I have been working online for almost 10 years and my intention with this website was to document experiences with programs and services to determine what works and what doesn’t. Below I will list the programs and services that made it possible for me to grow my online business in a positive way. Obviously, there are other programs that might work better but this page is not about what is best but rather what had/has worked best for me in the span of 9 years. As a newbie, I did not have a lot of money to invest 9 years ago and had to go with products/programs that were free or cheap, hence, why I will focus primarily on listing those.
What makes a program/service perfect for me?
Age
The older a program the more likely that it will stick around. As an affiliate marketer, A LOT goes into promoting a product successfully. Creating posts, setting up email marketing, making videos, creating promotional materials, and so forth. It is a real bust if you had gone thru all this effort, only for the product/platform to close down or revamp so badly that it changes your marketing strategy completely. Since I have a long-term marketing strategy, whenever I look at something whether it is hosting, marketing tools, or an affiliate program, I try to envision its presence in the feature.
Cost
The term “you have to spend money, to make money” is true. At some point, a bit of investment goes a long way. However, it is not wise to overspend, especially not if you do not make much in the beginning. I personally DO NOT pay for anything unless it can pay for itself in the long run. The moment it becomes nothing but an expense, I will cancel/shut it down. The classic sign of online failure is when people spend way too much before making anything. Hence, I do not recommend programs with expensive up-sales because although some might have success, it is setting oneself up for failure if the mindset starts out with spending instead of investing for profit.
Promoting with Pride
I do not promote anything that I do not have confidence in myself. If you promote a product, it is not just about receiving a commission; it is about building trust with your audience/list or leads. Once you promote a crappy program just for the sake of money and it backfires, your reputation is down the drain. Hence why I only recommend products and services that I myself would promote or currently promote. Affiliate marketers tend to feel ashamed of their affiliate links, I AM NOT! They are like my own personal stamp of approval.
Now, let's get to the list of programs...
Hosting
Hosting sounds easy, just pick the cheapest and go with it right? Nope, downtime can be a….well a pain in the neck, not to mention lag and slow page load speeds to only name a few. Horrible to move a website from one host to another and the wrong host can mess up your SEO game completely. The following host’s made my life better during my online career with little to no issues.
Blogger
Well yeah, 9 years ago, I was broke with only $10 dollars to spend on a domain and Blogger was my to-go-to, and not once did I have any issue with Google’s hosting. Have websites all over now (had to test services) and WordPress is my favorite and most recommended obviously. However, if you are flat broke but want to start somewhere, blogger is a good option to consider until you have enough to pay for WordPress hosting. A lot of platforms offer free WP hosting, but it is limited in some way, does not allow you to add a custom domain, or only comes with a few themes and plug-ins, to only name a few. Blogger has no limitations on its features, has free hosting and they are almost never down or have slow page load speeds.
Visit Blogger
Read my Blogger Review
DreamHost
The Company has been around for a long time and the prices are not too shabby. WordPress hosting is really good and downtime is minimal. To be honest, I never experienced downtime with them myself. The websites on Dreamhost do well in the search engines and their customer support is great. For example, moving a site from Blogger to WordPress is no easy task, Dreamhost will move it for free and it will work perfectly afterward. The only hosting provider that I have found to accomplish this without any hiccups afterward. I am all for saving the environment and since they have done a lot to become a carbon-neutral company, I fully support them.
Visit DreamHost
Read my DreamHost Review
Wealthy Affiliate - WordPress Hosting
WA is an all-in-one type of program that provides internet marketing training, a keyword tool, and many other features along with its WordPress hosting. Comes with a price, of $49 a month to be exact, however, the hosting is good and for the price, you can host up to 20 websites which is actually not bad. They also have a free version where you can test the service. Their hosting impresses me the most, especially in the search engines since Google indexes the sites much faster and better. (Obviously, you have to do the work they recommend you do). WA offers a FREE SSL Certificate for all Premium and Premium Plus websites hosted there.
Visit Wealthy Affiliate
Read my Wealthy Affiliate Review
Domain Registrar
GoDaddy
Also, an old company that is reputable and reliable when it comes to domains. Some of my domains with them are 10 years old and I never had problems. (This domain is also one of them). I am good with various things, domain trouble is not one of them and I usually contact customer support if I cannot figure it out. GoDaddy has been a real pleasure in this department and their customer support always helped me to sort out the problems I had. Customer support varies from one program/service to another, with some, you can sort things yourself, with others, customer support is all that matters. Domain trouble is where I usually prefer top-notch customer support and I get it with GoDaddy.
Visit GoDaddy
Read my GoDaddy Review
Wealthy Affiliate
Domains are beyond reasonably priced and you have the option to purchase/renew your domains with credits that you earned thru the WA platform. If you are on a tight budget, this is a cheap way to obtain a domain of high quality. They offer everything from Domain transfers, domain search, and so forth.
Visit WA
SEO Tools
Jaaxy – Keyword Tool
My favorite keyword tool by far and I highly recommend it for beginners. Compact and easy to use with a clean interface that is not cluttered with unnecessary functions. I achieved MANY first-page rankings with blog posts on all my websites by using this tool. A lightweight and accurate tool that is effective and simple to use.
