You’ve no doubt seen the ads about getting started in internet marketing, or about how to make money from home. Some “Rich Jerk” is selling his system over here. A click on this link in Google leads to an “Internet Speedway” over there. Add to those systems an uncountable number of E-books. Sometimes there almost seems to be as many internet marketing programs as there are internet marketers! Someone who is just getting started can easily feel overwhelmed.
Two of the bigger names that keep showing up are Profit Lance and Wealthy Affiliate. Both websites advertise themselves as a course for beginning internet marketers. One has a sizable one-time purchase fee, whereas the other uses a smaller monthly membership fee. One gives you pre-made websites, while the other provides free web hosting and the simple-yet-dynamic SiteRubix website builder to create your own websites. Which one is the better choice for a beginning internet marketer? Should you even consider buying into either one at all? Should you consider buying into both?
Profit Lance advertises itself as “the best online marketing course.” Currently, it can be bought for a one-time fee of $77; there is no monthly membership or rebilling. The course includes E-books, articles, and videos, as well as “projects” you can do for homework. For example, a significant part of the course tells you how to generate traffic to a website using article marketing, Google ads, blogs, and social bookmarking networks. Now, Profit Lance provides you with several websites already set up! You can then practice the techniques learned in the course to generate traffic to a ready-made website, without having to build the website first. If you make sales through these pre-made websites, you get to keep the commission. In addition to the lessons on generating traffic, Profit Lance will also teach you how to get started using Google’s advertising system, including both Google Adsense and Google Adwords. Also presented are strategies and tools for researching profitable niche markets, help on writing effective sales copy, search engine optimization techniques, and even some guides to starting your own viral marketing campaigns. In all, Profit Lance provides an excellent set of resources to help you get started. Once you have gained some experience and success in internet marketing, however, you may find yourself growing beyond what Profit Lance offers.
While Profit Lance advertises itself as a course, Wealthy Affiliate advertises itself as “Wealthy Affiliate University.” Wealthy Affiliate is bigger and has more of a community feel to it. The amount of resources offered is staggering, and it can be somewhat overwhelming for the complete novice. Wealthy Affiliate also requires a monthly membership, currently priced at $29.95. Not only does Wealthy Affiliate also provide you with free websites ready-to-go, they offer a terrific array of tools to help you get started. The SiteRubix website builder interface is easy and intuitive, and the monthly membership comes with free hosting. All you need to do is buy yourself a domain name from the likes of 1and1.com or GoDaddy, and then you can build yourself your own website customized to your own specifications. Wealthy Affiliate also has a mind-bogglingly useful forum, where you can talk with other marketers and share tips, secrets, and tricks. For the beginners, Wealthy Affiliate offers an 8-week action plan to help get all marketing newbies up to speed and into the game. While the sheer scope of tools and information offered by Wealthy Affiliate can be intimidating for the beginner, a marketer will find much more room to grow to an advanced level within the Wealthy Affiliate program than in the Profit Lance program; the interaction provided by Wealthy Affiliate’s forum alone will be worth the monthly membership fee to many budding marketers.
Both Profit Lance and Wealthy Affiliate are worthwhile products. If you are willing to spend the initial one-time $77 set-up fee, I would recommend first buying the Profit Lance system. Once you have mastered the basic concepts of internet marketing, you should then invest in the Wealthy Affiliate program. Either way, you will be given all the tools and knowledge you need to succeed. All that matters then is whether or not you have the persistence to apply your newfound knowledge.
