The Advantages of Multiple Online Revenue Streams

The internet is changing all the time, and as it changes the idea of making money online can change too. There used to be a time when anyone could set up a simple website and expect to make some money from it, but those times are long gone. The good news is that there are many more ways to make money online now than there were previously, so it makes sense to make the most of as many methods as possible.

However there are ways and means to do it. For starters it is best to focus on just one income stream. For instance you might have a passion for a particular subject and so you set up a blog about it that you can monetise with Google Adsense and perhaps Amazon ads too. But it would be unwise to do anything beyond this to begin with. Instead you should focus your energies on building up this first income stream before you set up any others. This will enable you to make the most of the first one. Once it has started earning money for you, you can move on to another income stream and focus solely on that in much the same way.

But why earn different streams of income online in the first place? Well there are many reasons for doing it, not least the fact that it protects your overall income. Every single website you have represents a stream of income for you. However you can never be sure that any individual site will continue to earn money for the long term. So by setting up different ones on different topics and ensuring they all have different aims, you can increase your total income while protecting it at the same time.

You can probably see how smart this is. If you have a regular job and you lose it, you will go from full time income to no income in a matter of minutes. But even if one website in your arsenal falls flat, it has little effect on the total income you are earning.

Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?

Do You Understand Your Business?

Yes it’s a strange question, but it’s one that should be answered – especially if you’re going to make it profitable.

It’s amazing that some people aren’t able to describe their business in a single sentence. For some reason some believe that setting up an online business and promoting a website is a lot easier than creating an offline business. But this isn’t true. You can certainly do it with a lot less cash behind you, but sooner or later you have to realise that without a solid business plan you’re going to fail.

When you look at your business (or your website if you already have one) you should be able to say something like this:

• “I sell eBooks on internet marketing to people who want to start a new online business.”
• “I make money from Google Adsense from my niche site on gardening.”
• “I sell a range of goods and services to golfers of all abilities.”

Every single one of these statements describes a business. If you can’t look at your own website or online business idea and make a similar statement, you need to go back to the drawing board.

Obviously it helps to have a website that works for you instead of against you. It’s no good just putting a whole bunch of ideas into a single site in the hope that one will work. You have to be focused and hold onto a single idea or plan each time. The same applies to your online business. That’s why the single question – “do you understand your business?” – is worth answering every time you have an idea for a website or online venture.

Ratio7 designs and creates websites for all kinds of people and businesses. But in each case one of the first questions we’ll ask is this: “What is your business all about?” If you don’t know, we can’t build a website that will work to bring in more revenue for you.

So as you can see, it’s a great question to start with. The more you understand your business, the more cash it will be capable of bringing in.

Spelling mistakes are costing us millions!

Online entrepreneur Charles Duncombe has released information about the shocking state of spelling on websites. Following an in-depth analysis of website figures, it has been revealed that the use of bad spelling can actually cut online sales by half. This news is rather worrying – to put it mildly!

So what exactly is going on here? Are we forgetting the basics of the English language, and if so, why? While many people will blame the Internet for the shocking standards of English today, perhaps it’s not solely responsible. After all, the Internet has provided us with a quicker way to communicate, but there really is no excuse for using poor spelling and grammar – it’s just plain lazy.

Have you ever visited a website and seen occurrences of bad spelling? I have – and the mistake may as well be highlighted in yellow and shouting out your name, it’s so obvious to the eye. The worrying thing is – many of these mistakes can be found on websites that are promoting an actual writing or marketing service! I’m sure that you’ll agree that there’s nothing more off-putting to potential customers.

SEO companies realise that bad spelling is rife online– the problem is so widespread that many will use incorrect spellings on purpose when marketing websites – but is this just encouraging us to behave badly, rather than pushing us to correct a growing bad practice? And what exactly can we do to improve on our poor literacy standards? Time certainly seems to be a problem – we all have busier lifestyles, and emphasis is placed on getting results – quickly. However, is a quick result really worth it, if we are filling our online spaces with rubbish?

If you’re a regular Internet user, you’ll know how frustrating it can be to spend hours wading through ‘filler’ to get to the information that you really need – certainly, Google are working hard to improve the quality of online data. However, the onus really is on us – the people creating the online content. Yes, the old adage is true, time is money, but perhaps we should all learn to slow down, just a bit, to avoid these potentially costly mistakes.

Small Business Lessons from Google

Google dominates the Internet. Their search engine is a universally used and understood tool. Most of us don’t even understand the scope of Google’s business ventures.

Google started off (in 1998) and continues with this mission: “organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. And, as you’ll see in the video below, they say every decision is based on that. But, as an example of a key takeaway for small businesses from Google, they have ventured into a variety of technologies and businesses that don’t seem to fit with their mission.

What else can your business learn from this behemoth?

• Make your name synonymous with what you do. Google went from a company name to a verb-brilliant branding, brilliant business building. Google it!
• Fail fast and often. Google likes quick launches and to tweak issues as they go. They consider every failure a learning experience-which is great advice for anyone, let alone small businesses.
• Don’t ask “why?”. Ask “why not?”
• Aim big-then aim bigger. Really? Google Earth? It doesn’t get much bigger than that.
• Keep looking for and developing diverse revenue streams. At first Google AdWords was not seriously considered-now it is their biggest money maker.
• Continually look for ways to improve what you do best and are known for.

Ratio7 is known for creating exceptional work on time and on budget in a variety of ways.

XML Sitemaps: Google Likes Them

Google XML Sitemap? Ugh. Running a small business involves managing thousands of details, many of which you don’t know much about. Ratio7 understands that (we’re a small business too!) and we have your back. Managing your WordPress site is a science in and of itself and its most important purpose is to attract new customers. There is a lot of data in a site and some of it is behind-the-scenes stuff that is important to search engines. Of course the king of search engines is Google and Google likes a sitemap.

What’s a sitemap? It’s exactly what it sounds like-a map of your site. Luckily, you don’t have to build or design one! There are plugins (tiny pieces of code that are available to add to your site) that will build this sitemap for you. When Ratio7 or any other reputable designer builds your site, it should be installed for you.

Why is it important? Without a sitemap, Google can overlook content, links, and entire pages of your site. A sitemap helps point Google (and other search engines like Yahoo) to the appropriate information on your site and, thus, improves your search engine results and traffic.

Ratio7 offers WordPress set up, theme design and customisation and will get your blog and site up and running quickly and affordably. We know which plugins are crucial to improve your traffic and your WordPress site’s functionality. Let us know if we can help!

Time for an SEO Site Review?

Do a quick search for SEO and you will drown in all of the articles and news about search engine optimization on the Web. Of course, you used a search engine to do your search!  Websites should be configured to make it easy for search engines like Yahoo and Google to find your company. Many are not! Websites that are even a year old can benefit from having a review of their code and content. Ratio7 specializes in SEO site audits by:

• reviewing meta tags
• reviewing keywords
• link building
• reviewing your URL structure
• auditing your overall design and user experience
• checking for HTML code compliance

What will this do for YOU and your business?

• increase your page rankings on Google, Yahoo and other search engines
• drive traffic to your Web site
• educate readers about what you do
• help you build community

Statistics show that most searchers do not make it past the first page and the 10th entry in search results. Moving your site up that ranking ladder can be crucial to drawing new customers. Ratio7 can also help you set up a blog and develop a custom WordPress theme which will also increase your page ranking. Have a look at some of our case studies and then give us a call!