Visit Jaaxy
Read my Jaaxy Review
Internet Marketing Ninjas
IMN has been the “go-to” platform for many newbies (and pros) over the years when it comes to providing marketing and website development tools. Beyond awesome platform that offers A LOT of free tools that would otherwise cost a fortune if purchased separately. The tools they provide work well without glitches and give the correct data. IMN is 100% newbie-friendly with an interface that even a child can familiarize with. Tools include;
SEO tools – Side-by-side SEO comparison, link analyzer, and so on.
Webmaster tools – Domain WHOIS lookup, Spell Check, and so forth.
Social Tools – Facebook privacy checker, Social activity tool, and more
Other Tools – Schema, PPC, Webmaster tools, web design, to only mention a few.
SST – Small Seo Tools
SEO tools can be quite expensive, especially if one has to purchase them separately. SST was recommended to me many many years ago and to be honest, it is still my to-go place today even if I can afford more expensive tools now. They have a wide variety of tools for free! The tools work well and I can honestly say that just by using them, my websites have done extremely well over the years. If you are a newbie or just planning to save money in general, this is the place to be. They have anything from keyword tools, ping, grammar checks, plagiarism checks, text to speech, converters, keyword suggestion tools, domain research tool, backlink checker, Meta tag generator, and so forth.
SEO tools can be quite expensive, especially if one has to purchase them separately. SST was recommended to me many many years ago and to be honest, it is still my to-go place today even if I can afford more expensive tools now. They have a wide variety of tools for free! The tools work well and I can honestly say that just by using them, my websites have done extremely well over the years. If you are a newbie or just planning to save money in general, this is the place to be. They have anything from keyword tools, ping, grammar checks, plagiarism checks, text to speech, converters, keyword suggestion tools, domain research tool, backlink checker, Meta tag generator, and so forth.
Learn Affiliate Marketing/Online Marketing/WordPress
Wealthy Affiliate
Well yeah, I just have to mention WA again. Many companies have come and they have also GONE! WA has been around for something like 14 years now and still going strong. Training is updated, weekly webinars and the tools that go along with the training are also provided on the same platform like a keyword tool, your WordPress website, site comments, domain, and so forth.
Visit WA
Affilorama
A TON of free training is available about affiliate marketing, blogging, and so forth. Training is not as up to date as WA, however, it is actually a very good start if you are broke but eager to learn and get going. The amount of training they provide for free should actually go for a price.
Affilorama
A TON of free training is available about affiliate marketing, blogging, and so forth. Training is not as up to date as WA, however, it is actually a very good start if you are broke but eager to learn and get going. The amount of training they provide for free should actually go for a price.
Ten minutes to Success (Chris Farrell Membership)
I HAVE TO give a lot of credit to Chris Farrell and his program. He got me started with Affiliate Marketing 10 years ago and to be honest, his training was what got me intrigued since it is uncomplicated with easy steps. Unlike Affilorama and WA, his training is more focused on making money online by means of building leadpages/landing pages and a list. Online marketing actually went big with this method of earning an income. Unfortunately, this method has also been saturated badly since it was so successful and now in 2021, you have to be smart to make it work. Still, a really good option if website creation is not your thing and Chris still has a really good way to simplify training that others have the tendency to over-complicate. If you are focused, his training will make it happen for you!
Photo/Graphics Editing
PhotoScape
This is my favorite free photo-editing tool to edit graphics and photos for my websites and blogs. Lightweight, with an easy interface that has all the tools one needs for a quick edit. Software is stable and runs smoothly without lagging.
Photo Pos Pro
Beyond awesome tool for more complicated tasks that require a wide variety of special features. The free version is almost like a mini version of PhotoShop that allows you to create stunning photo effects or graphics when needed. The interface has two options to choose from, beginner and advances user, so yeah, you don’t have to be a pro to use the software. Best free editor in my opinion.
Beyond awesome tool for more complicated tasks that require a wide variety of special features. The free version is almost like a mini version of PhotoShop that allows you to create stunning photo effects or graphics when needed. The interface has two options to choose from, beginner and advances user, so yeah, you don’t have to be a pro to use the software. Best free editor in my opinion.
General Tools
Grammarly
If you plan to work online, spelling and grammar make a HUGE difference, if your spelling or grammar is bad, people think you are unprofessional or simply just stupid (they do). When I started working online, my English was beyond poor since it is not my first language. Believe it or not, making sales, getting ranked, and creating websites were less challenging than writing a simple blog post that is free of spelling and grammar errors. Obviously, a lot of time and effort went into learning English and finding the perfect tools to help where I failed. After 10 years of testing every tool, there is, Grammarly works the best for me. Not only is it a tool that checks for mistakes, but you can actually improve your English and writing just by using it and paying attention to the writing and spelling suggestions as it not only corrects your writing but also tell you what you did wrong. The weekly reports also keep me motivated to do better and monitor my progress.
If you plan to work online, spelling and grammar make a HUGE difference, if your spelling or grammar is bad, people think you are unprofessional or simply just stupid (they do). When I started working online, my English was beyond poor since it is not my first language. Believe it or not, making sales, getting ranked, and creating websites were less challenging than writing a simple blog post that is free of spelling and grammar errors. Obviously, a lot of time and effort went into learning English and finding the perfect tools to help where I failed. After 10 years of testing every tool, there is, Grammarly works the best for me. Not only is it a tool that checks for mistakes, but you can actually improve your English and writing just by using it and paying attention to the writing and spelling suggestions as it not only corrects your writing but also tell you what you did wrong. The weekly reports also keep me motivated to do better and monitor my progress.
