time. They also state that they can eliminate the residual payments at any time and won’t owe writers an explanation or future payments.  Although I hope and pray that it doesn’t happen, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it did. in fact, I’d be surprised if they left everything as it is now. After all, eHow already canceled the previous WCP program so that writers can still receive residual payments for grandfathered articles but now they have to write through DS (Demand Studios) if they want to write additional WCP articles. Well, to protect myself from these types of changes – I also write for not one but several residual income sites including Suite101,  Xomba and Associated Content. In addition, I also have more than one niche blog and I monetize each one not one but 3 different ways.

But, that’s not it -  I also take this approach with my active income sources too. I spend about 1 hour a day searching for new clients and although I have several regular that keep me very busy, I stay active on Elance and Fiverr cause you just never know when you are going to need additional funds. By doing this, I keep my eggs lined up and ready to crack.

So, if you aren’t diversifying your residual income or are relying on one client for all of your income, please stop right now and get some more eggs. That way if the  company folds or changes their terms, you will still have other revenue streams that you can rely on and that is just smart  business!