Anyone taking their first steps at online communication may be wondering how they can get started. Even in these times with so many people on the internet, there are still those who start from scratch with their own website.
If you are new to the idea of working online, or starting a blog there is much to consider. But, don’t let that stop you as there are so many exciting opportunities online, and they become greater every day.
The internet is an incredible place for communicating with others, for shopping, or it even provides the prospect of earning an income from home.
I well remember being hesitant about how I could have my own website. It all seemed so hard ten years ago. In fact, it turned out that it wasn’t hard. I just didn’t know how to go about it.
If you are in a similar position, I assure you that having your own online resources is simple. All you need is a website, a great mindset and you are more than half-way there.
Table of Contents
Familiar Questions From Those Interested in Making Money Online
- What kind of website will I need
- What is the cost of owning a website
- Where do I get the website from
- How hard will it be to use the website
- How long will it take to earn from my website
Answers to these questions
- The best kind of website is WordPress. WordPress is a content management system, easy to install and simple build a website on.
- Cost of a website can be as cheap or expensive as you wish it to be.
- WordPress.org is free and provides thousands of free Themes on which to build a website
- There is an abundance of instructions online about starting a first website.
- With little or no previous experience, it would take some time to earn from your website. Many websites owners are willing to help you. However, some advice on this matter would be necessary, to avoid being caught by scams.
Looking at the Cost of Owning a Website
Using the Free option of WordPress and one of its many Free themes, it’s time to look at a Hosting service.
Hosting services are plentiful and range in price from Free, to Reasonable, to Expensive.
Suggested Hosting Services
- BlueHost.com
- Dream Host.com
- Hostgator.com
There are very many more hosting companies but I do not have experience with any of those companies
BlueHost – currently has an Introduction offer of $2.95 US per month and 24/7 support. The support appears to be by Guide, videos and tutorials.
Be aware that although the price is quoted as monthly, BlueHost require an annual payment. This means that BlueHost require a payment of $35.40 US before opening your account.
DreamHost takes monthly payments of $10.95 US. Alternatively they offer $9.95 US per month, paid annually. A third choice is $7.95 US per month, paid every 3 years.
Hostgator charges $3.95 US per month to host 1 only Domain. This is adequate for a first website.
To host unlimited number of domains, the cost is $5.95 US per month. This is not necessary for a first website, but something to consider when the time comes to build a second website.
Domain Names
When you have decided on a Web Hosting company, it is time to decide on a Domain name for your website.
Domain names vary in price. Companies I recommend for Domain names are
NameCheap.com
Name.com
As mentioned, Domain Names cost different prices, with the average price being approximately $10 to $12 US per year. In addition to the cost of the Domain Name I recommend always purchasing Privacy for each Domain Name.
Correct Time to Purchase a Domain Name
Before making the purchase of a Domain Name, usually referred to as a ‘Domain’, you need to know the subject of your website.
Decide what your website will be about such as, making money from home; the best way to lose weight; dog training; or caring for kittens. Any subject you feel passionate about and would like to build a website promoting it.
After completing keyword research and deciding on the subject (niche) of your website it is time to purchase a Domain. The subject of a website is referred to as the ‘niche’.
Whatever your website will be about, you need to choose the best domain name for that website.
When you know what your domain name will be, then it’s time to make the purchase from whichever company you choose.
Total cost of Owning a Website for the First Year
Hosting will be at a range of $48 US per year to $132 US per year, depending on your choice of Host company.
Domain Name approximate cost with Privacy is $20 US per year.
The final result is the lower cost of $68 US for Hosting and Domain Name, or $152 US for Hosting and Domain Name at the higher end.
There is A Free Alternative
I will show you how you can start a website for NO COST at all.
- You can build your first website, and a second website if you want, for the total cost of $O.OO
- You have the opportunity of trialing the Wealthy Affiliate Starter Plan which is completely FREE of charge
- With the Starter plan you have 7 days full access to the entire Wealthy Affiliate program.
- During the 7 days you can build yourself a website, or two websites if you wish.
- Not only will the websites be Free, so will the Domain names be Free. And Hosting will be Free, also.
- You will have Free training on how to build your website, or websites.
- At the end of the first 7 days you will still have your website/s and Domain/s
- They will still be backed up daily
- Your websites will still be hosted.
Access to beginner training remains the same.
You will be welcome to remain as a Starter member, or you will have the choice of upgrading to a Premium member.
Whatever your decision, you will gain much knowledge from the training and learn how to build a website, all FREE of CHARGE.
The knowledge you gain as a Starter member is invaluable. It is a great opportunity to learn how to build a website. You would be amazed at how much you can learn about websites, that you wouldn’t get anywhere else online at No Cost.
Nowhere else online can you find a legitimate and Free training that will teach you how to build your own website to the level of the Wealthy Affiliate Starter plan.
I invite you to join me at Wealthy Affiliate. Give it a try. It’s FREE. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Your comments are welcome. Please leave them below.
Thank you.
How cool you made it so much easier for folks to find a niche, by giving them a “Niche store “this website is very nice and full of insights i will book mark it and return often thank you for sharing all these wonderful information to us. keep up the work.
Hi Jaye,
I’m pleased you like the Niche store. You’re the first person to comment on it. Of course others have probably seen it but without feedback it’s not easy to know whether or not the store is helpful to visitors.
Thanks so much for leaving your comment.
Thank you SO much for this guide. I agree that WordPress is a winner, especially in Googles eyes, more so than other platforms actually, as they tend to favor WordPress sites over others. Trust me, I’ve tested this many times already 🙂
I like your recommendation as well. The Wealthy Affiliate is a great way for newbies to venture the online space. They beat anything else hands down and can back that up without fail.
Thanks for such a great article. I’ll be back for more.
Hi Brandon
Thank you very much for your positive feedback on this post. It’s always helpful to know what visitors to a site think about the content.
I appreciate your time in commenting, and look forward to seeing you again on this site.
All the best.
I loved your article. Very clear to understand. I just started a blog a few months ago and I wish that I had read this article when I was doing research. When I first started looking at making a blog and doing research I can’t tell you how confusing it was and all of the sites and codes you had to pay for to even get started and have you site look ok. I tried out the Wealthy Affiliate and it really is amazing. Love what you are doing. Keep it up!
Hi Hannah,
Thank you very much for your positive comment on this post. I understand how intimidating it can be for those new to internet marketing attempting to find the right way to start a blog. By know you know how simple it is to set up a blog, and that’s something you can teach others.
I’m delighted you found Wealthy Affiliate. It is definitely the best place for learning how to become a successful affiliate marketer.
For anyone on the fence on whether to work online or not this article is for them. This article is more than the cost, it is a guideline for those who want to jump to the side of the fence with online marketing.
Hi Maurice
Thank you for visiting my post and leaving a comment. I am pleased you found the information helpful. It is really good feedback for me, in that it’s great to know the benefit, or otherwise, of content I produce.
Wishing you all the best in 2018, and beyond.
Hi Fred,
Many thanks for your positive comment on this post. I appreciate your time in visiting my site and leaving your comment.
Wishing you all the best for 2018, and beyond.
Great post, If I wasn’t already involved in WA, I would probably sign-up. Very well put together, and some hosting sites, that I hadn’t heard of before. I do like the way you give the other options also.