Budget Hosting is Possible for $10 – $24 Per/Year
You can get hosting for free, but it’s probably going to have ads or be much more unsecured than paid hosting. The good news is hosting doesn’t cost an arm and leg anymore.
Now you can get budget hosting for $24 or even $10 per year!
Okay, so I’m not trying to make a sales letter here. Reason I tell you this, is anyone can get a website started on a budget of only $10 per year.
Why even have hosting:
- Ability to Use a Domain Name. Instead of having whatever.wordpress.com you could have whatever.com or .net, .info, and .org extensions for example.
- Add advertising to your website and blog without violating terms. WordPress has a strict set of terms in place not allowing members to use any affiliates on their blog.
- Setup more than one website and domain under the same control panel/hosting account.
- Simple installation of blogs, forums, and other scripts using fantastico from the cPanel. This is usually available when the host uses cPanel.
You see hosting does have advantages!
Who offers hosting on a budget:
Ehost.net
Ehost Web Hosting for $9.95 per year.
Features:
- 1 GB of Disk Space
- 10 GB of Web Traffic Per Month
- cPanel
- Unlimited Databases
- Unlimited POP3 Accounts
Ehost is personally used by myself. Customer service is friendly and if a problem does come up anyone can submit a ticket. If your looking for 100% uptime, than going with HostGator gives you a guarantee of 99.9% uptime. Ehost’s uptime is decent, but previously downtimes have occurred.
Going with HostGator?
Use coupon code BlogMeans1Cent to get HostGator’s hosting at $9.94 off for the first month. That’s only 1 cent! Monthly price is approximately $10 per month.
Dollar2Host.com
Dollar2Host is priced at $24 per year. That breaks down to just $2 per month.
Features:
- Unlimited Disk Space
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlmited Databases
- Unlimited Domains
- Free Site Builder
- 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Dollar2Host has basically all the same features, but goes for the unlimited approach. It’s a little more costly for this at $24, but at that price for unlimited it is very budget friendly.
I’ve never had any experience with Dollar2Host and really can’t say how the uptime is and customer service. If you have used them please do comment below.
Anytime a hosting company says unlimited, read the terms and conditions. Usually this means within a reasonable amount of hosting usage. Almost all hosting companies have a set rate they would like customers to stay within. You probably won’t be able to have certain websites like gaming, video or audio sites, but a simple content blog will be fine.
Both of the hosting companies listed today are for budget minded. When you are looking for budget companies do your homework as they are not all created equally.
WordPress 3.1 Update is Out with Easier Link Interaction
As you may know the new version 3.1 of WordPress has now released. The recent 3.1 was named after Django Reinhardt making this the 14 release (don’t hold me to this). WordPress has always had an impressive platform, now it’s even better with new features.
Download the latest WordPress platform.
Or
If you already use WordPress than update from your dashboard!
A look at some new WordPress features:
New Link Interaction:
Creating links before the 3.1 release always seemed to be a hassle. No more does anyone have to click on the list of options to enable opening a website in a new window/tab. Just check the box for a new window/tab and your done. Additionally, we are now able to link existing blog posts within a matter of a few clicks. As you can see above, all you need to do is find the existing post and click on it. That’s it!
New Admin Bar:
The new admin bar keeps the tools needed within reach. So, if your previewing what a post looks like or surfing around your website those tools are now just above the blog.
If this is something you don’t wish to use it’s easily able to be shut off via your profile page.
Change Colors:
You only get two colors to change from, but now you at least have a choice. Pick from the ever popular color of grey or now you can go with blue.
To change the colors, go to your profile page and select which one is suited to your liking.
There you have it the changes of WordPress 3.1. If nothing else this update is worth having for the ease of use while linking to your older and existing blog posts.
Have a comment? Let your voice be heard below.
Traffic Exchanges: Should You Use Them?
The answer is yes and no. Traffic exchanges have one main purpose and that is to get new visitors. The concept behind them is simple in being that when a member views another members website they get credit from doing so. The credits rewarded to members for viewing/surfing websites varies from each traffic network. Some are a 1 to 1 ratio and others you will have to surf 2 pages to get 1 credit. Some exchanges even offer a small amount of cash after reaching a certain amount of views. This also varies per traffic network.
Why use traffic exchanges:
To get traffic! Sounds funny, but some have yet to use them and are just starting out.
You can make great use of traffic exchanges if you have traffic related products and services. Ebooks, another traffic exchange, free ad sites, and any traffic related information will be best in gaining new sign-ups or longer lasting readers.
Why not to use traffic exchanges:
If you don’t have traffic related products or service you can still use them. However, consider traffic products to have the best results in sign-ups. Website owners are at the traffic exchange in the first place to gain more visitors.
