It is estimated that reported earnings from the internet will be numbered by the trillions in the year 2005. Internet-based businesses such as virtual assistants, web development, retail, consulting and freelance services make up a large percentage of the money earned online, and there is still potential for greater earnings. In fact, more and more people are turning to the internet each day to achieve their dreams of financial freedom and running a home-based business.

Far from being a get rich quick scheme, working online requires a great deal of time, hard work and sacrifice to realize your financial goals. Yes, you can start making money online today like many advertisements claim, but the money you make today will be insignificant and small in comparison with what you can earn running an online business over the course of time.

The beauty of online business is that you can start small with a minimal investment and achieve hugely successful results. Most people already have a computer and an online connection, which is the bulk of the expense in most online businesses. Add to that knowledge and love for a particular field, product or service, and you can have a home-based business that dreams are made of.

When many people first start their online business, the money generated from selling their product or service is usually not enough to enable them to quit their day job. That is why most opt to run their online business part time while maintaining their current, full-time employment. But the simple fact that these people are selling their product or service, even if it is only to a few people, proves that there is a great potential for earnings if they continue to market their product to an even greater number of people.

By selling your product or service online, you have a target consumer audience that numbers in the millions. Once you successfully sell your product to one or two from the multitude of online shoppers, you can use that success to generate even more sales and earnings. Here's how:

·Increase the popularity of your website through referrals and links. The best way to ensure that your site is seen by millions is to rank in the top 10 search engine results for your particular type of service or product. There are many inexpensive and sometimes free ways to do this, and it is well worth the time spent investigating your options. ·Keep current customers coming back to you. Any time someone purchases from your site, add them to a mailing list so that you can offer them exclusive offers on upcoming products and/or services via email. ·Give customers referral bonus points or a reason for sharing your website with their friends and family.

The bottom line is that for each product you sell, you are given the opportunity to build onto that sale and generate even more sales. While you may not make a lot of money when you first start to offer your products and services online, you will continue to make your presence more known. And that will result in larger and more numerous sales in the future.

About the author: Keith Jones is a Home Business Insider® featured columnist, provider of individual home business success coaching, and the developer of dozens of highly successful web properties. Read more of Keith's advice at http://www.work-at-home-index.net