How to Begin Making Money

How to Begin Making Money

Before going any further I have to warn you.  DO NOT use a free web host to create your site.  You'll be doomed before you even begin.

I know it's tempting to try this with myspace or AOL but there is a big problem with free sites.  They get no respect in the search engines, and if Google, MSN and Yahoo ignore your site, you'll never make much money.

The search engines are going to be your cheapest source of traffic (it's free!) and if they don't add you to their index, you'll struggle trying to bring in visits to your site.  No visits means no money.

Try it now.  Go to Google.com and do a search for "video game cheats" or any keyword phrase.  Notice you see no myspace or freebie sites in the listings.  That's not a coincidence.

Search engines look for serious sites that live on their own domain (yoursite.com) because they know a lot of the free sites are cluttered with junk, have no clear theme, and do not last long.

You can get a domain name and web host for cheap at www.websitepalace.com or your favorite domain registrar.

Next, you need to decide what your site will be about.  Again, make sure you choose a topic you really have an interest in. I cannot stress how important this step is. 
So many people make the mistake of trying to create a one or two-page web site that is nothing but an advertisement for the company they are affiliated with.  
Their site ends up looking something like this...
 

My-Shopping-Site.com Welcome to my shopping web site.  Here you can discover great deals from J Crew!  Below you'll find pictures of some of their cool shorts, T-shirts, shoes, etc. Just click the links to buy. Thanks for visiting. J Crew Shorts - $34.99 (links to affiliate site) J Crew T shirts - $24.99 (links to affiliate site) J Crew Shoes - $85.00 (links to affiliate site) Please come back and visit my web site!

Yuck!
First of all, Google, Yahoo and most other popular search engines and directories will not add this site to their database because it doesn't have enough unique information.  It's just a one-page advertisement for other websites.
Your site should have its own theme and be flooded with information on your topic.  Then within your stories and articles, you offer links to the companies you're affiliated with (Amazon.com, etc.)
The links should be blended in naturally with your content and appear more like recommendations instead of blatant advertisements.
In the above example, the author would probably get much better results if they had created a site about a specific fashion topic like "fashion no-no's" or some kind of helpful information about fashion. Then they could have incorporated recommendations which would include the links to the stores they're affiliated with.
This is what happens when people do not take the time and effort to create a site they care passionately about.  You should choose a topic know a lot about and can generate pages and pages of info. 
If you just plan on creating a one or two-page site that advertises the company you're affiliated with, then don't waste your time.  You won't make any money this way.  Your site should have 30 pages of content at the very least.
Don't panic about the number of pages.  You don't have to create all 30 pages at once.  If you do just two pages a week, your site will grow pretty quickly.
Remember...your goal is to create a site people will want to bookmark and a site that the search engines will love.  Google loves large sites.  So the more pages you have, the greater chance you'll get more traffic.
You don't have to choose a subject with high-priced products. You can make just as much or more by joining Amazon.com's affiliate program and refer their music as you could with almost anything else. 
Even though the products are cheaper, you'd have a much better chance of getting larger orders than you would for products that were $400 each.

Start Building Your Site Today!

Now start by registering a domain name to begin creating your website.
Take your time.  Do it right the first time and the rewards can be quite sweet.  This money for college can end up becoming a secondary income for the rest of your life...or perhaps even a primary income.
Good luck!