It’s best not to use exchanges if you don’t have a splash/opt-in page. Keep in mind that viewers won’t be sticking around your site long. So, you really only have about 5-10 seconds of time frame for delivering on what your site has to offer.
How to make the best use of traffic exchanges:
- Keep headlines short, sweet, and straight to the point.
- Don’t use a full website unless you have too. Use landing, splash pages instead. They are a lot quicker in loading and will be easier to get that hook in!
- Keep graphics and complex websites to a minimum.
- Don’t set videos to automatically start. This saves bandwidth and won’t annoy so many viewer. It may sound great, but most will only see it as annoying.
Make use of only the top exchanges:
Here are some I recommend:
If you are using traffic exchanges than starting your day off for 15-30 minutes per day surfing is a good idea. By having this daily goal you will keep a good step in the door of having plenty of credits.
Anytime you set off on a campaign whether using traffic exchanges or another means of gaining free or paid traffic you should always test. You can use Google analytics or another one of choice. Doing that will only help you eliminate wasted time and start working towards what really achieves the best results.
Traffic exchanges are a good means of getting new sign-ups if done right. Use splash pages with a killer heading and an offer that is to about die for and your opt-in list will explode.
8 Methods Both Free and Paid to Gaining Website Visitors
Once a website has been setup it needs web traffic in order to achieve success. Whether it be for earning an income, gaining brand awarness, or just to help others it needs traffic for all of those to be possible.
The common misconception amoung a lot of new web owners is that once a website is built and pages are added traffic will come. The truth is almost zero visitors will come unless you do something about it.
The good news is that you can do something about getting website traffic in the form of being free and paid. Of course free is always preferred. So, that is what most of this post will be dedicated towards.
3 Useful Guest Post WordPress Plugins to Make The Job Easier
If you are planning to have guest posts or already have contributors, than these WordPress plugins can be useful to your blog. Make guest posting a little easier and more professional for not only you, but also the contributor.
1. Guest Meta Box
PTM Guest Author adds a guest metabox to your WordPress blog. This plugin easily allows guest contributors to add their name and url to the desired area of your theme.
To use this plugin properly you need to use ‘ptm_get_the_author()’ in your theme where you want to display the author name. (`Author: <?php echo ptm_get_the_author(); ?>`)
After doing that all you need to do is fill in the author name and url for it to appear in the designated area of your theme.
2. A Quick Note
Peter’s Post Notes Plugin is an easy way to add quick private notes to a post. Let’s say a guest blogger submits a post, but forgets to add the author bio, you can add a note via the right hand side telling them to add their bio.
3. Auto Notifications
Another useful plugin is Peter’s Collaboration E-mails. It can be used in connection with the one above.
The Features…
- After a guest contributor submits a post for review, the plugin will send an email to the selected post approvers.
- When the post is changed to draft from pending it will notify the guest contributor. Also included in the email is a link to edit the post for resubmission in the case improvements are needed.
- After the article post is approved the individual will get an email notice saying so. The plugin will include who was the approver of that post.
Although, these three WordPress plugins can make things easier and useful, please only use them if you have too. The more plugins you add, the chances of a slower blog are inevitable. Good luck on your guest post contributions!
5 Ways To Avoiding Blog and Business Failure
Failing is something we all have chance to come in contact with if we like it or not.
Why?
Simple really.
If we don’t do anything or the needs of a blog, a website, and any other needed business building block than failure is bond to happen.
Let’s take a look at how to help avoid failure…
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10 Proven Methods to Writing Better Blog Posts or Articles
Any blog owner whether just starting or years down the line should follow good writing practices. Each and every time we begin to write, we should concern ourselves with doing just that, writing with quality.
Are you ready to take your writing skills to the next level?
YES!
Here are some 10 methods to help you write better…
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Spice Up Your Website With New Twitter Button Graphics
I’ve gathered a list of twitter buttons you may use for your blog or website. All of them are free (at least at time of post). Enjoy!
1. Twitter Flash Buttons
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How NoFollow and DoFollow Tags Affect You
Both “nofollow” and “dofollow” tags have strengths in the area they are used. As these two tags are used differently they affect the outcomes of your SEO building efforts. To anyone new it can be confusing. The understanding of them is necessary in building backlinks and making your SEO work worth the time involved.
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How to Turn WordPress into a Questions and Answer Website
It’s no wonder question sites have become so popular, especially with the giant Yahoo! answers. Today, if you want to join in the Q & A market, it’s easier than ever with WordPress.
Option #1 – WP-Answers
Taking into consideration WP-Answers has a nice set of features, makes it my first choice. Although not free, it certainly has the look and professionalism you want when starting.
