LESSON #24: Choosing a Web Host
In the previous lesson, I talked about the importance of having your own website, and we went through the process of registering a domain name.
Now it’s time to take the next step toward getting your website up and running…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
1) The resources and tools that you’ll need
-Plenty of storage space and data transfer
-Cpanel control panel (I wouldn’t go anywhere without it)
-MySQL, PHP, etc…
-Fantastico scripts installer (one click WordPress, etc)
2) Great support
-look for 24/7 support, and multiple support options
3) Reliability.
-If your website isn’t online, it’s not making money!
4) Affordable price.
Action step:
1) Get web hosting.
Click here to visit my recommended web host…
In the video, I talk about how to choose a hosting plan that best meets the needs of your business. Essentially, it comes down to this question:
How many websites do you intend to have?
If you only plan on having one website (ever), then you should go with a single hosting plan such as Hostgator’s “Baby” plan. You can get started with your first month for as cheap as one penny by using my coupon code during checkout.
Coupon code: ERICSTIPS.COM
If you plan on having multiple websites, your best option is to get a Reseller account, such as Hostgator’s “Aluminum” reseller plan. This will allow you to launch an unlimited number of websites without having to pay any additional hosting costs.
Watch the video for a comparison of shared hosting, reseller hosting accounts, and dedicated servers to see which one is best for your business.
After you’ve obtained hosting, we’ll want to make sure your domain is pointing to your hosting account, and we’ll get familiarized with the tools you’ll be using (I’ll be covering those things in the next lesson).
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 
Have a great day!
Nice TY Eric
I got it but I think I put down windows instead of linux. Is it Bad?
Hopefully this comments form’ll be shorter to track down your answers than last week’s
Waiting for my Stompin set.
Though I was careful about ordering it as I didn’t want to be tied down to a monthly membership fee (yet)
Can’t Wait for #25
Regards
Mark
hey Mark… yeah I would definitely go with Linux instead of windows. But if you signed up with hostgator you don’t need to worry– they have linux by default and they haven’t actually started selling Windows plans yet.
Cool thnx
Towards the end of the illuminate comments
Micheala put in a comment about getting burned by sites and monthly fees that are difficult to get out of. I think she was reffering to all the extra’s The Stompers were offering.
Will you keep an eye on these and make sure us newbies do not get tempted into going into deep and any side affects to these great offers your giving us.
Hi! it was 2 point in my comment:
1) Stompers is not really free, because of the monsly membership plus all other offers which was to many I think.
2) the membership I cannpt get out of it was a M.F. membership which was added without me to requested and I cannot get out of it now.
Yes I will try to keep an eye out and make note of it when I promote things that include continuity programs. In my initial promo for the Stompernet course, I did mention it, and explained the main reason I was promoting it was for the STSE2 free course.
Hey Eric,
I’m at work right now and can’t view the video yet, but can I use your coupon code if I go with the hostgator reseller plan also?(not just the baby plan) Looking forward to viewing your video later tonight!
Take Care,
Gary
Get 150 *Top Quality* NICHE Websites With Your Paypal ID On Each!
http://Instant-Paysites.com
Yes you can still use the coupon code to save $9.94. Thanks
Agree with hostgator they offer fantastic value. I was being hosed by a couple of different hosts then someone refered hostgator and I have been stoked with their product and awesome support.
RIch
Cool, thanks Rich
Hi Eric,
I have an account with Bluehost, providing similar features. I currently run 4 sites on it. I am wondering whether you have any comments regarding this company?
Also with hosting plans that have “unlimited domains”, it seems they add them to the first primary domain that was setup. I am wondering if the name server company was to “shut down” this primary domain, would that then also shut down all the add-ons? If so would the reseller plan get round this problem?
I ask because Mike Filsaime has spoken out against GoDaddy the company I registered my primary domain with.
Thanks
Ray
I do not know much about Bluehost other than they have been around for many years, so they’re probably doing something right.
That’s an interesting question. When hosting unlimited domains on a single hosting account as add-on domains, yes I think it could possibly shut down the add-on domains if the main domain was shut down.
