Making your blog or website a valued and trusted source takes a lot of strategy and promotion, and many people spend countless hours brainstorming different ways to do so. One tried and true suggestion though? Write an e-book! The thought of writing an e-book may be intimidating at first, but with a little planning can be accomplished painlessly. You may be wondering just why you should write an e-book or how it’s helpful. Here let’s go through some reasons…

1. It makes you an expert?

Writing an e-book is one of the easiest ways to boost your credibility within your field of expertise. When you write an e-book you are providing your readers with something of value – and not every website offers that. Having this credibility sets you apart from other people in your niche.

2. Make extra money

You can sell your e-book for as little or as much as you want (well, maybe not too much, otherwise people might not buy it!). But no matter how much you’re selling it for, any extra money is an added bonus that you can funnel back into your website.

3. Generate website traffic

Writing an e-book is a great way to get more traffic to your website. By providing links to your website in the book, it’s a great way to showcase your website and other useful articles within your website that will encourage people to visit.

4. Bring in money from affiliates

While you should link to your own website in your e-book, you can also link to websites that you are an affiliate of to generate even more income. By including these affiliate links you’re doing your affiliates and you a huge favor.

5. It’s an affordable product

It may take some time at first, but there’s nothing to lose by writing an informative, helpful e-book for your readers. The pros that come with writing an e-book far outweigh any cons associated with it, so pick up your pen (or start typing on your keyboard, really) and get to writing.
By writing an e-book versus an actual hard copy of a book you are bypassing all of the fees that normally are associated with books – from publishing to printing to storing the books. With e-books you need good software and that’s it. If you’re selling your e-book for a fee then eventually the money spent on the software will be regained through e-book sales.

About the Author: This Guest post is by Christine Kane from internet service providers, she is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide-variety of subjects for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00 @ gmail.com

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Starting a business online can be one of the most exciting times for any business owner. However, if you don’t know the basics, rummaging through the different aspects of what you need could seem like a daunting task. Here are a few tips to get you started on creating an online presence.

Find A Niche

Niches are the most important aspects of launching your business. In the real world, having a business that caters to broad needs is essential. When you launch a business online, less is more. Many Internet marketers recommend a micro niche to get started with. For instance, if your online business is going to sell weight loss supplements, focus on one or two brands when you first start. This will get targeted traffic to your website based on those brands alone.

Keywords

Keywords are one of the most important aspects of getting the content on your page found in the search engines. Keywords are used to show relevancy from your content against a search online. Use the Google Keyword Tool as a basis for all of the content on your page. The Google Keyword Tool will be able to show you the competition for the keywords that you want to use. If you are using highly competitive keywords, you will have to compete with other businesses have a more established online presence.

Hosting

There are a lot of free hosting companies online. The problem is that when you go with a free hosting company, you will probably have to use a sub domain for your website. A sub domain can turn off customers because they are considered unprofessional. Spend the money and buy your domain. Use the Google Keyword Tool to find a less competitive keyword to focus your domain on. Your niche will determine the keywords that are available. Having a keyword rich domain is a great way to get found in the search engines quickly. Read reviews of hosting companies so you get the right amount of disk space, bandwidth and RAM for the online business that you are launching. Hardware and plans can be confusing so ask your hosting company what they recommend and what their policies are on upgrading during your contract.

Website Design

Unless you are an experienced designer, you will need to find somebody who knows how to make a website that is not only seen as professional, but is fully functional. Color schemes, link placement and content all has its place on a website. Get somebody that is established in launching websites and tell them what you want. They should be able to give you a few different options so you can pick the design that you like best.
Backlinks

Backlinks are very important when it comes to launching your online business. A backlink is a link found online that sends a user to your website. When a search engine crawls the web, and find your backlink, you get a boost in the rankings. There are companies that focus on building your backlinks so you aren’t seen as a spammer by the search engines. Research companies that have a proven track record of building backlinks before you go with an untrusted company.

There are a lot of things that go into an online business. Stick to these guidelines and you will be showing up in the search engines in no time at all!

About the Author: My name is Nisha Sharma. I represent a site called Comparelogbookloans.co.uk. I love to write, especially about travel, finance and business advice. Feel free to visit our site for more information on Log book loans.

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Anyone who’s ever had a 9-5 desk job knows that they can be the epitome of dullness. I remember staring at the clock that hung over my desk at my last job, always in disbelief at just how slow time was moving, feeling like I was losing my free spirit and creativity by the minute.

There have always been alternatives to this kind of work, but today, with the internet, you can actually make a living at home. And while online work may not be much more exciting than what you did at your desk job, you’ll be in your home, and won’t have to dedicate every second to the work, so you can spend more time with your kids, pursuing your hobbies, or whatever else you’ve always wanted to do.

