Welcome to the Internet Business Monthly Newsletter for June 2009!
Due to various computer problems (including a broken keyboard on my laptop that actually
started typing letters by itself!) I am publishing this newsletter at the very last minute
on the last day of June.
My concentration has also been somewhat less than usual over the last few days, no thanks to Wimbledon and the
Andy Murray tennis games :-)
If you are in the Northern Hemisphere I hope you are enjoying the start of summer. Predictably,
here in Scotland, the weather is rather mixed - rainy one day, sunny the next, but aparantly we
are going to be getting a heatwave this summer, so I am looking forward to working on my laptop
in the back garden. (Note - I have been saying this for the last 2 years and it has yet to happen!!).
This issue of my newsletter is all about websites. If you don't have a website you can find how to get
one up and running in 7 simple steps. There is also a free article marketing EBook. If you have a website or
are thinking of setting one up soon, this book will come in very handy!
This month's business idea is GDI - this is a business
opportunity that I have been earning an income from since 2006.
With GDI you get your own .ws domain, hosting, website builder and a business opportunity to promote for just $10 per month.
There are many people making a full time income with GDI.. just watch this cool cartoon video to learn how you can too.
Feature Article - How to Get your Own Website
By Suzanne Morrison
Many people would like their own website, either for a personal project or to make money online, but at the same time,
a lot of people find it difficult to get started either because they don't know how to do it themself, or they can't afford
to pay someone to do it for them.
Building a website can seem like a technically challenging task if you don't know where
to start and often a website designer will be out of the question due to the high fees that they charge.
This article will explain in 7 simple steps how to get your own website without feeling bamboozled technically or paying lots
of money to a web designer.
STEP 1 - Decide on the topic of your website
The first thing you need to do if you haven't already done so is decide what your website is going to be about. If you are
creating a website primarily to make extra money you need to choose something that is a) interesting to you and b) profitable.
If you have a hobby, an interest in a particular sport, a special talent or a passion then this is a great start. You can
also visit affiliate websites such as ClickBank.com or PayDotCom.com to see if there are a good supply of affiliate products
that you can promote. If you find lots of affiliate programs this is a good sign that there is a market for your chosen subject.
STEP 2 - Do some keyword research
Next you should do a little keyword research. Visit the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and enter a few keywords
related to the subject of your website. This will give you a very good idea of how many people are searching for keywords
related to your site. Copy and paste these keywords into a text document or spreadsheet and keep them for later.
STEP 3 - Choose a domain name
The next step is to choose a domain name. A domain name costs around $10 per YEAR and you can easily purchase one online.
I recommend NameCheap.com. I have been registering all my own domain names
there for years and I highly recommend them for value for money and customer service. Try to
choose a domain name that is descriptive of your market and at least contains a couple of related keywords.
STEP 4 - Find a Web Host
A web host is required to store your files so when people visit your website they can see the content in their browser.
There are many free hosting companies on the internet but these can be unreliable and usually require you to display ads.
If you are creating your website as a business it is not professional to host on a free web host. It is possible to get
a web host for $10 or less per MONTH. I personally recommend both Hostgator
or Bluehost
as they have fully featured and reliable web hosting at a low cost with excellent support.
STEP 5 - Build Your Site
This is the part that most people struggle with. Most of us are not graphics wizards and the majority of us do not want
to dabble with HTML or PHP. If this applies to you the best solution for you is probably WordPress. WordPress is a content
management system and it allows you to edit your website and add new pages without having to know anything technical. If you
can write an email or post in a forum then you will be able to update your website using WordPress.
WordPress is free to use and if you use one of the hosts that I recommend above you can install WordPress with the click of a button.
There are also thousands of WordPress "Themes" available on the internet - themes are like templates for your site but they
affect the way your site looks, without affecting the content.
If you would like to use WordPress but need some help I recommend a membership at the
Affiliate Power Group. A trial at the Affiliate Power Group is only $1 and includes free WordPress install and help to build and promote your site.
You can also purchase a ready made site for less than $30 including install.
STEP 6 - Drive Traffic to Your Site
When you create a website it is not just a case of "build it and they will come...". You need to actively promote your
website and get lots of targeted (interested) visitors to your site. There are many ways to do this including writing and distributing
short articles with your website URL in the author resource box, participating in forums related to your website with a link in your signature,
search engine optimization, blogging, classified ads, pay per click advertising, directory submission, social marketing and much more.
Check out my internet marketing guide for more ideas.
STEP 7 - Monetize Your Site
The final stage of the process is to monetize your site. There are many ways to do this and how you do it is dependent on your niche
and how you want to develop your site moving forward.
One of the best and easiest ways to monetize a site is by promoting affiliate
programs. Affiliate programs are typically free to join and often pay 50% or more in commmissions. When you join an affiliate program
you will receive a special link with your own unique affiliate ID within it. If someone follows that link and purchases something you
will receive a commission. There are hundreds of thousands of affiliate programs on the internet - in fact most companies have their own
affiliate program. You can learn more about making money with affiliate programs here.
Other ways to monetize your site include Google Adsense, selling advertising space or creating your own product.
If you have any questions about setting up your own website feel free to contact me.
Monthly Internet Business Idea Spotlight
