| September 26, 2006
(Last updated May 09, 2008) I answered a question posed on
the eBay Answer Center and decided to add my
answer to this website. Basically, the question concerned whether
to buy one of the many websites for sale.
When you finish reading my
answer, be sure to click on some of the resources shown on this page for
more information and ideas.
Don't throw away your money.
I'm not saying you can't make money by buying a
"going concern," whether virtual or bricks-and-mortar -- you
certainly can, but the virtual world brings a whole new set of
possibilities. There are several things you need to do if you're
interested in your own site.
1)
Research the idea of a web presence. You can buy books, but
you can also do a lot of research online FOR FREE -- just be sure to
carefully evaluate the information you gather; there is both good and
bad information available on the web.
2)
Figure out what you want your website to be about. Do you
want to sell information? Do you want to sell merchandise? Do you want
to sell advertising space? Your website should have a theme, and your
site should be unique enough to entice folks to your site versus someone
else's. You also need to keep your content interesting and fresh, so
that visitors want to RETURN.
3) You
need a domain name; this name should normally bear some
reasonable resemblance to the name of your business and be relatively
easy to remember. Once you figure out what name you want, research
available WHOIS engines to find out if the domain name is available so
you can register it. Webhosts usually make the WHOIS engines available
to aid your search.
4)
Get
a low-cost webhost. You can register the domain and get a
web presence from the webhost in one step for a small fee. Look for
those with no monthly fee, a reasonable bandwidth, free email addresses,
a reasonable amount of website storage space, etc.
5) You can buy help or you can build
your own website. Building the website yourself can cost less
and gives you much more flexibility. Many webhosts have template-style
website builders to help you. You can also buy special software, like
Microsoft FrontPage, get some books, and work until you think you have a
good start (if you want to use FrontPage, MAKE SURE the webhost provides
FrontPage extensions FOR FREE -- without the extensions, FrontPage won't
work properly). Then keep polishing (see point 2). This is a living,
breathing, virtual existence. It should never be "finished."
UPDATE (November
04, 2007): Microsoft has discontinued sales and support of
FrontPage. The new Microsoft product is Expressions Web, intended to
compete with higher-end design software. For those who already have
FrontPage, you can upgrade to Expressions Web for about $100 -- the
non-upgrade price is substantially more. If you don't already own
FrontPage, you may still be able purchase it and then buy the upgrade
product. There are also other web-design software packages, many of
which are available for $100 or less. Use search engines to find your
best source and price. As always, the best advice is caution when
making any purchase decision.
6) Add
links to other sites to provide live content and reader
resources, and to boost your search engine status. Remember your theme
(point 2). Be particular about the quality and content of the links you
add. Don't fall for some of the "reciprocal link" sites that
ask you to pay a fee for "thousands of links to your site." If
it were that easy, everyone's site would be at the top of the search
list.
7) Add
paid advertising and referral links if applicable. Remember,
your website exists to provide a useful product or service to your
visitors. Don't load up on every link available -- try to keep
them relevant to your website. Again, remember your
theme (point 2).
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