One of the things I completed the Big Productive Night I mentioned in yesterday’s post was going through a 50+ page aff site checking each and every link, coupon and yada yada.

I was so disappointed in myself when I saw how many of those links were pointing to “Item Sold Out” pages or redirects to a merchant’s home page because the item was no longer available.

I hadn’t looked at a thing for that affiliate site in about 3 months (guess/timate). Half decent traffic too. If my goal is to earn money online with affiliate marketing, how do I expect to do that when my product pages are garbage? Garbage may be a harsh word, but directing cookied traffic to nowheresville really has no value that I can see.

I’m not a lazy person. I can be near-manic creating and building new ideas and websites when I’m inspired or if it’s something I enjoy. Miles a Minute this girl. But I’m being energized by that creative spirit/energy we all have. I’m moving, acting on inspiration. That’s great!

But there’s more to affiliate marketing and earning online than always building and creating new things. That isn’t what’s going to pay the bills. What I’m finally starting to realize is that there is a real commitment and dedication involved if I’m serious about making money online.

I thought I was committed. But it can’t just be for things that I’m happy, content and motivated to do, there also has to be commitment for the tedious maintenance things that I must do to keep my sites as fresh and as highly monetized and as highly trafficked as possible.

Some of that means keeping on top of product links. Even if there are 1000s of pages involved.

Also link building. Every link out there on the web is an invitation for a click and visit to your site. No links. No clicks and no visits.

Advertising. Marketing. Anything involved to get your site in front of eyeballs.

Creating and continuously adding content and/or resources that people want to bookmark and use.

Some of those things really aren’t all that fun or glamorous or inspiring or motivating. At least on a consistent basis for me.

I have a job offline that I’m pretty much happy with. There is a part of my day though that involves a monotonous task or two. And I take time to do it as well as I can without even thinking or moaning and groaning about it. It’s part of my job and I accept it as a must-do.

So why can’t I do that for myself when it comes to my online work? ESPECIALLY since it means progress and increased income for myself?

My husband is self employed and there is work that he relies on me to help with. That involves some discipline on my part. The bills have to reviewed and paid weekly. The deposits made up. The banking done. The books done. Filing. Errands. All these things I’m not all-that-excited-about doing. Yet I do them without thinking because those things are vital–they need to be done on a regular basis or we’re up the creek.

Again: So why can’t I do that for myself when it comes to my online work?

This week I learned something about myself. I had a lot of talk and self-perception about how I looked at my online work as a serious business endeavor. And that was sincere. But I’m now questioning that and realizing my actions were more like Happy Hobby Time (swear word). Just doing the fun stuff, some monotonous necessary stuff peppered in too, but not hardcore and regular like I am in other priority areas (my job and my husband’s work).

I think I’m finally getting it. Why run around in circles, all excited and happy to be here and part of it all, when I haven’t learned or achieved traffic and sales numbers with what I currently have?

What’s going to change by me using my precious time building piles all over the net when I haven’t figured out how to draw good amounts of traffic or clicks or customers to my current properties?

Because once I figure that out–targeted traffic, customers, sales–I can achieve ANYTHING online. It’s a simple replication game after that and I can build away to my heart’s content.

I have so many good ideas and good plans and great directions to move into. But realistically I can expect the same results as what I have now. It’s that whole definition of crazy thing: Keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

I’ve already been there-done that. Created and acted on good ideas. It’s the part that comes after that where I’m faltering and need to get a good handle on if I really want to achieve my goals.

Sorry for the long ramble, but I figure there’s a person or two reading this that may have their own aha! like the one I’ve finally looked at and paid attention to.

Kick butt today .