Don't build your website on shaky ground

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Written by: Brittany J. P. Reese
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When I started working on my first website, I researched, researched, researched. I felt the more information I knew about building and launching a website, the better. However, the more I learned and the more I researched, the more I felt it would take fifty million years to launch!!! There were so many elements, and I just knew I would have to acquire a PhD before I could understand them all - things like coding, graphic design, content, SEO optimization, etc. Considerably a beginner in the world of web design at the time, I understood the concepts individually. The problem was, I didn’t understand how to link them together. How do I combine these elements? In what order do I implement these skills? Where is the starting point? Also, if I would have had to learn to code, who knows how long it would have taken me to launch my first site. No one who wants to make money NOW has that kind of time. The market is calling for the things you’re offering. You must answer the call! After a little trial, error, and correction, I’ve figured out how to launch a functional and profitable website in just 24hours.

My partners and I have developed The Ultimate Guide to Build a Website in 24hrs to help anyone, especially beginner web designers and new entrepreneurs, build and launch a functional website in just 24hours. This will give you a clear and focused plan. The devil is in the details. This guide will help you avoid the stress so that you are successful.

From that guide, let’s talk about your foundation. Where are you hosting your site? Your web host needs to provide many things. First they need to be affordable. Affordability is important to an up and coming entrepreneur. You want to keep your overhead expenses as low as possible so you aren’t drowning in bills before you turn a profit. Your web host should also provide website builder options that offer attractive and user-friendly features. Drop and drag or plug-and-play are ideal. This allows even the most inexperienced web designer to look like a pro. It also eliminates the need to learn extensive coding. These user-friendly features are even more crucial if you are trying to launch an ecommerce site. The last thing a newbie wants to do is have to figure out how to code a shopping cart into his or her site.

In a team meeting at the top of the year, we had all of our associates compose a list of their top 3 favorite web hosting sites and tell why the site made the list. Here are the top 3 most popular sites chosen by our associates and a few reasons why they chose them.

1. Bluehost - Wordpress made simple. Easy to use. Inexpensive.
2. Strikingly - Affordable and looks great. Easy drop-and-drag templates. Contemporary and attractive.
3. Shopify - Great ecommerce site and easy plug-and-play options. Many different price points. Makes it easy to design and sale.

Choose wisely. Your web host is your foundation. Build your website with a strong supportive structure, one that can withstand changes in your content, your products, and in the industry.

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