Theperfectsiteguide PDF
Theperfectsiteguide PDF
Theperfectsiteguide PDF
Want to create a website, but have no clue how to begin? Well, you are in the right place!
This tutorial will walk you through all the steps to creating and marketing a website from
scratch.
If you are in a hurry and want to skip over all my tips, warnings and suggestions (not
recommended), then you can skip down to the Quick Start Guide to creating your site.
If you decide to go this route and bypass all my juicy tips, dont say I didnt warn you! ;)
Enjoy the book and feel free to share it with your friends and family by either sending them to
the website address below
http://www.ThePerfectSiteGuide.com
OR
You can save this book to your computer (if you havent already, go to File, Save Page As
in your browser now) and e-mail it to people, or offer it as a free download from your own
website or blog.
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Table of Contents
Click the titles to jump to the desired sections of the book.
What Skills Do I Need?
Domains & Hosting (First Step)
Site Build It!
Free Web Hosts
Creating a Blog
WordPress
Blogger
Making Money Online
Google AdSense
Affiliate Marketing
Ecommerce Website
Digital or e-Goods
Social Networking Sites
Forums/Message Boards
Selling Ad Space
Building Traffic to Your Site or Blog
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Forums
Social Networking Sites
YouTube
Pay Par Click Marketing
Article Marketing
Writing Guest Articles & Blog Posts
Squidoo and Hubpages
Topic Choice is Everything
Quick Start Guide to Setting Up a Website (For those in a hurry!)
Lisas Favorite Tools, Sites and Resources
Feeling Overwhelmed?
About Lisa
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Creativity
People underestimate the importance of this attribute. Anyone can throw up
content and call it a website or a blog, but when it comes to effective marketing and building
traffic, you have to dig deep and get in touch with your creative side.
Some will argue creativeness cannot be learned because it is a talent. Thats true to an
extent, but I believe you can improve your creativity, especially if you study other successful
Webmasters and Bloggers.
Thinking outside the box will take you far, and is often the difference between success and
failure. There is going to be competition no matter what topic you choose, so you have to fine
tune your approach and develop a fresh perspective on your topic.
Dare to be different.
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Patience
I would love to be able to tell you exactly how long it will take to make X amount of dollars.
But due to the many variables involved (your topic, your speed of learning, traffic, conversion
rates, etc.), its absolutely impossible to estimate how long it will take to make a profit or how
much money you will make.
You will need a great deal of patience and realistic expectations. Just like I could never
estimate how long it would take a local music store owner to earn a profit from his offline
store, I could never estimate such a thing for someone looking to make money online.
And if you are desperate to make money now, I have some very Monopoly-like advice for you.
STOP! Do not pass go. Do not collect your $200.
This book is definitely not for you. If making a lot of money in a short time was realistic and
common, youd hear stories every night on the evening news and read countless articles in
newspapers and magazines everyday. People would be leaving their 9 to 5 jobs left and right
because they struck it rich online.
Of course you may read stories about online success every now and then. But I bet most of
you dont know anyone personally who is making a full-time living online. Thats largely
because its hard work just like any offline business and it takes time. And unfortunately, a lot
of people are impatient.
We live in a digital world where we are used to getting everything now. And because the
Internet is so accessible, it often gives people false assurance that making money online is
easy and fast.
Dont get me wrong. Its much more convenient to make money online than offline, but it is
not easy for most people and it takes time.
Ive even had friends and family tell me Lisa, I had no idea how much I had to learn about
marketing and building my site. You make it look so easy.
Sure, I may make it look easy because I love what I do and its never felt like a job.
Nevertheless, I still didnt become successful overnight. Its unlikely that you will either.
_______________________
So there you have it. If you are not willing to learn basic programming to manage/maintain
your site, tap into your creative side, perfect your writing skills and have patience then you
might as well close this book now. Making money online is probably not for you.
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Domain Names
The domain name is the address of your website (yoursite.com) and
the web host is the company that allows you to publish your pages to
the Internet, create e-mail addresses (name@yoursite.com) and develop additional features
like chat rooms, forums, shopping carts, feedback forms etc.
I recommend getting your domain name and web hosting from WebsitePalace.com. This is my
reseller store. I offer free tutorials, free e-book creation software and videos to help you get
started with your site. (The links to the freebies are on the THANK YOU page after you
order so dont miss them!)
