“Only for Serious Writers – 1.6$ for joining a site and writing an Article”

I thought to myself, while picking my jaw off the floor: “this ought to be some kind of joke”. I then proceeded to click the link for more information and entered a forum. I won’t post the URL here, because I don’t want you to waste your time on this particular task. Either way, these are the conditions posted by ‘Administrator’:

1. Each of the Articles Must have minimum 400 words and four paragraphs

2. Must be of Good English without Spelling and Grammar Errors

3. The Given Keyword is the title of your Article. It must appear minimum 4 times in the article.

4. We will never tolerate copying – spinning and similar activities such Articles will be rejected and Payments will not be sent to them. Before Approving your article we will check it for plagiarism and copyscape.

5. Though you can research for information on the topic, the article must be completely unique and written by yourself.

Topic (Keyword) for the Article – Take good care on the Conditions while writing the article

In other words, you must write a high quality and totally unique article in perfect English, with minimum 400 words, after doing your own research beforehand. Your reward: $1.6. Considering some other tasks posted in the same place, offering $4-5 with similar conditions, it would be unwise to accept jobs for such insignificant amounts.

MyLot is a nice place and you can earn $20-30/mo creating and joining discussions, more if you complete tasks paying well. Just don’t waste your time on aforementioned task at such low fees; you are better off writing for yourself, become your own boss and build your own niche income:

• Learn how to research a hot niche
• Find a keyword-rich domain name for it, or use Blogspot.com, Weebly, Squidoo, etc.
• Find a good affiliate product to sell, that contains valuable information on that niche
• Write a keyword-rich (3-4% on average) article, the same way you would above
• Re-write your article into 5-10 different and unique versions
• Post your articles to the top ranking article directories
• Build some back-links to your articles
• Monetize

I don’t seek to bring the wrath of FTC down upon me by saying this, but I guarantee that you will earn much more when writing your own articles, rather than wasting your efforts working for some cheapskate Scrooge exploiting taking advantage of newbies desperately looking to earn and extra Dollar or two.

In short: do it yourself.

Here you have some useful links on research and article writing.

• Craig Carcia: Does Article Marketing Really Work?
• EZA: How to Write an Article Headline that Compels readers to Take Action
• The Niche Marketing Blog – articles and discussion on IM and Niche research
• What is AIDA? Article elaborating on the article writing technique and philosophy
• 20 Free Keyword Research Tools – you’ve really got to check this list
• BHW: How to Build Back-links

Good luck, and Break a Leg.

Andy Black’s popular free online tool for article writers, “Easy Article Writer“, will soon be available as a standalone version in addition to his existing free version. In order to use the current, free version of “Easy Article Writer” you must sign up for a free membership and work online, whereas with the new version you can work offline.

In other words, you will no longer need to stay online and logged in for using this excellent article re-writing tool. It ought to make life a bit easier for busy travelers and those who can’t stay online for long at a time, i.e. Internet users connected via dial-up, on vacation, out of town e.t.c.

I have no information so far indicating whether the new and improved version will be included in an affiliate program, as it will not be freebie. Even though it will cost money, Andy suggested the price will be affordable.

I will post an update upon receiving more information on this soon-to-come upgrade. The free online version is STILL FREE, don’t worry about that. You can find a link to it in the Cool Tools section. If you haven’t used it already, you will find “Easy Article Writer” to be a great time-saver when re-writing PLR articles. It is easy to learn and you will be up and running very soon. I do not dare estimate a price on the standalone version, but it will be affordable.

Some marketers prefer writing with sizzle, adding colors and juice to their articles, tools to attract attention from the readers. I specifically asked my writer to keep it neutral and unbiased, on the other hand. Whichever style you want your writer to apply, be sure he or she understands it before they start writing.

Unfortunately, I am unable to post links to the articles at this point, as three of them are missing an info box and I am preparing the rest for submitting to EzineArticles. I will post links to the articles if and when they are approved by E.Z.A.

Note:
I am as unbiased as I possibly can be. I am not affiliated with their services, nor do I get paid to write this. Furthermore, I am not an alien and I never really sympathized with Kif Kroker.

Deciding which team to use
Upon reading about the “Retired and Writing” team in this forum thread in the Warrior Forum, having to decide between them and several other teams, that I didn’t feel too comfortable with, I finally decided to take the plunge and placed an order of 10 articles with 500 words each. Three of the articles are review articles with little emphasis on SEO keywords, the rest of the articles moderately utilize SEO keywords.

