For the last several years I’ve been using one method to make money fast online. I live in a suburb outside of a major city. There are quite a few small businesses in my immediate area and for the most part, they don’t have a clue about advertising online. Many have used old html programs to build their sites and I doubt 1 in 100 know how to SEO optimize the sites the do have up. A good many are still using free webhosting services like Angelfire and BraveNet.

So what did I do? I built a local directory and sell advertising on it plus I make some money from Adsense and affiliate marketing. If you’d like to learn how to do this, then read how these guys build a local directory using WordPress.

Now I don’t follow their example to a ‘T’. That’s the beauty of the Internet, you can experiment with different strategies to see which one works best for you.

Once I have the site up and structured the way I want, I then start building links to the site and submitting it to a wide range of online directories. Once that is done, I then start hitting up local businesses to advertise on my site.

Why Local Small Businesses Can Be Your Ticket To Making Money Online

Times are tough. Especially now and many small businesses are looking for ways to increase sales. Now be forwarned, they will not throw money at your and your local directory just because you have one. You’ll have to show them the benefits of your site verses some “Web Design” company who raked them over the coals by charging them way to much for their crappy website!

This is why having your website ranking for some local terms will really pay off.

If you’re really lucky, you’ll find some small businesses that are looking to get online. These are generally easier sales that existing businesses who’ve been online for years.

Dentist, Attorney’s, Flower Shops and Home Service companies are some of the best to start with. Tha’ts because most of these are Mom and Pop businesses and they don’t like being out done by their competition. If Bob the Attorney see’s that Charlie the Attorney down the road advertised with you, chances are good that he’ll want to advertise with you as well.

I charge monthly fees on my website plus I have several layers of fees. Top of the page is the ‘Featured’ business and below these are the ‘Premium’ businesses. The rest on the page are the ‘Standard’ listings. I give the ‘Featured’ businesses space to write a short bio about their business. This helps sell these spots because they cost nearly double the amount as the ‘Premium’ space.

Diversify Your Local Online Business By Offering Other Services

I know people who are pulling down a lot of money by building these local directories. They also offer local businesses simple web site building, SEO and other online services. These can add up to some serious money over time as your business grows.

And all you have to do is treat your Clients well. Make sure your local directory ranks well for your local terms. If you have to spend some money to get it ranked, then do so! You will recoup this cost by keep your existing customers and gaining new ones.

You see, if you are serious about finding ways to make money fast online, there are a number of ways to do it. You don’t necessarily have to do it the way everyone else is telling you. Think outside the box for ways to make money online!