I am often asked the questions "how can I make money with a website?" and "how can an affiliate program make me money?". While the premise is not difficult, it does require quite a bit of time and effort on your part, as well as the use of a few tools. The tools within this article will assist you in using your website to make money with affiliate programs, the popular online auction site eBay, and the ever-popular Adsense. Essentially, once you have your website, you can "make money with no money".

If you are interested in making money fast, or are seeking a get-rich-quick scheme, you will not find that type of information here. If you are interested in making some extra money online with a website, then read on.

I am assuming you already have a domain name and a website hosting account. I am also assuming you either have a website or have an idea for a website. Here are a few website money making tips:

• Your website should be based on a topic that interests you and of which you have knowledge. This will make it seem less like a job, and more like fun.
• Create your website in a manner that provides your intended visitors (targeted audience) with information they will enjoy reading.
• Add new content and information regularly - this will ensure your visitors come back often
• In order to make money with a website, you need to generate traffic to your site. In order to generate traffic, you need to promote your website.
• Build your website for your visitors - not strictly for the thought of making quick, easy cash.
• Making money on the internet can happen, but patience and hard work is reguired.

To make money with a website, there are a few options we will explore: Niche Store Generator, Product Promotion via Affiliate Networks, Online Store Integrator, and Contextual Advertising,.

USING A NICHE STORE GENERATOR: Make Money with EBay niche products

If you have an idea for a website, want to use it to make money, but don't have the knowledge or ability to create a website, you may want to consider a Niche Site Generator. This is the ideal website money making tool as the hard work is done for you. Typically, niche store generators have a multitude of website templates from which to choose and the user interface is easy to follow. Furthermore, you do not need to maintain an inventory or process shipping.

The most popular one out there is Build A Niche Store (aka BANS). In a nutshell, BANS is an eBay affiliate website creator - the script builds a website based on your desired niche and installs eBay products in an online store fashion. You receive a share of ebay's revenue. The cost is a one time charge of $97.00 - while it seems high, you can create an unlimited number of niche websites. Plus, you have the added value of free updates and support.

To get started with BANS, you first need to sign up in their affiliate program (visit https://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/index.html ). You then need to purchase a domain name (about $10.00 per year) and a website hosting account (average about $100.00 per year). You also need to install a database on your host account; a fairly easy step as the majority of hosts have simple "one-click" installs. The user manual provided by BANS has step-by-step instructions on how to build a customized a store. I personally think the amount of potential income outweighs the cost of the BANS software. After all, everyone knows EBay, right? This software allows you to create a website offering items you are interested in, in an organized fashion.

USING PRODUCT PROMOTION VIA AFFILIATE NETWORKS: Make Money With Affiliate Programs

This method works if you already have a website and want to offer items that compliment the topic of your site. The way to make money from your website with affiliate programs is actually quite simple, as I will explain.

An affiliate network is a network comprised of merchants (aka commercial entity or affiliate merchant) and affiliates (aka you, the website owner or publisher). An affiliate can display a merchant's ad, text link, or product link on their Web site, essentially promoting products and services. Affiliates are paid a commission by the respective merchant when a visitor to the affiliate's website takes a specific action such as filling out a form, subscribing to a service (both lead examples) or making a purchase (a sale). This is known as Affiliate Marketing.

To become an affiliate and start making money in affiliate marketing, simply sign up with an affiliate network and select a merchant that has products you want to promote (either individual products or general promotion of all products the company offers). Place the merchants textual ads and/or product links within your website. A few things to consider: 1) ads, text links, and product links should represent the topic of the website page on which it resides, 2) You will need to promote your website or blog, which is time consuming, 3) Sales more than likely will not happen overnight, therefore it could take time before you start to earn money.

Following are some of the most popular Affiliate Networks. There are virtually hundreds more not mentioned here:

• Commission Junction (aka CJ) Probably the most popular affiliate network. Many high quality merchants participate in the CJ network, each offering several different text and product links to place within your website.
• LinkShare.com Another very popular affiliate network, which has thousands of merchants in their database.
• Google Affiliate Network (formerly DoubleClick Performics) I think this network is OK. It is growing, but I don't seem to do too well here.
• shareasale.com This network is definately worth looking into. The Control Panel is easy to use, and has a very user friendly way of creating pages of several items for you to "sell".

