Here’s a list of common questions I get asked about Wealthy Affiliate and earning money on the internet.
- If it is really possible to earn a living online, why isn’t everyone doing it?
- I can’t make a website because I don’t know HTML, and I’m not very good at technical things, what am I supposed to do?
- I’m still a little confused about what Wealthy Affiliate is all about. Why should I join, and how can it benefit me?
- What exactly will I be doing when I join? How do I make money?
- Is Wealthy Affiliate really free?
- If I can become a member for free, why should I bother going premium?
- How long will it take before I get my first paycheck, and how much money can I expect to make?
- How long do I have to stay a member of Wealthy Affiliate to be successful?
If it is really possible to earn a living online, why isn’t everyone doing it?
There are a lot of reasons why most people aren’t making money online. For one, there are so many scams and bad products that exist within the online marketing industry that the majority of people are jaded when it comes to programs to earn online. Many, MANY people have gotten scammed out of their hard earned dollars, or invested money into programs that ended up not really working out for them. The problem is, there are very few quality products out there that will really lead people towards success.
Another factor that deters others is that it takes time, dedication, and hard work. Most people want to earn quick money, they think it’s like a job and will get a steady paycheck in a couple of weeks. Well, no – it isn’t like that. The proper way to earn online is to build a BUSINESS, which takes time. Any business is going to need an initial investment, and it will definitely take some time to see a return on that investment. You may work for hours, weeks, MONTHS and not see a dime. That in and of itself turns off most people since it’s not instant gratification. Most people looking to make money online are in need of money NOW and can’t afford to wait the several months it may take to start actually earning anything.
You have to think long term when turning to the internet to make money. You need to be thinking, “Okay, I’m going to need to invest a lot of time into this without seeing any money, and that’s OKAY – I know it will pay off in the long run.” Going in with that type of mindset will help you keep going.
I can’t make a website because I don’t know HTML, and I’m not very good at technical things. What am I supposed to do?
It’s a common misconception that you need to know code to make a website. These days, they have programs like WordPress that take all the coding and most of the technical aspects out of the process, so all you need to do is literally type in your website URL and title and your website and it can be built for you.
Try it right here:
Look, you just built a website! It really is THAT easy! Now that you have a website, it may take a bit to get used to how everything works, but as with anything there is a learning curve. It’s nothing too complicated or that can’t be tackled with a bit of effort or help. That’s really where the community at Wealthy Affiliate comes in handy, because there are so many people there to help you out when you get stuck, along with many tutorials on how to do different things within WordPress. You can also find WordPress help readily available on the internet, too.
The days of creating website from code are over, welcome to the new age of web building!
I’m still a little confused about what Wealthy Affiliate is all about. Why should I join, and how can it benefit me?
If you’re still unsure how Wealthy Affiliate would benefit you, there’s a few questions I would ask you:
- Do you have a passion or interest that you would love to be able to make money with?
- Are you an “expert” at anything?
- Do you like helping others?
- Have you ever wanted to start a business, but were unable to afford or dreaded the initial cost of start up?
- Or, alternatively – do you have a real world business you’d like to combine with the internet to boost advertising and sales?
If you answered “yes” to ANY of those questions, you can benefit from their training. Wealthy Affiliate helps you take your passion, your interests, whatever you want – and turn it into a thriving web business. It starts with learning how to create a website (which you’re provided with for free) and then learning how to turn it into an online business. This is largely tailored towards the affiliate marketing model in the beginner training, but there are people at Wealthy Affiliate who earn money in all sorts of ways.
What is affiliate marketing?
First of all, go ahead and read my article on affiliate marketing her
The affiliate marketing model is a really good place for a beginner to start off earning money online. It’s recommend you start earning through affiliate marketing because it’s proven effective and it’s easier than trying to create your own product and sell it. It’s also more lucrative then programs like Google Adsense, or other ad networks. The goal is to start people off in the direction that will most likely bring them the highest rate of success, then once they achieve that, they can move on to more advanced techniques.
*Start your free starter account today*
How am I supposed to start a business online? I don’t know anything about that!
Many people over-think this and here’s a great video explaining the process:
It will start you off with choosing a niche – a passion, interest, hobby – anything you want, and creating a website around it. You’re then trained to turn your website into a business – where you’ll bring in potential customers, help them out by providing them useful information and trying to solve their problem, and then hopefully gaining their trust and persuading them to buy a product.
Think about your experience online when you Google a problem or are trying to find information on something you want to potentially buy. What types of websites did you encounter? Did you read reviews on the product? Did someone provide you with information and suggest a solution? A lot of times this is the affiliate business model in action! Without prior knowledge, you would never even thought twice about it. Affiliate marketing, when done well, is very subtle.
When you can get traffic focused traffic to your website, and when some of that traffic buys from you – they turn into a customer. When you can repeat that over and over again, you are in business! This is what Wealthy Affiliate teaches you to achieve successfully, and you can do it in any niche you want!
