Starting on the Affiliate Marketing journey, we can find ourselves searching the internet, hoping to find just one article or video that will tell us or show us without any doubt the way to go. Well I’m here to tell you without a doubt the best affiliate marketing tool you should have, is your own Website.
Basic Principle’s
We all need a place to stay, a roof over our heads, else we are homeless. Well it’s the same as an affiliate marketer, your business needs a home. Sure you will see loads of articles and video’s about how you can do this even without a website. Sure, it’s possible but it will be like selling a product on the street corner, not great if you are looking at building a long-term business which could be sold later on. So, don’t believe them.
Understanding what you need in purchasing a website
Before we go ahead and click onto a website to purchase our domain, we need to go over a few key items first as well as to understand what do we need to have with the domain.
What you must consider when buying a website.
- Domain Name
- This is your website address, like no 5 Street Name, Suberb, City, country, code.
- Hosting the Website
- Web hosts are what make websites accessible over the Internet. This means they keep all the webpages of the hosted site on their server, they take care of all the setup and technical issues, and they have a very high-speed connection to the Internet.
- Security
- This will protect your website from being hacked, just like a security company protect’s your home
- SSL Certificate
- this tells your site visitors that your website is safe to visit
- Speed
- How long it take’s for your site to load when your potential clients visit
- Lastly is your support
- Who will you contact when you have a problem and will you be able to trust them?
Three Top Website that you can purchase your Domain from:
- Bluehost / www.bluehost.com
- Minimum Cost, 2.95 p/month = 35.4 p/year Including hosting (1st year)
- GoDaddy / www.godaddy.com
- A bit confusing on the website depending from what country you are logging in from but an estimate of 4 – 10 Dollars for the website (1st year)
- Hosting / 2.3 dollars per month
- SSL Certificate is 50 dollars for the year.
- Hostgator / www.hostgator.com
- Minimum Cost, 2.08 per/month = 24.96 Dollars
Just doing these three websites got me confused again, you actually cannot compare apples to apples as a newbie as it is to confusing.
Story: When I first started, I chose Bluehost as it came highly recommended, all was going well then, I had a problem on the site. I contacted support which were very helpful and they kindly told me I had to upgrade my security which they could be provide, at a cost. I was upset because as soon as I had enough content on my website, I had a problem which could be solved at cost or I would lose everything. Well I had no money to solve the problem so I let my site go. Don’t let this happen to you.
Quick Fix in Purchasing a Website
So you know my story, frustration was settling in when I was just starting to come right. Pure luck walks past my doorstep when I discovered that I could purchase a website for Zero dollars at Wealthy Affiliates, the only draw back was that it had siterubix after my chosen domain but so what it was for free, with all what I needed.
What a bargain!
My Affiliate Disclosure,
As the owner of this website, I have tracked the best deals through my experience and research for the products and services mentioned herein. When you use the links on this page and make a purchase, I may get a small commission for the effort I’ve put in, to bring you the knowledge. It’s a win-win all around. Full disclosure.
You can do it here:
Struggling to come up with a Domain Name:
Well you are the only one that can decide on this.
My suggestion would be to go and have a look at this website to check for some ideas.
BUT before you choose a name, you would need to have some sort of idea of what your website would be about first. The name allows google to know or work out what your website is all about, this helps with ranking later on. Also, try keep the domain name to about 16 characters, as with ranking for every post or page you have, it will have your domain name + your post or page name and if this go’s longer than 60 characters it’s difficult for google to rank. This info no one told me, found out as time passed by experimenting.
Check Sheet:
- Decided on website subject / niche
- Decided on Domain name
- Researched to see if it is available
- Purchased Domain Name for 0 Dollars
- Pause ! What next?
Setting up your Website, Choosing a Theme on Word Press.
There are really many to chose from, so how do you do this? Well from experience I chose a few and then further down the line I did not like the theme I changed it, which can be complicated with some risks, so here is my advice.
Choose a theme which is versatile, so that with a page builder later on, you can change the feel of the website with ease.
OceanWP, is a WordPress theme which is very versatile.
Elementor, is a page build which will enhances your website.
Check this Video out, that will help you set your website up.
Then there is the Another Quick Fix
Sign up to Wealthy Affiliate’s, it’s Free again. They won’t ask for credit card details, like most free platforms and make your responsibility to cancel your subscription before the free time ends. It’s Free for life but with limitations but enough to get you started and then to go on from there.
Once you sign up, go through the 10 lessons and set your website up. Should you get stuck just raise your hand and you will have a flood of community members at your side to help you on your journey.
What’s the Catch, you asked?
Busted, well we are hoping that you enjoy your experience, so that you can sign up permanently and grow your online business to great heights so that you may one day help others to do the same.
In Conclusion:
Don’t listen to anyone that says you don’t need a website. This is the only tool you need to get started online, in a business.
There are many other tools that you will be using along your journey, some you start with and then discard them moving onto better one’s as you increase your business but you will always have your home base, which is your website so take care in setting it up.
Hint: Take your time, enjoy the journey and document it so that you can share your story down the line.
what a great article iv booked marked this for a future reference to look back at, thanks for sharing this information.
Thanks Jason, Appreciate the positive comment. Regards Barry
Wealthy Affiliate is definitely a great choice. They teach you every step you need to take in other to Purchase a Website, a Domain Name, to build your site, to write good posts, etc. I am a WA member myself.
Thanks Meudje, for your comment. Your right, Wealthy Affiliates is an awesome place to learn. Regards Barry
Hey Barry,
Thank you for sharing such an informative article. I don’t understand when some affiliate marketers tell us that we don’t need a website. That tells me that whatever program they are selling is probably a scam.
The tools you have described in this article doesn’t seem to be too much and I think new affiliate marketers will learn a lot from you.
Thanks again for sharing and keep up the great work on your site.
All the best,
Tom
Thanks Tom for your encouragement, appreciate it. Regards Barry
Hi Barry. I built my first website through Wealthy Affiliate using the siterubix. Since then I have built three and have learned so much. I started as a beginner and feel very competent now. The premium subscription is definitely worth its money. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Catherine, appreciate your witness to the Wealthy Affiliate’s system of building websites.
Regards Barry
The best affiliate marketing tool basics is a great guide to get anyone started on the right track, and your website is your most valuable marketing tool and with WordPress, you can design your website totally free.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff, can’t say better! Barry