The Internet has created an arena for which just about anything goes, from webpages to gurus claiming to make you a millionaire overnight to the free websites where you just drive traffic to someone's webpage and your set internet stardom. With all the so called legitimate work at home opportunities on the web today, how can someone make heads or tails of all the confusion? How many have tried? Ask yourself this... Do you just give your money away? Why should someone else just hand you money? Be honest with yourself, will you do a little work to get what you want?

I've recently acquired a legitimate online business, after plenty of searching, so it is possible. The only thing you need to realize is YES, it will require some input, plenty of time and work, continuing education, along with constant modifications and some savvy marketing. However, most people think they know all there is to know about online businesses right of the start and fall for the overnight success story website, or they just want to make a quick buck. Whichever category they fall into we're not going to go into that, I would like to point out some of the identifiable traits of a legitimate online business and a few ways to research your next business venture.

As your checking into multiple sites, and you run across one you really think is going to be profitable for yourself. STOP! Just hold that thought for a minute. Let's research the author of that site before we dive in and think all our prayers have been answered. Why not look a little deeper? Is the webmaster's name on the webpage? Do they offer a money-back guarantee? Do they show up on Whois.com? What is the page ranking? How long have they been in business? Ask yourself a question or two. You can really get a feel for the author this way and eliminate a few prospects.

What are they promoting? The promoted products can tell a lot about the author. Sometimes I run across complete banner sites. I'm sure some are useful, however I get the feeling the author is just pushing junk to make a fast buck. Smaller, functional websites with beneficial products either researched or proven winners are appealing to me. Then again, research their promotions, if things are checking out, you might be on to something there. Forget about the hyped up guarantees of instant wealth, we're looking for credibility.

Credibility is very important, internet business is in a sense faceless, so how do you sort out the bad apples? Other than the suggestions from above, look for testimonials, blogs, or a link page on the webpage. Get a feel for the author through their feedback. Check to see if the links are from credible websites themselves. I also get a good sense for credibility when many of the promoted products cross promote back to the site which referred you. Let's say the author gives you a free website to promote their product and you are required to pay for the hosting. Ok that seems reasonable, why would the author pay for your hosting anyway right? You may just quit someday, or fail to promote the product, and the author would be paying for hosting. But then when you visit the referred hosting site does it give reference back to the authors page that sent you? If the hosting site was promoting a reputable resellers free website to people who were just looking for website hosting, wouldn't that be something?

Look for free content that isn't useless junk, a helpful e-book, or article pages that are useful. Is the author trying to help you or just drain your bank account? A legitimate home business will at least offer something for free. If their product is well in demand or a proven winner, they will benifit in the long run, theres no need for instant money in their pocket. However, a legitimate business will cost something somewhere along the line. Maybe a free website to promote your product, free membership, or free advertising to get things rolling.

Training and support is another bonus I use to judge legitimacy. How many times have you signed up, paid your dues, and received a cold shoulder only after they've been paid? There is just no reason to fall for the scams, no need to rush into anything without doing your homework, the internet will be here tomorrow.

Legitimate online businesses have identifiable qualities, we just need to look for them. The legitimate businesses out there are not going to hide and will provide you information to make your decisions easy, it's the ones that do hide I would be leery about.