how much do you make online?

[disgust]

sorry if it's a rude question, but I'm curious ;)

between two different advertisers, I'm making 3-4 thousand dollars a month off of my hobby site. I'm really ecsatic it's working this well- I'm pretty young (18) and to match this sort of income I would have to be working 40 hours a week at 20 dollars an hour.

my only expenses really are my host (79$ a month)

since I don't work at all (I'm a student) I was really pleased when this started :)

so how much do you make online, and where does the money come from?

[melfan]

wow! 3-4 thousand? thats amazing! me? you might be disappointed =(

May I return the question to you? Where your income come from?

[disgust]

from two seperate advertisers.

we get ~15,000 uniques a day and around 100,000 pageviews a day

I'm going to try my hand at affiliate sites next and see how well I can do there :)

[ViciousSummer]

...I'm making 3-4 thousand dollars a month off of my hobby site...

God, I love the internet :D!

I'm not making quite that much yet, probably in 3-4 months, since my sites are all new. But, I'm selling products, rather then doing the affiliate/advertiser thing, so I think that's a whole different ball game. All that I know is that my business allows me to live quite comfortably, I can work from the hammock in my front yard & I get to surf every day. I came from making $58k per year in Corporate America and I'll take this lifestyle any day! :D

[disgust]

yeah, even though I'm sure actually selling things opens up tons of extra doors to making money, it just seems like so much work for me.

I like the idea of being able to build something, leave it, and make money from it

[gail]

I'm making 3-4 thousand dollars a month off of my hobby site.

Is the net or gross? :confused:

[disgust]

it's just advertising money, and my only expenses are my hosting, so it's more or less net

[gail]

Now duplicate what you are doing (choose another hobby) and you can get your income to increase. Those who smartly do this are making more than you and those who are not working SMART are making less than you.

Then, soon you too can be in the 5 Digits to the Left of the Decimal Point Club (-:

$xx,xxx.xx (monthly)

[melfan]

from two seperate advertisers.

we get ~15,000 uniques a day and around 100,000 pageviews a day



damn how did you do that? :)

[disgust]

plug in "final fantasy" into the DP suggestion tool

combine that many searches in a very non-competitive field where virtually no one knows anything about SEO and it's not that hard, really :)

[melfan]

plug in "final fantasy" into the DP suggestion tool


sorry for being ignorant. what is DP suggestion tool?

[disgust]

http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/ :)

[NewComputer]

Disgust,

What made you decide to do a final fantasy website? Is it an interest? Are you overseas or in North America?

I looked at your forums and was astonished at the traffic. Maybe I need to re-assess a few things. I play vids everyday (more sports then rpg) and maybe I need to do something with it.

hmmmm..... domain registered.

server accessed.......

hehe

Disgust, that is awesome for you!

PS: Were there any copyright infringements etc.. you had to worry about because of the title etc..

[Help Desk]

...I can work from the hammock in my front yard...

Mmmmmm..... San Diego weather....

[disgust]

Disgust,

What made you decide to do a final fantasy website? Is it an interest? Are you overseas or in North America?

I looked at your forums and was astonished at the traffic. Maybe I need to re-assess a few things. I play vids everyday (more sports then rpg) and maybe I need to do something with it.

hmmmm..... domain registered.

server accessed.......

hehe

Disgust, that is awesome for you!

PS: Were there any copyright infringements etc.. you had to worry about because of the title etc..

technically I suppose there may be copyright issues (although I'm not positive?) but the publisher actually encourages fansites. there are literally hundreds of them out there.

I originally joined the site as a member, I just stuck around for a long time, no one was doing much for the place, so I started to add content and do SEO. the traffic increased from there :)

[mopacfan]

This thread just made me feel about two inches tall :(

I guess I can't complain. By using the web, I've been able to solicit over $40 of goods and services for my show truck. The adssence revenue is ok on the site, but I'd love to have the time to build a site that gets that kind of traffic and that kind of revenue.

