The “Business” Of Online Publishing

James Martell
You’ll receive money making advice and actionable tips and strategies directly from James Martell when you subscribe to his weekly podcast by email, RSS feed or iTunes. You can also follow James on Twitter. Recognized as a leading expert in affiliate marketing training, James is the host of the "Affiliate Marketers SUPER BootCamp", and host of the "Affiliate Buzz", the first ever and longest running podcast for affiliate marketers in the industry. A sought-after speaker, James has presented at Commission Junction University, Affiliate Summit, The System Seminar, Digital River Lab, Pubcon, Affcon, and more. Google+ James Martell
James Martell
James Martell
You can get your own content published on this site as long as you have CommentLuv installed on your site.

Doing so means you get exposure to thousands and thousands of other CommentLuv users and your posts get sent out to the massive subscriber list.

Google loves this site and indexes it multiple times per day and posts always get lots of comments so you can be sure of some excellent exposure.

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btw.. you can get this author box here

The "Business" of Online Publishing

If someone asked you, “what business are you in?”, would you have a ready answer?

I got to thinking about this lately because I’m getting more PAD clients these days from traditional businesses who would have no trouble defining their activity.

Even though they have a website and a for need traffic :: they would say in answer to the question above, “I’m a Lawyer or I own a Pub, I’m a Dentist, I’m a Chiropractor

For them the website is a marketing tool.

They want visitors to call them, or email them or drop by.

Their website is a part of their overall marketing mix :: a replacement to the Yellow Pages for many.

Working with them is a pleasure because the know what they want.

Do You Know Why You Are Online?

In the early days, I wanted money, plain and simple.

In 1999 a friend showed me a way to make money online by simply putting up a website with links to merchants who paid commissions for every click.

This was pre-dotcom and my merchant offered free ISP.

I got $1 for every sign-up and very early on I had my first $5,000 month.

Although I thought I had hit the jackpot I was still skeptical enough to run across the U.S. border to cash that first check because, frankly, it seemed too good to be true.

Thankfully it cashed and I was off to the races!

It’s funny to think back to that crappy first site and how much money I made until the whole thing came crashing down once the dotcom bubble burst in 2000.

If you had asked me then, “what business are you in”?, I’d have said I build websites.

But that wasn’t what I was doing at all.

A web designer builds websites.

I was a publisher.

More specifically, I was an online publisher although back then the term would have been a head scratcher.

Online.

What’s that?

ISP.

Never heard of it.

Make money online?

Must be illegal!

In 2000 there was no real demand for “Internet”, yet.

When checking into hotels you’d be

lucky if they had dial-up.

Most businesses did not have websites and blogging was “bulletin boards” used mostly by geeks & nerds.

YouTube was impossible due to limited bandwidth.

Facebook or Twitter could not even have been imagined back then.

If You Own An “affiliate site” You Are An Online Publisher

I remember when I first heard the term “blogger”.

The media was touting “bloggers” as saying this or that.

But I thought, “blogging” was just another way of saying what I and my students were doing from the beginning.

We were online publishers.

What is a publisher?

Although there are various definitions the essential thing is this: a publisher makes information known.

When I was “building websites” back in 1999 I was making known the fact that one could get a FREE ISP account The mechanism was new but the thing I was doing was as old as the printing press.

I was doing something as simple as posting a flyer on a pole asking if anyone has seen my cat.

Here’s Why I Bring This Up

This is not 1999 when any old site will do.

No sir, the world has caught up to this Internet Thing.

Your site must impress not only Google but the visitor as well.

Thankfully, competing is not nearly as hard as it could be because the vast majority of sites competing for rankings and the attention of visitors are clueless.

But, you must never take it for granted.

Are you proud of the look of your site?

Does it load quickly?

Are visitors greeted immediately with a header or photo that builds instant rapport :: telling them they’ve found what they’re looking for?

Do you have a clear call to action?

Is your site a useful and informative resource relative to the keywords they entered to find you?

Is Google rewarding your site with top listings for important keywords?

Is your site dynamic?

In other words, do you regularly update it so Google knows someone is running it?

Do other trusted sites link back to it?

Executing any of the above is not rocket science, but everything I mentioned must be done :: and done well.

If you published a print magazine you’d want to be proud of it, right?

Think like a magazine publisher and you can’t go wrong.

To your online success!

James 

Comments


  1. Twitter:
    you are right….now writers are earning a very good amount by writing articles for bloggers companies and they are earning by writing reviews also…
    mohit rajwani recently posted..Create You own comic BookMy Profile

  2. Now The Bussines of Online Publishing has become a tradition in many countries of the world. This book also contains the same tips which an online publisher requires. So this book is very helpful for such people who want to do online publishing………..!!!!
    Faisal Yaqoob recently posted..Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane DavisMy Profile


  3. Twitter:
    Ha ha ha…Now I am going to have to say I am an “online publisher”. That just sounds so much better than “I build websites” or “I am a blogger”. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this???

    Thanks James :)
    Mitz Pantic recently posted..George Brown From Google Sniper Gives Away $5,000 Worth of CoursesMy Profile

    • Haha EXACTLY what I was thinking while reading through this! Calling or referring to yourself as an online publisher, instead of a blogger (when someone asks what you do) seems to ‘sound’ much better (more professional?) right?

