How to Register a Domain Name

How to Register a Domain Name

Reserving a domain name is easy and very cost friendly. The big name companies like Register.com and NetworkSolutions.com charge ridiculous prices such as $30-35/year for one domain name, and you get the same service at WebsitePalace.com.
It doesn't matter where you register your domain.  Almost every registrar provides the same services.
You can save a bundle at WebsitePalace.com, and you'll have access to free domain forwarding. (Forward any domain to any site for FREE!)

Brandable or Keyword Domains?

For search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, many experts recommend registering a domain with keywords you want to be found for. While this was a must years ago, it's not quite the necessity it once was.
Some people prefer to go for a shorter, brandable domain that's easier to remember -- especially because so many "good" domains are taken these days.
So instead of registering a keyword-rich name like FishingAdviceForBeginners.com, a person may choose to go with FishZingo.com. Zingo is a made-up word, but it keeps the domain short, brandable and easy to remember.
I personally think you should try to use the keywords you plan to target as long as you can keep the domain reasonably short (2-3 words) and readable. When your name is descriptive, people immediately know what your site is about.
Having said that, don't make your domain name so long and awkard that it's hard to read and remember. It's really about finding a balance. Also, don't be shy about bouncing ideas off your friends and family before registering.
Here's another tip. Write the name down to give you an idea of what it may look like on business cards, T-shirts and other printed materials.
Remember, your domain is a big part of your brand, so take your time coming up with the right name for your site.

"All The Good Domains are Taken!"

As you're registering your domain, you may feel that all the names you want are taken. You just have to get creative. Website Palace has a great page that offers tips for landing a good domain name.

You May Want to Protect Your Privacy

As you're registering your name, you will be presented with the option of keeping your domain name private - a deluxe feature you may want to take advantage of.
A private domain registration will keep your information (name, email address, etc.) out of the global Internet database, and will prevent a lot of spam from reaching your email box.
Even though registering a "private" domain is not mandatory and will not block all spam, it is a great idea if you want to keep your contact information out of the domain registry database. Some people want to register domains anonymously, so this is the reason this option is available.

Top Notch Support Available

If you should ever have a question, phone support is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week at Website Palace.
Most people that come here are new to the website creation scene.  Their number one fear is that they'll invest their money into something that is new and unfamiliar, and then get stuck with no one to help them should they have a question.  Well, that's not going to happen here.

Select a Web Host

After you have registered your domain name you're ready to choose a web host.
A web host provides you with the space, tools and support to create your web pages and email accounts (you@yourdomain.com).
This is where all the action happens, so please read this page carefully to ensure that you choose the most appropriate option for your site.

WebsitePalace.com

If you host your site here, you will get my free web templates (with video instructions). So if you want to create a static website like this one, you'll have some help to get you going.
I can guarantee you that no other host is going to provide templates like this with video guidance. Please don't forget that the templates are on the thank you page immediately after you place your order.
Website Palace has two kinds of hosting plans - regular and Website Tonight.
The regular plan is the most common option. With this hosting, you can install WordPress (blogging), setup a forum and add all kinds of free scripts and applications that come with the plan.
Also, if you plan to buy Dreamweaver, Artisteer or use my templates to build your website, they are compatible with this host. This is the most flexible kind of hosting.
If you choose Website Tonight, you will have access to a template builder. No software is needed. You just choose from hundreds of templates, add your text, images, video and you're ready to go.
Even though this option is extremely easy and fast, I wouldn't recommend it for business websites or blogging. It's best for personal, simple sites.

Powweb Hosting

Powweb is one of the first companies I used to host my websites.
They are a privately owned, debt-free company that maintains all of their services in-house and have been providing top-notch web hosting since 1999.
Easy Website Builder Available
Powweb also offers a site wizard similar to Website Tonight plans (above) where you can choose a pre-created layout/template and create a website in minutes.
No programming is necessary.  All you do is select the design you want and add your text.
Free Built-In Shopping Cart
The Powweb hosting plan also comes with a built-in shopping cart in case you want to take orders from your site (no installation necessary). 
This is an ideal feature if you plan to sell products. Setting up a shopping cart can be a hassle so this is a very nice convenience.
Use Your Own HTML Editor
If you don't want to use their free website builder, you can also use software like Artisteer to create your website design. 
Dreamweaver is also an option.
Advanced Features
This hosting option also provides the platform so you can add advanced features such as message boards, chat rooms and other interactive features.
Tons of Satisfied Customers
When you visit their site, you'll notice that they proudly display over 100 testimonials from their satisfied customers that prove they are well worth the time and investment. 
They also pride themselves on their peer-to-peer chat forums so you can chat with other Powweb customers as you share ideas, ask questions, and more.  You can read my review of Powweb here.
How to Sign Up
When you register your domain name at WebsitePalace.com, don't select a web host -- only order the domain.
Then after you have finished the domain name registration process, head on over to Powweb's site and sign up for their hosting.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Powweb. This means I receive a commission if you sign up from this website. My credibility is extremely important to me, therefore I only endorse products I have personally purchased and used. This site is independently owned and the opinions expressed here are my own.

