nick usborne's blog

If you have only a very little time to spare, is it still possible to write a money-making website?

I have been asked this question a few times now.

Many people feel unsure about writing a money-making website of their own, simply because they feel concerned that they don’t have enough time to do it right.

Work time + family time + relaxation time doesn’t leave much time for writing a website.

Well, here is a case study that shows how you can build your site slowly with an investment of only about an hour a week.

Late last September I noticed a gap among existing websites and blogs on a particular topic. I did some research and decided it was worth a shot.

The trouble was, I was very busy at that time and have been ever since. As a result, I have only been able to add about one new page a week. That’s a lot slower than I would like. In the early stages of a new site I like to put in a couple of hours a day, just to build a solid body of pages for people to read.

But I didn’t have much choice.

As it turns out, the “money-making website” model seems to survive just fine on that low level of input.

Here is a snapshot of my monthly traffic between the day I started and this month.

That’s a nice curve. It’s exactly what I look for and hope for.

The numbers are lower than I would like, but that’s because I have been putting so little time into writing more content for the site.

But that upward curve over the last four months tells me I was correct in my identification of a gap. And it tells me that any further time I spend on writing this site will be time well spent.

Remember, this is all free, organic traffic coming to the site from the major search engines.

Last month the site made me only $67. This month it will make a touch over $100.

Hardly seems worth it, right?  Well, take another look at that curve. Imagine where that will take me by the end of the year. I'm guessing it will bring me between $1,500 and $2,000 a month by Christmas.

Remember, that growth figure isn’t like a stock market chart. It isn’t going to fall unexpectedly next month as a result of some unexpected curve ball thrown by Wall Street.

For as long as I keep adding new pages and more value to the site, that curve will keep moving upwards. It won’t rise that the same rate forever. Nor will it be immune to seasonal shifts or the arrival of new, competing sites.

But for as long as I continue to add new content, I’m confident that this site will turn into a good long-term money maker for me.

All this is a long way to say, yes, you can make a residual income from your own websites, even if you can only spare an hour or two a week.

More about my program, How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites...

Having fun with Wordle...

Check out Wordle and create your own wordcloud.

This one is based on the words from this blog. It`s a fun use of a few minutes, and you get to choose how your cloud is presented too.

Web copywriting + money-making websites + writing information products.

So far I have written two major programs, one about learning the craft of online copywriting and the other about writing money-making websites.

My publisher, AWAI, has another, related program about creating information products. I didn’t write this one, but I have read it, and it’s good.

Anyway, AWAI is offering a deal on a bundle of all three programs. But only until this Friday.

I like the idea of offering all three products together, because it matches my own belief that any professional writer can and should develop multiple income streams.

Here is how AWAI is pitching the bundle...and the deal they are offering:

--

First, learn how to write effective web copy.

 

Writing web copy means anything having to do with the Internet. From landing pages and pay-per-click ads, to editorial content and blogs … every company with a website is in need of web copy that converts their visitors into cash.

 

Strengths: You’ll have no risk whatsoever. Your income level is entirely up to you. You can easily make a six-figure income, or work part-time and make $50K-$75K a year. And with so many different types of projects, you have the choice to do everything or focus on where your personal strengths and enjoyment lie.

 

Weaknesses: You need clients and, therefore, have to rely on someone else for income. For the most part, your time spent is directly related to how much money you want to make. So while you may be able to negotiate royalties on some projects, you’ll have to keep “showing up for work” to grow your business.

 

Next, write a revenue-producing information website (or two).

 

Writing an information website is easy and fun, because it simply involves writing information on a topic you’re already passionate about. It can be anything – yoga, cooking, golf, traveling, you name it.

 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, people are searching the Internet for information. And when they find your website, you’ll turn them into $750 … $1,500 … $3,500 and upwards per month.

 

Strengths: You’ll have a passive income stream, because your website will continue to make money while you sleep. Every web page you write becomes an asset that will make money for you now and in the future. 

 

You’ll write about a topic you’re already passionate about, which means you’ll enjoy writing about it. It’s a very low risk of only $50 or so to set up the website.

 

You’ll only work in your spare time, about 3 to 7 hours per week. And you work for yourself, and don’t need to rely on clients.

 

Weakness (sort of): Your income is somewhat limited to about $500 to $5,000 a month per website. So to make more money, you’ll want to build more websites.

 

Finally, write and publish your own information products.  

 

You already know how much money you can make writing copy to sell information products for publishers. Now think how much more you could make publishing that information yourself! As a publisher, you can write, compile, or record the information yourself, you can hire writers, or you can reprint information. It’s totally up to you!

