Beginner - Need Help Setting Up Business

25 replies
Hi there,

I am new, I notice this forum is full of helpful people who can answer my question almost within a blink of an eye so I just wanted to ask a few questions:

Question 1

I am thinking of setting up a website selling my products with an autoresponder. So right now I need to know what is my cost and whether I am on the right track.

1) I need a domain name from sites like Godaddy - 10$ a year?
2) I need a hosting site like Hostgator - 3.99$ per month?
3) I need an autoresponder like Aweber - 19$ monthly?

So correct me if I am wrong but are these all the requirements I need to start my site? Domain name, hosting site and autoresponder? The cost should be around 286$ a year which equals to roughly 23.80$ monthly.

Question 2

Does Aweber's service go by the number of subscribers? So the more subscribers the more I have to pay?

Question 3

I heard of doing SEO through blog commenting. How does that work? Does that mean you go through blogs commenting about their post and everytime you do, you provide a signature below which leads to your site? I am confuse :confused:. In other words, what is the right procedure to SEO through blog commenting or if theres any other tips you can give me to optimize my page ranks.

Question 4

I am looking for freelance sites where I can work as a writer. Is there any sites that you recommend?

That's all thanks !
#beginner #business #setting
  • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
    Your math is off.

    Aweber is 19.95 a month alone - so how do you get 11.17?
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Huang
      Originally Posted by Jill Carpenter View Post

      Your math is off.

      Aweber is 19.95 a month alone - so how do you get 11.17?
      Thanks for the correction, I am embarassed

      Hopefully I am in the right path
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  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    Yea sounds like the right compliment of resources for starters, some hosting bundles a domain name, but in some cases wresting the domain away is a hassle.

    Aweber cost is a tiered system, base price is 1000 subscriber limit, overall a small cost compared to subscriber values.
    If you are promoting super clean topics, you might be able to use the "perpetual free" mailChimp autoresponder account, good for 2000 names.

    You get the most benifit commenting on posts relate to your own site on blogs with dofollow comment links, the link ends up with your commenter name as the anchor text, keywords as a name are generally no allowed. There is automation software that allows services to provide spam comments for less than penny each, devaluating the seo benifit of comments in general. Some buy the forum backlinking guides by Angela Edwards and Paul that provide step by step proceedures, some forums change their policies after they have been 'featured'

    Here's one writer site that seems to be based in Las Vegas, but administered by a Dutch hosting company textbroker.com

    There are at least 10 respected freelance marketplaces, including freelancer, odesk, elance, guru.com, you can browse the jobs on some without signing up first.
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  • Profile picture of the author desception
    11.17? that's kinda low no?
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior X
    Originally Posted by Brandon Huang View Post


    Question 4

    I am looking for freelance sites where I can work as a writer. Is there any sites that you recommend?
    Right here in the good old 'Warriors for hire' section. I would rank that above places like oDesk, elance, etc. any day. The 20 bucks is more than worth it-- I speak from experience.

    If you want to try a freelance site, elance hands down has the highest quality buyers.
    ______
    Jeremy
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  • Profile picture of the author Kyle Oliveiro
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    • Profile picture of the author aniketsrivastava
      Hi Brandon...
      Hostgator - 3.99$ per month....i think this is 3 year package...u ll have to pay whole amount at once......

      Regards
      Aniket
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      • Profile picture of the author Alan Ashwood
        Originally Posted by Brandon Huang View Post

        Hi there,

        Question 1

        1) I need a domain name from sites like Godaddy - 10$ a year?
        2) I need a hosting site like Hostgator - 3.99$ per month?
        3) I need an autoresponder like Aweber - 19$ monthly?

        So correct me if I am wrong but are these all the requirements I need to start my site? Domain name, hosting site and autoresponder? The cost should be around 286$ a year which equals to roughly 23.80$ monthly.
        1. Generally speaking, yes, these are the basic necessities to get started, but you can make cost savings on the prices.

        If you can afford the initial layout in one go, you can get huge discounts on hosting, if like me you decide you're in business fo the long run, and buy 3-5 years of hosting. I manage to get a rate of $2.74 per month, and I don't have to worry about it for another five years.

        I have my hosting with JustHost, which is ideal for me in the UK. When you sign up, you can get a free domain at the same time, with no annual renewal costs, as long as you keep it with them. Other hosting services may offer a similar deal.

        You can also host a number of domains under your main account, saving having to have a lot of accounts. I have one account that hosts several Wordpress domains.

        Question 2

        Does Aweber's service go by the number of subscribers? So the more subscribers the more I have to pay?

