How To Get Your Business Online With A Shoestring Budget

Posted by Karl Foxley on Jan 12, 2010 in Blog, Coaching, Online Coaching | 21 comments

The economic downturn of recent times has put a strain on many bricks-and-mortar businesses.

One of the solutions to keeping the money coming is to take your business online and put your products in front of an extended audience.

The trouble is, if you are already struggling with your budget, getting online is just an extra expense, isn’t it?

Yes it certainly is, but many people do not realise how cost effective taking a business online can be. If you are interested in starting your own online business and don’t have a bricks-and-mortar store you will still find this post useful as I will explain exactly what you need to get you started.

If you have paid a lot of money for a website and hosting then this is for you.

If you do not have  a website and are wondering what your options are, this is for you.

With that being said, let’s get started on the first purchase you will need to make, a…

Domain Name

Registering a domain is your first step to getting started online.

A domain is how people will find your website, this domain is www.fmsseo.com.

So how much does a domain cost?

We use NameCheap.com for the bulk of our domain purchases because they are amazingly cheap and reliable.

An available domain will cost you just $9.69 for a years registration; if you are in this for the long-haul I recommend you register your domain for as long as you can afford so that you do not have to worry about missing expiration dates.

Now you have a domain you will need…

Hosting

A hosting package is where you will store your website. A web host needs to be affordable, reliable and provide amazing customer service.

We host the bulk of our sites with HostMonster.com because they have so many features.

The winning point has to be cPanel (screenshot below), a real easy to use admin dashboard that allows you to manage every aspect of your website from your emails, add-on domains, sub-domains and the installation of extra features.

HostMonster also has Simple Scripts incorporated in their cPanel which allows you 1 click installs of many popular content management systems, shopping carts, and more.

If you already have a hosting account that has Fantastico and not Simple Scripts then you need to read this:

‘Fantastico is no longer the recommended method for script installation and upgrades. The new method, SimpleScripts, is much faster at releasing feature upgrades and important security updates.’ – you’ll see this message when you try to use Fantastico in HostMonster and it has also been mentioned in various forums dedicated to hosting.

Did I mention the customer support? If you ever have an error with your website you can access live support 24/7, meaning you’ll never feel frustrated that you do not have someone to turn to for help in your hour of need. Priceless!

A hosting package from HostMonster.com starts (currently) at $5.95 a month.

You can make savings on your hosting fees by paying for a package in advance

Now you have a domain and your hosting package is ready, you will want to decide on a…

Content Management System

There are web design companies that target small and local businesses with their website services with price tags of £1,000 for a 10 page sites and up to £5,000+  for an e-commerce site.

You really don’t need to pay that to get started online.

Depending on your needs you can get started with a CMS (content management system) for free with some of the platforms that are available inside HostMonster (using Simple Scripts).

WordPress is a popular blogging platform that is amazingly diverse and can be used as a blog, a company website, an e-commerce store and more. You can get a professional looking theme (design) for your WordPress site for as little as $19.95, you can read more about this on our previous post: Premium WordPress Themes.

You should also take a look at Joomla.org and Drupal.org.

E-commerce solutions can be found with Magento, ZenCart and osCommerce.

As you can see, with a small initial outlay you can get your business online.

An Additional But Much Needed Extra

The following is not an essential purchase in the beginning but the quicker you do the better for your business.

If you want to build a database of customers and prospects that you can email over and over again with your newsletters and promotions then you need a dedicated email service provider (ESP).

Having an ESP will allow you to put a web form on your website (real easy, just follow the instructions given by the service you choose) that will then allow your prospects or customers to add their name and email (and other information you request) to start receiving communications (emails) from you.

A great course on turning prospects into customers can be found at Get More Buyers.

The following email service providers all have introductory trials so take them for a spin and see which one works best for your needs.

AWeber – starts at $19 a month

GetResponse - starts at $18 a month

iContact - starts at $9.95 a month

Putting it all together is easy. Follow the instructions that are given with the service provider you choose for how to set up your domain name, your hosting account and how to start your email marketing campaign.

If you need something more, walk-through videos that show you exactly how to register a domain, how to sign-up for a hosting account, how to install a WordPress blog and much more, then you need to check out Dave’s Online Videos.

As you can see, getting started online can be done in a very affordable way indeed.

To your success,

Karl Foxley

Further Reading:

How To Easily Add An AWeber Opt-In Form To Your WordPress Blog

Follow Up With Prospects And Turn Prospects Into Customers On Autopilot

How To Install WordPress Using Simple Scripts

What To Consider Before You Take Your Business Online

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net