All-in-One Hosting Option: Site Build It

This host is ideal if you want to make money with your website.   If you choose this method you don't have to register a domain name separately because everything you need is included in the price.
I repeat...

If you choose Site Build It!, you do not need to go to WebsitePalace.com to buy a domain name, choose hosting, buy software or anything. Site Build It! takes care of all that for you.

All the tools you need for building your site are in one place.  The domain name, hosting, web page building tools, marketing help, search engine submission, ranking reports, you name it!
SBI! uses templates so no HTML knowledge is necessary.  All you do is choose a template of your choice and add your text to build your website.
Don't get me wrong. You can use Powweb or WebsitePalace.com's regular hosting plan for a money-making website, but you don't get the marketing and search engine ranking help that you will definitely need if you want to draw in targeted traffic.
I would never say you must use SBI! to achieve success, I'm just saying it's the best system I know. A lot of people attempt to build an ecommerce website using one of the less expensive hosts only to come back to Site Build It because they need help driving traffic to their sites.
After all, if you don't learn how to generate traffic, you won't make any money.
The other hosts mentioned here do not show you how to get a top 10 ranking in the major search engines.   You are on your own.
SBI also comes with a brainstorming tool to help you pinpoint the most profitable topic (high demand and low supply).  Often times people choose the wrong topic/niche because of too much competition or not enough people searching for it.  SBI makes sure you don't make that mistake.

Want to Create a Free Website?

Mark my words. If you use a free host for your business you are making a huge mistake. Period.
I know what you're thinking... I can't afford a website right now and why should I have to pay when there are sites like Blogger.com?
While that is true, you never really own your content and it could be taken away in an instant. All your hard work could be gone and you have absolutely no control over what Blogger does with your website.
Don't make the same mistake I did. After this nightmare, I vowed to never go the "free route" again. Web hosting is so incredibly cheap these days, it's worth the small investment to ensure you own and control your website.
I know what you're thinking. I'll just start off free and then get paid hosting after I start making money.
Bad idea.
I would rather you wait and save your money then to choose a free host today with the intentions of upgrading to paid hosting later.
I can tell you from the e-mails I receive that those who start off free and plan to upgrade later end up regretting the decision simply because switching hosts and moving your website is a royal pain in the you-know-what. So you might as well build right the first time.
Not convinced yet? OK, I understand. Read on...

Disadvantages of Free Web Hosts

• Limited web page space
• Can't add interactive features (chat rooms, forums, membership areas, games, etc.)
• Search engines often ignore them (Your traffic will be limited)
• Your visitors may doubt your credibility
• May have banners and/or pop ads on your homepage and/or all of your pages
• Long and hard-to-remember web address (instead of yourdomain.com)
• No guarantees of site availability and longevity
• No branded emails addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
• Poor help and support options (if any)
• May not be free forever

Advantages of Owning Your Domain Name

• Easy to remember website address (yourdomain.com)
• No banners or popups
• Easier to get listed in search engines (Google, Yahoo etc.)
• You have more control over the look and feel of your website.
• Multiple branded email addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
• Plenty of web page space for site expansion
• No worries of site being removed unexpectedly
• Looks more professional
• More flexibility for design and functionality
• Help is readily available