USING AN ONLINE STORE INTEGRATOR TO MAKE MONEY WITH A WEBSITE - via Affiliate Merchants

Another option to make money with a website is to integrate an online store into your exsting website. Online stores come in many forms, however in this article I am going to discuss the online store technique that works with affiliate merchants (refer to affiliate marketing above), integrates smoothly into your existing website, and does not require you to have a database on your website hosting account, stock inventory or process the shipment of orders. This is a perfect option if you have a website and want to promote many items offered by affiliate merchants. Additionally, a store integrator is a good way to efficiently organize products and "offer" your site visitors many items.

In order to be successful with an online store, you first need a niche. This should be something that interests you, and something in which you have knowledge. Once you have selected a niche, you need to build a website. Your next step is to peruse the various Affiliate Networks for merchants that provide items that compliment your niche. Sigh-up with the particular merchant's affiliate program via the affiliate network. To create a store to integrate within your site, you have a few choices:

1) GoldenCAN This is a very easy to use store integration system that does not require any programming or database knowledge. You are able to select from millions of products offered by many merchants who are part of the various affiliate networks (Commission Junction, Linkshare...). Additionally, you are able to add a search box for your website visitors, as well as quickly integrate promotions and coupons offered by merchants.

2) PopShops A very easy to use online store generator, PopShops allows for up to 10 free "stores", that can contain up to 100 products. There is a large database of merchants who participate in the PopShops network - all of whom are part of the various affiliate networks (Commission Junction, Linkshare...). You simply select the merchant that has items you want to "sell", select the items to add to your store, and customize the look and feel of the items to be displayed. Popshops has a subscription based service that offers unlimited stores and search engine optimization abilities.

3) Zlio This is actually an "all-in-one" website / store system. You don't need to have an existing website - all you really need is an idea for a niche and participation in affiliate networks. Zilo allows you the ability to create a site and promote items offered by affiliate merchants without any cost to you. You simply choose a name for your site/store, a template for the look and feel of your site/store, choose products from any of the merchants who participate in Zilo's marketplace (you must participate in the merchant's affiliate program), and earn a commission on each sale made. No inventory, not shipping, no customer service. As with any website or online store, you do need to promote your site/store.

USING CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISING TO MAKE MONEY WITH A WEBSITE

Another popular way to create a bit of extra money with a website is with contextual advertising. Contextual advertising is the term applied to advertisements appearing on websites or blogs. The advertisements are selected and served by automated systems based on the content within the page that contains the ad. You earn money when people either click on these advertisements, or make a purchase after following the advertisement link. It is important to understand that you may not make much money, especially at first. Many people tout their earnings, claiming to make "thousands a week". Sure, some people and/or companies may make a lot of money, but they may have several websites or their site has been around for a long time.

Following are a few of the big name contextual advertising groups:

• Google Adsense Arguably the most popular form of website income is the use of Google Adsense. This is basically the process of inserting a small amount of code within the page of your website - provided by Google - that resembles an advertisement. Google will provide code that is relevant to the content of said page. When you earn a minimum of $100.00, Google will either send you a check or directly deposit your earnings into your account. There are several choices of ad formats, search box options, and you-tube video options.

   

• AdBrite There are different ad formats from which to choose: Text and banner ads with customizable layout as well as full page ads - A high-paying full-screen ad on the third pageview of your site, shown only once per user per day. Anyone visiting your site can buy an ad directly on your site by clicking "Your Ad Here." You can review each ad before it is placed on your site.

   

• BidVertiser This option seems to have the lowest minimum earnings for payment, which is $10.00. You are able to customize the layout of your ad, filter unwanted ads, and generate detailed earnings reports. This is a strong runner for Adsense.

   

• PayPerPlay A newcomer to the contextual advertising world. You place a small piece of code within a page of your site and whenever the page is opened a relevant audio ad automatically plays. You are paid each time the ad plays - regardless if the visitor actually hears the ad or not. This ad service rolled-out in February, 2008.