Focus On Adding Value

Photo by Per Ola Wiberg

Is your online business adding value to the internet?

The more I think about it, the more important I think it is to create something of value, if you want to make money.

Of course, it is possible to earn money without creating much value. Think about sites that are “made for AdSense” but have not much value of their own. Some people even believe that you should make your AdSense sites unhelpful on purpose, so that people will be more likely to click on the ads to find what they are looking for.

This may be lucrative in the short run, but it won’t last. Google and other search engines are working to remove these unhelpful sites from their index. It is also much harder to get enthusiastic about a site that you know is garbage, so you won’t work as hard to promote it or to add more articles to it.

I am not saying that all sites that display AdSense ads are bad. In fact, there are many helpful, entertaining, or otherwise value-packed sites that display AdSense as a way for the webmaster to make money. There is nothing wrong with this.

If you are creating AdSense sites, create something valuable, and you can be proud of it. There is nothing wrong with making money, but it is a lot more satisfying and long-lasting to create something of value, if you expect to keep earning money from it.

This is why you should pick a topic or niche that you enjoy, for your website or blog. You will be much more likely to create a site that people will love, and you will be more likely to stick with it for the long run. If you are proud and happy with your site, you will naturally want to spread the word about it to everyone. You will think of more innovative ideas to get other people to visit your site.

Have you heard the expression, “Do what you love, and the money will follow?” I think this is a little bit over-simplified. You can pick a subject that you love, but that is of no interest to anyone else. In that case, I don’t see how you could make money from it. But you definitely should “do what you love,” just make sure that there are enough other people who love it too, and would be willing to pay for it.

There are a lot of ways to make money online. You can sell your own products, provide a service, make money by recommending products (affiliate marketing), make money from advertising (AdSense or other advertisers), etc. I am sure there are ways to make money online that no one has even thought of yet. You might be the one to think of it.

The bottom line is:

1. Think about what you are truly interested in and how you can help people.
2. Check to make sure other people would be interested in it too.

If you have those two factors, you will be well on your way to success.

- Pat Doyle