Being an entrepreneur, I was anxious to stake my claim on the web and join the community of those who were making a living online. The only problem was, I didn’t have a clue how to build a website or the patience or time to learn all that code.

So, what did I do? I started a search for an easy website creator. My thinking was surely some ambitious entrepreneur had already realized the earnings potential of a website builder for the do-it-yourself person? As you can probably guess, I found one. Well, actually, I found quite a few. Of course, back then there weren’t nearly as many options on the fiber optic highway as there are today…so my selection was a bit limited when compared to today’s market. Back then was approximately six years ago, which at the speed of changing technology might as well have been the ice age.

I made my selection and started building a website. Was it easy? No. Remember I was inexperienced and soon learned that not all site builders are alike. My first attempt was definitely with a stone age product in a modern day world. Believing that all products, from a well-known company, are surely quality was my first mistake. While this company offered several affordable services and quality products, their easy website builder wasn’t one of them.

I began my search again. This time, however, I relied on the feedback from other website builders like myself. Hence, ask someone who has already been there, done that. After garnering a few referrals, I set out to try the mentioned services and finally settled on one.

Am I happy with my choice? Absolutely! So happy in fact I saved my money, earned on the web, and purchased a partner’s program with the company. You see, I was referring so many people to their services, I finally wised up and realized I might as well be earning from all those referrals….and now I am.

After much trial and error, I did learn a few important keys to online success and building a website. Here are a few tips to help you get started and stake your claim on the world wide web:

-Target your market. Don’t try to be a website for everything. Find your niche and fine tune your site to match.

-Stay away from dark background colors and wallpaper. Keep your site clean and easy to navigate.

-Add quality content. Keep your site content fresh and updated.

-Quality link exchanges do work. Exchange links with websites that fit the demographics of your site. Stay away from link farms.

Now that you have your website online, marketing and maintaining your site will be the key. It’s not like the movie, “The Field of Dreams - If you build it, they will come.” If you don’t market your website, guess what? They don’t come. It’s that simple.

Marketing is such a big and hot topic that I won’t go into it in this article, however, I do suggest doing a search on the web for keywords, “website marketing.” You will discover there are millions of responses and endless information and debate on what is the best solution. My experience: there is simply no one solution for this issue as the internet is ever changing and updating. Make time to read and learn about marketing your business online and locally. There are many great resources on the web which can help you stay informed and updated.

Diane Drayer has been working online for the past 6 years. She is a successful internet marketer and home business professional. When she isn't spending time with family, she manages and maintains, http://www.MakeAnEasyWebsite.com and http://www.DirectSellingOpportunities.com.

• The Importance of Monitoring Your Website


• The Ten Commandments of Web Design and Development


• Its Alive! The How-Tos of Website Creation


• The Fast and the Furious Web


• Separate Text-Only Version? No thanks!


• The DRC Blew It


• Internet Basics: A Template Website is Like a New Wallet


• 10 Ways of Getting Content For Your Site Part 1


• Spend Money To Make Money - Outsourcing; A Users Guide


• Dont Just Guess - Know Your Code is Right