However, if you have a company in mind, feel free to use whatever registrar you wish for
registering your domain and getting a web host. Registrars typically provide the same
services.
Web Hosting
A web host is the company that provides the server space for your web pages and whatever
files you need for your website. You will be uploading your website files to your host. This is
how a website becomes visible on the Internet.
They also provide you with e-mail addresses (name@yourdomain.com), scripts for forums,
blogs, chat rooms, feedback forms, etc. A website cannot exist without a host.
When you go to WebsitePalace.com you will see two kinds of hosting plans
Option 1: Regular Hosting
The first one is located under the Hosting tab. This is the most common type of host that
most people use for their websites and blogs. Its the most economical and you can do
whatever you want with your site in terms of adding forums, chat rooms, user uploads, video,
etc.
Most people (especially beginners) who use this type of host opt to buy website building
software (see below). You dont have to, but if you dont, youll have to code your web pages
by hand.
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If this interests you, there are some great tutorials at W3Schools.com and HTMLDog.com. If
you take this route, no software is needed. You can just use Notepad or any text editor to
create your pages. Then you can upload your pages to the Web via your web hosts control
panel or an FTP program. Watch my video that shows you how to use FTP software.
The other option with this host is to buy your own web editing software like Dreamweaver or
CoffeeCup. You can create and manage your site in the program, and then upload your pages
directly to the web via your hosting account.
Option 2: Website Tonight
The other hosting option is called Website Tonight. It is a template-builder and you do not
need any software to create your pages. In fact, you can build your pages right from the
Web and use any computer as long as it has Internet access.
All you do is select your design template (choose from hundreds), add your text and pictures
and your site is live in minutes. This is a great option for very simple sites that will only
involve text and pictures. Vacation, resume and about me sites are great for this kind of
host.
I would NOT suggest using Website Tonight for any websites that will involve user uploads,
networking, blogs, interactivity, etc. Choose option 1 for this kind of site.
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Creating a Blog
A blog is a different kind of website. The content is generally
organized by dated articles called posts and they often display the
most recent post at the top.
You can also organize the posts by category, date, tags, etc so your
visitors can sort through your blog using their method of choice.
Blogs also have RSS feeds. RSS stands for Really Simple
Syndication. This allows people to stay updated with your content
by simply subscribing to your blogs feed using an online RSS reader.
The Firefox browser has a built-in reader. Google Reader is also a popular tool people use to
get fed.
The RSS feed is usually symbolized by a small, orange icon.
blog has a feed, look for a similar icon.
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Now, this is not to say you cannot create static pages on a blog. You absolutely can.
However, with websites, its easier to organize your pages and place them where you want
within the site navigation.
So depending on how you want to present your content, you should think carefully about
which method is best for your needs.
I had a friend tell me that she was reading a blog and found it very confusing because she
couldnt find the information she was looking for. The blog owner didnt do a very good job of
organizing her important posts. Many of them were buried in the archives since blogs
typically display newer content first.
She could remedy this by creating a website instead of a blog or use more static pages on
her blog that never get buried (yes, this is possible). But many bloggers dont take the time to
learn how to do this so often their blogs become difficult to navigate.
Be sure you think about how you want your content organized before jumping into creating a
blog. You may find that a website is better for your needs.
Now, lets talk about some blogging platforms
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WordPress
I was once a Blogger user, but switched to WordPress in January
of 2008. I havent looked back since. WordPress is much more
robust and you can do so much more with your content thanks to
the plug-ins available (which are free, by the way).
A plug-in is simply a script that gives your blog additional
functionality and WordPress has a directory full of plug-ins you
can use.
Lets say you want to display a listing of the top commenters on your blog (people who leave
the most comments). You can install a plug-in that will publish a real-time listing of your
blogs top commenters.
So there are tons of different plug-ins in categories that can make your blog do many different
things. WordPress is EXTREMELY powerful.
My blog, http://blog.2CreateAWebSite.com is a WordPress blog.
Creating a WordPress Blog
There are two ways to create a WordPress blog.
1) You can use a free one at WordPress.com (no domain or hosting account needed) or
2) You can create a self-hosted blog on your own domain.
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend doing the self-hosted blog on your own domain. If you do
not and host it for free on WordPress.com, then you cannot add affiliate links or Google ads.
A huge disadvantage if you plan to make money with your blog.
