Copyright 2006 Nikki Mhlanga

Since the advent of the Internet, a lot of people have been trying to make money online. Some have succeeded; some have not only failed, but have also lost a lot of money; and some are still trying, hoping their luck will change.

The list of ways to make money online is long: Affiliate programs, Multi Level Marketing (MLM), High Yield Investment Programs (HYIP), Surveys, Resale Rights Products, creating and selling your own products, niche/content websites, writing articles for content sites, paid to surf, and the list goes on.

Although there are a lot of genuine and legitimate ways to make money online, the internet has also been flooded by many frauds and scams that promise people instance riches overnight.

So those wanting to try their hand at making money online, or to change their luck for the better, ask: Is there really THE best way to make money online? The simple answer is NO.

The basic fact is that what is a good way to make money online for one person may not be for the other person. What makes someone else a million dollars in six months time may only make you a few hundred dollars within the same timeframe. Your dedication, effort and knowledge is what normally makes the difference.

Each person has to find what works for them and their experience and skills and interests. Everybody have their own ways to make money online - there are no BEST ways, and there are No easy ways.

It is noteworthy that an online business is no different from any other business. You have to make the investment, in terms of time, money, effort etc. You should be prepared to learn a lot, work hard and you must have lots of patience.

So, what constitutes the best and easy way to make money online?

1. Whatever you feel the most comfortable with. It is important for you to explore what interests you and be confident in the products or services you represent. If you are passionate about your online business and the products or services you represent, and work hard at it, you can easily succeed.

2. A business that will give you a repeating income and does not rely solely on your own efforts. Residual income is what set apart the winners from the losers on making money online you must do the work once and get paid five years from now. Instead of relying on only your efforts to build your online wealth, you can build your wealth through the efforts of many sub-affiliates. Instead of making your online wealth from 100% of your own efforts, you can make it from 1% of 100 sub-affiliates. A good online business is one which earns you some residual income.

3. A business that will give you multiple streams of income from diverse business ventures. Do not put all your eggs in one basket. A good online business can be a combination of several affiliate programs, or sites setup in all sorts of niches, free/paid membership sites or selling your own or other peoples e-books.

4. A business that gives you a secure and lasting way to earn a living online such as selling a product which you can develop or upgrade over time. A well executed site targeted to a very specific refined area selling a hard to find product or e-book is a good online business. These can be your own products or someone else. An online business is similar to any other business long term security is important. It is therefore advisable that you start an online business that has long term success potential.

5. A business that suits your skills and experience. For example, for most people, affiliate programs tend to be the easiest way to start with. They have minimal investment requirements and some very good ones come with a step-by-step guide to help you start making money with the affiliate programs.

6. A good online business is one for which you have a well executed marketing plan. How you market any business can make or break that business, so the marketing plan you have for your business whatever it is - and how effective that marketing plan is, will determine how good your online business will be for you. How you decide to promote what you choose to do online will make the difference.

7. A business with which you can have a long term focus, which you will be able to work on consistently to grow it. The key to making an online business succeed is to work the opportunity every day without fail, and to stick to it. A lot of people come across good online business opportunities, but most of them quit before finding financial freedom, and they jump onto the next online business opportunity. This is mainly because the internet is full of business opportunities some of which are scams, and also, some wealth seekers think that there are some easy and quick ways to make money online. Pick a proven online business that suits your interests and experience, focus on it long enough, do not get distracted, and you'll make money.

Regardless of what you will consider to be the best online business for you based on your interests and experience; in order to make real money, you will need to have some 'leverage' and use some tips which will ensure that your online business is a success.

Whatever the type of online business you will take on, you will need the following to succeed and make your way of making money online THE best way to earn money:

1. Build your own subscriber list or affiliate program which will become an asset that you can draw money out of continually over time. You will need a customer base to make money with any online business.

2. Whatever your business is, set up your web site so that you can get free organic and viral traffic. This is a very powerful form of leverage that will offset your marketing expenses.

3. Have an in-demand product, which can easily be leveraged to recruit affiliates, perform joint ventures, build a list or even sell resale licenses.

4. Build a solid reputation. This form of "leverage" will exponentially increase your sales over a competitor, can help you easily get into joint ventures, and will literally market your products and services for you.

If you identify a strategy that is working 'best' for you then you can put more effort there! It is recommended that you diversify by having for example affiliate programs, offline businesses, MLM, own products etc