[TwisterMc]

I've made $14. :D

[mopacfan]

Oops, I just realized I omited an important word from my previous post. That should have read $40 Thousand dollars. LOL

[john_loch]

from two seperate advertisers.

we get ~15,000 uniques a day and around 100,000 pageviews a day

I'm going to try my hand at affiliate sites next and see how well I can do there :)

You're on a good wicket there Disgust. That's good money for a single site - mainly because revenue originates from 2 advertisers - very manageable.

The biggest thorn in any distributed online endeavor (ie dozens of sites) - is manageability. The same applies where affiliate programs are concerned. They need close watching, and constant management. Whatever you do in terms of affiliate arrangements, make sure you can centralize management and keep the time to a minimum. Student life can be quite demanding as you know.

If I'm not mistaken, you've got a cash cow with minimum overhead (time wise) and a refinable dev/marketing model that's probably worth ten times what you're making from the one site.

How about sharing some basic info like when you started the site (or marketing it), linkage acquisition methods, things you figure drive traffic to your site (ie is it G, Y, others, all), milestones (ie when did significant things happen and what were they), do you see a lot of churn or an established/loyal userbase, etc etc.

As for your question - the money I earn online - I operate a number of sites, none of which earn that much independantly - close, but not that much. The irony is my (current) biggest earner doesn't even rank on G and sees maybee 600 uniques a day if that.

Congrats on your success - I wish I'd enjoyed similar when I was 18 :)

[vprp]

$4 thousand a month is definitely great income for a college student. I also wish I had that kind of income when I was in college.

[TwisterMc]

$4 thousand a month is definitely great income for a college student. I also wish I had that kind of income when I was in college.

I wish I had that now!

[rhinoplayer]

There's a ton of $ to be made out there. I never think about it this way since I own the business I sell for....but if I were a sales rep and getting paid a modest 10% commission from the sales I've brought in on my site I'd be making much more than $3-4k per month ~ ~ ~ and (this is sad) but I have even brought my lap top to Cubs games and worked from the upper deck.

[TwisterMc]

I'll have to find more, good, programs. I'm just getting started with affiliate sites and I hope to make money.

[mopacfan]

Heck, I wish the internet was around when I was 18 :)

[leeds1]

Heck, I wish the internet was around when I was 18 :)


I was just thinking that today

Thing is about the internet is it's a numbers game

More visitors x conversion = more sales cash

Get digusts website and do it 4 more x and away you go (you always need to run a couple of sites)

Now, about those ideas I had.....

[comval]

Disgust,

On your hobby site, are you the article writer Mogknight? They seem to be the main article contributor.

Secondly, from what I see, a short 1-2 paragraph article, announcement, or statement is posted, then visitors are allowed to add commentary of their own regarding the original posting. How is that being done? a script? And do the search engines see that as original content on your site too?

[hulkster]

I can "super-size" it on a good day with my Adsense income from Alek's personal web site (http://www.komar.org/) ... so I'm WAY behind you guys ... but this is a hobby for me and I'm enjoying it ... so hopefully that counts for something! ;-)
alek

P.S. Interesting stories - I got my MBA 10 years ago (yea, I'm an old fart! ;-) but sounds like some good case study possibilities here, especially with disgust's Final Fantasy stuff ... hey, she could be the next Michael Dell, Bill Gates, etc.

[disgust]

Disgust,

On your hobby site, are you the article writer Mogknight? They seem to be the main article contributor.

Secondly, from what I see, a short 1-2 paragraph article, announcement, or statement is posted, then visitors are allowed to add commentary of their own regarding the original posting. How is that being done? a script? And do the search engines see that as original content on your site too?

the news stories are just a fraction of what's on the site in total.. he's our main news-writer, although we'll be moving to something different soon (along the lines of the system webmasterworld uses, but with a syndicated RSS feed).


P.S. Interesting stories - I got my MBA 10 years ago (yea, I'm an old fart! ;-) but sounds like some good case study possibilities here, especially with disgust's Final Fantasy stuff ... hey, she could be the next Michael Dell, Bill Gates, etc.

haha :)

[vorapolpanya]

digust,

congratulations!! keep up the great work...

at 18, i was thinking about movies ,musics and all....

you are so cool!!!!