My blog is self-hosted, meaning it sits on my own domain at
http://blog.2CreateAWebSite.com. If you go this route, you need a domain name and a web
hosting account.
So again, you can choose one of the regular hosting plans at Website Palace and install the
WordPress software with the click of a button from your account and begin blogging
immediately! No techy knowledge needed to setup your blog.
Unlike websites, you DO NOT need web software to create a blog. WordPress and Blogger
both have built-in editors so you can create your blog posts right from the blogging admin
area.
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However, if you want to customize your blogs template design, it really does help to learn a
bit about CSS and web design. My fundamental knowledge of CSS has helped me GREATLY
when it comes customizing my blogs design.
Watch an instructional video to learn how to setup a WordPress blog.
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Blogger
Blogger is owned by Google and probably the easiest platform to use.
Its completely free and you do not need to buy a hosting account to use
it.
To create a Blogger blog, you simply go to Blogger.com and sign up.
Note: Even though you dont need a hosting account with Blogger, I would HIGHLY
recommend you buy your own domain for your blog so your address is
http://www.yourblog.com instead of http://yourblog.blogger.com.
Once you buy your domain, Blogger has instructions for pointing your domain name to your
blog.
Any Disadvantages to Using Blogger?
Even though Blogger is easy to setup and use, its not as robust as WordPress. Some people
find it tricky to setup static pages with Blogger and organize their posts outside of the
standard blog format (newest to oldest). Plus there arent plug-ins you can use like
WordPress.
My advice is simple
Choose WordPress!
Note: There are other blogging platforms such as TypePad, Moveable Type, etc. I tried
TypePad and didnt like it, and Ive never tried Moveable Type. WordPress and Blogger are the
most widely used blogging platforms.
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Now that I spend more time blogging, I have a great appreciation for his teachings and I really
like that he shows what so many people do wrong. I think you can learn a lot from others
mistakes. Not only is Yaro very respected online, hes a real nice guy with superb advice.
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I am going to make an important statement here so make sure you remember this
How much money you make online solely depends on how much
TARGETED traffic you can drive to your site and how well you build
credibility.
OK, now that you understand that, lets talk about the different kinds of sites and ways you
can make money online with a website or a blog.
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Google AdSense
Google AdSense is probably one of the most convenient ways to
monetize your website or blog. This program is free and you
partner with Google by promoting their sponsored ads on your site.
Every time an ad is clicked on your site, Google pays you a percentage (undisclosed) of what
the advertiser is paying them for the click.
Googles technology can read your pages. So they will determine what your page is about.
And when you paste the AdSense code on your pages, their technology will generate ads
relevant to your content thus increasing the chances that your visitors will click.
So if your site is about baseball, you will see sports-related ads on your pages. Google is in
complete control over what ads display. However, you are allowed to filter competitive or
inappropriate ads if you wish.
When your earnings reach $100, Google will send you a check (or pay with direct deposit).
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Too many people focus on making money right away and they cant wait to join AdSense.
Then they join and wonder why they arent making any money with their ads. Of course, if
you havent learned how to build traffic to your site then you arent going to make anything
with AdSense or any program.
How much targeted traffic you have is a big factor with how much you will make with
AdSense. Actually, its a big factor for how much you will make no matter how you attempt to
make money online.
Dont ever underestimate the importance of learning how to market your site. Traffic does not
just appear because you create a website. Marketing is everything.
Alternatives to AdSense?
There are some alternative programs to AdSense. The only one Ive really tried is AdBrite.
The ads dont pay as much as AdSense, but its worth a try if you were either banned or not
accepted into AdSense.
You are allowed to use both programs together on your site. I e-mailed Google to make sure
it didnt violate their terms. I use AdBrite, but not in the same way I use AdSense. AdBrite
also has a 3rd party ad management program that I use to sell flat-rate ad space on my site.
Kontera and Infolinks are two other AdSense alternatives. Both are in-text advertising
services, so the actual keywords on your pages will turn into underlined ads. I am not a fan of
these kinds of ads, personally. I think they are too intrusive, and I dont like the fact you
cant control which words on your pages will become ads.
At least with AdSense and AdBrite you can designate a space for the ads. With Kontera and
Infolinks you have much less control over where the ads will show up on your pages.
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Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is how I make a full-time living online.