Adobe Spark
In my opinion, the best way to create high-quality video, graphics, banners, landing pages, social media post's and so forth if you are on a tight budget. Newbie-friendly platform with an interface that is beyond easy to manage. So yeah, if you really want to build a landing page but have no money for builders or WordPress/hosting, I recommend using spark since hosting is included and the pages actually look good.
Visit Adobe Spark
LeadPages
If creating Landing Pages is your thing, I recommend LeadPages if you want to go all out and professional. The company has been around since 2012 and still going strong. Basically, they have tools and features for building landing pages, websites, pop-ups, creating webinars, lead magnets, and so forth. Pricing is not outrageous and newbies do not need to be beyond technically advanced to familiarize themselves with the platform.
If creating Landing Pages is your thing, I recommend LeadPages if you want to go all out and professional. The company has been around since 2012 and still going strong. Basically, they have tools and features for building landing pages, websites, pop-ups, creating webinars, lead magnets, and so forth. Pricing is not outrageous and newbies do not need to be beyond technically advanced to familiarize themselves with the platform.
Buffer App
Another old platform, that makes managing Social media a total breeze. Managing Social media can be time-consuming AND also a huge distraction. I try my best to avoid social media unless all my online tasks are done (which is seldom). However, I still need to post on Twitter and such and do so by using Buffer. Set up my tweets and so forth, set the times, and do not worry about it again. Obviously, it is still better to handle Social media in person, but if you are like me and find that is too much of a distraction, Buffer is a great option to help you manage your time better.
Another old platform, that makes managing Social media a total breeze. Managing Social media can be time-consuming AND also a huge distraction. I try my best to avoid social media unless all my online tasks are done (which is seldom). However, I still need to post on Twitter and such and do so by using Buffer. Set up my tweets and so forth, set the times, and do not worry about it again. Obviously, it is still better to handle Social media in person, but if you are like me and find that is too much of a distraction, Buffer is a great option to help you manage your time better.
Payoneer
I am from South Africa and A LOT of affiliate programs like Amazon do not pay out commissions to our bank accounts or PayPal. Payoneer is the gateway that made my dreams to earn an online income came true 10 years ago. Checks take too long to arrive or most of the time, they just get lost in the mail. The first Clickbank commissions I ever withdraw were by means of using Payoneer. Never had a problem with their service so yeah, if you are in a none-U.S country, Payoneer is a good way to get paid commissions from U.S based programs.
Well, this is it for now. I will add more programs/tools and services as time goes on so be sure to come back for a visit from time to time.
Have a product/service or tool that made the world of difference to you?
Please leave your recommendation in the form of a comment below. It will be much appreciated and also help others to save money as well.
Thank You
67 comments:
Are these WordPress sites on .com or .org?
Allow me to explain the 2 different versions of WP.
WordPress.org - this would be the main website where you will be able to download the free WP software for installation with your own hosting company and you will link your own domain to it.
WordPress.com - This platform work very similar to an online blogging platform, that will enable you to use the WP platform but without the need for own hosting or domain. The basic features are free, but you are presented with the option to upgrade to bigger bandwidth and storage along with more advanced plug-ins and premium features. Unlike WP.org, building a blog on this platform will not give you full ownership for your site or blog will be hosted on their servers (therefore it will be a bit impossible for WA to host on a WP.com)
Wealthy Affiliate provide the free hosting for your 2 sites or unlimited hosting if you choose to upgrade, therefore the core program is already downloaded from the .org platform for you. You also have the choice (it is preferred in the long run) to link your own domain to the blog(s). If you choose the free domain option it will be the free domain along with .com
hi, i think that people must know that not only they need to have a web site, but also something to write about. That is a key matter, a site about what...? And what layout...? First we must try to put the idea in a paper, and them get started. I want to be a part of this, but i still have no idea of the subject that the site should be.
best wishes, see me soon in my future internet deal (i hope..)
Manuel Ferreira
Thanks for the comment, dearly appreciated.
I have to agree that it is always hard in the beginning to find your niche and find inspiration to write about it. Personally I think you should find a niche or topic that will interest you, if you choose something that have no meaning to you, you will not be able to stick with it in the long run and most likely run out of ideas. Your own skill sets can also turn out to bring forth some ideas, for instance if you work as a IT technician you can start a blog all about computers, or if you work as a plumber, you can start a DIY blog that give people tips on how to fix things in their homes.
You are unique and I can bet that their are loads of things that you know about, that others will defiantly find useful.
Hi, I have read your reviews and i find it very good and honest. It made me want to try WA but unfortunately I can't create an account. whenever I click "create account" button, all I get is the message... "Oops, we found that you already have an account at Wealthy Affiliate. Please login with that account to access Wealthy Affiliate!" but in fact, I don't have one. I tried clicking on "forgot password" and the message goes like this...."We were unable to find a user account with the credentials provided." Please help me with this matter or at least tell where to ask for help... I really want to join your WA team.
There might be a few possibilities that keep you from signing up, normally an account created from the same IP address may cause difficulties.
