Resources

Here are links to resources that are helpful for building an online business. Some of these resources are free and some are available at a reasonable cost.  If you are going to be successful online, you will need at least one item from each of these groups.

Purchasing Domains:

There are basically 2 main places to purchase domains at.  GoDaddy and NameCheap.  Both are reputable and will serve you well.  

GoDaddy:  GoDaddy is well known and is very user friendly.  It is easy to find available domain names.  Prices are around $10 per domain for .com domains.

NameCheap:  Not as well-known as GoDaddy, NameCheap is very similar in both ease of use and price.   However, you can find discount coupons online for NameCheap which will save you a couple of bucks per domain you purchase. I use Namecheap for almost all my domains.

Hosting:

Once you purchase a domain, you will need someplace to host it.  DO NOT….I repeat, DO NOT purchase your hosting from the same company that you purchased your domain from.  If you have a problem with your site or your domain, it is much easier and quicker to fix if your hosting company is different than where you purchased your domain.

BlueHost:   BlueHost is recommended by WordPress which says a lot for this hosting company.  BlueHost is geared towards smaller sites and is a good place if you are just getting started online.

D9 Hosting:   Like BlueHost, D9 Hosting is a good place to start, especially if you only have 1, or maybe a few websites.  I am using D9 Hosting now and have been happy with them.

HostGator:   HostGator is probably the best known and most popular hosting service. Their “Baby” plan allows unlimited websites and starts at $4.50 / month.

Autoresponders:

Aweber:   Aweber is probably the most popular Autoresponder in the internet marketing world.  The set-up and use is really easy and there are plenty of training videos available, if you have trouble.   Aweber is a great autoresponder if you are just getting started. I recently made the switch from GetResponse to Aweber and I feel it’s easier to use for emailing. But it’s a bit more difficult to monitor your subscribers.

Convert Kit:  Convert Kit is a bit more advanced autoresponder, built by marketers, for marketers.  Convert Kit makes it easier to do some of the more advanced stuff, like list segmentation and tracking.

GetResponse:   GetResponse is another autoresponder for beginners and a lot of seasoned veterans also use it.  Set-up is easy, but there is not as much training available, compared to Aweber.  I’ve used both Aweber and Get Response and find them to be very similar.

Mail Chimp:   Mail Chimp if Free for those just starting out.  This is a good option for a lot of people.  But if you are going to do any kind of affiliate marketing (selling other people’s stuff), then you should stay away from Mail Chimp.  You can get your account closed.

Systeme.io: Systeme.io is the new kid on the block. In addition to being an autoresponder, it allows you to create sales funnels, websites, online courses, webinars, and more. And you can start for free and upgrade once you’ve gotten over 2,000 subscribers.

E-Mail Marketing Templates:

Stories That Sell Templates:  As the name implies, these templates can help you to write E-Mails and blog posts and letters that are interesting and engaging.   You can get immediate, free access with just your E-Mail address.

Graphics:

If words can tell a story, then images and GIFs are what bring that story to life.   It is true, especially in the world of today, that a picture is worth a thousand words.  But, be sure that you are using Royalty Free images, or you can get sued for copyright infringement and wind up in a lot of expensive trouble.

Box Shot King:  If you are making your own products, you will need graphics for E-Book covers, Video disc, etc.   Box Shot King lets you build your own quickly.  6 months access is about the same cost as 1 premium E-Book cover purchased from Fiverr

GIMP:   GIMP is a free download that allows you to modify images and image files.   Although limited, GIMP is great for what it can do.

PhotoDune:   At PhotoDune, you can purchase royalty free images at a very reasonable prices.   I have found a lot of great images on this site.

Pixabay:  Pixabay is similar to PhotoDune, except most, if not all, of their royalty free images are FREE!

Shutterstock:   Shutterstock owns Pixabay and is the paid arm of the business.   Their prices are higher than PhotoDune, but there are a lot more royalty free images to pick from.  So, if you can’t find what you are looking at on Pixabay or PhotoDune, then you can look on Shutterstock.

Link Cloaking:

I know it sounds bad.  But link cloaking protects your links from people trying to steal your link and your commissions.

LeadsLeap:  LeadsLeap is a free service that provides link cloaking plus tracking.  There is a paid Pro Version, but you can use the free version as long as you want to.  This is the link cloaker & tracker that I use.  

Pretty Links:  Pretty Links is a free plugin for WordPress.   This is probably the most popular free link cloaking plugin available today.

Thirsty Affiliates:  Thirsty Affiliates is a free plugin for WordPress.  I use Thirsty Affiliates for some of my link cloaking.  I like the way Thirsty Affiliates displays the link similar to a recommendation.   Such as dennisbancroft.com/likes/thirstyaffiliates