The internet has facilitated a new breed of entrepreneurs and businessmen out of ordinary folks like you and me.

Some who have managed to crave out successful online businesses out of ideas that would have been scoffed at in the offline world.

If you ask me, i reckon “How to make money online” could well be one of the “Googled” phrases on the internet, at least that is what my keyword research software is telling me.

And for those who’ve extended their offline business onto the internet, the online e-commerce world can indeed bring more profits with a fraction of the cost of the brick and mortar offline business.

And i know that for a fact, I’m a real life testimonial, check out my profile.

From my personal experience, the internet does offer countless money making opportunities, lower operation costs, faster returns as compared to the offline business model.

Basically, all you need is a computer, an internet connection and a business plan and you are in business.

For those looking for ways to make fast money, the internet business could be a very tempting option.

However, there are flips though, and one must be careful not to fall prey to internet scams or “get rich quick” schemes while trying to achieve online business success too fast.

In a nutshell, doing business on the internet, like in the offline world is basically all about selling, period.

You could either sell something that you have created through your own website or through online stores like Amazon or E-bay. Or just offer services that you have certain expertise on to customers who requires them.

Alternatively, if you don’t have your own product, no worries, you could sell or market other people’s product or service and make a commission out of that, this is otherwise known as affiliate marketing.

 

No matter which options you chose, if you wish to achieve online business success, you need to learn the tools of the trade and gain the relevant experience for doing business online.

And in my book, the fastest track to online business success is to follow a “Proven” strategy that has a track record for success, learn from other people’s mistakes and generally avoid repeating them.

Unfortunately, most people would gladly follow any strategies if it is from some big name internet marketing guru but simply couldn’t avoid the generally “Proven” mistakes that results in 95% of all online businesses failing.

Sometimes, i just could not figure that one out.

Anyway, if you are serious about your online business and wish to make money online, then do check out my Top 7 Common Mistakes most internet marketers and online businesses are making.

 

Mistake 1 : Unappealing Web Design & Navigation

An important success strategy is to develop and maintain an efficient website that is both attractive and easy to browse through.

Some sites contain heaps of useful information, but the required information can only be found after clicking through a fortress of links.

Statistics have shown that most online visitors are only willing to click through 2 to 3 links to get what they are looking for, anything more and they’re gone before you even know it.

Most visitors will get turned off by an unappealing website or one which they can’t figure out how to navigate.

Your website is like your “Shop Front” in the offline world, it’s got to be the best both in design and navigability, so if you are not artistically or technically inclined, do outsource your web design to the professionals.

One of the my favourite outsource sites is Getafreelancer.

 

Mistake 2 : Trying To Sell Without Credibility

Would you go by the recommendation of someone you don’t trust?

Well then, how can you expect your visitors to visit the sites you recommend or advertise if you don’t first prove to them your own credibility?

Establish your online credibility by becoming the “Expert” in your own niche.

Build a specialized website that offers visitors some real value, and has a purpose of its own, rather than recommending stuff that pays you the most commissions.

Establishing Personl Branding or Social Branding is the key to building online credibility and trust.

 

Mistake 3 : Helping Build “Other People’s List” Instead Of Your Own

Most internet marketers often send referrals directly to the affiliate program owner’s website, without even bothering to collect their visitor’s contact details first.

This gives you no benefits for future sales, period.

In short, you are practically passing your potential recurring customer base to the affiliate program owner who has a opt-in box set up to reap all the benefits of your marketing efforts.

It is essential that you acquire the contact details of those you refer so that you can eventually build your own contacts base for future marketing purposes.

Getting a reliable auto-responder program like Getresponse or Aweber is essential to automate the collection and communications process.

 

Mistake 4 : Cesspool Of Affiliate Programs

Most internet newbies will sign up for any affiliate programs that comes their way in an attempt to make fast money.

Many don’t even bother to do a review or analysis of the affiliate program they are signing up for, major mistake in my book.

Come on people, affiliate marketing doesn’t work like that, you need to be due diligent and do your research to find what your target market’s needs, what are the “Solutions” available and what are the programs that caters best to it.

It is highly recommended that you be selective on which affiliate program you decide to sign up with.

My advice is to spend some “Research” funds and try out the product yourself to determine if it really works.

Then you will get a first hand experience and be better equipped to review and advise your potential customers.

For starters, it is generally safer to join more established and reliable affiliate programs or networks like Clickbank as they have strict rules for their publishers.

 

Mistake 5 : “Pay Per Click” Killers

Pay Per Click ( PPC ) Advertising can be both the “Saviour” or the “Killer” for your online business depending on your level of expertise and experience.

Most marketers have the impression that PPC advertising is just about writing a few ads and people will click through and buy your product, fat hope if you ask me.

Learning to perfect the skill of PPC advertising is an art form in itself and it requires constant testing and improvising.

You need to learn how to write attention grabbing ads that are able to cramp the major benefits of your product based on the relevant keywords in a small space that will trigger interested visitors to click through, certainly no easy feat in my book.

Do it right and you will probably enjoy a comfortable payout if the landing page of the product sells.

Do it wrong and you will get either get no clicks or non-converting clicks that will burn a hole right through your wallet before you even know your money is gone.

 

Mistake 6 : Advertisement Galore

Displaying purely ads and links all across your website without any relevant content is a recipe for disaster.

The #1 reason people go online besides checking their e-mails is to look for information, relevant information.

You are probably aware that some internet marketers are able to generate 5 or even 6 figure incomes a month just from Adsense rich websites.

And the reason why they are able to achieve such amazing incomes are due to the fact that they have mastered the correct mixture of good relevant content with a suitable traffic generating methodology.

Certainly not by plastering rampant ads all across their websites.

Remember, people who visit your site are looking for information they need, not to check out the plethora of ads you have.

 

Mistake 7 : Illusion Of No “Work” Required

Seriously, do you really think that you can ever achieve online business success with little or no work done?

Come on, wake up and smell the roses my fellow marketer, the reason why internet scams work is that they prey on this pumped up hype that most of us “chose” to believe.

Behind every successful internet marketer or online business, there is a building and foundation period.

Long before the big name gurus can state that they only work an average 16 to 20 hours a week, they are probably working their butts off 16 to 20 hours a day, trying to figure out what works and gain the necessary online experience needed to build a successful online business.

I am an advocate of “Hard Work” and have always believed in the phrase “You reap what you sow”.

But nowadays, working hard isn’t good enough, we got to “Work Smart”.

And a little guidance to point you in the right direction can definitely go a long way.