The Internet today is full of information that helps us find anything we need. A lot of brilliant people from around the world spend their valuable time and effort to provide us with information on numerous topics. Some of them, have also found a way to monetize from their creation.
So many of us are in the same pursuit of starting such an Internet-based business, also called ‘Online Business’. Many people don’t take the initiative to start this venture mostly because they have little budget. You feel discouraged. Maybe you don’t know who to trust? I consider myself to be one of them.
This topic will cover the important aspects of starting an online web business with a little budget.
When I started blogging, I had no idea what it was for, what will I gain, and how will I ever be successful writing a content that is already covered by many others?
Over the last few months, I have had a change of perception. I made it my only aim to read as many articles as I can each day to learn and feel confident about contents I didn’t know before.
I will share with you what I learned today.
I am not ashamed to admit that until today I had an enormous confusion about what a Hosting Site was! I know, I’m a little late to the party. Gags
I visited various web hosting companies today and compared their offers, prices, and tech-specs to see which of them suits my budget.
Sadly, none of the big named companies fit my budget!
While they are good and everything I really cannot afford to spend nearly USD $300 on a web host. I don’t think anyone in the same position as me can afford it either.
It really doesn’t make any sense to spend a quarter of my budget on purchasing a web host. I am sure that many of you feel the same way.
To me, anything that crosses $50 is expensive. Okay, not anything but most things doesn’t need to be this expensive. Don’t you agree?
So I made consecutive Google searches to figure out what I must look for in a hosting site, what are special features offered, and which are the “must-haves”!
I found that most of what they offer by default are usually unnecessary!
For instance:
- IP protection
- Private Domain
- GoDaddy’s Recommended Site Creator toolkit
- HostGator’s- Site Accelerator
- Site Backups
- Increased Search Engine Visibility
All of these services are NOT REQUIRED! These are optional add-ons and you don’t need them, regardless of how much they recommend it!
You won’t make much use of it especially if you are building a website for the very first time in your life. It’s obvious you are not expecting tons of traffic in the starting few months.
There are plenty of sites that I visited, and read their interesting 1000+ word articles on which web host to purchase and they all recommend Bluehost.
Their most basic plan costs $3.49/month for 36 months making a subtotal of $125. If you think 12 months plan is any better, then think twice because the price jumps to $4.95/month and you will be paying $59.40, and that’s without the add-ons!
These big named sites are referred by prominent people because they get an affiliate commission when you sign up using their affiliate links. While I don’t discourage that practice, I find it highly irritating that when you are deeply inspired to do some good and share your wealth of knowledge, you get immediately shot down by the abundant investment you need to make IF you want to begin the journey.
I know, many of you would say “but that’s the cost of investment.” I respectfully disagree! A business needs investment, yes, but not at a price that one seller decides.
We live in an Internet era, people! You can get the same service from a competitor selling at a much cheaper price but from a different country.
We now have the ability to compare prices of sellers from rest of the world. We don’t have to settle for one!
We think if a particular service is talked about everywhere then it must be really good but what you conveniently ignore is having your own say in the matter!
You have no other ground of comparison. You just go by what you read and assume it’s all good.
How do you know what the others are providing? How do you decide whether their service is better or worse?
I understand that you cannot switch to a new service every month, and I wouldn’t advise that either, but if you’re on a tight budget your mind desperately wishes for cheaper things. At least mine does!
So I made another Google search for “$1 web hosting services” and BINGO! There are in fact very good and reliable, cheap website hosting services available that employ advanced software and hardware, as used by the popular businesses.
Now we are programmed to think that if something is so cheap there must be a catch! Right? I can bet you’re thinking that right now!
I did too! So I made multiple other searches & check if any of it is true. I looked for things like “VeriSign Secure” Seal, or the possibility of making transactions through PayPal, which made me believe that these are also legitimate businesses who provide the same service for a very reasonable price.
You can sign up for a host that gives 2 domains at 50 cents a month, which is $6 per year. Isn’t that what you want?! Of course, as most of you already know, domain registration is extra but if you do a good search with a variety of domain names you will find something very cheap.
I found cheap domain names on GoDaddy, but I didn’t use the same for hosting. Instead, I opted for a cheaper host that costs me only $2 per month, or $24 per year! I can host up to 10 domains and unlimited sub-domains!
Effectively, I spent $24 for a year round hosting and $21 for 2 domains combined bought for 1 year each. So, $45 has set me up for a whole year! The rest of my budget can be spent on more important things such as purchasing legal images from Bigstockphoto or iStockphoto, and getting professional-made graphics, and also on promotion.
As you can see, life is simpler and happier when you plan a budget and stick to it! Don’t go by what “experts” have to say, all the time! They are experts not just in their subject but also on the subject of influencing your mind and hence making you spend more than you were prepared.
The more you spend, the bigger is their affiliate commission, although I have nothing against making money that way, but I think it’s just wrong to make someone pay hundreds of dollars when they are just starting out to see what’s out there and how to start things up.
Affiliate commissions work with your business clients or your email subscribers who jump at the offer of learning whatever you have to say. When someone is already impressed with your teaching skills then you have every right to quote a price, but not when they are simply starting out. For me, that’s just cruel.
In conclusion, I would simply recommend all the rookie starters to opt for cheaper web hosting sites. Do your own comparisons, don’t take anyone’s word for it, not even mine!
I did an extensive research so I know now what I must look for. Each entrepreneur has his/her own set of ideas for their business so you know best. As for me, saving money where it counts and spending where it’s needed, is what matters the most. You may have different priorities and it’s very important to figure out what they are!
Each entrepreneur has his/her own set of ideas for their business so you know best. As for me, saving money where it counts and spending where it’s needed is what matters the most. You may have different priorities and it’s very important to figure out what they are!
Reading Junkies 