The internet dream was once something we merely talked about. Now it is a reality. While about five years ago marketing your business could be very profitable, businesses in today’s world are beginning to realize it is a necessity in order to compete. Add in the effect of the recession on consumer spending behavior, and you can see that knowing how to market online is increasingly important in today’s world. This gives rise to a great opportunity to make money in Thailand or the rest of the world—by becoming an SEO consultant.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a relatively new field of study and is always changing in complexity. Here is a basic run-down of what it is. Imagine you want to find something online—in this case we’ll imagine you are looking for a tailor in Bangkok. You would go to Google and type in something like “tailor Bangkok.”

On the first page of Google, there is a list of 10 businesses or articles related to your search. Now, what most people don’t realize is that being in those top ten positions often directly equates to big dollar signs. Think about this—how often do you go beyond that first page of Google to find a selection?

The answer is almost never. 85% or more of the time that you are looking for something via Google, what you are going to do is click on the first or second search result. And that means that the owner of the website has a golden opportunity to make a lot of money. It’s like having your shop located on a busy corner of downtown New York but you are on a corner frequented by citizens from all over the world.

What an SEO consultant does is get business owners up to the first page of Google, and if possible, into that number one spot. Most entrepreneurs have enough to worry about without learning everything there is to know about Google, and even if they did that, it is a full time gig to keep up with the constantly changing internet. They are willing to pay an expert to do this for them.

In cases where more customers mean big profits, they are willing to pay A LOT of money. For instance, a number one spot for a
Bangkok tailor is not quite as lucrative as a number on spot for, say, a New York attorney. If an attorney makes hundreds of thousands off one customer, they are not going to blink an eye when paying thousands and thousands of dollars per month to secure a high ranking position in Google.

You don’t have to necessarily market your services to Thai businesses, who do not have as much money as their New York counterparts—you can market them on the web or hire someone back home to pitch the service for you. But I wouldn’t completely rule out the Thailand market here either. A lot of Thai businesses want to access the international playing field, and there are many expat businessmen who very much understand the internet marketing world. I have met a couple SEO experts here in Thailand, and I can say they are doing VERY WELL for themselves.

Not an internet marketing expert?

Not too worry. While this stuff seems complicated to an outside perspective, it is not that hard to learn. By spending some time over at that Warrior Forum, the most popular internet marketing forum on the internet, you can start to learn the basics. Between the Warrior Forum, Google, and YouTube, you can basically learn everything you need to know for free. This is the beauty of the information age.

The best part about internet marketing besides that it makes global travel a reality is that it pays a lot of money. This is a very new field with a very bright future, and if you play your cards right you stand to make a lot of money. In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that this is THE most lucrative business opportunity of the new millennium. Thus, the Thailand dream not only becomes a possible reality but a very attractive one in which you are highly leveraged.

Do I need to include the normal pitch about working in Thailand without a permit? Probably not, but what the hell. You might be able to get a business license here, but I’m not giving advice, so talk to an attorney and realize it will be expensive. If you have a Thai wife or husband, getting a legal business will be fairly easy, but be sure you trust them (I hope you do if you’re marrying them, but if you’ve heard all the stories about what happens to foolish men here that I have…). And if you decide to work without the permit….well…

…people are doing it. People are getting away with it. But if you get caught, it’s your own problem.