Yes the reseller account would get around that problem, because each domain is hosted individually. They are all on the same server, but they each have their own Cpanel account.
I’ve heard Mike talk about Godaddy, and it’s worth consideration, but honestly I think you run that risk with any registrar, so I have no problem with Godaddy (except maybe their racy TV ads).
I have some questions regarding this.
I am considering a business account vs the reseller account. What are the various plus/minus of the 2? More in a separate startup thread below….
….but for this issue, how are these add-on domains treated? I assume they will have all their own traffic/bandwidth allotments and tracking stats? Yes?
And, concerning the shut down — this would be for hacked accounts with bad scripts running and overloaded servers crashing — any other reasons?
Following, if the primary domain is shut down or crashes, the add-on domains are treated like a sub-domain and they crash as well?
Are all add-on domains directly linked to the primary as a parent child relationship wherein 3 domains total, 1 parent primary and 2 children connected, separate and distinct at the second level? Or would it be primary, secondary, tertiary…..as in Grandparent, parent, child?
Then, if I am hosting multiple domains on my single business server account, wouldn’t I put a ‘holding domain’ as the primary — one that would not have any scripts and little traffic such that it would cause no problems and then put the highest traffic, most complicated site at the bottom level? Would this be the best way?
I am anxious to make decisions, switch my current site to hostgator, choose a method to create 2-3 more sites and get to work.
This is a very useful site and these lessons are quite helpful. I appreciate it; I only wish I would have seen it sooner. I look forward to posting questions and solutions as well as my vision and progress towards my goals. Let’s all work towards the ideals set by the host.
thanks, in advance to Eric and all those who comment.
Clay
Bluehost and hostmonster are sister companies and they are great. The services are different than a reseller. You do not have a individual cpanel for each domain. You can add any domains to your same account and assign a ftp access to each but you have to manage all of them under one account. This service is good for webdesigners that offer the entire package like (website and hosting included). I am very happy with the services after trying 3 others.
The price is unbeatable $6.95 a month unlimited everything.
If you need to have one cpanel for each go to hostgator, it is a great offer for a reseller service.
Hi!
Will Hostgator be just as good for those of us not in the US? I’m in the UK.
Yes. Their servers are in a major US datacenter with many internet backbones connected to it, which gives them great connectivity globally.
Hi everyone,I live in the UK and have been with Hostgator for ages, I use the reseller option and have never had a single problem, as eric says they have everything you could possibly need, and Fantastico is perfect for blogging
Hi All,
A VPS is also an option, that Eric didn’t mention. A VPS or Virtual Private Server, is basically a dedicated server for cheap skates. You don’t get affected by other users as resources are allocated only to you.
Basically a big powerful machine is split up into smaller virtual computers and if one has a problem, it does not affect the others unless there happens to be a problem with the host machine.
I’m not affiliated to them in anyway, but ServerAxis (do a Googl) offer an entry VPS for about 35USD. This is not an option for noobs either, but if you find yourself in “between” and need a middle of the road solution, between normal shared hosting and expensive Dedicated, then this is for you.
Best Regards,
Dave
Good comment Dave
In my “How to Sell Hosting” ebook, I do mention the VPS option. I think for most marketers, the reseller account (with WHM/cpanel) gives the same benefits as a VPS. On the other hand, a VPS give some advantages for advanced users such as being able to tweak some server settings, using SSH, etc… (as you said… not for noobs).
And if your business warrants a dedicated server, I recommend going for a dedicated over a VPS because on a VPS your site(s) is still sharing the server with some other VPS customers.
thanks
Hi eric, i use yahoo to host several sites at the moment. Things can get a bit clumsy there and their stats are extremely unreliable. I use them because of the shere simplicity of their ‘Sitebuilder’ page building and publishing software.
Have you used Yahoo’s Sitebuilder?
And how does Hostgator’s compare?
Thanks for the lessons,
pete.
