A nervous girl's guide to getting started at WA

Getting started at WA can be very overwhelming. Some of us go from having absolutely no experience with online marketing or businesses to being flooded with everything there is to know about making money online, setting up websites, SEO, key words, affiliate programs, blogs, and a million other terms I am yet to learn about.

For a week after creating my account I was not making progress at all, I set up my account information, but that was it. I was paralyzed by the magnitude of what was going on around me. I wanted to learn EVERYTHING at ONCE, which meant I was touching on little pieces of information and leaving it again for something else before I could make any real progress. I was also too nervous to post anything on my own, comment on anyone's posts or ask any questions.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, I want to reassure you that you are not alone and I want to give you a bit of insight into how I managed to get through my first three weeks at WA, while making significant progress on my goals.

The following tips are presented based purely on my own experience and are by no means a definitive guide - it just worked for me. Maybe some version of my learnings will work for you or provide a missing link to your journey!

Tip #1: Don't be intimidated by the lingo

When you first get started, many of the words sound foreign. DON'T LET THAT PUT YOU OFF. Every "new" word is explained as you move through the training and you can always Google it or search in WA to find out exactly what it means. For most topics there are many articles on WA explaining various words and concepts and how it applies to your online business.

The great thing with WA is also that there is always someone to ask. You can, at any time, go into your profile and click on the Questions tab at the top to ask a question:

(I have only recently discovered this - I have been asking my questions on forums or asking people directly. I will start asking questions here soon!)

Tip #2: Don't be afraid to switch

The first thing WA tells you to do when you start is to go to "Get Started Here". That is, literally, the best place to start. As you can see, I only made it to Course 1, Lesson 4,

The reason why I stopped here is because at this point in the training, you have to pick a niche and start building your website. At that stage I wasn't ready yet to commit to (one) niche idea.

I then had two options:

1. I could either keep searching for a niche market (like selling cat scratching posts, or hiking gear, or photography equipment) in order to continue with the training; or

2. I could decide to focus on promoting Wealthy Affiliate. To go this route, it's best to switch to the Affiliate Bootcamp (which was what I did). The training you get is essentially the same as for the Getting Started training except that it is already geared towards promoting the making money niche.

My point is: Start. Start wherever you can. Start working through the lessons and doing the activities. If you find something is working for you - keep going. If you want to switch, switch. The lessons that I have learned in the Getting Started Training has definitely helped me in the Affiliate Bootcamp training. Everything you learn is valuable, you don't have to feel like you have to finish each and every training course end-to-end first before you start seeing value.

Tip #3: Be active and interactive

At first I felt uncomfortable with the activities that require you to post something on a discussion forum or requires you to review someone else's content and provide feedback... but I forced myself to do it anyway. The first couple of comments were tough (I wrote, rewrote, edited, changed, debated and then published), but it gets easier and easier. Don't be afraid of people commenting - so far ALL the comments I have received have been very encouraging and constructive. Even if you get a less nice comment, remember that the comment is a reflection of that person's point of view, not an objective view of your work.

Tip #4: Complete every step

I have made a pact with myself to not move on to another lesson if I have not completed all the activities in the current one. Every activity is required and enhances your learning and experience. Don't skip activities. The more of them you do the faster your progress will be!

There you go! The tips above are just my humble lessons learnt. I have been quite nervous about my journey so far, but I am enjoying every minute of it!

I would love to also help you through your journey! If you have any questions / concerns / nervous ramblings / comments / additional tips, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below (don't be nervous)!