Let's Talk About Building A Website
About Creating A Website That Makes You Money,
and My No-Holds Barred Answers!
This hidden page of VeganCoach.com has been created specifically for YOU. Why? Well, clearly you're wondering about what it takes to start your own online business, in particular creating a website that makes you money.
Firstly, you should know that I did not know ANYTHING about building a website when I first created VeganCoach.com back in February of 2007.
So how is it that my website is in the Top 1% of all Websites on the net, with over 150,000 visitors per month?
Good question, Grasshoppah. :)
Since 2007, I have received many emails asking me about my experience creating a website. Below you will find some of these questions, along with my responses. I hope you find it helpful.
If something you read is confusing or you would like further clarification, please let me know via the form at the bottom of the page.
Before we begin going through the questions, I want to share some info you might be VERY interested in which hails from an article I read in More Magazine (November 2011)...
10 Great Careers For Women Who Want A Life
(Sassy Sez: OMG - MEN TOO!!!)
"Is it possible to have a JOB and a little TIME for yourself? Even in this stink bomb ECONOMY? We conducted an exclusive nationwide poll to discover what WOMEN really want out of work. Then we crunched the stats and came up with the goods: 10 meaningful jobs that offer FLEXIBILITY, a chance for ADVANCEMENT -- and a FUTURE."
The article then goes into a little detail of the TOP 10 CAREERS that fit the bill.
And not surprisingly building a website/online business made the list...
* Great Career Numero 3 out of 10: Web Professional *
- Webmaster (This is me -- and maybe a future you!)
- Network Systems and Data Communication Analyst
- Social Media Creator/Coordinator
Factoids:
Most earn: $71,094
Top 10% Earn: $119,070
Industry Growth Rate: A whopping 96 percent by 2018
Entrepreneur Opportunities: The majority of Web professionals are self-employed freelancers or consultants.
"Web development and social media creation are hot right now in every industry," says Bill Cullifer, executive director of Webprofessionals.org. "If you have these skills, you're in the driver's seat."
Sassy Sez: Clearly, learning to start your own online business/creating a website that makes you money is something you should be SERIOUSLY considering at this point!
----> INTERESTINGLY, career number 7 out of 10 listed is Writer.
As the article states: "Writers...can bring in money through advertising, sponsors, and spin-off projects like books, e-books, and magazine articles. A website is a crucial marketing tool that allows you to promote your work and attract new clients. "The future of content is specialized and digitized," says Sreenath Sreenivasan, professor of digital media at Columbia Journalism School. "As a writer, if you're on top of those trends and you combine traditional skill sets with newer skills, you'll have new opportunities."
Sassy Sez: The number one thing you will do in the creation of a website is WRITING content, which I'll explain below. The only difference between this article and what you will do when building a website? You write for yourself and your website audience instead of being hired by someone else to write for THEIR website and website audience.
In other words, the writing you do is for YOUR secure future not someone else's!
I hope you are beginning to see that creating a website/online business is one of the SMARTEST things you can do for your future, and it's a HUGE trend that has incredible potential.
But if you're anything like me (when I first started my website) you know NOTHING about how to start a website. But have no fear! Because I am going to teach you about the system I used to build and grow my website into the success it is today -- and how you can do it too.
Now, let's go through just a few of the questions I receive each and every month about what it's like to actually start up and run a website/online business. I think it will help to answer many questions. And if not, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and I'll help you as best as I can.
And thanks for visiting. :O)
Is it easy to build a website without much computer knowledge?
Is it easy to build a website that makes money?
"I just want to pay the bills each month!"
"What could I build a website about?"
Is SBI REALLY worth the money?
What comes with your SBI subscription? (This will open in a new window.)
How long does it take to earn your original investment back?
Hiring a web designer vs building your own site
Existing Website-Should I switch to SBI? (This will open in a new window.)
How much time is spent maintaining your high rank in the search engines?
Complaints about SBI?
Do you have a question? Ask away!