Payment and project beginning
The current rate for 10 custom articles is $70. Warrior Forum members receive 10 + 1 articles. When nothing happened after two days upon submitting my payment through PayPal, I notified team leader Carl Travis and he promptly apologized, having forgotten to activate my account. With this out of the way, his writer colleague and I had an ongoing and effective communication as the project moved on. The writer was professional and patient, listened to my nagging requests and comments, and edited parts I wanted done differently.

The first article and onward
During the initial phase of the project, I scanned the first article with CopyScape and discovered a bullet list contributing to roughly 1/3 of the article, had been copied from another article already published. My writer apologized for the inconvenience and re-wrote the article, making it 100% CopyScape-proof.

The writer continued with the rest of my articles, and other than that slight bump in the road in the beginning, I was thoroughly satisfied with the overall quality of this team. My writer did an excellent job, writes beautifully and improved any parts I commented on, almost immediately.

Carl Travis offered me custom info boxes included in the price. They are still introducing their services to the public, and I consider it part of their introductory offer campaign.

Is it worth your money?
So, is it worth your money? Yes, most definitely. Carl Travis and his team write beautifully and articulately, and you will immediately recognize the high quality from their efforts upon reading the first article. They communicate effectively with the client, you are given access to their system and can follow the progress all the way. At such low rates, this team over-deliver, plain and simple. Whether they will be able to keep up when their client base grows is a different question entirely, only time can tell. I am at least satisfied for now.

At these rates you will look long and hard to find good writing services. “Retired and Writing” go all the way and give you excellent and affordable articles. I am definitely interested in using their services again.

Click here to visit their website: Retired and Writing

Click here to visit the Warrior Forum thread: High Quality Article Writing and Press Releases

Haavard L. Lund / Splinterbiz

Even though I still prefer to keep the name of this particular team to myself, and I suspect they already have enough customers anyway, I will provide a link if I am satisfied with the results when everything’s done.

The first article is a review covering a popular affiliate program. I noticed a few grammar mistakes, although my text editor did not yield any errors in that regard. The communication with the team is excellent and they have asked me questions whenever they were not certain how I wanted it done.

I ordered two or three review-type of articles covering this particular affiliate program, and I will applaud the writers if EzineArticles let it through and publish it in their directory, as it is difficult to write a review on a feature-rich affiliate program and not make it sound like advertising.

I asked them to write as un-biased as possible, and they accomplished this very well with the first article. I look forward to see how the rest comes out, and I will update you on any further progress. I especially look forward to see how many of the articles will be accepted by EzineArticles.

On a side note:
Due to an increase in article submissions, do not expect a quick review by EzineArticles when you submit a new article. My first article that I wrote myself and submitted on August 16. has still not been reviewed (the progress bar is at 3/5). I will continue writing and submitting articles to GoArticles in addition to EzineArticles, as they do not require manual reviews. EzineArticles is still one of the best directories, though it comes at a price.

When I joined my first affiliate programs, I did everything wrong: I joined under lazy uplines, I used Traffic Exchange websites and free safe-lists to promote it, yielding poor results. One of the lessons I learned from the start, was to find the right sponsor or mentor. I found mine and signed up under her. I did mistakes still, especially one that a lot of fresh marketers still do …

My biggest mistake was promoting GDI (Global Domains International). Even though it is a solid affiliate company rewarding their users for their efforts, you have to both work smart and hard to achieve good results with it. With no results and no sign-ups, other than those from my sponsor, my frustration was mounting. I was told that, writing articles works well for traffic, and as my endeavor into the minefields of PPC advertising left me flat broke, I wrote my first article ever, on ACME People Search and GDI, and submitted it to a directory. With the help of a few back-links, my article climbed to the top-three positions on Google’s first page in few days and pulled in several new referrals in my ACME People Search account, one of whom also signed up in my GDI downline. I realized by then that, submitting articles to promote ACME People Search works much better than promoting GDI alone.

In addition to the new sign-ups, I earned $25 with that article, which is still sending traffic to my sign-up page. Imagine what you can achieve with 10 articles, 20, 50 … This is powerful!

Where to start when writing articles: Research the keywords you want to use for your articles, write a new unique article, publish it on your website or blog and index it. Use an article spinner: Easy Article Rewriter (free) and spin five to ten different versions of your article, submit to the top article directories using your anchor keyword (i.e. “How to sail a boat”). Build new back-links to your articles from websites, blogs, forum signatures e.t.c. on a regular basis, and your links will receive free “laser-targeted” traffic when done right. For more SEO information and tools, I suggest that you sign up for free with SEO Book.

