If you want to create a website whether it is for your business or personal use like a blog, a good place to start and test the waters is with a low cost website. There are a couple of different ways to get started with your site and several ways to minimize the cost of managing it. With a low-cost site, there are several benefits when it comes to maintaining it such as new options for different display screens, web design, and site promotion.
Your Domain Name
Before you begin to build your site, you need to select a domain name to make sure it is not already taken or more importantly, find out how much it will cost. To get a good price, you can discuss and negotiate with the domain owner for the best possible price. Do your research and contact different owners to discuss a price and do not take the first offer in case another owner is able to offer you less.
Simple names tend to be pricey because they are so common, but you will not want a long name or change the letters of the website name. Websites with longer titles and names with a play on words (like “catz” or “dawg” for example) can be easily misspelled or forgotten when internet users look for your site.
Website Hosts
Like a domain name, you can sometimes find a good price discount for a commercial website host. Sometimes the discount is only included if you pay your monthly or yearly fee earlier rather than later. But if your website really takes off, so will the payment. The more popular your website becomes, the more money you will likely have to pay for it as time goes by. If your site is just as a hobby and you are not earning a higher income, you can look into free or lower cost hosting domains to create your own website.
Design Your Site for Less without Looking ‘Cheap’
Hiring a graphic designer can be expensive and the best option might just be to do the web design by yourself or with some help from people who know more about it. Look into taking classes at a nearby city center or purchase a well-known program such as Photoshop with a tutorial. Even if you don’t master web design right away, begin with templates and work your way to designing the website style you think is best.
Affiliate Networks and Promotion
Now that you have your site up and running, you can begin to promote it with friends and other website creators. Join an affiliate network that includes other websites similar to your topic. Together, you can help advertise and direct people to each other’s websites through links or post different articles linking back to the affiliate websites.
Paying for different forms of advertising can be very costly if it is through different commercial media and certain websites. To keep advertising costs down, you might want to consider promoting your website yourself through different forms of social media. Create a Twitter and Facebook account that links back to your main site and keep followers and readers updated about when something is added or changed to your site.
Beware that like all investments, costs do add up but these tips will help your blog or business get the online presence it needs without breaking the bank.
