Ok, you want to start an online business. Good choice. There are many benefits to doing this. You don’t need to have a physical building. You’re free to work on it on your own time. Now here’s one bit of information. It’s hard to start an online business without having a website. Yeah, surprising isn’t it?
Sounds complicated doesn’t it? Actually, it’s much easier than you think, and this page shows you EXACTLY what steps you need to take in order to set up a website that can serve as a strong foundation for your online success.
This guide gives you a very BASIC introduction. If you would like to go into more detail on not just setting up your website, but also growing your business, I would like to invite you to check out my 100% FREE 7 Day Bootcamp.
Step 1: Pick a Niche
I’m assuming you’ve already done this, but maybe not – maybe you’re still deciding which one to go after. Basically, you want something with a high volume of potential consumers. Use a keyword tool like Google’s keyword tool and start searching to see how many people out there want information on the niche you’re considering.
Now I recently had a couple of people who weren’t searching right – and my own mom doesn’t search right, so let me explain this. One woman wanted to know why there weren’t a lot of people searching for “vocal production.”
It’s because the average consumer doesn’t think of vocal production – they type phrases like “singing lessons” or “learn to sing” into Google. So before you so using keyword tools, think how an average person would think.
Step 2: Get a domain at GoDaddy
When I say get a domain I mean get the domain ONLY. Nothing else. Don’t upgrade it to add anything. Don’t get cutesy – use keywords in your domain. The shorter the better. You want as much extra SEO power and findability factored in as possible when you’re new to this business.
This will cost you $10.69 a year. The $1.99 domains are ONLY when you add stuff on – DON’T do it. Pay the ten bucks. I’ll be showing you how to go in and manage your domain in a bit. I register mine for one year. Some SEO people say Google likes it when you register for more than one. Choose a team you believe and go for it. So head on over to Godaddy and register your Domain Name.
Step #3: Get hosting at HostGator
I’ve been using Hostgator since 1998, and have tried a bunch of other Hosting companies since then. I’ve decided to stick with them because they have given me the best support at a price that’s hard to beat. When it comes to hosting, you want to make sure you have a reliable company.
If you choose Hostgator, get the Baby Plan for now – it’s the second least expensive one at $7.95 a month, but it lets you have multiple domains, etc. It’s very easy to use as far as cpanel goes – your dashboard and all – and the customer service is one of the best I’ve ever experienced.
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Step #4: Log in to GoDaddy and Point Your Servers to HostGator
Now that you have your domain and your hosting account, you will need to point the domain to the hosting account. Think of it this way – Your hosting account is a computer that’s located somewhere that will store your website. When people type in your domain name in their address bar, the internet needs to know where your website is located. You need to tell it where that is.
To do that, log into your godaddy account, click Domains, then Manage Domains. Then click on your domain and then the Nameserver icon. This is where you need to enter the nameservers that you got in your welcome email from Hostgator. It will look something like this:
- NS499.HOSTGATOR.COM
- NS500.HOSTGATOR.COM
Once you have done that, you are good to go. Now you are ready to add some meat to the bones.
Step #5: Install WordPress
Some people ask me why I recommend WordPress so highly. That's easy to answer – BECAUSE WORDPRESS ROCKS!! Seriously, it does. It's easy to install, easy to update and you don't need to be a tech guru in order to make things happen. Not only that, but Google (you know who that is right?) LOVES wordpress. When I switched to WordPress, with a few simple steps, the Search engines started to show me love, and I was getting more traffic.
You can install WordPress in less than 30 seconds (unless you are like me and live in the middle of nowhere with crappy internet, then it might take a minute). There’s a feature that Hostgator has that is called Fantastico that allows you to easily get your WordPress blog up and running. Watch the following video for instructions.
Step #6: Get a Nice Design
This is something that can get pretty tricky. I mean you can easily spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars getting something designed that looks pretty sleek. Shoot, I know of some guys who paid as much as $20,000 for 1 website.
Now, I’m the kind of guy that loves using Premium WordPress themes. I personally use Woothemes. There are some really good themes that you can get for a little bit of cash. I would recommend checking out some of the following premium WordPress theme sites.
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Once again, if you would like more details on setting up your website AND growing your business, enroll in my FREE 7 Day Bootcamp.
That's Really It. Your site should be up and running. This is the first step to starting your business. Any questions? Let me know below!