Free Websites & Making Money Online Don't Mix

It amazes me how many people tell me that they want to start a business website but don't want to invest any money. I don't know of a single successful website owner that created their business website on a free host.
If you were starting an offline business, you'd plan on investing some money right?  Well, doing business on the web is no different.  If you don't plan to invest anything to start a business then I'd have to question how serious you are about this venture.
I've been making money on the Internet for over a decade and I have YET to read a success story from someone hosting their site on Blogger.com or Yola. It's no coincidence that successful people own their own domains.
Plus, you can't expect people to take you or your site seriously if your website address starts with something like is http://myfreesite...
And if the address doesn't tip your visitor's off, the banners and pop-ups you'll be forced to display sure will.  Also, the templates (if any!) they provide are generally very basic and lacking a professional appearance.
Think about it. Wouldn't you be a little suspicious if the web address of a business was something like http://members.aol.com/users/myhomepage.html with pop-ups and banners instead of www.companyABC.com?
Web surfers are becoming much more Internet savvy and they can smell a "cheap site" a mile away.  You don't want to lose credibility and potential customers because of the unprofessional feel.
Any time someone sends me their "business" site on Blogger.com I immediately discredit the site. Sorry, but that's what most people do. Free web hosts just aren't taken seriously in general.
Not to mention, you can only do some much with them. So if you want to add shopping carts, order forms and additional interactive features you probably won't be able to do this because most free hosting companies don't offer that kind of functionality.

More Problems Free Website Hosters May Encounter

It is quite expensive for these companies to run a free hosting service because the company has to pay for the space and the bandwidth (traffic) to host thousands of web sites. And since they are offering these sites for free, some companies find themselves loosing money very quickly.
They try to keep their service free by slapping banners on the member's pages, hoping that people will click and purchase products...but think about it...how many banners have you clicked on lately?
Exactly.
Then some may try to redeem themselves by charging a "small" fee for their service. And of course, if you aren't willing to pay for your site, you can say "bye bye" to all of your hard work.
If you haven't read my story, here it is again.
Almost all free website providers let you know in their terms and conditions that there are NO GUARANTEES when it comes to keeping your available.  Which means they reserve the right to remove your site at anytime, regardless of how much work you've put into it.
If you're still thinking of using a free host after all that, then I'm not sure there's much more I can say to convince you. If money is tight, I can certainly respect that.
As I said earlier, I'd rather you wait and save some money instead of starting free and planning to upgrade later. Sorry, but in my opinion free hosting is almost always a bad idea -- especially for long-term, business/money making websites.

The Best Way to Build a Website

My recommendation is to register your own domain name and build your site from scratch.
The registration process is very easy.  You're able to search the Internet's domain name database until you find a name that hasn't been taken.  Within seconds you can reserve it and it's yours for as long as you want.
Once you have the name you want, you'll need a place to create your web pages.  A web hosting company will provide you with the help you need in this area.  You'll be happy to know that the hosting options recommended here provide top notch support.
Just do yourself a favor and try it.  You have no obligations to keep your site. Hosting fees are not expensive and you can terminate your plan anytime.
I hope you'll make the smart decision. :)  Good luck!

Why Buy Site Build It!?

There are two options I recommend for building a website...
1) Buy a domain and a web hosting plan @ WebsitePalace.com and use Artisteer or my web templates to create your site. You can also create a WordPress blog as well.
Or...
2) Buy Site Build It!
If you choose option #1, you will save money, but there is no help for building traffic and making money with your site. You're on your own (with the exception of the free tutorials I offer for WebsitePalace.com customers.)
If you choose Site Build It!, you will receive step-by-step advice, a video action guide, site builder and forum support.

What Does SBI! Offer?

Tools, Tools and More Tools
The biggest gift of SBI! is the suite of tools. With your yearly (or monthly) fee, you receive...

• A domain name
• Hosting
• Web page templates
• Site builder
• A mailing list manager
• Autoresponder
• Marketing help
• Brainstorming tool (to help choose a "profitable" topic)
• A link tracker
• An SEO "Analyze It!" tool (to help with search engine rankings) and so much more.

All the tools you need to begin your site are in one place and you'll have a Video Action Guide at your disposal to guide you through their 10-day process from start to finish.
There is no software to download with SBI!. Everything is provided from the customer login area.
All of the above are included with your subscription fee. There are no hidden costs.
Friendly Forums
As an SBI! customer, you will have access to post on the member forums to ask questions and chat with other successful SBI! owners. It's a great place to bounce ideas off other customers and get suggestions for your site along the way.
Money Back Guarantee
I know the creator of Site Build It! personally. I had the pleasure of working for SiteSell for a short time. Ken Evoy is a man of his word and he stands by his product.
If for any reason you don't like SBI! you can get a full refund in the first 30 days. (The refund is prorated beyond this period.)

Do I Have to Use the SBI! Templates?