[T0PS3O]

Disgust,

How are you running it legally. Is it private, AdSense cheques paid out to your personal name or do you run it as a company and pay VAT etc. If it is private, do you file your income for tax etc?

Just wondering how to start off my own venture.

[disgust]

it's under my own name, I don't have much in terms of living expenses right now, so I'm not letting myself spend more than 50% of what I make (although hopefully taxes won't be quite THAT high..)

I'm just keeping records of everything (both what I get paid and any related expenses I might have), and then I'll just hire someone to go over it when I need to pay taxes

[mhdoc]

I would suggest meeting with a tax advisor sooner rather than later for a couple of reasons.

1. You get to know them when you are not under time pressure to do something. Do you communicate effectively with them, do you feel comfortable with them, does their approach to things match yours, do they have some idea of how your business operates, how much is this going to cost?

2. Many tax reduction techniques require time and have to be done in advance. There are often tax reasons to buy something(s) now instead of later, or do other things that shift the timing of income and expenses.

[GuyFromChicago]

I net 2 - 5K per month.

A very small % of that money is made through Adsense and other affiliate programs. Most of it is made through what I guess is a somewhat unusual form of SEO.

Without going into every detail, the basic concept is that I postion myself as a "salesman" for the company in question. I invest the financial/time resources to drive traffic to their site and I receive a % of the sales I generate for them. It can be a little risky...most of the time it takes a substantial investment of time or money, or both, and if your strategy doesn't work you're out the $.

The details of the accounts I manage vary, but I think you get the general idea.

[T0PS3O]

So how do they monitor it? Isn't that just affiliate marketing then? Or do they simply compare their turnover month on month, before and after?

[GuyFromChicago]

It all depends on the circumstances…in some cases I've set up separate websites with a new toll free number that connects to an answering service I use. For this particular client, the leads are funneled through me (via multiple channels, all stemming from the web though) before the primary company ever even knows about them.

This client/company already has a sales force and compensation plan in place. I take less commission than a typical sales person would (since I never have any direct interaction with the new client) but on the plus side if a client I find becomes a regular customer of theirs I make a % of every purchase they ever make.

I guess you could classify it as "affiliate marketing", except for none of the companies I work with have any sort of structured affiliate program. I look at myself as more of a salesman for the companies I work with, I just use online techniques to generate my sales. I guess you could also argue that affiliate marketing is just another form of being a "salesperson".

Most of my clients are service-related companies - accountants, lawyers, printing companies, lawn care, etc, etc. I really don’t do too much work for clients who are product focussed. I do some, just not much. The payouts are too low to make it worthwhile most of the time.

[gail]

Most of my clients are service-related companies - accountants, lawyers, printing companies, lawn care, etc, etc. I really don’t do too much work for clients who are product focussed.
That's a good idea as long as you are paid upfront and have tight controls in place to track the sales/referrals. :p

[GuyFromChicago]

That's a good idea as long as you are paid upfront and have tight controls in place to track the sales/referrals. :p

Most of the time, as a matter of fact almost all the time, I am not paid up front. I actually meet just about company I work with. They are almost all within driving distance. There has to be a certain level of trust for it to work, and meeting the people helps build that trust.

[gail]

Most of the time, as a matter of fact almost all the time, I am not paid up front. I actually meet just about company I work with. They are almost all within driving distance. There has to be a certain level of trust for it to work, and meeting the people helps build that trust.
Different strokes for different folks. It sounds like it is working great for you. Sometimes it can be fun visiting customers, etc. Now can you do 5 times that biz?

