Here are some of the most important lessons I learned in 2009 for making money online, Internet marketing and affiliate marketing. These come from all hands-on trial and error learning, which I believe is the best teacher of all!

1. Keyword Research is important, but hot products will always sell – Keyword research is crucial for affiliate marketing, blogging and making money online, but if you have a hot product in mind and it happens to have very low, or even non-existent search volume in keyword tools that does not mean it has no potential. The fact is hot products, promoted correctly will always make you money.

2. Write Great Content And The Links Come Naturally – This is something you hear over and over and something I always thought was a myth, however, this blog proves it.

Every single link that gives me page 1 SERP placement for tons of my posts as well as the home page are all natural. This fact of natural links is harder to achieve for some niches, as the Internet Marketing and MMO niche is more prone to natural links since it’s so big, but you should still have great original content for any niche as it will attract at least some natural links and establish you as an authority within your topic.

3. Volume of Content is Key - The more well monetized content (inner pages) you have the more traffic potential grows and that leads to more money, it’s that simple. Those inner pages flood the SERPS of search engines and bring traffic to your site. So either build more sites or expand the ones that you have.

4. Social Traffic is a Money Making Bust – With the exception of a very few select niche and social site combinations, social traffic doesn’t buy, this has been proven time and again. If you are a flagship blogger and looking for fame then social traffic should be your main focus, but if you want to make money online, then it’s a total bust, always focus on organic search traffic that is where the buyers are !

5. Diversify Your Link Profile – Getting links to home pages only is not wise, it looks unnatural and it is much better to get about a 50/50 split between home page and inner pages for you backlinks.

On the same note inner page links can be as effective if not more effective than home page backlinks, as Google will come to view you as an authority on your topic and that is what gives you high SERP placement.

6. There Are No Failed Campaigns – While some of my sites make a lot more money than others, there are no failures. For example, I have a few sites that make me about $25 a month, times those by 3 and that’s $75, times it by 10 and it’s $250, you get the idea.

Also, every thing you do for your online business is a teaching experience and an opportunity to learn something new. Even if that site only makes $1 for the whole year you can bet that I will learn something from it and it will help me to grow as an Internet Marketer.

7. Testing Is A Great Teacher – Whether it’s ads, money making venues, niche sites, or blog campaigns testing out different avenues online is the best way to learn what works and what doesn’t. What works for one marketer may not work for another, so if you have an idea go for it, test it out and see how it works for you. Try new things, test tried and true venues, just test test test!

8. Spend Your Precious Time Wisely – Time management is crucial for working at home in the online business since there is little of it and tons of tasks that most of us need to do.

• Do tough and more mind draining stuff early when the mind is fresh.
• Take note of activities that are not supporting success and don’t waste time on them.
• Set goals for the day, write them down and get them done, don’t stray!

9. The More Sites You Have The More Money You Can Make – Once you know the biz and know what to do to make one website or blog succeed, then go for more and as many campaigns as your schedule will allow. It is a fact that unless your Amazon.com (which none of us lone marketers will ever be) then you need to grow in your business.

Launch new sites often and keep adding them, your money and experience will grow!

10. Information Is Good, But Action Delivers – Don’t become an information junkie, where you spend all your time reading the how-to’s and the guides but then do nothing in the end. Take action, it’s the only way to succeed in affiliate marketing, Internet marketing and to make money online!

What did you guys learn in your marketing, blogging and online business efforts in 2009?