Resources, Tools & Helpful Links |
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A Few Words About Websites |
Definitions / Analogies for Better Understanding.
Your Domain Name is like the address for your house.
Hosting is like the street on the internet highway where your domain will be located.
Next, you've got to pick a frame (i.e. the four walls) for your house. My preferred frame is WORDPRESS (there are many others, including custom sites built by developers, Joomla, Droople and many others whose names I don't even know!)
Once you pick your frame, then it's time to design the interior ... that's the THEME that will run on your website.
WORDPRESS is my preferred frame for several reasons:
- It's the one I know best (and therefore, the one I can offer you the most support around).
- Because of its huge popularity, most web designers are familiar with it and they can help you too.
- There are tons of different themes, plugins and additional resources you can use that easily integrate with WORDPRESS because it's so popular.
OPTIMIZE PRESS is my preferred theme for the following reasons:
- For as little as a one time fee of $97 you get licensed to use this theme on up to 3 sites. (Larger packages are available)
- They offer great video training inside their customer portal
- Customer support is responsive, usually in less than 24 hours.
- And the main reason ... they are current with the most effective, highly converting web pages. Loaded with templates to set up sales pages, testimonials, pay buttons and so much more!
- And ... all of their sites are mobile ready! Which means they are optimized to be viewed on smart phones and tablets.
Use for the purchase of Domain Names and Web Hosting (Less than $10/month)
Regarding web hosting they offer two plans:
- Hatchling - the least expensive BUT it can only be used to host one website (domain name)
- Baby - for just a few dollars more this account allows you to host unlimited websites (domain names)
**Hosting many domain names with the Baby plan is great, however, if you have too many (i.e. more than 5, the load time of your site can be affected ... it will be slower).
Optimize Press: My favorite WordPress Theme (Price $97)
- For one time fee of $97 you get licensed to use it on up to 3 websites
- Easily create web pages that POP and CONVERT
- Mobile Ready -- that means people can easily read your pages on all mobile devices (as well as desktops and laptops)
- Great video tutorials to help you set it up
1 Shopping Cart (From $34/month)
I've been using this system for more than 8 years and it's got great functionality for the following:
- Lead capture: creating opt-in forms for your website
- Email follow up with an auto-responder series
- Selling Products Online: easily link your paypal or merchant account so you can make money online
- You can create lists and segment your future email campaigns
- Set up others as affiliates to market your products and programs
- They continuously upgrade their system and services to provide more options
AWeber (From $19/month)
I've used and tested this system for myself and some clients. It provides a less expensive solution than 1 Shopping Cart AND ... it's easy to use. They have great video tutorials and a step by step process as you build each campaign.
- Lead capture: creating optin forms for your website
- Email follow up with an auto-responder series
- Selling Products Online: easily link your paypal or merchant account so you can make money online
- You can create lists and segment your future email campaigns
- Affiliates: I'm not sure whether AWeber has affiliate set up functionality.
The Mac Daddy ... Infusionsoft (From $49 or $99 per month + Set Up Fee)
Infusionsoft is surely the Mac Daddy of email marketing, online shopping carts, contact management system and building marketing campaigns.
This one is really for the super savvy marketer who has or plans to build a huge list and wants access to a robust contact management system.
There's quite a learning curve, although they do provide online video tutorials as well as training both virtually and in person events.
Go ahead and sign up for the demo at the link AND let's have a discussion before you choose this option to see if it's the right fit for you at the right time.
The site we use - Value Add On ($37 / Month)
Creating a Membership site is a great way to develop recurring revenue.
They can also be used to house and host content for your programs.
One of the reasons we like Value Add On is that the monthly price also includes an account with Amazon S3 (an online cloud portal to house your content - i.e. videos, audios, workbooks, etc.)