About ACME People Search:

People Search is free to join and has multiple income streams. Tissa Godavitarne, the creator of the People Search engine, adds $125 to your People Search affiliate account when you complete the three steps in your account. To avoid any misunderstandings: Tissa’s money is a reward for those with a genuine desire to earn money with ACME People Search, and it requires that you sign up for a paid affiliate program in step two. Those who are not serious about making money online should not bother in the first place, but it is perfect for those who are. I recommend that you choose GDI in step Two, because at only $10/mo for a membership it is affordable, and it is much easier to build your GDI downline using ACME People Search. Setting up your People Search engine is an easy and straight-forward process.

Tissa is a strong believer in teaching others how to educate themselves, and ACME People Search together with GDI, is one of the most rewarding affiliate programs today, with its multiple income streams. Both have their own support forums. Tissa’s ACME forum offers a nice bonus for the most helpful members, and he puts emphasis on helping others. With ACME People Search and GDI, or as I like to call it: “The power of two and Internet Marketing”, you can learn and earn from the beginning and at no risk. Watch the video below for an introduction by Tissa:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8vwxplR3Qo&feature=related

Click here to sign up with ACME People Search

The e-book, written by some Internet Marketing guru using the oh so clever pen name “Rich B. Astard”, claimed that Gary would be making money in practically no time at all, as long as he followed the guru’s steps. A couple of weeks later, Gary has gotten nowhere. He didn’t even finish reading the e-book because it was overwhelming, with too much information too soon. Next he got busy downloading several hundred e-books on the same topic, and burned out.

Stop trying to learn everyting at once

A lot of people are like Gary, commiting the mistake of not putting any or enough effort into this, or they give up too soon. Gary went back to daydreaming about making money on the Internet, which is as far as he will ever get, unless he takes action, put together a plan and stay with it.

Imagine you started working out to lose weight and build muscles, a couple of weeks ago. You can hardly notice any difference, and it is not exactly fun when you do it all alone, so you slip back into your comfort zone and stop working out and go back to eating unhealthy food again. I should know how that feels, I have been there many times. If you on the other hand stay with the diet and exercise program, you will notice a difference. Not necessarily in a few weeks, but in the next couple of months you will most definitely see and feel a difference.

Be consistent and you will achieve results

It’s just the same with Internet Marketing! Think of it as following your own personal exercise program and diet. Create it and follow it religiously. When you feel that you are about to slip out, seek support. Get in touch with other marketers in places such as the Warrior Forum, which is free to use and has a knowledgeable and supportive community.

If you have money to invest, it can help you earn more money sooner, but even if you have no money to spare at all, you can still create a solid income online. It only takes more time and effort.

Download, read and use this free e-book to get started

If you want a great and completely free of cost step-by-step action plan complete with a great affiliate product to sell to a super-needy market, download the free e-book below. Read it and follow the instructions. Also, I recommend that you sign up for Travis’s e-course and newsletter on his website, The Bum Marketing Method.

→  Click here to download the guide: Hundie a Day (e-book) ←

People like Travis with his Bum Marketing Method are special in the way they go that far to help others by not only offering a free e-course on how to get started with Internet Marketing, but he went ahead and created a complete affiliate product, with step-by-step instructions showing you how to sell it at no cost whatsoever, and then when you start making money with it, how you should re-invest some of it to earn even more. I have to say, what Travis has done is a wonderful, wonderful thing, and you should at least give his method a try.

Here’s to your success!

Free TrafficTraffic is the lifeblood for your website, blog or affiliate links. Without traffic, nobody will find your product, and you will not make money with it. Fortunately, targeted traffic can be cheap or even free, and I’ve decided to put together a short list here, to explain some methods that works well for attracting traffic leads. Building up a continuous flow of free traffic usually takes longer than outsourcing the task, but you can save a lot of money, and the leads can convert just as well.

1. Traffic Exchange websites

Traffic Exchange services are sub-optimal for selling products, but can work quite well for building opt-in lists with an auto-responder, which could potentially make more money in the first place. You can offer a free e-course for the niche that you want to promote, then split the e-course into 10 parts and use your auto-responder to  send out a new part every couple of days. Use a catchy squeeze page (nice graphics is not as important as the sales message) with several Traffic Exchange websites, offer a nice bonus for signing up (i.e. a good e-book or a membership) and your opt-in list will start growing soon.

