Now that many people’s finances are getting even tighter due to the recession, the idea of making money online is getting even more attractive, and one of the first things many people hear about is something called “affiliate marketing.” While there is a enough information out there to overwhelm most people at first, the basic concept is fairly simple.

Market research is the first step in the process.

First, you must research markets you are interested in. This is your most important starting point, and you can do this by finding out what your potential customers are looking for. This is the essence of “keyword research” – finding the actual words or phrases people type into search engines to find answers to their problems, and you can be sure that if you do not do your research, you will regret it later.

By finding and using keywords that consumers are actively entering into the search engines, you will be able to help your websites and landing pages rank higher, generating a nonstop flood of organic, targeted traffic.

Keyword research doesn't have to be a difficult task, however. Start with the free Google Keyword Tool, which can be found by searching for “Google keyword tool external,” and enter in a keyword or phrase that identifies the product or niche that you are interested in promoting as an affiliate.

Click on “get keyword ideas” to generate a list of keywords and gauge the competitiveness of the the market by taking a look at the number of times people are searching for your main keywords per month.

What you want to do is find a market with existing demand that also has existing competition and products readily available, but not so competitive that ranking highly is next to impossible.

What's important here is that you remember there must be an audience for whatever you choose to market. Since you are an affiliate, your costs for entering a market are not very high, but  it’s still a good idea to take the time to do niche research in order to avoid wasting your time.

For more information on market research and keyword research in affiliate marketing, particularly as it applies to CPA, check out the newly-released Zero Friction Marketing course.

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Today, most people access the internet for information, products and services.  All entrepreneurs have turned their attention to the World Wide Web because it reaches so many people so quickly.  Sales are increased dramatically and expenses are not necessarily smaller, but different.  If a company had a small shop in a rural town, they would have employees and other expenses.  If this same company had an online business, they would probably not have as many employees on the clock.  They may have the same amount of expenses but they would be different.  There would be advertising costs, web design costs, search engine optimization costs, affiliate or joint venture costs, among others. 

Nevertheless, selling products or services online has become very popular for many new entrepreneurs ranging in all ages, even as young as 15.  If you run a small business online where you sell an information product, such as an eBook, you can write the eBook yourself as a guru on the topic.  For example, let’s say you studied religion in college and got a PH.D in this subject.  You write up an eBook explaining a drastic point of view concerning scriptures.  You make sure it is information packed and very good quality.  You sell it for 17 dollars to whoever is interested and you get their email address so you can forward them new updated info.  You now have an email list so you can keep in contact with your buyers and possibly sell them other products in the future.  You keep track of all your sales, you take care of customer service, and you handle everything.  Guess what?  You keep 100 percent of the profits. 

Obviously, some companies are MUCH more complicated than that.  But you get the picture; online marketing is a piece of cake. All you need is an idea and an internet marketing business plan of action.  In other words, you do not need millions to start up a company on the internet.  All you need is a great idea and the drive to do most of the work yourself.  Like I did…

Regards,

Howard Borges

Technorati Tags: Advertising Costs, Business Online, Business Plan, Clock, Ebook, Email List, Guru, Information Product, Information Products, Internet Marketing, Joint Venture, Nbsp, Piece Of Cake, Point Of View, Profits, Rsquo, Scriptures, Search Engine Optimization, Web Design Costs, World Wide Web