Most customers choose to use the SBI! templates simply because it's easier and faster. You don't have to know any HTML or programming to build your site with SBI! so many people choose that route and make plans to redesign at a later time.
However, if you want to use your own software and learn how to design your site, you may certaily do that as I did with my own SBI! site, flat-stomach-exercises.com.

Why Buy SBI! When There are Cheaper Options?

I get this question a lot and it's a very valid one. After all, why pay $29/month when there are hosting options for $10/mo. or less?
Some people judge Site Build It! solely by the price and automatically assume it's a scam.
Well hopefully now you know the answer to that question after reading about the many tools and help you will receive. But just in case you are still on the fence, I asked a few other SBI! owners the same question and here are their responses...

Why did you buy SBI! when there are cheaper hosting options?

Greg of DecorMadeSimple.com said...
To sum it all up, reputable information.

I've been an SBI customer since August 2007. Prior to SBI I built several websites
using a variety of different hosts, Yahoo Small Business, Microsoft Small Business,
GoDaddy and Wordpress.

None of these hosts provided any where near the amount of quality "how to" information SBI provides. The information alone is worth the price of admission, the tools and hosting are secondary.
Sonya of Best-Baby-Shower-Planning-Guide.com said...
Even though there are other cheaper web hosts available, SBI! seemed perfect for someone with no website building knowledge (but it’s a good program for experience website builders too). The program doesn't just show you how to do something; it explains to you why it's important to do it in order to get noticed and be successful online.
Sonya has two SBI! sites. She also owns Merry-Christmas-Party.com.
Brankica of cool-small-pets.com said...
I didn't know anything about website building so I thought it would be smarter to pay a bit more since I didn't have time to do all by myself.
Since I have a full time job I don't have time to work on it much but it is making a few tenths of euros every month and starting to pay for itself.
Annie of cat-talk-101.com said...
Though I know there were free blog sites and cheap hosting options, without a doubt, purchasing SBI was the best decision I could have made. I’m no longer wondering about how to build an online business…I’m doing it! You really do get what you pay for!
Melva of Your-Home-Based-Business-Ideas.com said...
When I learned that I did not have to know HTML, and pay for a separate auto-responder and file management I decided to purchase SBI in January 2009. I have learned just a little html and love block-by-block. I love my online business and I have even started a second SBI site.
Mr. Potential of Self-Improvement-Life-Coach.com said...
Prior to Site Build It, I purchased hosting with other web hosts for a few dollars a month. I did not have a lot of experience then with creating, marketing or making money with a website. I quickly found out that the hosting companies didn’t provide me with the education, tools and support I needed. So in August 2009, I purchased the Site Build It subscription because it had all the things I needed in one package to be successful online. It made sense to spend more to make more money. Now I can help others do the same.
------------------------------
So as you can see from the comments above, all of these people knew there were cheaper options for building a website, but many of them valued the tools and the fact you need no technical knowledge to build a website.
Also notice these are REAL testimonials from REAL people with REAL websites that you can actually visit. There's nothing worse than seeing a testimonial from John P. from Los Angeles with no real evidence that he really exists or uses the product. :)
SBI! is real. They have many happy customers with thriving websites, so there's no reason for me to conjur up fake testimonials.

Which is Better SBI! or Standard Hosting?

That all depends on you. You can be successful with either. I sure have. The question is, What are you most comfortable with?
If you want to save a bit of money and learn to do a lot on your own, then go with standard hosting.
However, if you need more step-by-step guidance, don't want to worry about buying or learning how to use web software, would like help with building traffic and making money then go with SBI!.
"Better" is definitely relative. It really depends on you and your individual needs. Nevertheless, I still think SBI! is an outstanding choice if you want to make money online with a content affiliate website.

Feedburner & RSS Help

Once you create your blog, you'll want to learn a bit about RSS feeds and how to mange and promote your blog's feed.
RSS stands for really simple syndication and it's a file (often called a web feed) that contains information about your most recent blog posts.
So if someone wants to keep up with your newest content, they can subscribe to your feed using their favorite RSS reader.
I use Google Reader to keep up with blogs I follow, but there are a ton of free RSS readers available. The Firefox browser even has one built in to the Bookmarks feature.

What is Feedburner?