As an affiliate, I build websites on topics that interest me
and make money by earning commissions when I refer
people to products and services that relate to the content
of my sites.
I market my websites in places like Google (and other free
search engines), Twitter, YouTube, forums, I comment on
related blogs, etc. As my traffic grows, the more money I
earn from the affiliate programs I join and programs like AdSense.
Once again, almost all affiliate programs are free to join. You simply go to the companys
website and check to see if they have one. If so, you sign up and within minutes you can
begin promoting their products.
Heres an Example
Lets say you love the sport of bowling and you want to create a website that teaches people
how to perfect their game.
You could register the domain name bowling-tips-for-newbies.com and build a website
with tons of information and instructional videos on how to become a great bowler.
After you create your site, you begin marketing it by learning about SEO (search engine
optimization). This is the process of getting your pages ranked high in Google, Yahoo and all
the other free engines. Your goal is to get found for popular bowling searches.
There are many more ways to market a website (forums, Twitter, FaceBook, paid marketing,
writing guest articles, PPC (pay per click), article submissions, etc.) You can even create
YouTube videos teaching your audience how to walk and throw the ball down the lane.
YouTube will provide another way for people to find you online.
Theres more specific traffic advice here.
Ill say it again. Success online is all about marketing. No matter what
kind of site you create, you must learn how to get in front of your
targeted audience and give them VALUE. This is not an easy or
overnight task.
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I highly recommend you seek advice from a local tax professional so you can get
advice specific to your situation. Be careful about getting advice from the web as it may be
incorrect and/or outdated. If you are going to get info from the Internet, make sure you go to
www.irs.gov the official IRS website.
I purposely did not disclose specific numbers about taxes here. I want you to do your own
research and make sure you get the answers you need from a local tax professional.
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Digital or e-Goods
A digital or e-good is a product that your customers can access
instantly (via download, e-mail, etc.) The main advantage to
selling an e-good is you dont have to deal with shipping and
handling.
Running out of inventory is also never a problem. Since your
product is in a digital format, it never runs out of stock. You
always have unlimited copies on your computer.
This e-book youre reading now is an e-good. I created it with
Microsoft Word and used Adobe Professional (not the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader) to convert it into an electronic (PDF) book.
Adobe allows you to protect the book from theft (copy and paste)
and you can even restrict printing if you want.
One advantage to using a PDF format like this is that its compatible with both Macs and PCs
so you dont have to worry about people having trouble opening your book.
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It takes a LOT of traffic to get a forum active because most people who are exposed to your
forum will not become active members.
So to give your forum a chance to succeed, you NEED an existing traffic base that you can
promote your forum to. Just like social networking sites, I would not suggest creating a forum
if you dont already have a well-trafficked site or blog first. Take it from someone whos had
three failed forums.
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Selling Ad Space
Once you start getting traffic to your site, you may want to think
about selling flat-rate ads to other advertisers.
This is different from contextual ad programs like AdSense
because you will be charging a flat fee and the ad may run for a
week, month, or whatever you decide.
I do not recommend trying to sell ad spots if you dont have much traffic. Think about it.
Would you pay for an ad on a store window if you knew that store was on a street with no
traffic?
You should definitely wait until you have a few hundred visitors per day before you think of
selling ad space. Not to mention, it makes your site look very smallish if you have a Your Ad
Here message up for months and no takers.
OIO Publisher
OIO Publisher is the perfect, hassle-free solution for bloggers who want to host sponsor ads,
but dont want to deal with setting up and installing complicated scripts. If you use
WordPress, OIO Publisher installs just like a plug-in, so setting this ad management system up
is a breeze.
OIO only works on PHP sites (sites like WordPress blogs and most forums), so if your site is
static (HTML) then youll have to convert your pages to PHP in order to use it.
I bought this script for my forum, WebsiteBabble.com and it worked like a charm.
OIO Publisher supports image and text ads.
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AdBrite
AdBrite provides another solution for ad management. AdBrite is not just a contextual ad
program like AdSense. They will also host your flat-rate ads. The advantage to using AdBrite
over a program like OpenX is the setup is much simpler.
All you do is create your account, set your prices, paste the AdBrite code into your pages and
let AdBrite do the rest. Any time theres a new advertiser, they will notify you and you can
approve or reject the ad. As soon as you approve the ad, it will appear on your site and will
be removed automatically when the ad expires.
