How To Start An Online Business From Scratch

A lot of people want to get out of the grind and start working for themselves. They want to crush the cubicle, but don't know how to do it. Many of the writers here on Hubpages.com and other writing sites are in pursuit of the new American dream, becoming an "Intrepreneur."

It's a lot easier than you think and you don't have to spend a fortune to do it, contrary to what many of the internet gurus would like you to believe. If you've got a modicum of understanding on how to use the internet, how to use keywords to optimize your articles and web pages, you're halfway there. If you can build a web page with Squidoo or Hub Pages, you've got the battle licked!

This method starts with what is called Article Marketing.

Article marketing is about marketing a product or a service through the use of articles on free article websites.

1. First you create an web page on a free website like blogger.com, Squidoo.com or Hubpages.com (there are others) using some of the keywords people use to find information about the topic you are promoting.
2. Provide relevant information that can make a difference in someone's life in your article (this isn't about hard-core selling - it's about providing information - being a resource).
3. Create a link to a suggested product that may additionally help the reader achieve the end result they seek.
4. Write up at least 10 articles on the subject using different keyword search terms and submit these articles to free online directories.
5. Link back to your free web page with the affiliate link and original information on the product.

You can find keywords using Google's free keyword tool, or the SEO Wordtracker tool.  On a monthly search, use keywords that generate at least a 1000 searches a month or about 60 searches a day.

Turn these into some long keyword phrases.  To check out your competition for the keyword, enclose your keyword phrase inside quotes and run it through the google search engine.  Anything that shows (using the phrase inside quotes) less than 10,000 searches is more than likely something you can get on the first page of google with your article using those keywords.

Keyword research isn't rocket science, but it doesn't do any good if you're using a keyword phrase that 1,000,000 other internet marketers are using no matter how well written your article may be.

Starting an online business from scratch takes time. Have patience. If you find that after at least a hundred click-throughs on your articles without a purchase, you may need to re-work your articles and maybe your keywords.

The rule of thumb is that for every hundred views, you should have at least one click through to purchase. Keep this in mind when building your online business. If it is working for you, don't change anything. Just copy what you did with that campaign and start again with a new product.

If it isn't working and you're not getting click-throughs it could be because you don't have a strong enough call to action, your keywords are targeted at people in the wrong position in the buying cycle or you're not targeting your marketing to the correct hungry crowd.

The internet is the best place for you to learn how to create an online business from scratch. It doesn't cost a lot of money, it's available 24/7 and if you don't like what you've done, start over, it really is that simple.

If you persevere, eventually you will come up with something that works. Article marketing and creating an online business is for those people who don't give up. You learn from every mistake and learn from every failure.

Like Edison said of the 10,000 failures he had on his way to creating the light bulb. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Bottom line is to not give up. If you truly want to create an online business from scratch, you will succeed, but only if you stick with it.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Thomas Edison

I discovered an amazingly inexpensive program that teaches you how to create your online business from scratch using free internet resources to build your business. Hop on over and watch the free video on how to pick products that people want.