Mamas On The Web

Starting a Website to make Money

July 26th, 2006

If you’re starting a website or blog for recreational purposes, such as using it as an online journal, or a place to post pictures, then it should be ok to use a free service such as Blogger.com or Geocities.

However, if you’re looking to make money online, then you need to realize that you need to spend money to make money.

The startup costs of a website or blog are really inexpensive. Personally, I spent less than $20 when I first started my own website. I spent about $10 on a domain name and hosting for my website costs $5 each month.

Having my own domain name adds a sense of professionalism that a free domain name doesn’t. Using a highly recommended hosting company also gives me security that a free host does
not.

The big mistake I made that I won’t be making again.

When I first heard about blogging, I was excited to start my own. I signed up for a free account at Blogger.com and started posting. It was really simple to set up and I liked that it was easy to use.

However, I spent two months in the hospital and didn’t have access to a computer. When I got back, someone had basically stolen my account and replaced all my hard work with spam links. The next day, I purchased my own domain name and hosting package and started from scratch.

Another big mistake that many people make.

A woman on a forum asked me to review her new website. I clicked on her link and was instantly flabbergasted. It was a free domain name so there were ads for that particular company plastered all over the header of the page. It had a black background with bright pink text. She had affiliate banners stuck all over the page. There were typos and grammer mistakes in almost every sentence. There were big animated logos everywhere.

Basically, it was a mess. It was less than amateurish. My first thought was that I would never purchase anything this woman sold as long as she continued to represent it that way.

If she had gone to GoDaddy and bought a relevent domain name and hosted it with a quality web hosting company, I would have taken her more seriously. If her text and images didn’t assault my eyes, I would have actually stayed longer to see what her website was all about.

Do you see where I’m getting at here? If you want to be taken seriously and be seen as an expert in your field, you need to start with the right domain name and hosting company.

Personally, I use NameCheap.com to purchase domain names because they allow you to transfer money via Paypal into your namecheap.com account. Their domains start at $8.88 which is very reasonable. For hosting companies, I recommend ASmallOrange.com. I’ve never had a problem with them and they’re very professional.

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Entry Filed under: General