You can easily get thousands of traffic leads from the Traffic Exchange websites, though it is mostly worthless if the purpose is to make money with it. Convert it to list subscribers, and you have future customers.

My favorite T.E. websites are Traffic Splash, StartXchange and Easy Hits 4 U. Feel free to try them out for building your own opt-in list (I have left my affiliate ID out).

Many web host services offers a pre-installed opt-in list script in the admin panel (usually cPanel), but if you prefer a standalone solution, I suggest Grab That Lead, which is free and easy to use. If you want the best paid solution, take a look at Aweber. Regarded one of the best autoresponder services on the Internet, Aweber’s subscription rates begins at $19 per month for 500 subscribers.

If you don’t know where to start in order to build your own opt-in list, feel free to download and read this free e-book: Opt-in list building for beginners.

2. Free Traffic System

Free Traffic System is a free back-link building system which sends traffic to your WordPress blog by adding new backlinks for you. By submitting your WordPress blog to their system, you also receive 7% more backlinks from the system in exchange for them posting relevant content in your blog every now and then. More backlinks = higher ranking with the search engines and more free traffic.

3. Articles: Writing:

You can write articles about almost anything, when doing research beforehand. Download this free e-book called “Ezine Article Writing” by Elaine Currie, for tips on writing articles. It is not new, but the basics are the same. You can also re-write articles, and when you do, use Copyscape to make sure it is not labeled a duplicate. Either way, the best solution is to write your own, unique articles, if you can. People love new and fresh content, as do the search engines!

3.1. Articles: Submitting:

When you are done writing a couple of articles, you want to submit it to article directories with a high PR (Page Rank). Ezine Articles will reject your article if it has already been published and indexed, so if you are going to submit it to more than one directory and you plan on using Ezine Articles too, submit to theirs first. Ezine Articles is still one of the most popular places to submit articles, but you do not need it to succeed.

• GoArticles (PR 6) can kick your article to #1-3 on Google’s first page in 1-3 days.
• DropJack (PR4) is a web news directory, recommended by GoArticles.
• Squidoo (PR 7) is another userfriendly directory with affiliate link tools.
• Bukisa (PR 4), like Squidoo, helps you earn money when submitting your articles.

Continue writing new articles and submit every day, if you can. Build back-links, ping and bookmark it, and you will see a continuous flow of free traffic to the links in your articles. I really recommend that you read this thread in the Warrior Forum, written by DeePower. It explains step-by-step how incredibly powerful a free blog and article writing can be and how you can take advantage of it:

Newbies And Everybody Else: How To Make $50 A Day On The Internet.

4. Build backlinks to your articles or affiliate links

I have mentioned Angelas Backlinks before. Everybody can learn how to find high PR and do-follow websites, but Angelas Backlinks explains the process step-by-step and gives you the links. This is a monthly subscription, and for $5/mo you will receive 30 new URLs to high PR websites.

• GrabTheSpider is a free tool to help you find websites with a high PR.
• BacklinkWatch helps you find backlinks pointing to high PR websites.
• Read this article on how to build backlinks. Bonus content included!

5. Ping your articles and affiliate links

Pinging means inviting websites and search engines to crawl your content in order to have it indexed and found sooner. For pinging manually, try the free service Pingler. Another decent ping service is Pingomatic. You can also copy & paste ping lists that you find on the web, and add it in your WordPress blog to let it take care of the pinging when you post new articles. Click here for an article on WordPress pinging (list included).

6.Twitter

Twitter went from being a cute toy to becoming the voice of the oppressed people, not including Ashton Kutcher, in a short while. It has hundreds, if not thousands of more or less useful third-party tools, developed to make it easier to use and more flexible. Twitter can be effective for driving free traffic to your website or selling your product. Read this article on “14 ways to use Twitter politely” and do what it says.

Have a look at these free Twitter list building tools:

• Tweet Deck –  improves communication with other twitters.
• Twit Robot lets you use Auto Posting and Mass Follow (use with caution).
• Viral Followers – Easy way to get more Twitter followers.
• Also have a look at Twitter’s own list of recommended Twitter apps.

Conclusion

There are many, many ways to drive free traffic to your website or blog, and I have mentioned but a few here. I will write more on this as I gain more experience and skills with it myself, but these methods really work when you learn the basics and apply it. The rest is up to you, and I will write about having a plan of action and following it, later.

If you have any questions and / or comments, feel free to add it here. I hope this list was any useful for you.