Nothing beats the excitement you feel when you first start to make money online. Ever since I got my first computer I had dreamed of owning a web site that would make money for me.

My motivation has always been simple. I want the freedom to live life on my own terms.To be able to do what I want when I feel like it. I want to feel the security of having a regular income. And, finally I want the spending power to be able to buy what I want and go where I want. Not much to ask.

I now know that I went by the long route when I set out to learn how to make money online. I wasted an enromous amount of time, energy and money on learning things I didn't need to know and doing things that are a complete waste of time.

The most annoying thing of all was that the know-it-alls who are reaping the amazing rewards of their success are so poor at showing others how they do it. However, they are very good at charging a lot for their information and then making it hard to understand what they mean. So I made up my mind early on that I would never charge for any information that I pass on to others about how to make money online.

Here are the lessons that I have learned. I consider that they are the real secrets of making money online.

First, start with a niche market. I know this is different from how people do things in the real world, but in cyber space this is the best place to start. The easiest way is to pick on a group of people just like you. People with whom you share a problem.

Second, find a product that solves their problem. There are millions of them out there. I show my students how to find them on my free diploma course.

Third, build a really simple, one page web site. Your site only needs to offer a product that solves a problem to the people with the problem.

Fourth, drive traffic to that web site.

Imagine my excitement when, by simply applying this formula, I started receiving e-mails saying: "Congratulations, you just made a sale!"

The excitement grew when I went to my online bank account and saw the money sitting there, right under my name.

And the excitement reached fever pitch when the 'congratulations' e-mails started coming in ever-increasing numbers.

About the author:

David Ferrers runs The Online Money Academy which provides easy-to-follow, free guidelines in how to build simple one-page web sites that continuously make money online at http://www.TheOnlineMoneyAcademy.com