Have you ever felt like you''ve gotten in way over your head? When you first embark on an internet marketing venture, it''s perfectly normal to be overwhelmed. There is so much to learn, so many different things you can do to market a business online, and so many "experts" that claim they''ve got the "secret" to making money online. It can really be mind boggling at times.

So, what''s the secret to internet marketing and making money online? Well, let me tell you, there is no secret. What there is though is information overload. There are tons of strategies for various types of internet marketing techniques and what works great for one business, might not work at all for another.

So, rather than trying to "master the art" of internet marketing, it is best to get a quick overview of internet marketing techniques, decide which one (or two) you want to try first, gain the knowledge and skill you need to pull off the technique, and see how it works. Of course you need to do some research to identify your target market and create a marketing plan, but your internet marketing plan doesn''t have to be extensive and doesn''t have to be set in stone from day one. You can review your stats, see what is working and what isn''t, and tweak your internet marketing campaign as you go along to strengthen it and make it more effective.

When you get started in internet marketing, it is good to have an understanding of various types of internet marketing techniques, but the primary ones to concentrate on in the beginning are search engine marketing and pay-per-click search engine marketing. On average, over 80% of the traffic that comes to a website finds the website through the search engines, so search engine listings are vital to internet marketing. Rather than focusing on a variety of internet marketing techniques at once, you''ll find it is much more effective to pursue internet marketing options one at a time. After perfecting one strategy, you can move on to the next, continually strengthening your internet marketing efforts. Of course you need to do some research to identify your target market and create a marketing plan, but your internet marketing plan doesn''t have to be extensive and doesn''t have to be set in stone from day one.

Search engine marketing consists primarily of optimizing your website using targeted keywords, filling it with relevant content, building relevant incoming links, and submitting the site to the search engines. With pay-per-click search engine marketing, the process of internet marketing through the search engines is simplified a bit because you bid on keywords that will provide results for your particular website and your search engine rank is based primarily on your bid rather than relying solely on site optimization which can be quite challenging.

Rather than focusing on a variety of internet marketing techniques at once, you''ll find it is much more effective to pursue internet marketing options one at a time. After perfecting one strategy, you can move on to the next, continually strengthening your internet marketing efforts.