Revisit: Easy Web Sites

Previously I created a post for folks who have small businesses and want to create a web site (click here to see it). I can now prove that you can create one for $15/year using WordPress. I created this one: http://www.walkathonguide.com. The site is free, but having it's own URL instead of http://www.walkathonguide.wordpress.com costs $15.

If you'd rather not have the home page be a blog, you can create another page, then configure your blog to use it as as Home.

I chose WordPress over Blogger because I didn't see an easy way to add pages with Blogger.

WordPress gives you about a dozen themes (looks) to choose from. For an extra $15/year they allow you to use a custom theme and customize your blog in various other ways.

One caveat - you don't get an email address with this. So if you need an email address to go with your url, like I have with lee@garverick.biz, then this won't work.

I'll be blogging more about this project as I go, from a microbusiness as well as a technology standpoint. If you know someone planning a walkathon, please send them my way! There will be more and more useful stuff and information there, just for walkathons.

I'm Mother of the Year! Best Viral Campaign of the Year in My Book, by MomsRising.org

Click on this image to see the video announcing my award!

This has to be one of the most clever marketing campaigns around, for the following reasons:

• The material is very fresh and funny.
• Everyone needs to honor moms the week before Mother's Day. Families honor moms, and moms honor each other. They offer a quick way to do so.

Congratulations to MomsRising.org.

Great Read: "279 Days to Overnight Success" by Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau has declared his goal to visit every country in the world by April 7, 2013. He is financing this effort via his blog. He has developed quite a following and I suspect that he just doubled it by putting out this free manifesto.

You can get the manifesto by going to his web site and downloading it. I read it cover to cover immediately - couldn't put it down. He has given away a step by step plan for creating a microbusiness based on blogging about your passion, then selling a high value series of e-books about that topic. Even if you don't plan to create a blog or e-book, I think this is well worth reading. A few key points:

• You don't need to monitize your blog via ads. You can do so by selling an e-book, or something else that would be of value to your readers.
• Find out what your readers need by continually asking them.
• Don't do a hard sell. Rather, develop a community around your interest and then sell only to those who are asking for the item. Marketing is replaced by community building - working with a core group of like minded people who can benefit from what you have to offer.
• He even gives the details on exactly what he makes and where the dollars come from.
  

There are great concepts for any web based business in this book, even if your effort isn't centered around a blog.

The rest of the blog is great fun as well, as Chris chronicles his travels.

Creating a Web Site for $15 per Year

This post is for my consultant friends who need a web site for credibility, and don't want to hire someone. I used GoDaddy's Website Tonight product. I am paying $45/year for two years. However, since then I've found easier and even cheaper options. Here is what I've learned. I'd love your comments as well.

Microsoft Office Live
Microsoft Office Live offers the same thing as GoDaddy offers except it's free. Then for $15/year you can get your own domain name. The user interface looks a lot more straight forward. Go to http://home.officelive.com/settings/pages/home.aspx.

Office Live gives you three steps to get your site up and going
1. Design it (using premade templates for most types of pages you'd need)
2.Get a url
3. Set up your email address.

I don't think it's any harder than using PowerPoint.

Intuit
I see that Intuit offers something similar. Please comment if you end up trying that one.

Blog-centric: WordPress
Finally, if you want your site to be blog-centric, consider WordPress. Then your home page will be your blog. Other than that, it offers the same capabilities to add pages, use a template for your look, and purchase your own domain name for $15/ year. No email. Some nice traffic reporting if you want to count visitors.

Final Tip on Art
I have been consistently pleased with www.istockphoto.com. They offer rights to use photos and artwork for as low as $1 per image and it's very easy to use. You can make your site much more professional that way.