I really don’t do too much work for clients who are product focussed. I do some, just not much. The payouts are too low to make it worthwhile most of the time.
Lots of little money makes big money ;)

[Trance-formation]

Disgust,

Very Cool! :)

It took me 3 months to hit my first $100 with adsense, but originally I only saw it as a way for paying for server space... you've challenged me to think about it in a very different way :cool:

[Redleg]

It took me 3 months to hit my first $100 with adsense, but originally I only saw it as a way for paying for server space... you've challenged me to think about it in a very different way :cool:

You can pay much more than the server space with adsense, if you use it the correct way.. ;)

[Sorvoja]

It is a good idea to meet with a good tax advisor as soon as possible.
The first time we went to see our laywer, it was more or less a sosial call.
We drank coffee and had an hour of shit-chat. You can charge almost anything you
want to you company creditcard (and get deductions) if you do it in a proper way.
For instance when you are having lunch and beers and watching football (soccer) with your buddys,
I make sure we talk atleast an quarter of an hour about business, and this is agreed upon from the beginning. We pay the beers with cash and charge the food to a company card. :-) The only thing that is important is that there is a valid business reason for meeting.

It is very possible that you have different tax rules in the United States.

[melfan]

I am making enough from adsense (at least enough here in my country). I have other source of income such as membership and commission.

[stanleybb50]

I am new and feel clueless to the whole making money on the internet thing. I am a graduating senior in college and am about to enter the competive job market. I will be finishing up classes this summer and will have a lot of free time on my hands as i will only be taking a couple classes and finishing up my degree and looking for a job. I am very interested in getting ino the world of making money from the internet, but i have no idea where to start. Can someone give me some starting ideas or some websites that explain where to start? I'm very excited to learn and devote time and effort to such a business. Where do you even start?

[Bazkaz]

I am very interested in getting ino the world of making money from the internet, but i have no idea where to start. Can someone give me some starting ideas or some websites that explain where to start? I'm very excited to learn and devote time and effort to such a business. Where do you even start? The best place I've found to "start" was by reading this e-book. (http://www.worldwidebrands.com/wwb/kh_freeebook.asp) It's free and really helped me get started and to avoid some mistakes early on that most people make. It's written by Chris Malta who is eBay Radio's on-air Product Sourcing Editor.

Just as some background I, like VS, am also selling products from my sites and not running affiliate program sites. I have not included any affiliate tags in this post, but will admit that I make use of the research software and directories on the page I linked to. If you do have any questions about the products on the page and how they work feel free to PM me. Otherwise I hope the book gives you the "starting place" you're looking for.

[Bazkaz]

Disgust,
Nice job on your site!

I'm making roughly $1k/mo from product sales right now. Looking at opening up another store later this summer.

[girl]

I'm not making enough to quit my job!

[Nintendo]

I'm making about $2,000 a month. Nothing compaired to before the .com crash, $100,000 in 2000 from two Nintendo sites alone!!

[articlesandcontent]

Hum I cant seem to find the url to that goldmine website.I would love to take a look at it thou...what is the url?
Thank you

[stanleybb50]

It seems to me, as talking to people that the best way to succeed is from reading this e book published by Chris Malta? As i am about half way through this e book, that Malta is basically saying that the best way is to go out and find a good "internet mall" that lets you use their space and their design aspects and make it your own. Then go out and find a good supplier that avoids the "middle men" and just create your store that way. I am wondering why, it says that 500 people look at this book a day in the "information" part of the book. If there are 500 people a day reading this, isnt there a good percentage of people also trying this very same tactic ever day? So i would be competing with several different people doing the same thing every day. What sets me apart from others?
And if i go about creating a site that doesnt encourage a purchase from potential clients, (be it software or a forum or whatever) i am not sure where the big money would come from. Obviously anything starts out slow. But gaining advertisers would be a slow punishing road, and it seems that i might not know enough about those type of sites to make it run smoothly.
Any more advise on any of these subjects would be greatly appreciated. It seems that many of the people who post here are already successful in their particular interent site and have much valuable information. But either way, i need to find a "niche" that would set my site apart from the thousands and thousands of sites that are trying to do basically the same thing that i am doing. How should i go about doing this? I have a strong work ethic and am not afraid to put much hard work and effort into doing so. I was considering something related to sports or sports products.