FREE Ebook - Learn to Write For Your Internet Audience
"Is it REALLY easy to build a website without much computer knowledge? Don't get me wrong, I am a hard worker. When I say easy, I mean easy to learn and to do without being a computer geek?"
Yes. When I started my site, the only thing I was good at on the computer was checking my emails and doing Google searches. I knew nothing, zip, nada about building a website when I started down this path. And I am happy to say that you don't have to know anything about website-building either.
So how will you do it?
The same exact way I did, using Site Built It (SBI). Because they make it EXTREMELY simple for you to build a website from the ground up without being a "computer geek" (with all due respect to computer geeks, especially since nowadays my friends might say I have become one too! See photo on left <----- ). If you can follow directions, you can build a website.
If you have played around on VeganCoach.com, you know I'm a HUGE fan of doing things in small bites versus all at once. And if you like this style, then you will fall in love with the SBI Action Guide (their How-To Manual) which takes you step by step by step through absolutely everything you need to do to get your site up and running.
Since the majority of your work when building your website foundation is writing, it's helpful to be able to stay focused on that task. What you need is simple instructions such as "click here" and "do this". You get this with SBI.
From there, it is up to you to take it as far as you want.
By the way, let's back up for a second because I just breezed over something you must know...
Most of the work you will be doing is WRITING. That may seem a little obvious, but honestly I never realized how much work goes into writing the pages for a website. Whew!
Now, having said all that, you DO need something else to build a website: You must have a good handle on grammar and spelling, otherwise you will look like an idiot and nobody will want to spend any time on your site. Yes, there are spell checkers and you can even get someone to look over your pages for you -- I know some people who do just that. But that can become a pain in the butt.
"Is it REALLY easy to build a website that generates $$$?"
Well, yes and no.
Yes, because if you can follow instructions to a "T", then you can build a website that makes money.
And no because I don't want you to get me wrong. It takes a LOT of work to build the foundation of a website. There is a learning curve here; however, that does not mean it is difficult. The entire process is broken down into easy-to-understand action steps.
SBI (the website-building program I use and recommend) gives you everything you need to zero in on ways your site topic (your "niche") will make money.
In fact, before you even begin building your site you will have all this stuff figured out. At least enough to get you up and running. And then the rest becomes more clear to you as you go along on your website adventure.
The name of the game is to set up various income streams on your website. This way you are never relying on only one way to make your money. It all adds up each month.
As you work on your site and deliver great content, your audience begins to tell you what they want and need (via emails or your website's contact form) and then you deliver.
Give the people what they want, and they are happy. When they are happy, you are happy. It's a win-win every way you slice it.
"I don't understand this "e-business" stuff. I just need to make some extra cash to pay the bills each month! Can I do this with a website?"
Such a great question. You likely see that the best way to bring in some extra money is NOT to get a part-time job. Chances are you are already working a full- or part-time job, and you don't have enough time as it is!
So what are the options for mere mortals like us to make extra cash each month?
One idea that intrigued Jeff and I in the past was network marketing, the idea behind it is to sell (er, "share") products you love with others, build a foundation of excited business builders, then sit back and collect the checks.
Well, it never quite worked for us. (boo-hoo)
But the CONCEPT behind it was very exciting.
Because that type of income, where you do the work up front and then the money rolls in even when you sleep? That's called residual income. Residual income is THE KEY to making money that helps pull you out of that wheel that you have likely found yourself on -- work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep.
There are not many ways to make residual income these days. You can play the stock market (oy!), you can start an MLM business and hope you find success (double oy!), you can purchase multiple homes or apartment buildings and rent them out...
Or you can start a website.
Because it's the best way I know of to make this residual type of income.
So call it what you will, a source of extra cash each month, or an e-business, it's not important. What IS important for you to understand is just how life changing creating a website can be for your future.
-- Lao Tzu
"The idea of a website/online business intrigues me, but I don't have a clue what I would make a website about. How does that work for people like me?"
That is a VERY good question indeed. :O)
What do you like to do? What experience do you bring to the table, either professionally or personally? What hobbies do you have? Take another look at the top 1% of SBI-generated sites and you will see that the topics (or "niches") are all across the board, including websites about electronics, entertainment, food, investing, health, travel, sports, and so much more.
