1 - You can earn great cash by going to a handful of web pages and setting up a few links from your page.

2 - You can get more traffic to a blog than you can to a static web page. Wanna know how? Keep reading...

3 - It's really easy to build a blog and start the whole thing going. You can get started as soon as you finish reading the information below.

Ok, let's tackle those things in reverse order shall we?

Number three, you need a blog. These are incredibly simple and often free to set up. I like Wordpress But I know alot of people who prefer Blogger. Both are free and simple to use. Feel free to try them both out and see what suits you best.

When it comes to blogging, the first thing you want to do is find a niche. Something you can talk about on your blog. Ideally you will know a lot about this topic. That might be recipes, or raising children or why purple is called purple. Hey, if you have an answer I would like to hear it.

Create great content for your readers. If you are simply posting your whimsical thoughts or questions no one cares about, you aren't likely to get a lot of return traffic. You want quality. Ask yourself, what makes you go back to a website again and again? There are things there that you are interested in. What will your readers be interested in?

Start with a couple of paragraphs per day. Ideally you want somewhere between 500 and 750 words per post. Also learn to use the insert pictures function on your blog software and use it. People like to look at pictures. Just make the pictures you use relevant to your topic.

In other words if you are writing about tires, try not to put pictures of Hawaii on your post. Unless of course you are writing about tires in tropical climates.

Ok, I think you see the point. Now let's move on.

While we are discussing a blog, you need to know that almost everyone who is serious about blogging uses their own server. Wordpress and Blogger are both free, and that is a good way to go.

Personally, I use the wordpress software at web host pad. It's only $4.95 per month, and you have a lot more freedom to sell advertisements and promote affiliates (which we will get to in a minute).

If you think anything I just said is confusing, it's only because you haven't seen it yet. It is as simple as knowing where to click. For that reason, I have written a very handy little manual available for free at my blog about building your own business online. It's free and its there for the downloading. It will show you step by step how to update and customize your blog.

I am also an email away from my site visitors, so never hesitate to ask for technical help.

OK So if you have actually been reading all along, you are probably wondering, but what's the big deal? why blog?

I get that question all the time. Some people seem to think it is a big waste of time, or some sappy emotional vomit thing meant to draw people in.

These are the moments I wish i had a big Jeopardy buzzer in my pocket.

NO!!!

Blogs are better than regular sites because they typically get more traffic!

There are a few reasons for this. One of them is Really Simple. Really Simple Synidication that is. Otherwise known as RSS.

Blogs use this format to send the content you post out to the world just like radio waves. Your readers will be able to get instant updates as soon as you write something new. But it's not just the readers, so will the search engines! I have personally reached the front page of Google in Four minutes! Let me say that one more time...

FOUR MINUTES

This could never happen with a webpage. When you build a traditional web page, you have to wait for the search engines to come to you. Not so with a blog. You can go to them (and its automatic).

When you write a blog you will have a "Title" and a "Post" You want to use words in the Title that you want to be searched for under.

In other words if you are writing a blog about "How to Boil Chicken," it would be bad to use "get the bird wet" as your title. Best go with something like "How to Boil Chicken." Unless of course you want people searching for wet birds to visit your page.

You know how you often shop online at ebay, amazon, or one of the millions of other places you can buy stuff online? Well, a lot of people don't realize that about 98% of those will pay you a commission for sending people to their websites.

Thats right! So lets say you are blogging about recipes, and you send someone off to buy a recipe book you recommend, or a sweet onion they can't get at their neighborhood grocery (OK I realize that's a bit extreme. But you get the point). You can use a link which sends them right to the product and gives you a percentage of the sale. You can even refer them out to blockbuster for an after dinner movie.

The best places to find these sorts of things are:

Amazon Affiliates

ClickBank

Commission junction

Kolimbo

AND

LinkShare

You can find just about anything your heart could desire to market at these places.

You simply create an account with them and decide what you want to promote.

- Now let me pause here -

I often get asked, "but I don't know what sorts of things to promote?" So let me respond to that.

Remember when we talked about finding a niche earlier? This is where that comes in.

Your niche is going to help you find what to sell. Who are you writing for? What sort of people are visiting your site? What do you think would draw their attention and make them buy something? Do you think they would be most interested in a banner in the middle of the text...

Unrelated to the topic at hand?

Or are they going to be more compelled to follow a link you recommend?

For instance, if I were to tell you that if you follow this link you can actually get paid to write blog posts. Would you do that?

Do you see how you would go about choosing the right affiliate marketing company?

Just in case you missed the point I just made, the key is relevance and quality content. Give people what they want! If you do that you will be successful.

Now, you might have been hanging on every word so far, then you are going to like what I am about to tell you.

But if you were sort of getting it, but wanted something a little more concrete, you are going to want to kiss me!

Here is what you need to do.

1) identify whether you want the free wordpress blog or the nicer self hosted one.

Either go to wordpress, or go get the book on doing it yourself for free.

2) create an account and using the tool you have chosen start building.

3) write posts. Try to post 2 paragraphs every single day. This will help you get a following.

4) visit the affiliates referenced above and start creating accounts and finding products to sell. (just a note: only clickbank and Amazon will work with you unless you self host the blog using option 2 above)

5) insert relevant links and ads as you write.

6) sign up to get paid to blog

7) visit my blog about blogging and gain tips and ideas and ask questions any time!