It is very common in the new year for people to start something new and of course that includes finding ways to Make Money on the Internet! January is one of the busiest and most popular months for starting a website business.

If you are thinking of starting a new business, be sure to do some research first and make sure that you set a budget that you can afford and have goals for your new business.

Like all businesses, an Internet business takes some time and effort before it starts to Make Money. You want to have realistic expectations of building an income gradually over many months, not days and weeks. You want to be consistent and spend time on your business on a regular basis. There is a lot to learn so remember that it is normal to feel slightly overwhelmed. Take your time and pace yourself, and remember that the only way you can truly fail is if you quit.

Since there is so much information on how to Make Money on the Internet, many people get stuck for a business idea. For this reason I am going to reveal my TOP EARNERS of 2009! Below I have listed 3 business ideas that have made a lot of people the most money in 2009.

TOP 3 Earners of 2009:

1) Affiliate Products – In 2009 I made the first of my income from affiliate marketing. Affiliate products are free to promote and often pay 50% commission or higher per sale. You can join Clickbank for free and start promoting products right away. If you want to earn big money from affiliate programs you must have your own website. Choose products that you trust and have preferably used yourself. For maximum income find products that pay a recurring commission (e.g. membership sites, hosting) and/or pay a high commission (e.g. 50%). If you are not sure where to start why not pick a ready made Clickbank website or sign up for a $1 10 day trial with the Affiliate Power Group and let them help you build a site.

Cost – The cost of running a website is around $10 a year for the domain name and around $10 per month for hosting (I highly recommend Hostgator, not only for the cost but also because of the ease and help in setting up a website) + some initial investment for setting up your site if you don’t want to do it yourself.

2) Multi Level Marketing – MLM came a close second in 2009. A lot of people are put off by MLM’s because they immediately think “pyramid”. But MLM just means that you are paid on multiple levels. This means that you earn a percentage of your commissions from other peoples’ efforts rather than just your own. As long as you sign up for a company who is reputable and has a solid product you don’t have anything to worry about. My #1 MLM opportunity is My World Plus. As a member you will receive an excellent discount card + the opportunity to promote a product that pays very generous commissions and converts like nothing I have seen before.

Cost – This depends on which program you join. My World Plus is $20 per month, but it is free to take a tour. My other recommendations are Empowerism, SFI and GDI.

3) Create Your Own Products – selling your own information products can be a huge money maker. For me this took a backseat in 2009 as I was focusing on MWP. However, if you have a strong interest or a skill in a certain area you may want to consider creating your own information product. It is not as hard as it sounds and you can easily outsource some of the work that you don’t want to do yourself (e.g. graphics, sales copy, or even writing). I created my first information product (an Essential Oils EBook) with the help of Open Office and the Affiliate Power Group mentors. Once you create your product you can list it on Clickbank to have others help you sell it.

Cost – You have your website costs of $10 for a domain name and around $10 a month for hosting plus the costs of developing the product and your website which can vary depending on how much you do yourself.

I hope this gives you a few ideas to start making money from the Internet in 2010.