Feedburner (FB) is a free service owned by Google that tracks information about your RSS feed. It reports how many subscribers/readers you have and also provides ways to promote and display your feed content.
You can display statistics by simply copying and pasting the provided code. For example, see the number in the red box below?
This is how many RSS feed subscribers/readers I have on my blog today. The number updates everyday based on statistics Feedburner gathers about your feed's readership.
So Feedburner allows you to display this info on your site if you wish and you can customzie the color of the widget. Of course, if you'd rather not announce your stats to the world, you can view them privately in the comfort of your own Feedburner account.

What is My Feed URL?

Before you get started with Feedburner, you need to find out your blog's feed address.
1) If you are using Blogger, look at the bottom of your blog template. There is probably a link that says something like Posts (Atom). Hover your mouse over the link and right-click, then choose "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Shortcut".
2) If you're using WordPress then your RSS feed is probably something like
yourdomain.com/feed or blog.yourdomain.com/feed (if your blog is on a sudomain).
This is the feed URL of your blog and it's automatically updated when you make a new post.

Joining Feedburner

When you join FB, the first thing they will ask you to do is "burn your feed." This is where you enter the URL that I showed you how to locate above.
That means you are going to redirect this original feed URL to a new Feedburner address for tracking and reporting.
So instead of using the original blog feed address, you will use your new FB address for promotion. Now, when telling people to subscribe to your blog, you will send them to the FB address.
For example, the Feedburner address/URL for my blog is...
http://feeds2.feedburner.com/2createawebsite I now use that instead of
http://blog.2createawebsite.com/feed (my original WordPress feed that I burned to Feedburner.)
Of course, if anyone happens to find the old address, Feedburner will redirect that subscriber to my new feed and record the stats accordingly.
Now you're ready to start promoting your feed so people can subscribe to it.
Most people link to their feeds using the infamous, orange RSS icon and a hyperlink. An example is below...
Subscribe to my blog's RSS feed
I would highly recommend making your feed link visible. If your audience loves your site, they'll be looking for this link.

Displaying Your RSS Feed Items on Web Pages

One cool thing about FB is that you can publicize your feed data very easily. Say you have a website and a blog and you want to show your most recent blog post titles on your website's homepage.
This is simple to do with Feedburner. You just go to the "Publicize" tab and select "Buzz Boost." Follow the steps, copy and paste the code into your site and your latest blog posts will automatically populate on your site.
Here's an example...
I used Feedburner to burn a feed from my forum. (vBulletin forums automatically generate RSS feeds for each forum.)
So if I want to display the latest posts from my Blogging forum, I just burn the feed to Feedburner, copy and paste the necessary code, and FB will automatically display my most recent posts/discussions from my forum's Blogging section.

How to Create a Blog

The content is usually organized by date and category with the most recent post/content displaying first.
If you look at this site, the content is organized by content and not by date or category. There are also no comments.
This is a static website I created with Dreamweaver.
So it's important to think about how you want your content to be organized by default.
Having your visitors view/sort your content by date and category may not be the optimal solution for every kind of site because the older content will get buried over time.
Have you ever visited a blog and had trouble finding what you're looking for because of the content organization?
This is because the owner didn't do a good job of making use of static pages and linking to useful content to help you navigate through it.
Blogs are awesome for highlighting new content, but if you don't take the time to organize your content effectively, your important information can get buried.

Blogs Are Perfect For...

If you plan on creating the kind of website where you're just highlighting newsworthy information on a very specific niche, then a traditional blog format is ideal.
Think TechCrunch.
It's a site that features the latest and greatest info about technology. So it makes sense to just sort the content by category and date because people coming there just want the most recent information.
Also, if they are interested in a certain kind of content, they can browse by category (i.e. Gadgets, Social, Startups, etc.)
If you plan on writing a lot of newsworthy content on a certain topic then a standard blog is perfect for this.
However, if you are creating a tutorial site where a static layout is more appropriate (like this one) then you may want to either consider a static site or make your WordPress site more static by using WordPress menus, Pages, etc. like I did on my hair website.
I discuss how to do this in the video near the bottom of the page and in my WordPress tutorial.

FTP Tutorial - How to Use FileZilla

FTP stands for "file transfer protocol" and it's the process of moving files from one location to another.  In this instance, you will be moving files from your local environment (i.e. your computer) to your web host.
PLEASE NOTE:   Be sure your host provides FTP access before you continue (most free ones do not).  Powweb is one of the most reputable web hosts around.  They support FTP uploads and you'll receive a ton of disk space for a low, low price.
If you are using a free website provider and do not have access to FTP then there is probably some kind of upload option in the file management area where you can upload files to your website.  Be sure to check with your host to find out how to do this.