You probably will not be surprised to learn that SBI helps you figure out what topic you could share with the world. Everybody knows something about something!
Just a little bit of advice: Be sure you REALLY love the topic you choose because you will be spending a lot of time with it. When you choose the right niche, you will be completely jazzed to work on it, which will only mean good things for your site visitors, and for you! Once again, it's a win-win.
"I tried to build a website myself with [a web hosting company]. Got overwhelmed. Couldn't do it. Canceled the whole thing. Is SBI REALLY worth the money?"
I never checked into other solutions so I have never compared pricing. But the charge of $299 to start my website didn't seem too steep to me, especially with everything you get for the money. They offer a money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.
If you enjoy your online business and wish to continue after a year, you pay an additional $299, and each year thereafter. Honestly, when I pay that sum each year I feel so fortunate because today, knowing what I NOW know about building a website (which I learned as I went along), is it worth $299?
OMG. SO worth it. Because you get SO MUCH for your money. Seriously. I would happily pay more than that -- but I am glad I don't have to. ;O)
You can see a comparison of SBI with two major old-fashioned Web hosting services to see all you get with SBI. Click here, then scroll about halfway down the page to the link that says 'Click here to compare SBI! to Yahoo! and 1&1.com'.
"How much work did you have to put in before you earned the price of your subscription back (the $300) in terms of time - months/hours - and in terms of amount of content? In other words, what did it take to make your website profitable?"
The short answer: In my case it took about 6 months.
The longer answer: This is not a "get-rich-quick" scam. SBI's mascot is a tortoise because it takes time, work and persistence to build a genuine, profitable, long-term business that makes you an income. It takes some time to build the foundation of your site.
At first, you will stay focused on the task at hand: Writing and providing content for your website visitors.
When you have reached 30 pages of content, this is when you begin adding things to your site that can make you money, called Monetization. (There is really no use adding any sort of "money makers" before this 30-page mark because it won't do you much good - you simply will not have enough people visiting your site to make a difference.)
When most people hit that 30-page mark they begin working with Google's Adsense program, which are the ads you see on just about every website on the internet today. How quickly you can include these Google ads will depend on how much time you have to devote to building these first 30 pages.
Adsense is easy money, but as with everything else the income builds slowly. You might start out making a couple cents a day, but that will grow to a couple bucks a day, and then up and up. SBI helps you figure out which topics have the most potential for success with Adsense.
At this time (early 2010) my site brings in $500-600/month in Adsense alone -- in the busier months it can reach over $1,000/month -- and this will only continue to grow as my traffic grows.
So remember, things start slowly. But over time your site grows larger - writing becomes easier so you can write web pages faster. More pages -> more site visitors -> more people clicking on Google ads, more people purchasing helpful things your site offers.
For instance, currently my site offers pressure cookers, Vitamixes, steamers, pots/pans, informational products which I have written in the form of eBooks and eCourses, and more (<---- here is one of the eCourses I offer via my website). Plus, we are just on the verge of adding cooking DVDs and water purification units.
So you see, if you listen to your website audience they will tell you what they need and want, and then everything starts to fit together. A snowball effect begins.
Then things get VERY exciting.
"I am interested in learning how to start a website that is successful like yours. :-) I have been searching for years. I don't want to hire a web designer because I want the freedom and the fun of working on my site constantly like you do. I love to learn, to be hands on, creative.
I heard that! Firstly, when you put your site building in the hands of someone else, then you always have to rely on them to make changes. This is fine for those who need an online presence for a current offline business. But if you hope to create an online business, you want complete control and easy access to your website.
Plus, if someone else works on your site, you remove yourself so completely from the creative aspect of things that it takes the fun away!
-- Les Brown
"So many of the pages of your site are very highly ranked. Do you spend a lot of time maintaining that high rank in the search engines?"
Ummmmm....maybe?
Sorry for my confusion. Let me explain.