If you’re tired of your day job, and desperately want a change, no matter the reason, below is a list of online alternatives that will let you work from home, and maybe even free your spirit a little.

1. Blogging

You’ve probably heard of blogs (after all, you’re reading one right now). Blogging is one of the easiest ways to make money online, but is not necessarily the most profitable. In the past few years, blogging technology has improved tremendously, making it extremely easy to start your own blog with sites like WordPress or Blogspot. The basic method for monetizing a blog is to advertise for other products, sites, blogs, etc. on your blog—some blog sites even have ad placement software preloaded so you don’t have to do any of that groundwork. As I said before, though, unless you are an extremely aggressive marketer, or have a billion close friends, it is pretty unlikely you’ll ever make millions with a blog. Still, it’s a safe and easy alternative, that doesn’t take a lot of time.

2. Connecting People

Given that the internet is basically one huge communication device, it isn’t that surprising that you can make money by acting as a connection facilitator for your friends and/or businesses. Essentially, you can be paid to match employers with prospective employees—so if some of your friends are looking for a job, you can refer them to a business you know is hiring, and you will be paid a referral reward if the potential employee is hired (plus your friend will be really grateful, and might buy you dinner). Sites like Zyoin and WiseStep are good places to start.

3. Ghost Writing

Most sites need content faster than they can write it, so they hire internet ghost writers to produce articles, and then pay them based on how many times their article is viewed. Sites like Associated Content and Helium will also sometimes pay more for targeted content. If you know something about poison dart frogs, for example, and they need an article written on deadly amphibians, you can make a pretty penny for giving your two cents. Granted, what they pay isn’t what most writers make, but it can be an excellent way for you to start having content published, and to start getting your name out there.

4. Advertising

As previously mentioned, you can start making money online right away by advertising for other companies, sites, products. But you don’t have to have a blog to do this. If you already have a website you can partner with other sites and promote their services, making a commission every time your ad makes a sale; you can place text or picture ads on visible parts of your website and make money every time someone clicks the ad; or you can review other products, and make commission in a similar way. The internet is like one big marketing tool, and it’s always there for you to capitalize on.

5. Taking Stock Photography

Everybody needs photos for their websites, but licensing can be a tough issue. In response to this, sites like ShutterStock, Fotolia, and even Flickr were developed to offer a library of images to members that they could use without worrying about copyright laws. If you have an interest in photography, you can sell your photos to sites like these, making money every time someone wants a photo you’ve taken.

As you can see, there are ways to make money online that will allow you to stay home and focus on doing the things you want to do, instead of going to work and doing the things they want you to. And this list isn’t even close to complete—a basic search will direct you to dozens of other opportunities online that will rejuvenate and empower you to follow your dreams.

About the Author: Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

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Tell someone you’re a freelance translator and they’ll secretly envy you for the fact you can work from your bed, go on holiday at the drop of a hat and take three-hour lunch breaks. And, to be fair, they’re not far from the truth. No freelancer would argue that being your own boss and juggling your workload around your life, rather than vice versa, isn’t a pretty good set-up.

Yet, all freelance translators know it’s not as plain sailing as our nine-to-five friends would have us believe, and making sure you have work to juggle needs to be as high on your priority list as the translation itself. Of course, there will be times when translation work is low on the ground and months when it’s booming, but being proactive about searching for work will reap success if not in the short term, then most certainly in the long run.

Find out what makes you unique

It’s all a question of going back to basics. Freelancers are individual businesses and like all businesses they need to be promoted. Look at yourself as a product and identify your USP (Unique Selling Point), or what it is that makes you different from other translators. It could be a degree in law, a passion for cookery, the fact that you play a musical instrument – anything that gives you specialist knowledge. Identifying the USP should be the starting point for any translator wanting to promote themselves in the industry, because by flagging up these specialisms, the pool of translators is automatically narrowed.

Showcase your work

Your USP also gives you a sense of direction as a freelancer. Having a personal website that only contains your contact details and language pairs is pointless and expensive; creating a website that demonstrates your specialist knowledge, through personal blogs, articles on the topic, relevant links and discussions, speaks volumes. You are selling your ability to write and your knowledge of a topic, therefore, you must showcase it. Links to other social media, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, help draw prospective clients to your website and give you an online presence in what has become an intrinsically online industry.

Create a portfolio

So, once you’ve identified what you are selling, you can start marketing yourself through more direct channels. Having a portfolio of translations – a collection of your translation work categorised by interest – at your fingertips that you can add to and change depending on prospective clients, makes you look professional and demonstrates your translation skills.

