4 Steps to a Successful Website

Creating a successful website that will make money and receive traffic is simple if you follow the right steps. However, many potential webmasters don't know where to start or how to put all the site building pieces together. In this article we have outlined the four basic steps for getting a website online, listed, and ready to make money- along with recommendations for our favorite web services to help you do so. Anyone can make money with a website and we'll tell you how to get started.

1- Register a Domain Name

The very first step to take is to register a domain name. This name is how your website will be known and listed on the World Wide Web. It will be your URL, or web address. An example of a domain name is www.mysite.com. Dot com is the most common domain extension, but there are many others to choose from. Using hyphens and alternate spellings in a domain name can help if the .com is already taken. We like to register our domains through GoDaddy. They offer the cheapest prices for domain names and are always having a good sale.

Where domain names are concerned cheaper is better. Owning a domain name doesn't mean you have a website, it is just the name. To have a website you also need a web host.

2- Find a Host

Once you have a domain you can find a host for your domain. In order to have your website visible to the world, you pay someone else, a web host, to store your site files on a fast server that makes them available 24/7 to website visitors. There are millions of web hosts to choose from with varied pricing and features. We recommend iPowerWeb as a reliable web host to start with. They are competitively priced ($7.95 per month) and offer all the tools webmasters need to get a website up and running smoothly. iPowerWeb will register a domain name for free when you sign up for hosting.

3- Join Affiliate Networks

Now that you have your website up and running you are ready to sign up for affiliate programs so you can make money with your website. The best place to start is to sign up with an affiliate network, like Commission Junction, that can give you access to many affiliate programs. Commission Junction will track which merchants you are an affiliate for, the traffic you send merchants, the sales you make, and how much you will be paid.

They send out one monthly check for all the revenue you have received from your affiliated merchants. Using an affiliate network is much easier than signing up, tracking sales, and receiving payment from multiple different sources.

4- Increase Your Website Traffic

Unfortunately, your website will never make money or be a success if no one sees it. Once you've registered a domain name, signed up free a web host, and added some affiliates to your website, you need to begin soliciting traffic, or visitors, to your website. Traffic to your website can come in many forms: word of mouth, printed advertisement, email campaigns, other web sites, and search engines are the main sources. Search engines offer the highest possibilities of traffic if your website places well for a desired key word. We suggest reading the Search Engine Bible to help you figure out the complex game of search engine optimization or PayPerClickList.com to learn more about submitting to pay per click engines.

It is no secret that these four steps can take time and a lot of hard work. But if you take advantage of the resources available and proceed in the prescribed order your website can be a success.

To find web providers in your area to help with web design, marketing, hosting, or graphics, visit BestWebProviders.com.

Reliable Hosting Companies
Jun 02, 2004

Finding a reliable web host can be difficult, but it is the most important factor for web site success. If a web site isn't up and visible nothing else matters, right? We'll tell you some important features to look for when attempting to determine a host's reliability before signing up.

Uptime-

Server downtime can completely ruin a web site. If a web host cannot keep the web sites hosted on their servers live and visible no other features the host possesses really matter. No host can offer 100% uptime to their users with the viruses and natural disasters that could affect data centers, but some hosts guarantee 99% uptime which is much more feasible. A reliable web host would offer and perform at a 99% uptime rate or above. Just a note- what comes after the decimal point can make a big difference if you do the math, for example a 99.5% uptime guarantee= 216 minutes of downtime in a month, whereas a 99.9% uptime guarantee= 43.2 minutes of downtime.

User Testimonials-

No one knows better than an actual user how a web host is performing. User testimonials can provide potential users with important information regarding a host's reliability. Look for testimonials that talk about up/downtime and honoring of guarantees and advertised claims. Use common sense and good judgment to weed through testimonials for valuable information.

Host History-

Whether a host is new or old can affect its reliability. An old host has proven it has the stability to weather tough technology crashes. A host that just surfaced yesterday may not be around tomorrow and may not have worked out the bugs in their servers yet. Look for a host with at least one year under their belt to be on the safe side.

Data Center-

The data center is the web host's facility that houses all the servers that contain your uploaded site files. Is your web hosts data center in the middle of a natural disaster laden island or on the terrorist hit list? More importantly than where you hosts business offices are located is where the data center is and how they monitor the facility for safety. This is one area where web hosts do the talking themselves. If they have a good data center, they'll tell you all about it. Choose hosts with data centers in safe locations that use up to date and appropriate hardware.

Guarantee-
Reliable web hosts guarantee their services. If there is no satisfaction or money back guarantee don't even bother with them. Do read the small print of any guarantees. Guarantee terms differ by amount of days guarantee is good for, how much is refundable, if set-up fees or unused months of service are refundable, etc. Protect your purchase with a guaranteed host, but always read the fine print before signing up.

Reputation-

A web hosts reputation is often hard to determine. Many hosts are so widely marketed by affiliate programs that sites may recommend a poor host, just for the kickback. Trust only web site ranking and recommendation sites that you know are legit. Visit hosting forums and read what other users have experienced with specific hosts. Read user reviews, but remember happy users don't usually post reviews so the story can be one sided.

By looking into these key factors potential web host users can get a better idea of how reliable their future host will be. Users don't have to sign-up for hosting blindly. Take the time to research the reputation, guarantee terms, uptime, history, and hardware of your future web host. Doing so can help you select a good web host. To locate web hosts in your area visit BestWebProviders.com