So You Want To Make Money Online…Step 1: Create a Website
If you’re going to make money online, then you need to create a
website. The single, best thing you can do is build a niche site
- a website about something you know a lot about and are
passionate about, a website where your knowledge will shine
through and carry your visitors on a wave of enthusiasm.
Factors To Consider
If you’re a tech-head, then building a website is a simple
proposition. But if you’re not, then how do you creating one?
One route to take is to pick up some webpage building software
such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver and learn how to put webpages
together. There can be a steep learning curve with this approach
if you’re not at all familiar with HTML or how websites are
built in general.
Another option is to hire a web developer. However, if you’re on
a small budget, then this is an expensive option as all the
knowledge remains with your developer and you’ll need to rehire
them to make changes to your website.
A third option is Site Build It!. I’d heard
great things about this and was finally recommended to use it by
a friend who’d started building her own site through it. I was
also curious as to how different and easier it would be to build
a site using Site Build It’s point and click interface. While,
for me, it was a bit of an adjustment not being elbow-deep in
HTML code, the tools provided are eminently simple and anyone
(and I do mean anyone) who can click a mouse, can build a
website, and if you follow the Site Build It! philosophy, it’ll
make some money too!
Site Build It! Also provide a 10-step program that guides you
through setting up a profitable website, one that’s based on
content rather than being all bells and whistles, so that it’s
useful to those who come visiting. It’s what I used to build my
Great Landscape
Photography website. As traffic increases, you can then
start signing up with affiliate programs and making sales of
items that relate to the subject of your website (they tell you
how to go about all this). It’s a point-and-click solution to
building websites and handles all the intricacies of email forms
and responders and newsletter signups and mailings.
Pick a Domain Name
You need to pick a domain name for your website - something
that’s applicable to your topic. A domain name is simply the web
address of your website. For example, if you’re a grandmother
and you like baking cookies, you could choose a name like:
You should put a fair amount of thought into this name as it’s
going to be the permanent address of your website. Think of
alternatives too as with there being so many people on the
internet these days, your first choice might already be
taken.
Website Hosting
The other aspect of getting a website online is in having some
company host the site. What this means is that you upload all
the files for your website to a remote computer (called a
server) that’s attached to the internet where it goes “live”.
There are hundreds (and probably thousands) of companies that
offer hosting services. Many are free but they usually insert
ads and banners onto your pages which can give them an
amateurish look or create several popup ads that just annoy the
hell out of your visitors. It’s best to steer clear of them.
That does mean, however, that you will need to pay to have your
website hosted. Prices usually start around $6.95 per month for
basic packages although you can save money in some cases by
paying for a year or more in advance. Most include a domain name
as part of the package. Site Build It! include hosting as part
of their package and there are no storage or bandwidth limits as
there are with other hosting companies. And there are no extra
charges for the autoresponder and newsletter mailing facilities
they also provide.
Maintaining Your Website
Websites are not static things. You will need to update them,
either because you’re adding new information or content,
changing the design or layout, or adding links to products
you’re selling or endorsing. So website maintenance is an
ongoing process that you should be aware of. If you’ve hired
someone to create your website, retainer/maintenance fees may be
something you need to factor into your budget. If you’re doing
it all yourself, then you will need to devote some time to your
website’s upkeep.
Regardless of the topic you choose for your website, you should
remember that any website should, at the very least, cover its
own running costs.