Feel free to contact Kyle at: kyle@wealthyaffiliate.com if you struggle.
Hi Christene, thanks for your help I appreciate it. I'm ok now and good to go. See you on the inside... =)
Its a pleasure, feel free to say "hi" and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
I looked at the slide show. One of the slides states that membership (for the paid account) is $11.95 a month. A slide or two later, it states $47 a month. Which is correct?
The premium membership is $47 a month
Page 12 on the slide show is based on the commissions you can earn when you promote Wealthy Affiliate as a free or premium member.
You will earn a $11.25 commission for every monthly signup when you are a free member.
If you are a premium member you will earn $22.50 if someone purchase the monthly membership.
Feel free to ask if you have more questions, I will gladly help out.
Hello Christene
My passion is to write about the Bible, religion and politics because I love it and know much about it very well.
I have a web page, wordpress blog, etc., so please advised me what to do and how I would write about the topics mentioned above!?
I am a novice marketer but I have a lot of enthusiasm and willingness just scares (frightens) me how to start?
Have a nice weekend,
Enes
I am in WA, thanks to you!
Hi Enes, hope all is going well.
I would advise you to pick one of the above topics that you had mentioned, preferably the one that you feel the most passionate about for now.
The Bible and religion could be a good start in my opinion for I have a passion for God as well and you could make a huge difference. The option is totally up to you on what you want to write about, but the opportunities are endless. You can for instance base your blog on "a daily post from God", a daily quote from the Bible along with a discussion about the verse or you can simply just add a daily prayer on different kinds of subjects.
Affiliate programs are widely available now for those who prefer to rather use their writing skills towards the Work of God and you can add it to your blog if you want to earn additional income as well.
Glad that you had made it Enes, I hope that the platform is serving you well so far. Feel free to send me a personal message within WA.
HI, is this only fot hte US market, or should it also work for e.g. the Netherlands or someone living in the Netherlands?
You can do this from anywhere in the world including the Netherlands. I am from South Africa myself and working successfully.
Thanks for the positive comment Julia - dearly appreciated.
Please give me links to the affiliates relating to work of God. He is also my boss. Thanks Kavinah
You can find various affiliate products related to the work of God. Clickbank have some really awesome digital products as well as Amazon.
I included the most trusted Affiliate resources:
clickbank.com
http://affiliates.dayspring.com/
http://www.christiancinema.com/partners/affiliates/
http://www.familychristian.com/affiliates
Hi Christene,
I am very glad to see your website today. I am very much bothered about earning money through internet.I spent lot of money online and still i didn't get single penny.May be I am wrong in choosing few websites. I knew,I dont have basic knowledge how to build proper website. Here, I am willing to do hard work but it should bring something to my life. Please suggest me ,how this webaffiliate site helps me to earn some good amount of money?
Thanking you,
Srihari
The easiest way to earn online is a blog or a website with good ranking and traffic.
With your own blog that is set up in the right manner you will have the freedom to promote different affiliate programs or even your own products. WA will teach you how to pick a niche, create your site and help you to rank it on the Engines.
Wealthy Affiliate has all the training that will show you step by step and if you have a problem, there is a helpful community that will answer any question you might have. Creating an online business is not hard, doing it alone is impossible, that is why I recommend them so highly - You will not do it by yourself.
Hi Christine, I just found your blog on Pure Leverage. I was going to sign up, but I am not interested in Empower network. It doesn't have a product.
Anyway, I have been thinking about WA for while and signed up for the free account. They both were very involved and I found that rare. They seem really dedicated.
I have a few blogs but am not making money. I don't understand special reports,
what to write in an autoresponder,
or how to joint venture.
Also, I am looking for training on how to do powerpoints, videos and screen capture training.
Is this part of wealthy affiliate training? I have bought so much training and have small memberships but they don't put it all together.
I would so appreciate your feed back.
What do you think? Thank you, mary
WA have loads of training on about any major topic that you can think about. All the basic training you need to get started are included in the free account.
The premium membership covers advance training on email marketing (how to set up your auto-responder) and Joint ventures.
Within the discussion board there is training that is based on PowerPoint, screen capture and video marketing.
Whenever you have questions that is not covered in the training, you will be able to start a discussion and get those questions answered.
I am an advanced marketer and done so much training on different platforms that I can hardly remember it all. WA helps me to better my own business and skills with the massive amount of training that is available.
Does WA also offer a full online marketing suite with auto responders included? $47/month just for a blog and some training videos seems a little bit overpriced to me.
No we do not offer an auto responder - most platforms require you to get one, but we believe in cutting costs, after all in most instances it is a waste of time and money. Newbies have no use in an auto responder if they do not have traffic or a method to get leads in the beginning. The majority of online marketers prefers their own responder and choose what they feel comfortable with. The leaders when it comes to responders is Aweber, GVO and Getresponse and even free services like Listwire can't compare.
Secondly, We offer unlimited blogs and domain hosting for premium members. $47 is cheap compared to Pure Leverage and Empower Network, where you pay $25 for ONE blog and $100 for training on a monthly basis (there is usually hidden costs as well).
At WA you get 2 blogs (not only one) and "some" training for free - You DO NOT have to pay for it.