Creating a portfolio also gives you the opportunity to reflect on your translation experience. If you are a little low on the ground and have time to spare, pro bono translation work is a fantastic way to strengthen your portfolio and give you the vital experience needed to get your foot through those agency doors. Although it’s unpaid, experience in this industry is priceless and, who knows, it may lead to future professional translation work.

Join the freelance e-community

Of course, nothing feels as good as getting paid translation work. There are various websites, including Proz.com and Translator’s Café, where freelancers can find translation jobs and, hopefully, establish long-term contacts with translation agencies. But as well as checking the job notifications page, make sure you use your online profile to the maximum – keep your information up-to-date, take part in any relevant forum discussions, or answer other member translation queries – become an active member! A lot of companies use these websites as a search engine, so make sure it’s your profile that jumps out at them.

Check out the industry events

Keeping an eye out for networking events run by translation associations, such as ITI (Institute for Translation and Interpreting), is also worthwhile. Although they tend to be confined to larger cities, if an event is on a topic that interests you, it could be worth attending. They give you an insight into the field, as well as the chance to talk to your peers. Don’t underestimate the power of networking! Finding a “buddy”, someone that perhaps works in the same field as you but in a different language pair, is a great asset. They can often act as a sound board for ideas or translation queries, and are more likely to recommend you to clients if they can’t do the work themselves.

And, perhaps it goes without saying, but when your hard work pays off and you have a translation job, make sure it counts. Handing in a high-quality translation that meets all of the requirements and is in on deadline says a lot about your capabilities, and is the best way of guaranteeing more work.

Being a freelance translator is not just about translating. Going the extra mile to promote your brand really does make a difference to finding new work. It’s not easy and requires determination and perseverance. But there’s always the three-hour lunch breaks to keep you motivated. Cup of tea anyone?

About the Author

Christian Arno is the founder of Lingo24, one of the world’s leading translation agencies across Europe, Asia and the Americas, and a top provider of localisation services and multilingual SEO. Launched in 2001, Lingo24 has worked its way to becoming the web’s favourite translation company, working more than five thousand translators and clients in over sixty countries. Follow Christian (http://twitter.com/l24ca) and Lingo24 (http://twitter.com/lingo24) on Twitter.

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Deadlines looming and it’s almost dinner time, how do you manage?  After commuting hours a day to and from the office, working from home may seem like the answer to your prayers.  It can be, with a lot of planning and dedication on your part.

When first deciding to work from home with young kids, jumping in feet first, full of excitement requires planning!  Finding a successful balance will depend on how well you manage both work and family life.  Follow these tips I found useful in my career at home.

A publication by the Utah Department of Workforce Services, cites one of the top ten mistakes when starting to work from home are neglecting to set a schedule.  Another common mistake mentioned is not getting the support of your family.

Here are some tips that will help:

Make a work schedule and stick to it.  Set out a calendar and decide which hours of the day you can reasonably dedicate to work time.  Then let your employer and family know that these are your hours that you are available to them.

Be proactive!  After everyone goes to bed, plan for the next day.  Make lunches ahead of time and set out school clothes.  Before everyone wakes up in the morning, take 10 minutes to go over your workload for the day to plan out your most efficient day.

Alert the masses…  Let your family and friends know you are working from home. Put out a do not disturb sign.  Have an age appropriate talk with your family about working from the home office and Mom should not be interrupted while she is working.

In a recent WAHM.com (working at home mom) article titled “How to Find Balance as a Telecommuting Mom”,   finding balance is the key to a successful career working from home.  “…it’s important to remember that you’re working at home so you can spend more time with your family”.

It’s surprisingly easy to spend the whole day staring at your computer and not realize that Junior has been watching Cartoon Network all day in his pajamas.

Step away from your work and have lunch with him. Take breaks, communicate and become the master scheduler.

Ensure they have something to occupy their time. This is important when your kids are out for summer break.  Set aside coloring books and crayons for them within your office to spend time while you work.  It helps them feel like they are still spending time with Mommy.

Beware of video games!

Kids can spend hours staring at the TV playing Playstation.  It does free you from the “Mom, I’m bored” complaint factory.  However, too much time spent on the couch and not outside playing is not healthy.  Have a schedule set for video games and outside play.

A healthy balance between work and family is best achieved by time management.  Make a schedule that works for everyone and communicate your expectations.  Managing the demands of work and family can be a fulltime job.  Plan your days and make efficient use of idle time.

Anna Bailey is a blogger at CreditDonkey.  She helps readers answer the common question, what are the best credit cards… and she does this from home!  She hopes this article helps you balance deadlines and dinner time.

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