A quote can really help someone gain perspective on their situation. Over the years, I have drawn much strength, wisdom, and insight from a wide range of famous and obscure quotes. Below I will share a few of my favorites and explain what they mean to me with respect to running a successful online business.

“Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

Although I may be lazy when it comes to my marketing techniques, that does not mean that I just sit back and wait for good fortune to drop into my lap. That seldom happens in life, and this quote has prompted me to take initiative on more than one occasion.

“There is something that is much more scarce, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.” – Robert Half

This bit of wisdom has taught me that I should never expect to be complimented because of the unique attributes that have led to my success. I also take pride in being able to recognize strengths in others that they did not even know that they possessed. Recognizing ability is powerful because it allows one to deeply impact the lives of others.

“Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!” – Andrew Carnegie

Considering who this quote came from, it really displays the power of staying positive. Imagine the challenges and doubt faced by those who built the business infrastructure of this country. We must always believe, no matter what failures we have endured, that success is imminent. Those who know they can achieve will achieve.

“Those who believe that they are exclusively in the right are generally those who achieve something.” – Aldous Huxley

Self-confidence is so important with respect to achieving success with any endeavor. I do not believe that Aldous Huxley meant that we should not listen to others. Rather, I believe that he meant that in order to get to where we want to be in life, we must firmly believe that we are headed in the right direction.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

Over the last few years, I have encountered many issues when dealing with web hosting companies. The bottom line is that choosing the wrong service will end up costing a business money in the short term and in the long term. Not all web hosting companies are the same, and this is not a service where those managing a business website want to cut corners. Below are the criteria that I utilize when choosing the right web hosting company.

Check out the company’s reliability

It is this simple: every second that your website is offline due to web hosting issues potentially costs your business money and credibility. I look for companies that can prove that they can provide a minimum of 99% up-time. If your site is continually unavailable, the search engines will take notice, and your rankings will drop. Also, if your site does not function properly, your merchant accounts could be put in jeopardy.

Understand the level of service provided

Even the most computer-savvy of website operators will have times when they will need to get in touch with a live person at their website hosting company. I always check out the hours of operation available for reaching someone who can help me if something goes wrong, and if a web hosting company relies heavily on a ticket system, I will move on to the next one.

Ease of use of the control panel

I do not like to waste time trying to figure out difficult web hosting control panels. The simpler the control panel is, the more time I can devote to making money with my business.

Costs versus service

I like saving money as much as the next guy, but I am willing to pay more for reliability, service, and ease of use. The only time I will “cheap out” is if two web hosting services are identical – then, I go with the least expensive one.

Consider popularity

If a web hosting company is popular, it means that they are doing something right. Plus, the more people that use a particular company, the more resources that company will have to maintain a high level of service.

Affordable Web hosting plans: Lunarpages

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

Affordable business and personal web hosting plans

In a previous blog post, I touched on exactly what a niche is and how it relates to marketing. Now, I want to touch on the different marketing strategies I utilize when targeting a huge niche compared to what I find works for marketing to a small niche. There is a difference, and by gaining an understanding of what is best for each scenario, a marketer will become more efficient and effective.

For example’s sake, we will say that the huge niche I am marketing towards are business owners. There are many different types of businesses in the world, so I need to make it clear how my product or service will be of benefit to any type of business entity. I can accomplish this by how I word my marketing copy, and I should also pay close attention to where I advertise. When marketing to a huge niche, it is important to drive as much traffic towards my business as possible, but I still want to be sure to target business owners as a whole. For this reason, search engine optimization is an important tool, as pay-per-click is not cost-effective when trying to garner high volumes of traffic. It undoubtedly costs more money to market to a large niche than it does to market to a small one, and the competition will be more fierce. I need to be sure that I am on my “A” game when marketing to a huge niche.

When marketing to a small niche, like business owners who run their own shoe store for example, I will try and focus my advertising efforts in a way that will appeal to this smaller group. It serves me well to take a more personalized tone with my advertising copy. Instead of trying to get my message across to a large audience, I will want to hone in on finding ways to appeal to this narrow group. I will utilize pay-per-click campaigns, as this type of advertising is perfect for seeking out a small niche. Plus, I will look for advertising opportunities with shoe industry websites and publications that are geared towards shoe store proprietors.

As you can see, marketing to a huge niche involves a different mindset and approach than what is involved when marketing to a small niche. By tweaking my strategies based on my target customer, I can be as efficient as possible. In general, I prefer to market to large niches with respect to my wealth creation businesses because there are far more potential customers than what is found in the smaller, sub niches. There are many people looking for a solution to their financial problems, so this large niche serves my marketing purposes and strategies well.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

There are many ways in which I select the keywords for my Google Adwords campaigns. In fact, I utilize quite an extensive list of criteria for choosing my keywords based on how much I am willing to pay and what type of conversion rate I am looking for. Below is a list of some tips that will help you select effective keywords for your pay-per-click advertising campaigns.