        2. Yes, it certainly does. If cost is not an issue, Aweber offers an excellent service. However, if you're watching the pennies, I can recommend ListWire, which remains free no matter how many lists and how many names you have.

        Originally Posted by webapex View Post


        If you are promoting super clean topics, you might be able to use the "perpetual free" mailChimp autoresponder account, good for 2000 names.
        3. Beware of Mailchimp. They are very strict on what they allow. For instance they do not permit lists to be used for affiliate marketing, and a lot of other things. Check their T & Cs first.

        4. Blog Commenting is an excellent way to get your name known, and get links back to your own site. You benefit most by making your comments relevant to the subject.

        If the blog you visit has CommentLuv activated, you can even publicise your latest post, which often stimulates more visitors.



        Originally Posted by Robert Herrie View Post

        Brandon..I couldnt help but notice your math. Seeing your concerns for $3.99 for hosting, $10 bucks for a domain etc..

        Everything is expensive ,including websites ,hosting , advertising ,writing articles. In fact you must plan on spending a large amount of money with very little return in the next 3 years..
        5. Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. One of the great benefits of entering IM is that you can certainly get started for a very low cost. The only cost I would recommend, beyond the basics, would be to sign up to a good, recommended training or mentoring service. The best ones can get you earning in a couple of weeks, even with little or no finance.

        The one thing to remember though, is that you have less money, you will need more time, and even more effort.


        Originally Posted by aniketsrivastava View Post

        Hi Brandon...
        Hostgator - 3.99$ per month....i think this is 3 year package...u ll have to pay whole amount at once......
        See my comment 1. above.

        Cheers
        Alan
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        Now where did I put that pencil?

        Time for a cuppa.
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  • Profile picture of the author deardarin
    hi Brandon,

    ask the questions, but find your own way
    it's the best way in internet marketing

    good luck

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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Herrie
    Brandon..I couldnt help but notice your math. Seeing your concerns for $3.99 for hosting, $10 bucks for a domain etc..

    I was in your shoes exactly just about 4 years ago..A year ago i was still Not making any great money..Nows much different! But im gonna tell you something up front so it dont come as a huge suprise to you later /..$3.99 is hardly enough money to even speak of when getting into Internet Marketing. Everything is expensive ,including websites ,hosting , advertising ,writing articles.In fact you must plan on spending a large amount of money with very little return in the next 3 years..

    Some people get very lucky and hit it big in 3 months.But this is RARE...there is a few things you will hear repeatedly on this forum and every where else online when it comes to getting started in IM..

    PERSISTENCE
    LAZER FOCUS
    PICK A NICHE STICK WITH IT

    You hear these things repeatedly for a single reason ...This is the laws of making it in the top 5% of all people who make it in Internet marketing..This is an extremely tough industry to get into ..BUT if you start your website and get a solid plan together and keep with it ...YOU WILL SUCCEED!! I promise you..

    The most difficult part of all this is KEEPING with it ..Even if your wife is screaming at you for spending all the money again on those stupid ads.Or even if you spend too much this week and you have to pay your car payment next week ..or maybe you downloaded something stupid and erased the kids games..This is all normal especially the part where every one you know will criticize you and tell tou how you will never make any money at all doing that...In fact after a couple years of earning maybe 50 bucks a month after spending $800 a month...DONT LISTEN TO THEM again i promise you if you stay focused you will make it ..last year ,not even 9 months ago ..I was on this forum begging for help..IM NOT MAKING ANY MONEY after 3 years dedicated work and spendeing...

    one warrior even told me that "MAYBE YOU JUST DONT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES"
    Then KENSTER told me almost the same thing im telling you...here it is 9 months later my whole world is much much different..I cant go into details now but GOOD LUCK!!
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    • Profile picture of the author cashtree
      Originally Posted by Robert Herrie View Post

      Brandon..I couldnt help but notice your math. Seeing your concerns for $3.99 for hosting, $10 bucks for a domain etc..

      I was in your shoes exactly just about 4 years ago..A year ago i was still Not making any great money..Nows much different! But im gonna tell you something up front so it dont come as a huge suprise to you later /..$3.99 is hardly enough money to even speak of when getting into Internet Marketing. Everything is expensive ,including websites ,hosting , advertising ,writing articles.In fact you must plan on spending a large amount of money with very little return in the next 3 years..

      Some people get very lucky and hit it big in 3 months.But this is RARE...there is a few things you will hear repeatedly on this forum and every where else online when it comes to getting started in IM..

