Though
we too had misconceptions before starting
BloggersDog but it proved only delaying factor for us to get started.
But
that’s common. It happens if you are a non-techie and don’t know much about how
to start.
So, are you in a dilemma of how to get started?
Got some mind staggering thoughts
like “What you gonna do with your website”?
May
be you can think like- "I won’t be able to do business with a website. I don’t
know anything about internet".
At
the end if you get frustrated by trying so many things, you will conclude- “Let’s just drop this idea..it won’t work”
All
these misconceptions are foolish. Seriously, they won’t encourage you to
initiate the proceedings.
Ultimately
you step back from your objective.
The
story doesn't end here. There are plenty of dilemmas that people normally have
before they come online with their business website, like-
- · How much will
it cost to start a business website? Who’s gonna build it?
- · What about
coding skills?
- · “Domain”?? What
is it???
- · What about
the Designing part (interface of the website)? Who’s gonna handle that?
Luckily
if you know about the above ones, there is still one obstacle left, i.e.
hosting services. What is it?
All
these doubts will kill your idea that you have for your business and will never
let you execute something that can lead you to happy and independent life.
Let's keep things simple.
Since
I have already cut down those craps and things are pretty much cleared for us, I
decided to write this post and cut all those shitty craps that you people generally
have before executing your plans or ideas, without knowing that it is really
simple to setup.
You
cannot imagine at the start, what future does this online world hold for you.
This
post is for all those people (newbie) that are still waiting to execute their websites
or want to take their hobbies or interest to an online mode (a business
website).
I
hope following points will encourage you to get rid of those early mind
boggling situations/thoughts that are good for nothing.
Let's face it.
Basics About
Domain, Hosting Services & Designing
I
am not gonna talk about internet part because that is something which you can
learn and practice by simply playing around with keyboard and mouse.
Even
if you devote 10 to 15 minutes per day you will learn things as quickly as you
learn Facebook. J
Domain- To make it
simple as ABCD, just tell me- have you ever typed something like- www.facebook.com on your Chrome browser or any other browser? (Also called a URL when added with a prefix http:// like- http://www.facebook.com)
That
particular URL of Facebook is a domain.
A domain is always unique for individual
website. It could be taken as .com, .in, .net.
--> .com
domain is for commercial purpose (mainly for business).
--> .in
is for Indian websites.
--> .org is for non-profit organizations.
--> .net is for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service providers and other infrastructure companies.
So
when you are going to start your website you need to have your own domain.
It
could be .com if you want to start a commercial website or it could be .in as
well.
Just
to let you know, when I purchased the domain for BloggersDog, I bought both
.com and .in, keeing .in for future usage.
Hosting- Take it as
you got things for yourself like chairs, tables, laptop for your office.
So
what you need to place all these things?
Obviously you need some space.
Similarly,
hosting services provides a space for your website where you can manage your
website data.
Remember- Hosting is
not necessary to start a website.
You always have the option to save your money
and start your website easily.
Like I started BloggersDog with Blogger by
adding the domain as custom URL.
Designing- Designing is something that provides looks to your website. All the designing part is handled in Photoshop. PSD's are generated for templates first (i.e. interface of website) and then these are coded to make it dynamic.
But you don't need to worry about it and no need to
hire a designer.
There are various templates available on web that are
completely free and you can simply download one for your website and use it.
If you site is on Blogger, then for free themes you can go to Soratemplates, mybloggerthemes. There you can find free amazing themes for your website.
Just to let you know, I use Keilir theme for BloggersDog. I spent not a penny on it and no designer involved. J
Once
you have expertise and know do’s and dont’s about designing , you can hire one
designer to design your site exactly the way you want.
You’re
Not A Newbie Any more
You were, not now. Don’t
think that you are a newbie. You are the one who is going to share your
experience with the world and help people.
You
have a great idea of making your own business sustainable.
Remember- We all have
a lizard brain that always stop us when we are about to start something new,
something that can challenge our comfort level.”
And
if we listen to that part of the brain, we never get success.