      On a sidenote, since all publishers write, it could also be a good idea to move into eBooks – people seem to be making good money publishing eBooks for Kindle on the Amazon platform!
      CraigStevens recently posted..A List of Things to Consider Before Settling for a WebhostMy Profile

  4. Proud “Online Publisher” it feels good to know your official occupation :)
    Saad recently posted..8 Things That You don’t Know about iPhoneMy Profile

  5. I Think Affiliate network is the best part of online publishing because it gives you best revenue from your online content and the another best part of blogging is that it gives a better scope for all the writers

    • Totally agree with you. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online. I was surprised to see how pro affiliate gurus started in the business. Almost all of them started spaming their affiliate links to everywhere on the Internet.

  6. I am proud of my websites but that is not to say there isn’t room for improvement. In this business, we are always learning and it is just as important that we keep up with developments and adapt to new techniques, trends and styles etc.
    Matt Alhaarth recently posted..Devious Sneaks Home For HHHC WinMy Profile

  7. Istiak Rayhan says:

    Proud to be an “Online Publisher” :D


  8. Twitter:
    i am starting a content search and aggregation website around business. What is the best technology platform for me to use? Please provide the name of the platform. Thank you.
    hira recently posted..How to Treat Dry and Rough Facial SkinMy Profile


  9. Twitter:
    Exactly , writers are usually getting an amazing amount by marketing through articles pertaining to blog writers firms plus they are getting by creating testimonials also.
    Samuel recently posted..Top WordPress Plugins To Reach The Top!My Profile

  10. 1999… if i had known at that time what i know today :-)
    Jean-Luc recently posted..Patrimmo Commerce Bulletin Trimestriel T2 2012My Profile

  11. Online business is very attractive include advertising like adsense. Online business has opportunity to get passive income and financial freedom.
    julidarmaputra recently posted..Natural Way To Overcome DiabetesMy Profile

  12. Gregory Urbano says:

    I am going to change my headline to “Publishing Hobbyist Photographer and Adventurer… ”
    as soon as i finish this comment, thanks for the tips!


  13. Twitter:
    Online Publishing is definitely an attractive business and definitely includes a lot of creative works such as Ad sense. Thanks for this important update. Great job done!!

  14. klima servisi says:

    Proud “Online Publisher” it feels good to know your official occupation

  15. Sarah Millers says:

    I have saved this article and made a check-list out of for my sites. Truly wonderful post!!

  16. Business of Online publishing has set it’s very large area(advertising Like adsense and other) and now we can say that it is out of controlled.I feel happy on it that i am a Online publisher.
    :)
    Bhushan recently posted..Inventory Software IndiaMy Profile

  17. Today online business is at a great demand. Content Writer and SEOs are getting hike in salary.
    You have describes descriptive all check lists.
    Pulkit recently posted..Grade 10 – Science and Math ComboMy Profile

  18. It was really a very nice article for new bies and professionals too. But now a days, there is so much of competition among Online Publishers so if you want to be in race, you need to update youself with new things. :)
    Maddy recently posted..How to build Quality BacklinksMy Profile

  19. Well, I never thought of it that way… I also would’ve told you “I build websites”… as of now I will change that, because “publishing” is a much better fitting term. And I’m about to check through your list at the end of the article, but I’m confident I got most of it covered on my sites. But you never know!


  20. Twitter:
    Everything has gone online and the businesses are getting more adapted to this.And to know about a product and company one checks out the content and services of the particular business.

    Thanks to the content writers who write pure content.Now Blogging and article posting has emerged as a great platform and people has adapted it as a carrer.They are making good money out of it.
    Aditya recently posted..ERP Software DevelopmentMy Profile

  21. Now we can get every thing online, We can shop online, can take food online, can study online, can earn money online. Online business is today on a great demand. Every small to big firm is going online. So just do SEO and Social Media of that sites and get visible to all.
    Neha recently posted..Grade 10 – Science and Math ComboMy Profile

  22. I’d never thought of it that way – so I am an online publisher, too! Thanks for the ideas.

  23. Hi James

    Thanks for sharing these interesting points, I have tried to make the time in order to learn more about Online Publishing, this has given me some very useful points to consider.

    Thanks

    Angel

    PS

    I shall be subscribing also. :)
    Angel recently posted..Free Minecraft Gift CodesMy Profile

  24. Being an online publisher doesn’t guarantee success. It involves lot of hardwork to promote a product through good content. In fact, content marketing is the next big thing that’s happening in Internet. A good content can sell anything.

  25. Mark Brook says:

    I am fully agreed with your article as I have start writing my blogs and make a website my own I have earn something last week that amount was very low but still that was something which my 6month old domain payed me.

  26. Most people don’t really get it especially the parents of kiddos trying to break in the online publishing scene. They always attribute it to scam and that they are only wasting their time for non-sense things. But the truth is, there is gold in the internet if you try to find one.
    Adam Parnala recently posted..Nokia Asha 305 and Nokia Asha 306 Now Available in the PhilippinesMy Profile


  27. Twitter:
    Hi James,

    Very interesting article. We’re all online publishers. But, I say that I’m in content marketing, because I help businesses create content and connect to their customers via content. So that’s my story, but on the other hand, everything I do is about online publishing :)
    Jens P. Berget recently posted..Affordable search engine optimizationMy Profile

  28. I am proud to be an online publisher. None other business is as good as it is.

  29. Tito Santos says:

    Online Publishing and online marketing are one of the best options to making money online, very well explained article for take tips about this business, thanks for sharing knowledge

  30. Dean Evans says:

    Making extra cash online or supporting your business with a professional website is achievable and very cheap!! Try EZ Websites Generator
    ezwebsitesgenerator.com

  31. “Online publisher”! :D Never thought of it in those words!

  32. julian macknzee says:

    online publications business growing day by day so there is nothing side effects of that really nice informative article thanks for you valuable tips

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