Setting Up a Website
If you know nothing about website construction, then this issue may seem daunting at first. But learning how to set up a website is easy nowadays as host companies cater for nin-techies like me.
So, don’t be put off! As I mentioned in the previous article there are easy, cost effective and viable solutions available.
Just to re-iterate: you do need a website ….. if for no other reason than a place for your squeeze pages, and if you use Clickbank or PayPal then one becomes essential.
A website is about:
- content for your niche
- about relevant (to your niche) keywords
- promotion
- information provision
It involves
- Design and layout
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): On-page and off-page
- Using keywords to attract search engines to your topic/niche
- Monetisation if you wish (e.g. with Adsense)
If I Can Do It – So Can You!
When I started I didn’t know a thing about website building – things like html, FTP, CSS and so on. And guess what, you don’t need to either!
Because there are programs out there that can handle all the techie stuff behind the scenes for you. You don’t have to know html etc!
I built my first site (a hobby site) with a simple cut and paste system from Site Build It and it was so easy.
If you have a website program that gives you a cut and paste capacity – and with a Dreamweaver based html option, then you can easily build a website with little hassle.
My first website program (from SBI) also has a html option which I eventually learned to use – but by the easy way – with Dreamweaver from Adobe – which is almost as easy to use – and you don’t really need to know html then as it is a WYSIWYG system – What You See Is What You Get – you type or paste in your content and it does the html stuff for you.
This is handy to use as it does allow you more creativity and scope – but it isn’t essential, especially if your website requirements are minimal. And, for internet marketing, simple is usually better. A flashy site with whizz bangs only detracts.
The key things for you to be able to do is:
- Using Google Keywords Tool (and Wonderwheel too if you like) Get FoxySEO onto your toolbar.
- Research: Identifying your niche
- Writing content (or outsourcing it)
- SEO (getting backlinks especially)
- Traffic Building
Most sites that offer really cheap hosting and site building usually provide you with exactly that – something cheap (and problematic). You usually get what you pay for. My alternative to SBI recommendations are Hostmonster and Hostgator.
You need to do check out various offers – and compare apples to apples. Make a comparison chart – note what they offer (based on what you need), domain purchase prices, monthly fees, storage capacity.