Also, if you dont have any advertisers yet, AdBrite will show network ads that you can earn
revenue from in the meantime.
The downside to using AdBrite is you have to share your profits. AdBrite takes a percentage
of the revenue you earn from every ad. However, if setting up an ad management script is
not your cup of tea then you may want to consider the service.
I have been using AdBrite on 2 Create a Website since February of 2007 and have been pretty
happy with them. There were a few snafus in the beginning when their service was new, but
things are much better now.
By the way, it is perfectly acceptable to use AdBrite in conjunction with AdSense. I checked
this out with Google before I began using them.
AdBrite supports both image and text ads.
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So if your site gets 5,000 page views per month, then you would charge $25/month for an ad
($5.00 for every 1,000 page views).
Now this is just one way of doing it. And of course, you can adjust the price based on other
factors. For example, if I used that formula on 2 Create a Website, my ad prices would be
much higher than they are. But I also took into account the history of my sponsor ads click
through rates, placement of the ads, competitor prices, etc.
So you can use that formula to get a base price, and then adjust as needed.
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Notice how many times I used the phrase home employment? Doing this used to help you
increase your ranking for that phrase.
Now, as you can imagine, this method got abused because any nonsense site could rank high
for anything they wanted by simply keyword stuffing. So the engines had to quickly adjust.
Nowadays its all about link popularity. In other words, how many related, popular sites link
to you using the keywords you target. These are often called backlinks. And a one-way
backlink is much better than a two-way link exchange.
A one-way link is when someone links to you, but you do not link back to them. A link
exchange is a two-way link swap between two sites. The engines pretty much ignore
excessive link exchanges because people have abused them and would exchange links in an
attempt to boost their link popularity.
Heres how own-way links work
Lets say your site is about playing poker and you want to rank high for various poker playing
keywords. Of course youd use meta tags like I described above and write your content
normally (do not keyword stuff like I did in the home employment example).
If you do a great job of building a useful site and market it appropriately, you will find that
other poker or gaming sites will begin voluntarily linking to your site for free. Google will
begin to see this and the more relevant and popular these sites are, the more it will help your
ranking for the keywords your site targets.
Now, this will take time. It doesnt happen overnight. For most people, it takes 6 months to a
year (or more) before Google starts sending an ample amount of traffic your way. And
thats assuming you are marketing your site and getting relevant links from other sites.
Cant you see why one-way links are better barometers for how popular a site is? Anyone can
get someone to link to them via a link exchange. But if Google sees that you have a lot of
one-way links (meaning people voluntarily linked to you for free), it shows them that your site
must be popular and of good quality to people. Therefore, they will reward you with a higher
ranking over time.
To learn more about getting ranked in Google, Yahoo and Live (formerly MSN) go here.
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Forums
Forums are another way to drive traffic to your site but this
also takes time. I would never suggest you go to any
forum and just blast ads for your site. First of all, thats
spamming. Second of all, its worthless.
The best way to promote your site with forums is to find
ones that are related to your niche and develop a likeable
profile. If your site is about tennis, find forums related to
tennis by googling tennis forums.
Join the forum and begin interacting with other members by asking questions and helping
others. Develop a trusted personality on the forum by being helpful and kind. Most forums
will allow you to add a signature to your posts. This is where the promotion comes in.
As you continue to build your reputation, it will increase the chances that people will visit your
site that is listed in your signature file.
This takes time. Just make a habit of posting 5-10 posts per day in the forums of your choice
and you will be amazed at how this can help get more traffic to your site in the long-run.
If you emerge as a helpful, likeable member, you gain credibility and the more likely other
members will visit your website.
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YouTube
YouTube has been one of my favorite places to market
lately. Its fun and I get to build credibility by creating
videos that teach and help build my brand and
credibility.
People love video because it gives them a break from
reading. It also gives you a chance to show off your
personality and let your audience see the real you!
Whats even better is once your channel becomes popular, you can become a partner and earn
money from ads displayed on and near your videos. (YouTube does not disclose how much
traffic or how many subscribers you need, but I would wait until you have at least 500
subscribers before applying).
To get the best video results you should use a camera with HD capability since YouTube will
let you upload video in HD. I use a Sony HD Handycam, although you really dont need a
video camera. You can use a regular digital camera that has video capability. The higher the
megapixels, the better.