Feel free to read my review on WA - The training is not just based on "some training video's" but consist of classrooms, certification courses, boot-camp's and discussions. The live video classes are a separate section also included.
Tools and services include a keyword tool, rapid writer, live chat, monthly keyword list and affiliate resources that allow you to create and track campaigns. You also have access to a huge variety of WP plugins to optimize your blogs.
Here is a link to my personal dashboard, feel free to look at the sidebar to get an idea on what to expect.
http://goo.gl/1hBKl
Thanks Christene for this great review about Wealthy Affiliate, please help me regarding affiliate marketing, through which I am trying hard to make money but still hopeless!! I am a computer engineer, I have little awareness about ppc programs such as breezeads.com, bidvertiser.com, google adsence etc. but I don't know much how to use these ppc programs to earn money. Please help me regarding these things, should I go to wealthy affiliate or ppc programs or anything else.?
I always recommend anyone who is serious about making money online to start out with the basics and then pursue more complicated methods of earning. Blogging is a good way to start, you can write about your business or interests and get paid by promoting affiliate programs or adding advertising to your site.
I would recommend Wealthy Affiliate because you will learn all the basics of online marketing that includes e-mail, social and paid marketing.
Hello Christene,
With the Premium you get Hosting.. I have my own hosting...Will I still get everything even though I have my Own Hosting? How would the Premium benefit me?
I also have my own Hosting but use the platform to keep my knowledge up to date. You also have access to the keyword tool, Monthly keyword list the live chat and all the training. Many people only use WA as a learning platform or affiliate program.
I joined WA long after I created my blogs and the platform helped me to improve them drastically, even though they are on a different host.
Awesome reviews!
Keep up the GREAT job Christene :)
Bookmark'd
MirelUTS
Dear Christene,
awesome job you did!
I probably could talk in Dutch with you. Understand you speak "Old Dutch" but lets keep it English for your other readers.
In my search for interesting work in Japan at Tokyo Craigslist http://tokyo.craigslist.jp/ I noticed it is flooded with Empower Network adds which look like scam too me. Fortunately this brought me here :)
Looking forward to getting started with online business with your wonderful guidance.
I have created already a free WA account.
A few personal internet domains are under my control already which I seek to integrate in this project.
cheers, kindest regards,
Fred
Well actually I speak Afrikaans, which is similar to Dutch, but I do not understand it completely and might make a fool out of myself trying to speak it lol.
Yes Empower Network is a debate on its own. Many claims that they got rich using the platform while others got ripped off completely. Personally I see it as a money making scheme and only the top performers is getting the money.
EN is absolutely not for newbies and the failure rate is too big.
By now I hope that you connected with me on WA. The platform is always my first priority and questions or messages get answered promptly - Do not hesitate to ask for help.
thanks for your information.I got an email from fanpage cashflow. what do you think about fanpage cashflow ?
I have looked at many make money online packages and I agree it is one of the best. I have been a member since last summer after I had floundered on my own. It helped me to focus and build better sites. The community and the weekly webinars are also fantastic.
I am not familiar with the program and did not sign up to conduct a review yet.
They supposently teach you how to sell products on Facebook. The sales video is definitely not genuine and it looks like you have to sell the product itself as well. The advert "Make $1000 to $2000 a day GUARANTEED!" is a warning itself because no one can guarantee that it will be successful.
In addition Facebook does not like Fan Pages that is riddled with affiliate links and the method died some time ago.
I will keep them in mind for a future Review.
Thanks for your feedback Mike, it is appreciated!
Yes, have to agree, WA had done wonders for my own online business. I personally love the weekly webinars as well, always something to learn.
Feel free to say hi on WA, always nice to meet new members.
ya know christene I would love to join WA,but it is all about the scammers,matter of fact I did just get get a call today from brian at empower,i blew him off cause I had a feeling and well u know what they say about that,please tell me its not a pyramid
sceem either,i'm on disability and need extra money,and I just cant afford any scammers, ya know,i hope I hear from you, thanks Penny
Hi Penny.
I know how you feel, I hate a pyramid just a much as any other person. WA is a learning platform. You DO NOT have to sell the program itself to make money. WA will teach you how to build your own website and customize it to make money for you. The platform is similar to a learning academy with support and detailed training modules.
You will be free to create a website with any niche that you feel comfortable with. You will learn how to turn your hobbies, skills and passions into a striving online business.
Tell me if otherwise but your whole site is based on benefiting from the referral system. Despite appearing as "neutral" and a trustworthy source through reviewing a variety of websites, you promote your posts of WA on your front page and as the ONLY recommended website. Doing so allows WA to look comparably better than other programs and hence increasing the chance of website viewers joining through your bolded JOIN NOW links, providing you monetary benefits through their referral system. Good marketing techniques Christene. /sarcasm. On par with classic TV ads where you have one guy bringing in their product and with the tv host being excessively impressed with the product. I suggest you attempt to hide your method of recommending WA as it looks like a shameless plug to those who have decent education and aren't hopeless drop outs who believe they can become millionaires after flunking school.
Did you even read the WA full review? No, sorry for asking, clearly you did not because you actually have no idea what it is all about. You saw the "join now" links which BTW is only 8 links in total on my entire website, yet you missed the huge "read full review" that includes all the questions and answers without sugar coating.