Just
stay positive and keep on acting.
No
need to think about the cost, design or any other things.
Make
sure you are not going to drop your idea or say “I give up now”.
We
faced those stages too but taking actions and forgetting the rest was the key
for us.
Following
steps helped us & motivated us to get started.
Discussion- We used to
discuss a lot and it really helped. Sharing thoughts bring more ideas and you
at least get a point from where to begin.
You
can to do the same, with your colleagues or friends or in case if you need our
help you can directly contact us.
We
make sure that we bring useful stuffs to you to get started and take your plan
to next level.
See What
Others Are Doing- Don’t copy the concept. I didn’t mean that. I simply wanna say,
track your competitors that are related to your niche.
By
tracking and seeing what others are doing, you will help yourself and polish
your idea of how you can do better than them and take your business one step
ahead. Believe me it always works.
Before
we started BloggersDog, every day we track other websites to see how they are
helping people and how we can make a difference by simplifying the process.
When
we hit the pitch and noticed the gap, it was bingo for us.
We also maintain a WorkFlowy sheet for
the websites that we analyzed every single day and still we follow pretty much
same. J
WorkFloy
is completely free software where you can organize the data that you analyse
every day.
Like, your daily tasks, list of websites that you track, etc.
Remember, not to
copy the concept of others, it will bring nothing to you. Act smartly and bring
your work in action.
Now
if you have made your mind cleared, all you need to do ,is to buy a domain.
Get A Domain
As
I already cleared your doubts about domains, hosting services and designing,
its time to register your domain for your site.
Forget
the heck about getting advices from someone else. People talk shits sometimes
those who don’t have idea about the website.
If
you ask someone about the estimate cost of starting a website, they will
blindly tell you- it will be around Rs. 5000-1000 (which is charged by a freelancer
normally, those who develop websites on your behalf).
Then
how much it costs???
Will
discuss that part later but the first thing you need is a domain which hardly
costs you around Rs. 200.
So
just relax and buy a domain first.
There
are various domain registrars but you can easily go with GoDaddy for
registering a domain.
You
can check out offer and reserve one. J
After
getting a domain, what you need to do next? Coding?
Nope.
Trend
Changed- No Need of Coding
With
entire CMS platform things have made easier and friendly for non-coders who don’t
even have coding skills.
CMS
is content manage system, a platform which gives you an entire interface to
start your website. All you normally need is to have a valid email id.
Go
to any CMS platform, just sign up and get started. It is really that simple.
To know more about CMS, watch this video by James Williamson from Lynda.com
In
our case, we chose Blogger, because things were looking far easier than others
(as our prime motto was blogging) and obviously it is a Google app.
We
found it simple to add the custom URL in Blogger and getting things started.
It’s
always good to start from the scratch when you don’t know much.
You
move ahead and keep yourself updated with the technologies.
If
you are a newbie (beginner), I would suggest you to start with Blogger and
further take your website to next level.
Blogger is easy to use and it brings
good traffic to website.
What to do
next?
Start Your Blog
It’s time to explore yourself. It’s time to Blog.
Produce
content consistently that has quality and put it up like a story telling.
Write
extraordinary things. Be shameless, track your competitors, share strategies, cover
interviews that will ultimately generate traffic for your sites.
Conclusion
Misconception
always takes you one step back from executing something.
It
brings hell lot of confusions in your mind when you plan something to set up
for yourself.
Even
if you have something unique and wanna take it further, you will be scared to
start the proceedings because it is beyond your comfort zone.
You
might think of putting money into something whose abcd is not known to you.
But
that will only end up giving pain to your assess.
So,
the best thing is not to give up and keep motivating yourself and keep
discussing your concept with people around you.
This
is a world where money flows. If plan A doesn’t work, no issues! You have other
25 plans to work with.
Keep
your spirits up and keep acting.
And
Yes…! Send away your misconceptions now!!
Just
in case if you feel like I forgot to cover some doubts of yours, no issues you
can let me know in the comment box. I am surely gonna resolve that. J
All
the very best for making an independent world of yours.