I also highly recommend getting a good video editing program so your videos have a more
polished, professional look. I use Pinnacle Studio. Its pretty easy to learn and it has a ton of
bells and whistles to make your video look more polished and professional.
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The money sounds exciting, but its hard work because you have to constantly monitor and
perfect your campaigns while keeping track of your (ROI) to ensure you are making a profit.
If you are interested in learning more about PPC as a business (not just for driving traffic to
your site like I use it), check out PerryMarshall.com.
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Article Marketing
Article Marketing is where you submit original articles (that youve
written) to a directory that allows other Webmasters and Bloggers
to re-print your article on their sites.
If someone uses your article, they must also print your info box
that contains your bio and link to your site. This is how this
technique can bring a viral traffic flow to your site.
Another way to use article marketing is to create keyword-focuses articles on particular
phrases that are commonly searched for. Some people believe that submitting articles to
popular submission sites will get these pages listed/ranked faster in the major search engines.
Then they can use that article to drive traffic back to their site.
Some popular article submission sites are EzineArticles, GoArticles and iSnare.
I would NOT recommend submitting the same articles you have on your site. You could get
penalized by the engines for using duplicate content. Make sure that the articles you
submit to these directories are unique to anything youve written or submitted elsewhere.
I used to use article marketing all the time when I first started marketing my sites. In fact, I
credit this technique for helping me get traffic back in the early days. Although, as the Net
evolved, the results werent as sweet so I moved on to other things.
However, there are still a lot of people who use article marketing and still see great results. I
think a lot of your success chances have to do with your niche. Some niches are more
saturated than others.
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Keyword Tools
Speaking of demand, there are many tools out there you can use to see what people are
searching for. One of my favorites is the Google AdWords Keyword Tool.
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It shows you how many times a particular phrase was searched for in Google last month. Its
a great tool to use while youre brainstorming for a topic.
Also be sure to watch my brainstorming video where I walk you through the process of
selecting a topic for your affiliate website.
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FreeCSSTemplates.org
This is a great site to get free Web design templates. If you dont want to code a website from
scratch, you can download a template from this site and edit to your liking.
Google Alerts
Want to stay in touch with hot topics in your niche? Create a Google Alert for any keyword or
phrase and Google will e-mail current articles that mention the phrases youre interested in.
Google Webmaster Tools (GWT)
Once you build your site, youll want to become familiar with GWT because it can help you
improve your sites visibility in Googles search by creating a sitemap, staying on top of broken
URLs, etc.
AWeber
If you need to create a mailing list, segment your list by demographic info and send out
targeted mailings, AWeber is the service for you. For only $20/month you cant beat having
access to this incredible system that allows you to setup mass e-mail campaigns and create
auto responders.
I use AWeber on flat-stomach-exercises.com to send out my (automated) weekly Tummy Tips.
Thesis WordPress Theme
This is the design theme I am using for my blog. If you decide to use WordPress then you will
need to pick a theme. Thesis is not free like a lot of themes, but its one of the best
investments Ive made recently.
After going through at least 7 different WordPress themes, I finally found one I can stick with.
Watch my video on how it works.
Google Analytics
This is the only Website statistic program youll ever need, and best of all, its FREE! Just
install a few lines of code on your site and receive a plethora of visitor reports such as unique
visitors, referring sites, most popular pages and more.
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RentaCoder.com
Need a customized script or have a complex design project that is too big for you to tackle?
RentaCoder is the place to go. Ive used this service at least 8 times for various medium-sized
web dev projects on my site.
You simply submit a bid request so that programmers can bid on your project. Choose the bid
you like best and the money is held in escrow until the project is completed. Its a safe and
fast way to get your project done.
Google Webmaster Central (YouTube)
I love this YouTube channel. Its run by Matt Cutts (Googles software engineer) and he
answers a lot of commonly asked questions regarding getting your site indexed/ranked in
Google and other SEO related topics. You should definitely subscribe!!
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Feeling Overwhelmed?
OK, youve made it this far and may be feeling
overwhelmed by all youve just learned.
Dont feel you have to absorb and do everything
today. Honestly, the only thing you need to decide
now is the topic of your site and the method you are
going to use to create it.
Do you think I learned all this overnight? Heck no!
Ive been out here since 1998 so Ive learned a little
at a time.