1. Be willing to change keywords as needed: Take feedback from customers, website visitors, and your website logs into consideration. Never be afraid to use this information to select different keywords.

2. Take advantage of keywords tools: You will blow through your advertising budget if you bid on every keyword phrase that you can think of. Tools like Wordtracker and Google Ardwords: Keyword Tools will tell you the most popular of your keywords and those are the ones to use.

3. Always be as specific as possible: If you are selling men’s golf shoes, do not use the keywords “golf” or “golf shoes”. Instead use variations of “golf shoes for men”.

4. Learn from your competitors: Figure out who your toughest competition is and study what they do. Then do it better.

5. Ask plenty of questions: Be sure to talk to the customers you know and see what keywords they used to find your website. Also find out what those close to you use for keywords when they search for products similar you yours.

6. Think of your own keywords: Try and put yourself in a potential customer’s position and think of what they would search for.

7. Be sure to focus in on your niche: This relates to being specific, but do not hesitate to delve deeper.

8. Think creatively: All the best keywords have not been thought of. Think outside-the-box and you may find keywords that are heavily searched for but not heavily bid on.

9. Understand your market: Do research on your product’s market to think of additional keywords.

10: Find “bargain” keywords: change popular keywords around and check to see their search volume. You just may find some deals.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I am really a big fan of earning a passive income. This is where money gets put in my pocket with no effort on my part. There are many ways to earn a passive income with the Google Adsense program being one of the easiest methods.

Google Adsense is a program set up by Google that pays website operators to allow advertisements to be placed on their website. If you have ever been on a site where you noticed a series of “sponsored link” ads off to one side or on the bottom of the page, this was an example where a website owner is participating in the Adsense program.

There are several ways to set up Google Adsense on a website. Operators can choose to be paid by how many clicks come through their Adsense ads or they can be paid per-impression. Impressions are when the ad is shown, whereas clicks are when someone actually clicks through the sponsored link. The choice on which way to set this up depends on the type of website a person has and how much traffic it generates.

There is no cost to participate in the Adsense program and it can result in a nice commission check every month. If you own a website, you may want to look into Adsense. The only negative aspect of this program is that it can take potential customers away from your site and it does change the look and feel of your pages. Most of the Google Adsense ads will be similar in nature to the website they are placed on.

I love earning a passive income, and Google Adsense is a great way to do just that. No, you will not get rich through Adsense alone, but every little bit helps when doing business on the internet.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I’ve written in my blog about how important it is to understand what a conversion rate is. Increasing the conversion rate of a Google Adwords campaign is a science unto itself, but there are several simple techniques that I utilize to achieve higher rates.

Make sure your product is easy to order

You might be surprised at how many websites have an order page that is not easy to find. You will notice that on my Lazy Cash Formula website, there are several places where people can place orders. If people have to work at all to find out where to buy, they will have more time to change their minds.

Test, test, and… Perform more tests

It is critical to constantly evaluate what is working with your website and with your campaigns. Getting rid of things that hurt your conversion rate is the same thing as increasing your conversion rate. As you advance, consider using a program like Google Website Optimizer to gain a greater understanding of the positives and negatives of your Adwords’ campaigns.

Keep it simple and effective

Make sure that your website repeatedly explains the benefits of your product or service without overselling. There needs to be plenty of examples of how a life will change through the simple task of purchasing your product. Never get bogged down in listing a bunch of confusing statistics.

Use keywords and a call to action in your ads

The first introduction a customer gets to your product or service is when they read your advertisement. These ads should included keywords in order to attract targeted visitors. A call to action excites potential customers and they will become more likely to take action by purchasing your product.

It takes time and effort to increase your conversion rates, so it is important to understand that you are in business for the long run. By paying attention to the tips mentioned above, along with incorporating your own strategies, it will not be long until your conversion rates are growing exponentially.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I get questioned quite a bit regarding how I like to monetize a website. First of all, monetizing a website basically refers to ways in which you can generate income through the content on your site. There are many ways to get this done, but I tend to focus on the easiest ways to make the most money. Although each of these processes may not garner a ton of money on their own, you will be amazed at how steady income streams can add up and put a lot of cash in your pocket, month after month. Below is my list of favorite ways to monetize a website.

Find a good affiliate program

There is no better or simpler way to monetize a website and the right affiliate program can generate quite a bit of cash. Almost all affiliate programs are free to join, and you can start making money right away by simply placing a link on your site. Be sure to find an affiliate program that is similar in nature to the content on your site. If you have a website that offers marketing advice, you could put a link to my Lazy Cash Formula on there. I know, another shameless plug, but I am just trying to provide a working example.

