One of our topmost missions at Green Affiliate Programs is spreading the reach
of affiliate marketing in the green internet sector. And in order to do that, we
must connect web publishers/bloggers with green online merchants. That said, if
you are looking to tap into one of the most promising and fulfilling niche
sectors on the Web, you will need a website. Now, there are several ways of
going about doing this, and depending on your ultimate goals and budget, there
is an option suited best for you. There are basically three ways of going about
starting a website, and consequently building a green online web business. In
all cases, you get what you pay for. Keep in mind, launching a website is
one-tenth the battle. Getting traffic to your website is what's most important
of all. It takes passion and dedication, not to mention the use of some free
tools like the Google Keyword Search tool and good-old-fashioned search engine
optimization (SEO). But if you are truly passionate about the green movement,
well then, you are more than half-way there. Let that be your driving
cause.
1) Cheap and Easy - If you have absolutely no money to put into your
website, choosing a service like WordPress.com is your best option. This is a
good option for anyone who mainly wants to get their "green message" out there.
The drawbacks to this type of setup are that you only get a sub-domain, such as
yourwebsitename.wordpress.com, not to mention limited file storage. Word
Press can also advertise on your blog at will. In order to acquire your own
domain, such as yourwebsite.com, as well as more storage space and the
option to block advertising, you will have to pay for premium services.
2) Less Cheap and Easy - The next most affordable option is to buy your
own domain name (roughly $10 per year), pay for your own hosting service (as
little as $5/month) and download the open source Word Press publishing software
(WordPress.org), which is a powerful tool in itself in that is gives you more
customizable web design features, but requires a little more technical knowledge
implementing. Most web hosting providers, such as
Go Daddy, have a free application that will integrate the WordPress code (being that it's very popular), thus making setup
very easy. If you
want to stay as green as possible, going with a wind/solar powerd hosting
provider like
Super Green Hosting or
Host Papa is your best bet. If you want extra
add-ons like a newsletter service, that will cost an additional $15/month ($180
per year). This type of setup will cost you about $100 per year, and
around $275/year for more marketing features, such as a newsletter. If you want
to skirt around using Word Press, you will need to purchase a web publishing
software, such as Expression Web or Dream Weaver - now, we're talking hundreds
more. If you are more serious about web design and already have some knowledge
about code and scripting, this is a good investment.
3) Less Cheap, More Easy (Most Recommended) - For anyone new to the World Wide Web or
those with limited knowledge seeking to gain a better grasp on website
publishing and marketing, and consequently, more knowledge on attracting
and monetizing web traffic, all-in-one website building tools and tutorials like
Site Build It are a valuable resource.
In fact, Site Build It is our topmost recommendation (see further below). This
type of setup will get you your own domain name, hosting, a newsletter service
like that mentioned above, and all of the other website tools needed to start an
online business from step one. Furthermore, you are guided and taught along the
way how a website works, SEO principles and how to attract visitors and turn your traffic into
profit. This type of setup costs $300/year, and is a great investment for
anybody willing to put a few minutes each day (a few hours per week), into
starting and building a green website. This is recommended for anyone who wants
to not only get a green message out there AND also wants to financially optimize
it as best as possible. For more information on Site Build It, read our review
below.