And Im still learning. ;)
The best gift you can give yourself as an online entrepreneur is the knowledge to build and
manage your own website or blog. I know it may be tempting to hire/outsource someone, but
thats not always the best scenario for you in the long-run. I have nothing against outsourcing
certain parts of your site (custom, complex scripts that involve hard-core programming, etc.).
However, I believe you should learn the basics yourself so you are not dependent upon a 3rd
party to make basic updates for you. You need to be in control of your site and theres
nothing more empowering than that.
So if you do nothing else today, just learn how to create a basic page on your computer.
HTMLDog.com has a wonderful page for people who know absolutely nothing about creating a
website.
Open up a blank text file on your computer in Notepad or your favorite text editor. Save the
file as FILENAME.html (not FILENAME.txt.html.) When youve created a simple page, open
up your web browser and go to File, Open and then look for the .html file you just created.
It will open this web page locally on your computer.
You can download templates from FreeCSSTemplates.org and test them in this same way.
Remember, you dont have to have an editor like Dreamweaver to build a website. You can
use basic text editors if you want. Yes, you will have to get involved with more coding, but
you will have a better foundation for how to build a website.
Also, dont forget to watch my CSS Tutorial on YouTube and download the free template.
Empower yourself. Learn how to build and manage your site yourself. Even if you buy Site
Build It! (the all-in-one site building and marketing system), you should still learn the basics.
Youll appreciate that knowledge when youre ready to take your site to the next level.
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About Lisa
My name is Lisa Irby and I started making money online my senior
year in college. Like most college students I was financially
strapped for cash and wanted to find a way to make some extra
money.
My very first website was hosted on a free web host (never again!)
and it promoted a bunch of offers where I earned a commission for
everything that was sold.
I learned how to get my site ranked near the top of the popular
search engines and began to make money. Once I made my first
dollar you could say that I was officially hooked on the concept of
making money online.
I knew that if I could make one dollar, I could turn that into two
dollars and so on.
Since that time I have been making money online using these same
principles. I build websites on topics that interest me and earn
commissions when I refer my site visitors to products and services I
recommend.
2 Create a Website is by far my most successful site. It was created in 2002 and by 2005, the
earnings from this site nearly quadrupled my 9 to 5 salary. I make the majority of my income
by reselling domain names and hosting.
Bye, Bye 9 to 5!
In 2006, I quit my full-time job and started working on my Internet business full-time. This
was the best career and personal life decision Ive ever made.
Since then Ive continued to build my affiliate empire by adding additional sites to my portfolio
such as 2 Plan a Website, WebsiteBabble.com and my blog.
I also have a fitness website called Flat-Stomach-Exercises.com. As I stated earlier, this was
just an experimental website that I created to test out the Site Build It! product. I honestly
did not set out to make much money from it. I really just wanted to see how SBI! worked
since I was an affiliate and recommended it from my site.
The success of this small site amazes me. At the time Im writing this book (May, 2009), the
site receives about 7,000 visitors per day and makes enough to pay all my bills and mortgage.
Not bad for a site I rarely update now.
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However, I want to emphasize that you have to do the work first. I spent the first few
months really putting a lot of time and energy into building that site, developing my content
and perfecting my approach to the topic.
I also had a huge advantage because I had created successful websites before and was
familiar with the formula for success.
Not all my sites have been successful. I had a lot of failed sites back in the day, but Im
grateful for those failures because they taught me what works, and now I can publish books
like this to keep you from making the same mistakes I made.
ThePerfectSiteGuide.com
I can give you all the guidance in the world, but I cannot give you motivation and a good work
ethic. That has to come from within. This is not a lazy mans world. So if you arent prepared
to work hard and spend hours in front of your computer, you may want to think twice about
this.
You can do it. You just have to belieeeeeve you can. Remember, I had no formal training,
prior education or mentor when I started this. The only experience I had online was checking
e-mail. Im serious! So if I can do it, so can you.
Wishing you all the success going forward and thanks for reading! Be sure to check the next
page for ways to keep in contact with me online.
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My Websites
http://www.2CreateAWebSite.com
http://www.2PlanAWebSite.com
http://www.WebsiteBabble.com (Webmaster Forum)
My Blog
http://blog.2CreateAWebSite.com
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/2createawebsite
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/lisa3876 (marketing and making money online)
http://www.youtube.com/2createawebsite (programming tutorials)
http://www.youtube.com/2planawebsite (planning a website)
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