Firstly, SBI teaches you the key things your pages MUST have in order for them to rank highly. Once the pages are built, you just forget about them and move on. There is really nothing more you have to do.
Now, there might be more to it than that. But if there is, SBI takes care of it. I have no idea what they do, I am just happy they do it. It frees me up to do what I do best: Write!
I mean, if you are like me (and MOST people), all that computer stuff is bor-ing. And confusing. And why should you spend your time trying to figure it out?
"I have read some complaints about SBI, saying you pay way too much for what it provides. And the customer support wasn't good. Is it true?"
Whoever said this is either trying to sell you something else, or they "tried" SBI and failed miserably because they didn't follow directions.
In a way, I wish I had something even a LITTLE negative to say about SBI, because so many times when I read reviews that are 100% glowing I get suspicious!
All I know for sures is this: When I started on this journey I knew nothing about building a website, and now I run a successful website. They provided the tools, told me how to use them, and then stepped out of the way to let me do my thing.
I STILL know very little about computers -- just enough to get by -- but I have learned a LOT along the way. And from what I have learned, I honestly cannot imagine accomplishing all of this without SBI. They have this magical way of using technology to make technology disappear, and helping you grow into an accomplished and successful e-business person.
And the customer support at SBI is amazing. There is nothing more grating on my nerves than when someone doesn't treat you with the respect you deserve as a customer. Ask my husband and he will tell you I am a stickler for good customer service, filling out those little customer comment thingies that float around out there in various businesses and restaurants. (----> Check out the photo of my mom, sister and I doing just that - ha!). I never hold back -- good or bad!
SBI has some of the best customer support I have ever encountered. Ever. I can't imagine it gets any better than this.
In closing...
Yes, SBI gives you the tools to 'just do it', but YOU are the one who brings it to life.
The world wants to hear your point of view. They need you to share your expertise. They are ready to benefit from your experience.
You are unique, and your website will be too.
As long as you come from a place of honesty, commitment to your site visitors, and dedication to yourself to be the best you can be, then there really is no stopping you.
You can do this!
Click here.
Giant hugs,
Patty "Sassy" Knutson, NC
Vegan Chef/Author/Nutritional Consultant
Proud Advisory Board Member of DetoxReviews.com
p.s.
By the way, if you have no experience writing for an internet audience, have no fear. Here is a free ebook you will enjoy called Make Your Content Presell (click the link, then scroll down to the bottom of the page to pick up your free copy).
You will LOVE this book.
Lingering questions?Want to talk to someone LIVE?
Click here!
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What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Starting an internet business?
How would I go about starting an internet business similar to yours? I want to give advice to people about vegan nutrition and raw vegan nutrition.
I ...
Which is better, a Blog or a Website?
I love your website and have read your page on how you got started. I actually have had a blog for just about a year now and it is starting to generate ...
How does your website earn money?
I'm almost ready to buy. But how does the site actually earn money for you? I don't understand. And one other question - if you use SBI, are you required ...
Existing Website - Should I switch to SBI?
I already have an existing website where I sell my services as an integrative healer. Would SBI be profitable for me as I don’t see myself linking to ...
Does SBI really work?
Not rated yet
Hi there, Sassy, I love your site. I live in NY and am a vegetarian (um, a bit less now that I have a daughter...).
Sorry if this seems a bit weird,...
Feedback From Another SBI Website Publisher
Not rated yet
Hi Sassy,
I wanted to share my experience with SBI (Site Build It!) with you and your readers. I started my first SBI website in December 2007, about ...
What exactly is SBI and how much does it cost?
Not rated yet
Can you tell me if you are still happy with them/it (I can't really tell if SBI is a product or a service, or software, or what), and how much it costs ...
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-- Andrea Boydston
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"I just wanted to say thanks for your input a while back when I asked you about how you built your website.
I signed up with SBI and I'm slowly working through the process, registered a domain name and now building the
tier structure, etc.
It is just the kind of help and structure I was looking for, so thank you again! I'm hoping that in 6 months or so I will have a rockin' website up and running. Thanks again for being such an inspiration!"
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