Website 101

Okay, so I’ve been harping non-stop about websites and whatnot. Some of you might be asking now, “What with the website? What’s so special about it?” Again, as an affiliate marketer you may or may not have your own website. However if you plan to have your own site, it doesn’t have to be that extravagant. What’s important is that your site looks professional, and creates an impact to visitors.

So, what are the basic steps to start a website?

1. Purchase a domain name
2. Avail of hosting service
3. Design the website

Purchasing a domain name is probably the easiest task on your quest as an affiliate marketer. Big companies nowadays have their own. A good domain name gives your customers an idea of what to expect when they open your website. Remember that the domain name should be coherent to the product/ service that you offer. Coherency is important because it’ll be easier to find your website on the internet. Before you register your domain name, check its availability. I found this site. It can help you check whether or not the domain name you want has been registered already.

Web hosting. This is wherein a server or a computer is provided for your website. The main purpose of this is for people to easily access your website on the internet. As far as web hosting is concerned, there’s the free web hosting, and paid web hosting. There are some fall backs if you are going to use free web hosting. There’s no customer service available to you, uptime is not guaranteed, and expect a number of banners on your site. Paid web hosting on the other hand usually costs $10 to as high as $5,000 a month. So before you sign any documents that will seal the deal, make sure that you’ll get your money’s worth by considering the features you’ll get.

Design the website. You can design the website on your own or you can hire a professional web designer to do the job for you. Either way, you have to make sure that the website is clean and that it looks professional. If you plan to make your own website, you can choose from free templates on the web. Since you are selling product / service, do not forget to include a search box. This makes it easier for visitors to look for products.