HomeBased Business, Work at Home

Setting up your online business on a small budget

If you are like most people starting an online business, you are doing so with very little money. If you know what to pay for and what to get for free and where to get it, your online businesses could be run very inexpensively.

Here, in less than 500 words, we will give you some advise to get your business website up and running at a fairly low cost without sacrifying quality.

Purchase a domain name

You should not pay more than $ 10 for a domain name. I personally like Yahoo for their speed and ease of use. A good domain will give your business a distinct personality and credibility.

Do not rely on a free website to start your online business. With a free website you will not have your own and distinct domain. This will create the impression that you are not a serious business person and therefore does not give potential clients the confidence to deal with you.

Find a host server

The services and prices of hosting plans vary greatly. The price will depend on the features that your hosting plan provides.

If your site is a one-page site, you might get away with using a low cost host for less than $ 6 per month. However, if your site will be a multi-page one, or if you expect a high volume of traffic or if you need professional templates, you should pay a bit more to get what you want and need.

To use a free host is a cardinal sin. They should only be used for personal pages where you want to showcase your personal pictures, or to start a personal blog. In addition, most free hosting servers do not allow business accounts.

Design your site

Most hosting services make available professional looking templates. The positive is that these templates, if you know how to make them work, will give your website a professional look without having to hire a web designer.

The negative is that these templates are also available to others, meaning that your website may have the same look as someone else’s. Programs like Adobe Photoshop will come in handy in making the look of your site unique. If you do not have access to such programs and need some customized work, you may consider asking a local student studying web design.

Remember to spend your hard earned money in a wise manner, but remember that you will get what you pay for. Sometimes free services are not free in the long run, as they may cost you business and credibility. Do not sacrifice the quality of your site and business to save a few dollars. Having said that, make sure you search for good and inexpensive services, there are a few out there, to make sure you do not end up paying more than you should for services.