Let me save you some trouble and give you quotes, it seems you have a little trouble finding it.
"Is there a change that I will not succeed?
Yes, there is. If you join the program in hopes to make thousands within days it is not the place for you. If you think that you will become rich without doing much, then move on. Building a successful online business takes time, hard work and total dedication, you do not need WA if you do not want to learn and implement."
At no point do I create the illusion that you will become a millionaire and I made it crystal clear that WA is a learning platform similar like school. That is why it is called Wealthy Affiliate University. They teach and you implement. If you are lazy and expect to earn money while doing nothing it is not for you.
Secondly, again, you only saw what you wanted and clearly did not spend enough time on my site to see that I recommend not only one but 2 platforms. Chris Farrell is the other one. Scroll up very slowly to the top right, you will find the 2 recommendations as clear as daylight.
Last but not least, hence, I am not trying to hide the fact that I like WA, recommend them and promote them. I am proud of WA and loves working for them.
Now let's start at the beginning of the story..... To make money from most of the programs that I review, you will need the following:
Traffic and leads
A huge Social following
Trust
Your own website will provide you with traffic and leads. Your social following will boost your website and build trust. Most programs is labeled as a scam because obviously newbies do not have their own websites, traffic and leads to use for marketing their product. Naturally, they will not succeed because they have no-one to sell to. This makes them believe that the program they joined are a scam.
Example: I have 5 websites and get approx 300 000 page views a month. You do not have a website or social following. If I sell program X, how many sales, will I make compared to you? Yes, obviously I will make the sales while you are out there trying to sell program X to friends and family without results.
WA teach newbies site development - With your own successful website you can successfully sell your own product. There are many other platforms that teach website development, but I choose to recommend WA because it offers a free option for those who do not have money as well.
GET IT?
Christene,
I am seriously considering starting up an online career, that I can work part-time, perhaps five hours a day, to replace my current part-time job. I have no experience in online marketing and feel overwhelmed by all the info out there. Your reviews have helped me narrow my search to Google Sniper and Wealthy Affiliate.
Which of those would you recommend that I start with, or both? Would they work well together? I have chosen a niche and believe that that market and interest in it's products will continue to grow. That said, I'd like to set something up that will eventually require as little maintenance as possible, yet provide a reasonable annual income.
I would appreciate your thoughts on this, as I have found your reviews valuable, straight forward, and honest.
Regards,
Peter
Hi Peter.
I would not recommend that you join too many programs at once, information overload is never a good idea. I strongly recommend WA for newbies because the learning materials are easy to understand and the support is outstanding. With programs like Google Sniper you are basically stuck on your own and have to work through the training by yourself. WA have an active support group that will answer all your questions in a relatively short period of time (The live chat box helps you to get advice and answers immediately from other members).
In addition, WA's training is updated on a daily basis, you will never be subjected to old outdated methods that does not work anymore. Google Sniper requires you to purchase immediately, there is not free or trial memberships. WA have a free membership that allows you to explore the platform before you decide to upgrade. No Pressure or constant up-sells.
Bottom line, Niche marketing is the most effective way to build a successful online business. You can create websites in many niches and eventually earn a substantial income over a period of time if you work hard. WA teach you how to choose profitable niches, create a successful website(s) and market it.
Any business requires hard work and dedication in the beginning. The first year is always the hardest part, but if you focus on your goals and implement the training you can have a website or even multiple sites that earns you money while you are sleeping.
Keep in mind, WA teaches you how, you still need to participate and do the work. This is NOT a get rich quick scheme.
HI Peter and Christene,
I´m so happy to see Peter is just like me overwhelmed....but I kind of made my choice but havent signed up yet
and am waiting for Christene´s response to my mail.
If someone here would like to comment and contact me to help me through the first steps...please let me know.
Something seems to happen after 7 days....and so it seems I need to do a lot those first 7 days if I want to get a good overview of your services.
And also, if I only have one hour a day in a week...then how can I get through all the lessons (as an e.g. of course)
Or how can I get a website up and running within such short time?
I so badly want a website but it takes me ages alone....and in 7 days? with no one to help? (you see my struggle)
Yes , I understand I can sign up for free and see for myself, but I really still work full time and lack several hours per day....but I want my website up and running though...fast (I´m in patient ...yes:))
And I cannot imagine that goes fast.
Thank you
Rachel
LOL, I assume you got my mails.
Yes, website development is not a fast process unless you are familiar with it. Much need to be done prior to building a website. Research one of the most important parts when it comes to building an online business and time need to be set aside to do it properly otherwise you will go around in circles and work hard for nothing.
Choosing the perfect niche cannot be done in a couple of days unless you already have one that will convert perfect. Before choosing one it is best to browse other related websites, blogs, FB pages and forums. Look for people who ask questions and have problems. If there are lots of unanswered questions, doubt or a need for information that you can provide for.
Secondly, find a niche that is buyer friendly. Meaning, when people look for information online, will they spend money to resolve their problems or are they just looking for free information and do not actually want to spend money. Sites like Amazon, ebay, Walmart, Graigs list and so forth will help you with this research. Look at the products in demand, the ones with the most views, the best ratings and so forth. This will help you to determine what people like to spend money on and obviously what they do not like to purchase.
I am not a patient person myself Rachel, but you need to plan this properly if you want to succeed.
