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How to Make Money with Websites
Blifaloo's guide to building income generating websites
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There are a lot of how-to make money online "schemes" out
there. However, this guide is for
those who aren't necessarily wanting to make a quick buck, but those
who would rather create quality websites that can generate a steady
and growing income with out much maintenance.
Blifaloo.com was created based on the idea that if you make a decent
site, you won't need to overload it with crazy advertisements and pop-ups
to annoy visitors. Surprisingly, this worked out for me and my site.
I receive a good amount of traffic and income, both which grow steadily
month-to-month. Beyond Blifaloo, I have created and maintain about
5 other websites. The income from my websites is enough to support
me and my family. Woo.
First before forcing you to read any further, you should have
a budget of at least $60 to start with. This will cover
a year for your domain name, and 6 months of hosting. A larger budget
can be helpful, but this minimum amount is all you really need.
1. You need an Idea
Huh? This guide is for those wishing to create an
income from Content-based websites. A content
based website is one that provides information. Easy, eh?
Content includes: Articles, Directories, Forums, Blogs, news and other
information, that you provide freely to visitors to your site. You
make money from content based sites by having advertising and affiliate
programs on your pages.
How to find an idea : Hobbies are a good place to
start, because creating a website about something you are personally
interested in will: 1. Help in actually creating content based on your
knowledge, and 2. Keep you motivated to work on your site.
Any topics pop in your head yet? Write them down on a piece of paper
(yeah, real paper...not the digital kind). Brainstorm.
Still no ideas? How about the last time you were annoyed with something
on a website? Lack of information, poor navigation structure... whatever.
What would you change to make that site better? There: now you have
an idea... improve on an existing website's idea.
Ever look for information about a certain subject online, but can't
find any decent resources? Chances are that other people are looking
for that same info. See a need and fill it by creating a quality content
site that provides this info.
Other Ideas:
Local information (city, state, region) sites are relatively easy
to put together, and can earn a decent profit.
Do you notice how something's popularity explodes out of nowhere sometimes?
What if you made a website about Pilates before it became so popular
that you can buy "pilates in a box kits" for $49.95 off of
late-night television?
Ever see a trend emerging? Keep your nose to the ground, you'll sniff
one out. Be one of the first to make a quality site about this trend
and you'll be gold.
2. Choose and Register a Domain Name
Huh? A domain name is that thing you type into your
web-browser to visit a site.
How to choose a domain name :
Do's and Don'ts:
Do pick a name that is easily remembered.
Do try to choose as short as a name as possible.
Don't buy .biz, .info or other weird extensions. Stick with the .com
as much as possible.
Where to get a domain name:
Personally, I register my domains at Namecheap.com.
It's about $9/year and they have a easy to use interface for managing
your domain names. There is no reason to pay over $10/year for a domain
name. Another place to register is GoDaddy.com -
just as good prices and service, but I don't like how they try to up
sell you everything and your mom when you try to checkout.
Help! I can't think of a domain name.
Everything "good" seems to be taken, eh? Don't worry,
there is always a perfect name out there. Really. If you topic is say....
dogs. Think of some synonyms, use a thesaurus, and brainstorm. Dogs...
canine, pups, spot, pooch, doggie. Think of some dog related objects
or ideas: fetch, rollover, sit pretty, dog house, best friend...etc.
Put some of these ideas and concepts together and you'll find a domain
name.
Hints: Still can't find anything? Try adding suffixes
to your main idea: like ____HQ.com, _____spot.com, _____zone.com. I'm
sure you can think of more.
3. Choosing a Web Host
Huh? You are going to need a reliable web host to
store your website, so that visitors can access it. Think of the domain
name as your business name, and web hosting is your property lease.
How to : I have worked with QualityNonsense on WhoIsHostingThis.com - Which reviews 100s of hosting plans. Check them if you are looking for a good host.
Setting up NameServers:
After you get your domain name, and hosting purchased and
set-up, you will need to point your DNS or "nameservers" of
your domain to your actually hosting account. This is simple. When
you purchase your hosting plan your host will tell you what your DNS/nameservers
are. Log in to your account where you purchased your domain name, find
a link or button labeled something like: "Change Nameservers" or "DNS".
Here you will find where to input the nameserver info your host has
given you.
4. Planning, Designing, and Creating your site
Huh? Poor or planning will end up giving you a major
headache somewhere down the road.
How to : My recommendation for planning your website
would be as follows: 1. Brainstorm all your ideas onto a piece of paper,
figure out what the major sections of your site will be, and how the
navigation structure will work. 2. Find inspiration in successful websites
- what do they do well, what could be improved? Incorporate these ideas
into your plans.
Is your site going to have any features that require a database/programming?
Features like directories, blogs, & forums are best done
using a database. Many hosts provide these kinds of scripts for free
and can easily be installed from your webhosting control panel.
Some tips:
Content and more Content: The more info and pages
your site has, the better. Period. Create, write and then write some
more. As much as possible... keep going, not enough...
SSI's: Save your web pages as with a .php extension,
and make use of SSI (server side includes), it will save a lot of time
and headaches in the future as it makes updating and maintaining a
site much easier. (This only works if you have a host that supports
php and SSI). Read more about SSI.
Forums require a lot of work just trying to get people
talking. If you don't have the patience or time for this, skip adding
forums to your site. If you decide you have the gift of gab and can
make a forum work, I suggest phpBB if you want good free software,
or vBulliten if you have the budget.
A blog about a certain subject is a great and easy
way to create a content website. A blog can either be your whole site,
or it can be just a section of your site. I suggest going with Wordpress
for blogging software it's free and you can even find tons of free
wordpress templates to pretty up your blog with so you don't even have
to worry about the design.
Software: You can either go the cheap way, or expensive
way... both will be able to provide you with the same result. But if
you plan on making website publishing into a permanent source of income,
I suggest you get Macromedia Dreamweaver as your HTML editor, and Adobe
Photoshop for graphics.
If you don't have a budget for this software yet, you could use free
software to accomplish the same thing. See our list of
top free software for webmasters.
Continue to Page 2
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Webmaster Info
Important Urgent Message - December 29th/2011:
Blifaloo Visitors: my good friend Rick is fighting brain cancer, and his sister put up this fundraiser for him. Please help if you can. Thanks. |
Please read his story, and help spread the word or donate.
Please Read this and Pass it Along
 Please send even a dollar or two if you have some spare money on your PayPal account (they accept donations by credit card too though, if you want).
Please read his story, and help spread the word or donate.
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