The best part of being able to work from home online is the freedom to do what you want to do when you want to do it. But you must remember that it takes time, dedication and consistency to actually see results.

Website and product promotion is the piece of the puzzle that most people miss. Most believe in the “If I build it, they will come” philosophy. Well, let me tell you from experience that that’s not realistic at all.

There are literally billions of websites that have been published. Most of them get absolutely no traffic at all. Why is that? Because no one knows they exist. You can build the most beautiful website in the world and have the best products but if no one sees your website, you’re going to be just another statistic.

So, I’m sure you want to know…..what do you do?

Let’s go into my two favorite free ways of promotion first. Most people who are starting an online business are a little tight on cash and want to save money whenever possible.

1. Blog about your business. There are many free blog services out there and they are very user friendly and easy to set up. For example, you can get free blogs at the following sites: Blogger (Google’s blog site), Squidoo, Hubpages, and WordPress. There are many others, but, in my opinion, these are the best places to start.

When blogging about your business, it’s important to not do a “hard sell”. It’s a turn-off to many people and probably won’t help you at all. Instead, try to offer up some free information or advice that is related to what you’re selling. Then you can direct them to your website or affiliate site with links (very important) from within the blog. For example, if you are selling golfing items, you could write a blog on how to correct a slice or do a review on the newest driver on the market. If you don’t have this knowledge, do some research. My experience has been that you can find just about anything you need if you “Google” the specific topic.

When linking back to your website from your blog, you will want to use your keyword phrase as the “anchor text” for your link. For instance, if “golf shoes” is your keyword phrase, you would use this phrase to build your link and “golf shoes” would then become a “hyperlink”. I’m sure you’ve seen a hyperlink before – it’s text that’s usually a different color and sometimes underlined that when clicked takes you to another website or location. Building quality backlinks to your site will assist in boosting your search engine rankings and the more, the better.

If you build a blog that contains good information, you will build a base of viewers who frequently return to see what other information you may provide. After you gain their trust, they may become a customer.

2. Write articles about your subject. I know, I know, that’s a frightening thought. But I read articles every day that are written by ordinary people – just like you and me – and they’re not going to win a Pulitzer Prize for their work. Unless you have some true gift, neither are you. But good information, tips and advice are always good for business.

Do a little research before you begin. Go to Ezine Articles and see what other people are writing about on that subject. Get some ideas, then sit down and start writing. You just might surprise yourself. The more you write, the better you will get and the easier and faster it will become.

The same rules apply for articles as with blogs. They should be informational and not promotional in nature. Save the promotion for your bio box. That’s where you can add your hyperlink to your site using your keyword phrase and can sell yourself or your products a bit. Just be tasteful when doing it.

That’s it for today….More later…..