      PERSISTENCE
      LAZER FOCUS
      PICK A NICHE STICK WITH IT

      You hear these things repeatedly for a single reason ...This is the laws of making it in the top 5% of all people who make it in Internet marketing..This is an extremely tough industry to get into ..BUT if you start your website and get a solid plan together and keep with it ...YOU WILL SUCCEED!! I promise you..

      The most difficult part of all this is KEEPING with it ..Even if your wife is screaming at you for spending all the money again on those stupid ads.Or even if you spend too much this week and you have to pay your car payment next week ..or maybe you downloaded something stupid and erased the kids games..This is all normal especially the part where every one you know will criticize you and tell tou how you will never make any money at all doing that...In fact after a couple years of earning maybe 50 bucks a month after spending $800 a month...DONT LISTEN TO THEM again i promise you if you stay focused you will make it ..last year ,not even 9 months ago ..I was on this forum begging for help..IM NOT MAKING ANY MONEY after 3 years dedicated work and spendeing...

      one warrior even told me that "MAYBE YOU JUST DONT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES"
      Then KENSTER told me almost the same thing im telling you...here it is 9 months later my whole world is much much different..I cant go into details now but GOOD LUCK!!
      Not trying to be a downer but that's one of the saddest stories i've ever read on this forum. Basically you threw away $6750 in 9 months? No offense but I don't know many people who could afford to do that, unless they were already well off or were making big money.
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  • Profile picture of the author dee4d
    Hi Brandon, I must recommend you for being sincere. I believe if you ask, you will receive, I will ask if want to know something I have set to do. That is the power of networking, and that is what WF is all about. I'm still building my own brand and making my key words to be authoritative. Your questions and the responses from warriors have already made me review my journey in making money online, that is how helpful you are.
    Learn as much as you can about SEO, there is so much. Comments, keyword research, improving your PR, getting inlinks, among others is all part of the game. You will have to do all this concurrently.
    Don't be in a rush to make money online, build your work first. Hard work, consistency, and doing what is right will make you make lots of money eventually, but this requires a lot of patience to get there. We are all in this journey to do that, all the best.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim X
    Brandon,
    It sounds like you are on the right track. If I may just mention something that I don't see too many people commenting about. One of the biggest things you will do is said in the title of this thread. "Setting up a Business."

    This is a business you are setting up. Treat it so. You will be more successful if you do. Treat the relationships you build in your business like gold too.

    Many people treat internet marketing as sort of a side thing that may or may not work. If you treat it like a business you will make better decisions based on that. And if you look for ways to grow you business you will find opportunities spring up.

    Hope that helps. Good luck,
    James
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  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    Originally Posted by Brandon Huang View Post

    Question 3
    I heard of doing SEO through blog commenting. How does that work? Does that mean you go through blogs commenting about their post and everytime you do, you provide a signature below which leads to your site? I am confuse :confused:. In other words, what is the right procedure to SEO through blog commenting or if theres any other tips you can give me to optimize my page ranks.
    Before you begin focusing on your off-page efforts you need to understand how to correctly optimize your own site. For starters you need to understand how to properly use your title, description and h1 tags. Your keyword needs to be in these. All of them.

    Your content should be original, not-spun, and written for human readers and not search engines. Don't worry too much about keyword density. If you write for humans you'll naturally use your keyword and related keywords without even thinking about it.

    Ensure that your images are optimized, preferably using your keywords in the file name and alt tag. Provide as much content as you possibly can for your site. The more the merrier!

    When it comes to off-page seo focus on guest posting and article directory submissions to quickly build up your link profile. Do a press release announcing your website--this will allow you to get some links from high quality and well-trusted sources.

    Blog comments are pretty much useless these days, however, you may find a couple of niche related blogs where commenting makes sense. Even then it will be worth your time to contact them about a guest post--especially if the site is related to yours.
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    You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brandon Huang
    Thanks for the comments, although I can't thank all of you personally since there are just so many comments coming in at once.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alan Ashwood
      Originally Posted by Brandon Huang View Post

      Thanks for the comments, although I can't thank all of you personally since there are just so many comments coming in at once.
      Course you can, Brandon.

      If people have given you their time to help and advise, all you have to do is hit the THANKS button on the ones you appreciate.
      That's what makes the Forum sociable, and it's nice to be appreciated for your work, especially when it's free.
      It'll take you all of three minutes.
      Cheers
      Signature
      Now where did I put that pencil?

