Online marketing is a great way to set up your own business and earn some money. Some people will wish to replace their salary; others will simply want to have some additional income to supplement their monthly pay check. That’s one of the beauties of marketing online – you can decide just how far you want to go with it.

If you do decide to run an online business as a way of earning money on the side, you can quickly and easily ramp things up should you want to go full time at some point in future. It’s a lot easier than starting from scratch – you can use your “part time” experience to learn the ropes and achieve the confidence that your business model will work.

There is no shortage of different ways to earn online. Advertising and affiliate marketing are two of the most popular techniques – and both can be very lucrative. If you like, revenue sharing sites – such as Squidoo and HubPages – allow you to use both of these techniques and they can be a great way to gain some experience before setting up your first blog or website.

It’s unlikely that many people will make huge amounts of money using such revenue sharing sites. However, it’s certainly possible to make a few dollars here and there – and some people will make quite a bit. Obviously that will require consistent effort and a fair bit of work. Nevertheless, there are other benefits to using revenue sharing sites, and they shouldn’t be discounted.

One of the great things about such sites is the fact that they tend to have a strong sense of community. You will find that many of the more experienced users will be quite happy to share hints and tips with newcomers.

It can be a quick and pleasant way to pick up some of the basics. They are also a good way to generate a few backlinks and drive some traffic once you have your own web properties set up. Content on revenue sites can often pick up PR and authority much more easily than new websites. That makes them a good way to build up your linking profile.

They can also be a good way to conduct research. If you’re unsure as to whether or not a particular idea will work or if you will be able to rank for a particular keyword or product, you can always put up a page on your favorite revenue sharing site and see how it does. If it works, you can set up your own blog or website and invest some time and money in building it up. And you’ll have some readymade linking opportunities from your revenue sharing site content.

There are plenty of sites to choose from. Just to get you started, some of the best known ones are listed below:

  • Squidoo
  • HubPages
  • InfoBarrel
  • Wizzley

Guest author Peter Woolhouse is an independent representative for the Utility Warehouse Discount Club. He saves his customers money every month on their essential utility services and earns genuine residual income in the process.