I'd liek to know what others think of this book. I am not plugging this book, believe me because i am trying to express skepticism and waiting for other opinions. But again this book is by Chris Malta and is called "starting your internet business right". Is this book a good starting product for me? Is there any more? And does anyone know of any good internet malls and drop shippers that could be utilized? Any information on this site good or bad would be appreciated. It is so hard to tell legit ideas from the ones that try to rope you in.

I mean demographics come into play here and creating a website targeted at the particular demographic i am looking to buy products. How could i make my website stand out and even be noticed in the vast array of websites doing the same thing? Where should it be? How can i make it come up in a search from say google better?

Keep in mind I am a complete novice right now and want to learn the ropes but have intentions of learning everything there is to know and want to go about creating a business the right way and one that will work, and really work before I jump in too quick.

[stressbattle]

For now, I make less than $200 a month. When I can reach 1-2k a month, I will quit my job to do this full time.

For those on paid hosting, you might want to consider free hosting. Read the Awardspace review (http://www.wanginternet.com/free-web-hosting-with-no-advertising.htm) I wrote.

[arale]

$479 in jun to present... zendecode.com :D

[lumargin]

It all depends on the circumstances…in some cases I've set up separate websites with a new toll free number that connects to an answering service I use. For this particular client, the leads are funneled through me (via multiple channels, all stemming from the web though) before the primary company ever even knows about them.

This client/company already has a sales force and compensation plan in place. I take less commission than a typical sales person would (since I never have any direct interaction with the new client) but on the plus side if a client I find becomes a regular customer of theirs I make a % of every purchase they ever make.

I guess you could classify it as "affiliate marketing", except for none of the companies I work with have any sort of structured affiliate program. I look at myself as more of a salesman for the companies I work with, I just use online techniques to generate my sales. I guess you could also argue that affiliate marketing is just another form of being a "salesperson".

Most of my clients are service-related companies - accountants, lawyers, printing companies, lawn care, etc, etc. I really don’t do too much work for clients who are product focussed. I do some, just not much. The payouts are too low to make it worthwhile most of the time.

very interesting model you have going there, do you promote for local or national companies?

[mg1313]

I;m not thinking about the money right now...maybe later when I'll have enough visitors..
But I congratulate whoever makes already some money online :)...

[pioneer1]

I make about $300 a month. Would love to get it between $500 and $2000 a month. Lots of hard work ahead.
:)

[skywalk]

i make about 2000 $ ...When i make my first million i will come down ..:D

[SEOBusiness]

Almost 200 so far.

[nick2007]

This the oldest topic I've read on DP.

[lovesource]

Making money online can be a walk in the park indeed. Anyway, I'm happy for you. Congratulations!

[lightstarm2k]

This the oldest topic I've read on DP.

oh yeah I just notice that. My earning is not much :D

[loopline]

It seems to me, as talking to people that the best way to succeed is from reading this e book published by Chris Malta?

I read that book, and tried it. I made a couple hundred or something, but largely its not worth it. If you want a good ebook get SEOBOOK from Aaron Wall. Its good, and its a good overall book on making money online. It won't give you a niche to use, but thats up to you. It will tell you how to make money once you find your niche.



As for my income I make, typically, $1000 to $1500 per month with proxy websites. Of course that changes during summer time.

Plus one time things, like selling my ebook. Made about $2000 from that so far.


MAtt

[Valley]

It really depends on how you define making money.
You are all speaking directly with adsense, affilate etc.
It is a saturated market thus when we all strive to make $100,000 dollars amonth from it consider that there are only about 50 decent paying ideas for this thus you are all competing.
Most of the money will be made in such cases buy as a guesstimate 0.05 % of the webmasters. The most sucessfull being
moneysupermarket.com which is worth about £700 Million (floated) since it started, and employs a LOT of people.
Most of us would be better getting 9 - 5 jobs

[Valley]

I'm making about $2,000 a month. Nothing compaired to before the .com crash, $100,000 in 2000 from two Nintendo sites alone!!

Why did that affect your income?

[Cinta April]

very little