      Time for a cuppa.
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  • Profile picture of the author 4Frankie
    Hi Brandon

    Just keep on asking questions on Warrior Forum and sift through the answers but you certainly have come to the right place. I have found it very helpful.
    Carry on and good luck.
    Jim X has some great comments - business is business and treat it like you want to build longterm.
    Build those relationships - agree with Jim X they are like gold.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Broody
    Also you can check out
    Challenge by Ed Dale - great tutorial

    2. More subscribers you will, more you will need to pay
    4. Long time ago I was making money on freelance site Rentacoder.com, as already was suggested, you can also try Warriors For Hire
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  • Profile picture of the author Jerry Reily
    Originally Posted by Brandon Huang View Post

    Hi there,

    I am new, I notice this forum is full of helpful people who can answer my question almost within a blink of an eye so I just wanted to ask a few questions:

    Question 1

    I am thinking of setting up a website selling my products with an autoresponder. So right now I need to know what is my cost and whether I am on the right track.

    1) I need a domain name from sites like Godaddy - 10$ a year?
    2) I need a hosting site like Hostgator - 3.99$ per month?
    3) I need an autoresponder like Aweber - 19$ monthly?

    So correct me if I am wrong but are these all the requirements I need to start my site? Domain name, hosting site and autoresponder? The cost should be around 286$ a year which equals to roughly 23.80$ monthly.

    Question 2

    Does Aweber's service go by the number of subscribers? So the more subscribers the more I have to pay?

    Question 3

    I heard of doing SEO through blog commenting. How does that work? Does that mean you go through blogs commenting about their post and everytime you do, you provide a signature below which leads to your site? I am confuse :confused:. In other words, what is the right procedure to SEO through blog commenting or if theres any other tips you can give me to optimize my page ranks.

    Question 4

    I am looking for freelance sites where I can work as a writer. Is there any sites that you recommend?

    That's all thanks !
    Decide first what you really want. You want to setup a business yet you also want to work as a writer? How will able to help your business if you are working for somebody else?

    Some tip if you want to create a forum or a blog site, subscribe to Postloop and post comments there and earn some sort of a credit. These credits can be exchange for comments on your site or in monetary value via Paypal.
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  • Profile picture of the author NestZone
    First of all you need a business premises, get a website with a very good domain name relating to your business, and then you can start promoting it from there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brandon Huang
    Alright I am going to get myself justhost since it's cheap and comes with a free domain and also I would like to try the listwire autoresponder if it's said to be free or cost less than aweber. Alan Ashwood has some good suggestion, thanks dude! For now I am sticking with this to as my initial plan and if anyone think otherwise, please let me know, I love all your suggestions! Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author kaivearn
    QnA TIME!!!!!!

    Question 1-
    Yes you need a Domain name and Hostgator (maybe get the $7 package).
    You do not need to get Aweber yet. I do not know what you are trying
    to do.

    Do you...
    1) Want to do Amazon Affiliate Marketing?
    2) Want to do Adsense niches?
    3) Want to promote Clickbank and other affiliate products.

    If you choose 1 and 2, no you do not necessarily need an autoresponder.
    My affiliate sites have done very well without them although it is
    always good to implement this in the future. You really do not need it
    as of yet.

    If you choose 3, then capturing their email addresses to build your list
    and interacting with them via email marketing is very important.
    If this is the case, Aweber will be right for you.

    Question 2
    This has already been answered.

    Question 3
    Download SEO Toolbar for Firefox. That way you can analyse what
    site have a do-follow or no-follow link.

    Where you enter your name when you submit your comment; you put in your keyword and link them
    to your page

    For example
    Name: Best [niche] Reviews
    URL: [insert domain here]

    That is just one of the ways you can go about it.

    Question 4
    A lot of people have chimed in. You can also try Fiverr.

    You are trying to kill to many birds with one stone. Sit down, think and decide what you want to do, then go destroy it.
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  • Profile picture of the author imposant
    I would go to some other registrar, godaddy is not that efficient in claiming back your domains in case you got hacked.
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  • Profile picture of the author WilliamsDan
    Hello Brandon,

    You are on the right path but like kaivearn said try not to do too many things at once especially now when you are a beginner. This can be overwhelming and it might put you in a situation where you don't know what to do anymore.

    My advice is to really think about it, choose ONE of the endless ways you can make money online and stick with it. Become an expert and them move on to the another one.

    In my opinion this is the way. When I first started I remember that I wanted to do everything and I ended up doing nothing, so I changed my way of thinking and now I can see real results.

    It needs hard work and determination from you but you can do it only starting small and grow with time, learning new things every day.

    Success building your business!
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  • Profile picture of the author puedall
    I honestly think that better option for you would be Getresponse autoresponder.
    They have great deal for beginners, it is pretty much pay as you grow system and they are reliable. So, you would not pay until you get 100 subscribers, that is a great help as far as i am concerned.
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