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As you become more aware of how affiliate marketing works and become comfortable with article marketing, be sure and check that your articles are working and your keywords are helping you make money online. As we have learned, keywords are the key and if you select good ones you are going to reap the rewards. However, don’t get caught in the trap that everything is working fine. I use the expression if you are too busy chopping down trees or writing articles, you might lose sight of the forest or opportunity to make money online.

You are faithfully writing articles and your keywords you selected you were confident were good ones. You go and check your Google search status and find you are #1, #2 and #3 with your articles. Fantastic you say and then go check your bank account. It’s not reflective of holding the top positions in a Google search.

Here are five things you need to check to see how your business internet money online opportunity is doing:

1. "Check your keywords.” Do your keywords make sense? Are they something your customers would use to do a Google search for your product? You might have thought through this but if they aren’t working then select new keywords.

2. “Check your online bank services.” Remember to follow the money. If you aren’t getting revenue and results then that is another indication you might be chopping down the trees but you aren’t getting any money for them. Step back and look at the forest for your business internet money online opportunity.

3. “Check with your fellow affiliates see how you are doing.” This is very important because you are too close and too familiar with what you are doing. Email, blog and contact your friends to have them review what you have done. Let them look over your shoulder and get some advice on how they perceive you are doing.

4. "Check your article links to be sure they work.” Her is one we so often overlook. Even though you submitted your article with a good link to your product is it working? Have you checked it lately? Links break and sometimes you won’t catch it but have your friends take and look and they will.

5. “If all fails, check if your business internet money online opportunity is working.” It might be that your market is saturated or dried up. If you see the forest is gone because you’ve chopped down all the trees, guess what? You need to find a new forest!

What woman doesn't have too much to do and too little time to do it? Starting an online marketing business is a dream come true for many busy women. Never before in history have there been so many women wanting to start their own business. Statistics show there are approximately 11 million women-owned businesses in the United States alone. And this number is growing every day.

There are tons of reasons to begin a career in online marketing – and you probably know them by heart. You'd have more time with the family, and you'd be your own boss. And though information on business opportunities seems to abound, how much of that information is correct and how much is hype? And what's more, who has the time to dredge through all those opportunities looking for the perfect plan?

Unfortunately, many very capable but busy women give up before they ever get started. Rather than risk falling victim to what the U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleverly calls Dot Cons, they simply resign themselves to 'working for the man' and bury their dreams.

The internet is wide open and there are markets with little or no competition; so now is the time to stake your claim. With this in mind, here are 7 things that will speed your search for the perfect online marketing business:

1. The savvy woman should be leery of those sites that stress how little time their program will require and the speed by which you can replace your current income. There are no legitimate business opportunities where by you can earn a living in only a couple of hours a week. Online business opportunities tend to exaggerate the ease of online marketing and the convenience of shopping online. And while online marketing has a broader client base, and it is a growing, multi-billion dollar industry, this also means the internet is a highly-competitive place to succeed.

2. Don't purchase a turnkey business where all the businesses will sell the same information or products as everyone else who purchases the system; you'll be competing with hundreds to thousands of others who are attempting to sell the exact same products or services on identical, websites. It sounds good on paper, but the facts are, those with duplicate websites are your direct competitors, and they too are learning the same techniques.

3. Do find a site that has helpful free information available to you before you make a purchase. The 'make a quick buck' sites are fairly easy to spot. These sites have very little information available and consist almost entirely of links to other pages or sites. If the merchant you visit isn't interested in helping you before the sale, think how much less helpful they're likely to be afterwards.

4. Actually read the information provided free by the websites you visit. Armed with this information you will be better prepared to judge the specific points of the products and systems you assess.

5. Though some 'turnkey business products' are less than desirable, there are some businesses which give you a system or step-by-step instructions to follow, and all you have to do is research your field of interest and decide on the products you want to offer. These businesses can be a goldmine – if they provide assistance to you as you find your niche and decide on the type products you want to sell.

6. Any product or system you purchase should have at least a 60 day, money-back guarantee. 30 days is not enough to learn what you are suppose to do and then do it. And don't forget to read the fine print; some products require the package not be opened, while others require you have documentation that you tried the product and followed the steps outlined. If the guarantee has any fine print – pass on that product. Satisfaction should be 100% guaranteed.

7. And last but certainly not least is traffic. Don't fall for any online marketing plan or business opportunity that doesn't address the issue of traffic. No matter what type business you open, you must have traffic and as you will find, it will be one of the more challenging aspects of your new venture.

If you keep these 7 criteria in mind as you begin your journey into online marketing and business opportunities, you should be able to weed through the online hype in short order and find the legitimate gems.

As small business owners and entrepreneurs it's easy to fall into the habit of believing you're too busy to market. However, this is like saying that you're too busy to invest in your ongoing success.

I think it's human nature to forget about our marketing when we've got clients coming in but as soon as the flow slows down a bit (which it will), we panic and start looking frantically around for ways to get more clients coming in.

By making time regularly and consistently to market, you ensure that you continue to find and keep your most profitable clients. This is what will give you long-term success and growth in your business.

So, how exactly do you make marketing a top priority?

Here are 4 suggestions to try...

1. Make sure you have a marketing action plan

When you have a roadmap that tells you where you're going and how to get there, then actually doing something becomes much easier. When you have a plan of action, you don't have to waste time scrambling around every time you try a new marketing activity.

A marketing action plan allows you to spend less time with your marketing and be more focused at the same time.

2. Create a marketing action calendar

Having a calendar that plots out each marketing action acts as a great visual roadmap. You can see at a glance any "holes" or overlaps of strategies and timing. I plot everything on my marketing action calendar - from newsletter submission dates, blog posting schedule, special email reminders, networking events, teleseminars and so on.

Having a marketing action calendar lets you stay on top of the marketing you've committed to.

3. Schedule marketing appointments with yourself

Set aside at least a day a week to work on marketing your business. Schedule this into your day-timer, PDA or calendar and don't break it! Consider it as important as appointments you schedule with your clients. Take this time to evaluate and track your marketing activities, research new opportunities, tweak your sales goals, write an article or blog post, conduct a client survey, and so on.

By scheduling appointments with yourself, you MAKE your marketing a priority.

4. Do bite-sized marketing chunks throughout the day

You can deal with the bigger chunks (planning, writing, tracking, etc.) of marketing during your weekly scheduled marketing appointment with yourself. However, there are lots of little bite-sized marketing tasks that you can do between appointments or when you need a break from working on a large project.

Here are some bite-sized marketing tasks that can be done in 5 - 10 minutes:

* call up a client and ask for a testimonial

* sign up for your next networking event

* call a program chairperson about setting up a speaking engagement at an organization you're interested in

* email a potential referral source to set up a meeting

* jot down an outline for your newsletter content

* call a new client to find out if they have any questions on their recent purchase

* send an article, with a note, to a client you know is interested in the topic

* order a thank you gift, on the web or by phone, to be sent to someone who just referred a client to you

* submit an article you've written to an article directory website

* send a handwritten note to someone you met at a meeting recently

* write up something for your blog and post it

* check out a company's website that you are interested in possibly doing a joint venture with

Incorporate these 4 tips into your everyday work schedule and you'll soon find it easy and profitable to make marketing a priority.