Is Wealthy Affiliate really free?
Yes. You can sign up with simply an email address. It requires no additional information on your part (no credit card, phone number, or other personal information is needed like many other “free” trials). Once inside, you’ll have access to the community, certification training, live chat, blogging, plus 2 free siterubix websites. You’re going to have access to communicate with members for the first 7 days, at the end of your first week – while your free membership and free websites are valid for life, the communication aspect won’t be available past your first days. However, you’ll be able to keep your free websites plus have access to the starter training (plus additional training) for as long as you want.
If I can become a member for free, why should I bother going premium?
While the starter membership within Wealthy Affiliate is a great opportunity to experience what it’s like inside the community and give you a better idea to what it can offer you without paying a single dime to find out, if you join and decide you are 100% serious in starting your own online business, I would highly recommend going premium. You can join premium for just $19 your first month, and a mere $29 a month after that if you sign up yearly.
Think of it this way – that’s less than $1 a day to learn how to create an internet business that will start earning you revenue. If you put forth the effort and follow along with the training, you will definitely earn back your $359 within your first year, plus probably much more. You can’t seriously start a business without putting forth some type of investment.
Did you know that they offer bachelor’s degrees in internet marketing? You can pay upwards of $30,000 for a degree in this field… and guess what? Most of the time a degree is not even required. They’re really looking for people with experience in the field. You will get more hands on, real experience within the field of e-marketing by joining Wealthy Affiliate than you would by getting a real accredited degree. You’ll be able to earn while you learn… and each year you spend in college is a year you’re paying money to someone else instead of earning it yourself.
Would you rather invest $30,000 or $359 into your education?
How long will it take before I get my first paycheck, and how much money can I expect to make?
This is unfortunately a question I cannot answer. I can tell you it will not happen overnight, and perhaps not even your first few months. Wealthy Affiliate is a training program and community designed to help and support you creating your own business on the web, it isn’t a “job” that yields a regular paycheck, nor a “money making program”.
The amount of money you make is entirely up to your efforts and dedication, and how efficiently you are able to utilize the program and traing materials into starting up your own business. There is not a set amount of guaranteed income, but the potential to earn money (I’m talking enough to quit or replace a real job) is definitely there. Some people are making a decent part time income, anywhere from $500 – $1,000 per month, and there are others making over a million per year, plus everywhere in between.
It’s also important to note, once you do begin making sales online and generating some revenue, it will still be a few months after that til you get your first paycheck. (At least if you go into affiliate sales). Every program is different, but many of them hold your money for a minimum of 2-3 months before they will payout. I had to wait about 5 months from the time I got started creating my first website til the day I received my first paycheck. Once you get paid, as long as you keep making sales, you should consistently get paid each month after that, your payouts will always just be a few months behind.
How long do I have to stay a member of Wealthy Affiliate to be successful?
It’s not a requirement that you be a member of Wealthy Affiliate forever in order to make money online. You don’t even have to go premium if you want to make money online, you can utilize the starter membership and other resources to get started on your own.
I’d recommend starting out with the $19 first month, and if you still like it after that, join for the yearly membership because it’s a lot cheaper than going month by month. They include unlimited web hosting, support, and training, and for $29 per month that is a very, VERY minimal investment in the scheme of business. (30K vs. $359, remember?)
I realize many people can’t afford an initial investment of $359 up front, though. And that’s OK – if you are very limited in funds, I’d recommend joining for at least a couple of months, and you could probably learn enough to go about it on your own after that. But many members love the community so much they WANT to stay. Also realize if you have your own domain names, you’ll have to pay for hosting elsewhere if you aren’t a premium member.
Evelyn Koh says
Hi Wendy,
Appreciate it if you could help clarify the following:
1. Is the 7 day free trial available for Malaysia?
2. Can one upgrade to and cancel premium membership at any time?
3. You mentioned that premium membership fee is $29 a month whereas other websites say $47. Which is correct?
By the way, I think you’ve done a really great job with this website; so informative and very helpful, providing answers to potential queries anyone could possibly have.
Thanks!
I am uncertain if it’s available in Malaysia or not, but if you are located there and unable to grab the free trial I would assume it is not. You can still upgrade to premium though and yes, you can upgrade and cancel at anytime. You’re not locked into any contract if you upgrade to the $47/month membership.
The regular monthly fee is $47, but the $29/month is what it works out to be if you upgrade to the yearly membership ($359/year)
And thank you, I appreciate it. I do sincerely care and try to help everyone to the best of my ability.
Thanks Wendy! Will give the free trial a shot tomorrow.
Evelyn, any luck with it? I’m from Malaysia too, and thinking a bit about this idea.
Hi Wendy,
I want to join..can you help me avail the $19 membership fee?I’m from the Philippines and the free 7day trial is not available in my country..I tried to sign up however it appears that i have to pay $47.