 

Strengths: Many of the strengths are the same as writing an information website. You generate a passive income stream on the products you’ve already published, you get to write about something you’re passionate about, and you work entirely for yourself.

 

The biggest difference is with the revenue potential. The sky’s the limit, and you can make as much as you want. And if you stick with digital information products, the profit margins are huge.

 

Weakness: You’ll need a small investment to build websites, drive traffic, and promote your products. And if you decide to go beyond digital, another investment will be necessary to produce the printed product. 

 

How they all tie together …

 

By learning to write web copy, you’ll be able to easily write your own copy for your money-making website and effectively promote your information products. 

 

By building a money-making website, you’ll have a vehicle to sell your information products and gain a better understanding about what your clients need for their own websites. 

 

And by writing information products, you’ll be able to grow your revenue from your money-making website, and become your own client for your web-writing business.

 

Closing thoughts …

 

These three writing opportunities are the perfect “trifecta” for any writer. Of course, I’m slightly biased, since I happen to work in all three areas, and eat, sleep, and breathe them. But I really enjoy it, because I have a lot of fun, I’m constantly learning, and there is a ton of money to be made in each of them! What’s not to love?

 

If you’d like to join me and choose these three areas as your income streams, I’ll make you a deal …

 

Let’s call it the “Web Writer’s Trifecta.” 

 

Sign up by Friday and we’ll send you Nick Usborne’s Million-Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting, How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites, and our information product publishing program, Your Complete Business Plan for Creating a Life Without Borders.

 

You’ll only pay $893 – which is a $400 savings.

 

I’ll extend AWAI’s money-back guarantee on all three programs for six months instead of 30 days.

 

And if you already own any of these programs, you can apply what you’ve paid and only pay the difference.

 

If you’re interested, call Pat, Debbie, or Jacqueline at 866-879-2924, or sign up online right now.

Why Writing an Information Website of Your Own Is the Very Best Way to Make Money Online.

If you read my blog regularly, you’ll have noticed recently that I have been writing almost exclusively about my new program, How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites.

The program is selling well. Principally, I think, because it’s right for the times. Plenty of people right now love the idea of being able to make some extra money from home.

There are so many reasons for wanting even one or two thousand dollars extra each month:

- To invest for retirement
- To pay medical expenses
- To pay off loans and credit card debt
- To put money aside for college
- To save a deposit for a home or a car
- Simply to pay the bills

Those are the big ones, but there are plenty more reasons for wanting to find a way to make some extra money.

And the great thing about making money by writing your own website is that it is risk-free. You may not make a lot of money fast, but you will make money if you persevere.

Anyway, my publishers and I just put together a 13-page guide that doesn’t sell the program, but instead explains why the premise of the program makes sense. It explains the fundamentals of why creating an information-based website is such a solid basis for making money, month by month and year after year.

Download your FREE copy of “Why Writing an Information Website of Your Own Is the Very Best Way to Make Money Online” here...

New survey: Retirement confidence plummets

From an article today on CNN Money:

Feeling insecure about retirement? You’re not alone. Americans’ confidence in being able to enjoy a financially comfortable retirement has hit an all-time low, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 19th annual Retirement Confidence Survey.

Only 13% of workers surveyed said they were “very confident” about having enough money to live comfortably through retirement, the lowest number since EBRI started asking the question in 1993. (The high was 27%, just two years ago in 2007.) And 44% of workers responded that they were “not too confident” or “not at all confident” about their retirement security.

Current retirees are feeling the burn, too: Their confidence in having a financially secure retirement reached a new low, with only 20% responding that they are very confident–down from 29% in 2008 and 41% in 2007.

Well, that's why I write my own money-making websites. I want to feel secure when I retire, and have enough money coming in each month to satisfy the needs of myself and my family.

And that's what my new program is all about...

More about "How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites"...

Some free guides to writing for the web, and other related topics...

A couple of years back I experimented with writing some short guides to writing for the web, and then selling them for a few dollars each.

I never did sell many copies, but I think the guides are useful.

My plan B is to make them available free.

The ones I have uploaded so far are now on my Scribd page. More to follow soon.

All about growing and balancing your streams of writing income...

As writers we have a unique and portable gift. While we may be focusing on one particular kind of writing to pay the bills this month, there are always other ways to profit from our writing skills.

This afternoon I completed an article that has been percolating for a while. I even created a graph to illustrate my point.

My point being... a crafty writer or copywriter can earn more money by developing a number of different stream of writing income.

Read the article here...