Sell advertising on your website

Google Adsense is a program where sponsored links are placed on a website, and this can work well because these links are similar in nature to the content on your site. You can also make money through banner ads and text ads. Always be sure that the advertising you display corresponds to the content on your site, or your website will end up looking like a search engine.

Make your site a resource

If your site becomes known for quality content, your visitors will trust you as a knowledgeable entity. Therefore, any product you endorse will gain instant credibility.

Promote your website

Make sure that your website is easy to find. Email campaigns are a great way to garner targeted traffic, and the old-standby techniques of search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising will help your cause. Remember: no one can buy anything off of your website if they do not know it exists.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula (more…)

With respect to marketing and business, a “niche” is a group of potential customers defined by their narrow, but common interests. The most difficult task for marketers who wish to take advantage of these small groups lies in recognizing that a particular niche exists.

Most internet marketers, like me, are small fish in a big pond. There is competition out there that will chew us up and spit us out, without giving it a second thought. We can level the playing field a bit by identifying small niche markets that are virtually ignored by the large business entities. By marketing to a niche, we can stay a step ahead of our competitors and make the most out of our marketing efforts.

Let me try to make sense of niche marketing by providing a relevant example that relates to running an internet business. There are plenty of people out there who want to make more money in the comfort of their own homes. My product, the Lazy Cash Formula, will appeal to some of the people in that group, but it will serve my best interest to find a smaller niche to target with my marketing efforts. Perhaps, working mothers would be especially interested in my product, and working mothers who have low-paying jobs would be even more likely to make a purchase.

Now that I have identified my niche which is: working mothers who do not get paid enough money, I can now focus my marketing efforts in a way that will appeal to this group. I can figure out places online where this niche is likely to spend their time, and advertise there. I can also develop specific ads that appeal to working mothers who need more money. These ads could stress how my product will give them more time to spend at home with their kids.

Hopefully, my explanation regarding marketing to a niche will help some of you focus your marketing efforts. Finding a niche that is neglected by your competitors can pay off handsomely, and by cultivating several niche markets, you will be able to obtain customers that many did not even know exist.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

In order to get the most out of a website, it is important to pay attention to small details when creating a business site. A properly functioning website will improve your organic search results and increase overall conversion rates. As you become experienced with website design and functionality, there are advanced steps that can be taken to improve a site. For now, I will touch on the basic building blocks of a website that will enhance its overall performance.

Using Google Analytics

This program makes it easy to keep track of what is working and what isn’t working with your website. It also helps to see if the improvements you implement are getting the expected results. Google Analytics is a sufficient application for the tracking tasks that pertain to an independent marketer’s website.

Create functioning title tags

Failing to create tags that relate to the content on each page of your website will make it harder for the search engines to recognize the site. The process of creating such tags is easily accomplished through your website builder.

Identify and fix broken links

This building block of a functioning website makes it easier for your site’s visitors to navigate their way around and it helps keep a website up to date.

Make your links easy to identify

It does a disservice to your visitors when they do not realize that they are clicking on a link to another website, so make sure that your links are recognizable. Also, clicked links should always open up in a new tab. This will ensure that the visitors return to your website after they have checked out the linked page.

Make sure your site is easy to read and that it’s free of errors

Not only should your website be well-written, it should also be designed in a way that makes it easy to read. This means that you should adjust font sizes, colors, and backgrounds to create an aesthetically-pleasing site.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I have touched on the importance of continuous action several times on my blog and I feel that this topic is so critical that I am going to devote an entire post to how to keep moving forward. First of all, it is imperative to realize that there is not a program around where you can get rich by doing nothing. Think about it. If this was possible, everyone with a few dollars to spend would be forking it over to see returns of millions of dollars. Some companies will have you believe that this is possible, but don’t believe the hype.

That said, it is possible to work smarter instead of harder. By following the lead of those who have succeeded, carefully implement the strategies that they espouse. When you first start out as an internet marketer or as an affiliate, there is work to be done in order to get your business running. There should never be a dull moment and if you set out to work 3 hours a day, spend all of that time working. You can always find something to do like learning how to optimize your efforts on Google Adwords, posting an advertisement to a classified site, or sending out a promotional email.

There are hundreds of different ways to market an online business or affiliate program, so you should continuously be working towards making money. If you find yourself wondering what to do next, your business can always become more organized and there is always something that you can learn.

Succeeding at anything takes time and effort, but through the process of learning and implementing proven strategies, you will soon realize how to operate your business on “autopilot”. Depending on your level of commitment and the time you put forth, this could happen in a day or in a year. The overall goal of an online marketer should be to have more free time to spend doing the things that they enjoy. This will happen, if they display determination and continuous action in the early phases of their online venture.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula