When you’re first starting out in the world of e-commerce, or you’re at least thinking of starting an online business, one of the many costs that can put you off is getting your website online. We would all love to have a few thousand dollars sitting in our pockets to help pay for a custom-made solution, but it’s not viable for us all to do so.
Fortunately, there are other options for us to take advantage of. If you’re looking at getting your first website online for an affordable cost, look at the following five steps that will help you get your website online for under one hundred bucks.
Fortunately, there are other options for us to take advantage of. If you’re looking at getting your first website online for an affordable cost, look at the following five steps that will help you get your website online for under one hundred bucks.
Buy a domain and web hosting package – $20!
You can buy a domain and hosting package for $20 a year if you look hard enough. You have an advantage when it comes to finding a reputable domain registrar/hosting provider because there are thousands of them online and it means they all need to be competitive on price. There are always hundreds of promotions available when it comes to hosting and domains, and often, you’ll be able to purchase your first domain for a year for under a dollar!
Base your e-commerce store on the WordPress platform – free!
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System on the planet and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of the platform to base your e-commerce store on. Most hosting providers provide a control panel that will let you install WordPress within a couple of seconds, so in theory, you could have your e-commerce store online within an hour.
Once you have WordPress installed, have a look at the WooCommerce plugin. The plugin itself will turn your WordPress site into a fully working e-commerce solution that will give your consumers payment and shipping options, and it will also give you the chance to add new products and edit existing ones.
Purchase a professional WordPress theme – $60!
The next step is to invest in a professional-looking e-commerce WordPress theme. There are many to choose from on the best premium WordPress theme stores and you’ll be able to find a professional looking one for under $60 – maybe even less. The wonderful thing about modern WordPress themes is that they often come with their own page builders so you can make your theme look like it was custom-made.
Take advantage of Fiverr services to get a unique minimalist logo designed – $15!
You could easily spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a logo but if you are penny-pinching, there’s no reason why you should take advantage of the many logo designers based on the famous Fiverr website. You can easily get a minimalist logo designed for under $15 to get your brand started.
Advertise your brand on social media platforms – free!
The toughest part of building a website is to market it so you get interest. It’s not an easy feat and it’s sometimes a hair-pulling experience – but unfortunately, it’s one that needs to be taken seriously.
Luckily, marketing on the likes of social media doesn’t cost a penny and all you need to do is be active and provide content your audience can benefit from. No-one said it was a quick effort, but it’s certainly an effort that can provide many rewards if marketing strategies are undertaken properly.
It’s not all about having a big investment to get your business started, and Sam Ovens will tell you the same. Sam is a successful entrepreneur but it wasn’t all rosy for him when he first started his business out of his parent’s garage.
His first three businesses failed and he put his final few dollars into a fourth business that took off and has now earned him millions – so it just goes to show you don’t always need a huge investment to be a successful business owner.