My suggestion: Do the research first and take proper time to do it. Ask friends and family or even coworkers what they think about your idea and if they will consider to make use of the information you want to provide. Once you have done that, you will have a definite goal and business plan and learning along with progress will go much faster. There is a lot you can do while being a free member. If you are done with your research and keywords you can start to write out your posts and website content. This will make it much easier and you will have the content to build your site once you start to build your actual website.
Remember this is the same as a real brick and mortar business.
Building > Website
Visitors > Customers
Social media > Advertising.
I always help out as much as I can, you are always welcome to ask questions whenever you get stuck.
Hi Christine, I signed up for the whole package at click bank the site builder, University for a year, and spent over $400 initially and the $47+ month. I have read your comments and saw your opinions regarding Wealthy Affiliate. May I ask what is the difference between WA and Click bank and would I have to spend another $400 if I went over to WA?
Hi Frank, hope all is going well.
Wealthy Affiliate teaches up to date methods on website development and blogging. Clickbank University does not update the new methods of website development as often. Basically, with WA, you will learn how to build a proper website and all that is required to get traffic and make sales from your site. In addition, WA hosting is one of the top recommended, with a good reputation, making it easier to see progress faster. Last but not least, and this is the major difference between Clickbank university, WA have one of the best active support systems. You will never have to wait for days to get answers to your questions.
You will definitely not spend another $400. WA have a premium membership that goes for $47 a month, BUT, they also have a lifetime free membership that includes basic training and 2 WP sites. If you work hard and smart, you can leverage the free membership and build yourself up without spending much at all.
Feel free to shout if you have any questions.
Which blog is the best wordpress.org or GVO?
I don't like empower network (too square)
Pleased to meet you
Please to meet you as well Juniel.
WordPress is definitely better than most other platforms because you can do so much more with it. The vast variety of plugins allows you to customize your website any way you like. In addition, Wordpress websites are much easier to move between hosting companies, especially if you have your own domain.
Websites like Empower Networks's blogging platform, cannot be moved and you do not own the website. Bad choice.
Feel free to shout if you have any questions.
Hi Christene,
Why the only way we can earn money in WA is inviting people to join us as paying members, not by selling products or services?
I think it is MLM scheme, isn't it?
Thanks for your kindness.
Hi Robert.
WA is not an MLM because you do not need to build up a referral line to earn an income. MLM programs work differently. You get a referral and earn a percentage of the SignUp cost, then your referral need to get referrals as well, so you can earn a percentage of their earnings. MLM's go round about 5 levels deep, meaning, you will have to recruit people and then make sure that those people also refer lots of people and so forth.
WA is an affiliate program, no need to recruit. You earn a straight forward commission for each person that joins through your link.
In addition, YOU DO NOT need to be a paying member to earn commissions. Fair deal for a platform that offers so much. If you put in a bit of hard work you can basically use the free membership and make money without spending one dime.
Last but not least. WA is a learning platform that teaches people how to make money with their websites. Promoting WA itself is not a must but only another option. Very few actually promote the program itself. The platform teaches you how to build a profitable website and how to choose a niche and product that have potential.
WA offers other services to promote as well. The Jaaxy keyword tool and top class hosting. You earn commissions when you promote those services as well.
Hi Christene,
Do the free members have access to keyword tools, and information on how pick a niche, how to create a website, how to rank in search engines, etc.
What areas/benefits the free members don't have access to?
Hello Christene,
I stumbled upon your site while trying to find out more about iPAS2 if its a possible scam or if I could find a genuine review for it online.
Your site is a breath of fresh air ... thank you so much for making the effort to create it.
I have to agree with you on WA ... it is the BEST of its kind out there!
I don't know why on earth I would even bother with these weird programmes when there is WA. We are warned about this type of stuff at WA but still that inquisitive eye is just not satisfied and soon I find myself just peeping to see what is cooking...not necessarily bad but not good if you are a newbie.
I've been with WA since 2010 and I must admit, I should have been so, so far today without having to work offline trying to earn a living as a graphic designer. Truth is, I've procrastinated all these years, but the nature of my work also played a major role in my delay. This year however, I am making a concerted effort to benefit from the Wealth of information and help at WA to ... Finally ... build my online business I am so passionate about.
It is also very nice to know that I have a fellow WA member not too far away either. I'm originally from the beautiful Cape but now residing in Gauteng hoping to go back home soon.
It would be very nice to correspond with you re: WA and online marketing as I'm sure I can learn a lot from you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
God bless,
Edward Abrahams
Email was send to you Edward.
WU sucks imo, their tutorials are horrible. Mobe better.
WA work great for those with a limited budget. Also works for those who prefer to build an online business on a topic other that online marketing.
MOBE works for those with deep pockets and who will not mind paying a lot of money upfront for training.
This is crap! I opted because of the free offer but it redirects to $47 membership and cannot even change your profile to opt-out!
Certain countries does not qualify for the free membership because of high fraud statistics or miss-use of the platform. (You will find it under cons in my full length review).
Frank can join Wealthy Affiliate and learn all what he needs to build an online business, with only US$47 a month premium membership fee. Of course, he can use products within whatever area he's interested as listed in Clickbank to promote and earn commission. Wealthy Affiliate can show him how to promote those products in Clickbank and other affiliate programmes.
hi Christene.
