I got an email today from someone backing-out of an agreement to purchase a text link on one of my sites. This person said, (and I paraphrase) “I’m sorry I’m going to have to pass on this, I’ve just learned that Google doesn’t allow paid links.”

Google doesn’t allow? Who runs your business — you or Google? Do you find yourself optimizing your site just for one search engine? Do you rely on income from Adsense? Don’t do it! Never put all your eggs in one basket, as mama would say. They are in the business of selling paid links — of course they would prefer if you didn’t compete with them!

They do have over half the search traffic (right now) so I’m not saying to ignore them either. And the adsense program is a great way to earn additional income from your sites — but don’t rely on any single source for the bulk of your income. Diversify your income streams, so that if one dries up, or even fluctuates wildly, it will not create a panic situation.

If you are serious about earning money from an Internet business, you have to keep control of your business — don’t give all the power to an external entity. They are minding their business, not yours. They will always do what is best for them, regardless of how it might affect you.

There are lots of ways to make money online — selling display or text ads, affiliate linking, subscription sites, reselling other people’s products, selling your own products, etc., etc. Build your Web Empire using as many different techniques as you can. Not all on the same site, and not all for any particular vendor or company. Diversify both the sources and the types of income, and you will build a secure Internet business.