Chow says, “As has been discussed so many times on this site before, there are innumerable ways for you to make money online and to live the dot com lifestyle. One of these ways is to become a professional blogging, writing about an industry or interest that you are truly passionate about and monetizing your website accordingly. In the context of blogging, easily one of the most popular platforms for a site of nearly any size is WordPress. It’s what powers John Chow dot Com, just as it is what powers Beyond the Rhetoric and MEGATechNews. It’s a free and versatile platform that comes with... [...]

Chow says, “You see plenty of massive corporations spending big bucks on marketing and advertising. They’re working incredibly hard to build up brand awareness and to encourage you to buy their products instead of the competition’s. Samsung, Microsoft and Apple are a few prime examples of this and the assumption that many people make is that if you want to have that prominent of a presence in the marketplace, you need to similarly open up your wallet and purchase all sorts of ad space. While it is certainly true that such heavy brand messaging can help consumers know about your company and... [...]

Chow says, “On the surface, affiliate marketing looks like an ideal way to make money online. However, when you look closer at the business model, you’ll find a deadly flaw in it. Do you know what that flaw is? You better or it might cost you your life savings. The basic affiliate marketing model sounds great on paper. There’s only three steps. Select an affiliate product to promote Buy traffic to send to the sales page MAKE MONEY! I’m sure you’ve all heard stories of affiliate marketers spending $10K a day to make $20K? It sounds great doesn’t it? Many people get into affiliate marketing... [...]

Chow says, “It doesn’t really matter what line of business you are in these days. You could be a technology startup that develops a range of mobile apps. You could be a professional wedding photographer. You could be a natural food and supplement company. Or you could be a freelance writer like me. Whatever the case may be, it’s obvious enough that social media should play an important role in your overall marketing strategy. The trouble is that too many people (and companies) just take the haphazard, shotgun-style approach to their social media strategy. They just throw out whatever updates... [...]

Chow says, “Knowing WHY visitors are going to your site and WHAT they are doing once they get there are two of the most important questions your business or brand should be asking itself. While most web sites, blogs and brands are busy focusing their efforts on simply increasing their site traffic, backlinks and social media following… “smart” brands are focusing on what their audience is doing once they get to their site. Not only is this important from a engagement and monetization stand point, but it’s also an effective longterm strategy as well. The more you know about your audience... [...]

Chow says, “We often here about SEO and how a solid campaign will improve your ranking in the search engines, however we are often left hearing the basics. When we read about SEO, we hear about link building, high quality content, on-page SEO, etc. Did you know all of these methods can be narrowed down to more effective strategies? For example, using link building is ONLY effective if you create links from the right websites with a high authority and keyword density. In order for you to get the full long-term effects from your campaign, it’s important you implement the following advance strategies... [...]

Chow says, “You’ve heard me say over and over again that the money is in the list. My email list is the number one reason my blog makes the money it does. Everything I do is geared toward increasing the size of the list. The bigger the list, the more money I make. On this episode of Driving with John Chow, I give you my top tips on how I increased my list opt in rate from 10 a day to over 200 a day. No, I did not have to increase my ad spend by 20 times. Other than adding LeadPages to create my opt in page, I didn’t have spend any additional money”. How I Went From 10 To 200 Opt Ins Per... [...]

Chow says, “I love finding ways to generate traffic to my blog and have networked with other bloggers, asking them their best traffic strategy. I’ve heard everything from writing the best content, blog commenting, etc. However, the next one is very creative. I was a bit reluctant implementing this strategy but the results were pretty impressive. It’s truly a “hit” or “miss” strategy but, nevertheless, it will generate traffic to your website. Here’s a quick overview… When we blog, we often look for traffic from relevant sources like guest posting on related niches, networking... [...]

Chow says, “Live by the Google and you’ll die by the Google. Even if your online business hasn’t come to rely on search engines to drive your most critical web traffic, it’s undeniable that being ranked highly in Google for your target keywords and keyword phrases is positively invaluable. And that’s why there are so many people out there who keep trying to game the system and that’s why Google keeps slapping them back down with algorithm updates. Yes, it is true that the only way you’ll survive pandas, penguins and hummingbirds is to keep providing great content and true value to... [...]

Chow says, “Should you create your own product or should you be an affiliate and promote other people’s products? That’s a questions I get asked on a daily basis. Most Internet markets start off as affiliates of other people’s products. The reason for this is cost and risk. Creating your own products, while potentially more profitable, is extremely expensive and risky. For example, just the sales page forBlogging with John Chow cost $7,500. Add in the cost of content writers, video team, affiliate managers, etc., and the cost easily runs into the high five-figures”. Should You Create... [...]