I am a big fresh juice newbie...i am now 2 months trying to understand why the so called gurus make tons of money peeling people like me.
I want to use the internet community to serve people and of course make a living out of it.
Could be that this is the biggest breackthroghy for a beginner.
to filters all the leeches that want me to do what they want?
Till now my biggest concerns is how to write good article that will generate a CONNECTION with subscribers,,,the traffic will come i supposed...is about learning the millions ways to do it.
I am italian and i really struggle to find something valuable there to teach me how to do it properly.
Will WA helps in that matters? I know you have been in my shoes before, i trust your point of view.
Clearly WA helped you in many ways.I have a lot of enthusiasm and i want to do things right so
i can provide a good service to people.
My very best regards to you
have a nice day
andrea
Hi Andrea
I completely understand how you feel, yes, I was there myself 3 years ago, did not know much about making money online and how to go about finding the right place for guidance.
Unfortunately, I got scammed quite a bit before I did find my feet and learned how to become successful, hence the reason for my website, to help others avoid the pitfalls.
WA is a learning program all about website development. Without a website, you will have much difficulty to make a decent income online and progress will be slow. Building a website of your own, will give you something to work towards and put your goals in perspective since you will know what kind of results you can achieve with hard work.
Bottom line, your own successful website can provide you with many different ways to earn an income. You can sell your own products, sell affiliate products (if you do not have your own product), sell advertising space or promote a service to only name a few. In addition, website development is an excellent skill to learn. You can utilize it in many additional ways like, creating websites for local businesses, teaching, website development to scholars who cannot afford to pay too much for classes and so forth. Learning WordPress takes some patience, but if a 9 year old can learn it in a couple of weeks, so can anyone else right?
To sum it up, Wealthy Affiliate is a learning platform that will teach you how to build a successful website. Additional marketing training is also available and the platform currently has one of the best support structures online. If you have questions, you will get answers via a live chat box, questionnaire options below each training module, a private messaging system and micro blogging option.
Please read my post about the importance of a website, it is a long read, but it will clear up some confusion and hopefully help you to understand the online world a bit better.
http://www.christene-marketing.com/2014/12/how-to-make-money-online.html
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a shout, will do my best to help.
cant sign in error message already have account which i don't, googled this and seems happens a lot to people also wordpress dashboard not impressed or convinced now.
The security is top level to prevent people from creating multiple accounts to scam the system and members using it. Most of the time it is an easy fix by clearing the cookies/acre. If someone on the same server or IP address signs up, it will also give an error.
Unfortunately, all these security measures are needed to keep scammers and hackers out. After all, no one would like someone else to duplicate their account and walk away with all their earnings.
Anyone having an error when trying to sign up can send me an email as well, will have it sorted.
christene.swanepoel@gmail.com
Hi Christene. I've been reading through a lot of your recommendations during the past few days. It's great to see so many comments - that also means the things I was going to ask about the wealthy affiliate course have already been asked & answered.
I guess it's now time to make a choice, I've made adsense sites before so not a total newbie as far as making sites go. But I'd like to learn more about the marketing side of things. Do you still think that WA is worth doing or should I take, say an Udemy course in online marketing?
Hi Chris
Sincere apologies for the delayed reply, was a bit out of action the last couple of days. Hope I am forgiven.
It is great that you have experience with building websites, it will help tremendously to move forward, meaning you do not have to take time to learn website development from scratch.
Personally, I think WA is worth it. I am with the program for 2 and a half years now and to be honest, I still learn something new with all the training that is added on a weekly basis. WA has skilled marketers in basically all the fields of marketing that includes email marketing, paid advertising, affiliate marketing, content marketing and so forth. In addition, the members work together as a community, giving advice and answers to whom ever ask for it, thus, if you get stuck or need a second opinion fast, there is always like-minded people around. The major reason why I recommend the program.
It is definitely the best place to top up on skills and knowledge. Once you learned everything you could, you can move on and work on your own, you are not stuck with a program that force you to stick around because you need it to make money.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to give me a shout. Will do my best to help.
Another WA 'groupy'. The way this is shared how it's always better than anything in the online space? Simply isn't true, but again you nailed it with a valuable review. Actually for the first time in 3 years I'm enticed to give it a spin. Thanks ... again. Love your blog :)
Not so sure about a "groupy", I am more like the lone wolf type, doing my own things. However, WA is a great place to start, especially if you are a complete newbie. I have a set of standards when it comes to promoting programs because I do not want anyone to come back and blame me for leading them into a scam.
WA has a good solid reputation going for years now, support is not absent and they do offer "free" as well. Also, unlike many other programs, there is no up-sales.
I do favor other programs as well. Armand Morin for instance is my mentor since forever and his training is more hands on and produce results if you take action. From time to time, he hands out free, 3 day online seminars that is worth gold. The downside, his training is a bit advanced and the average newbie might not understand. He does not cover the bare basics, meaning, a newbie will get confused when he talks about keyword research, affiliate marketing, niches, paid traffic, seo, ranking and so forth.
http://www.christene-marketing.com/2016/09/armand-morin-webcamp-learn-university.html
Like always, please do not hesitate to give me a shout if you have questions or get stuck at WA, will try my best to help.
This is very useful info!
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