Pete, I have not used Yahoo’s sitebuilder, so I can not offer a comparison. However, Hostgator does offer a free demo of their site builder right on their site, so I recommend checking that out. Thanks, E
Hi Eric,
I already have hosting with HostGator, I originally got it with the promo code with The Next Internet Millionaire coaching program (which I caneled a few months ago because I wasn’t getting much value from it, but of course, I understand that Joel Comm has gotten too busy to pay much attention to it), but I still have my hosting with Hostgator and I’m not about to switch hosting companies any time soon, I am a very satisfied Hostgator customer. I’ve also upgraded to a reseller hosting package sometime between now and the day I first got started (which was almost a year ago). I can’t remember exactly when that was, but I think it was sometime around May or June. I did this so I could register and use multiple domains (which I have more of than I’m actually using for content) I haven’t registered any new domains in a while, but that’s because I’m developing and deciding what to do with the domains I currently have before I register any more domains.
Also, even though I already know how to point my domain names to my server, I’m still going to watch the next lesson because your lessons aren’t cut and dry in the sense that it’s “this is how you do it and that’s the end of the story”, you always add perspective to your lessons (i.e. you include why you do something a certain way and not just how to do it with no substance except for how to do it). I think that unless you include your reasons for recommending a certain company over another and what features they have and why you should look for those features(like you did when doing the lesson on web hosting), but again, what I really like about your lessons is the fact that you don’t just go over the “how” (i.e. how you do something) or the “what” (i.e. what to look for), you also go over the “why” and you’re not afraid to state your opinion when going over the reasons you believe you should do something, that’s what makes these lessons interesting is that you’re always telling us what you find works and why you believe it works (in other words, you don’t just preach the same old “the money is in the list”, “traffic, traffic, traffic”, “content is king”, ect. without telling us why these things are important like so many “gurus” are guilty of doing). It’s alot more personal if you just state your opinion as to why your mailinglist, traffic or even content is important, even when writing an ebook. Opinions are also easier to brand than “unbiased” information (that is, information that “goes straight to the facts” without taking time to explain why those facts are valid, including case studies, especially those within your business that back up the information you’re giving, which you have done a good job at doing so far)
Thanks,
Ben
Thank you very much for your comments Ben
Hi Eric,
Choosing a Web Host is a mandatory requirement if you are going to have your own website. I don’t currently have Hostgator but I have heard very positive feedback regarding their services.
If anyone is willing to take some time, they can learn how to set up their own hosting account. Eric, I definitely agree that CPanel is great and you should look for a hosting company that uses it.
A large number of the Internet Marketing Gurus take it for granted that people know about this area. Eric, you are literally going step-by-step through this entire process and that is great.
Thanks for sharing another great lesson.
Tom
http://www.vipmarketingsecrets.om
Thanks Tom, yup Cpanel is awesome
I signed up through your referral a couple years ago and have never regretted it. Eric, the great thing about this company is that live help. In the beginning I was on a steep learing curve and it seemed like Hostgator help was the one that got the brunt of all my problems. They worked out all the confusion in signing up, spelling mistakes in DNS, ftp login confusion etc.
Even when I made a mess of my account, they would go in and straighten it out. Now I’m NOT saying that people should just sign up and let Hostgator clean up their mess. At the time I didn’t have a set of tutorials like the one you are producing now. My advice to people here is to follow along with you and work step by step. You will save a lot of hair pulling grief.
Oh yes and I was relieved to be on Hostgator when the internet was crying about losing a binch of websites under another popular hosting company.
Question: What are the advantages of having a reseller account vs Using addons under a main account?
Thanks, Colin
Having a Reseller account gives you a WHM (Web Host Manager) control panel, which is the admin side of Cpanel. It’s much better than using add-on domains because each domain has its own Cpanel with all that comes with that (email accounts, stats, mysql’s, etc). Once you experience the ease of setting up accounts in your own WHM, you will not want to go back
I think you will start soon to talk a little about cPanel and how to use fantastico to create blogs. This is a subject which really interest me, and you told me to remained you to talk about how we can change “nofollow” parameter (which is a default in WordPress), in “dofollow” parameter.
Thanks again for good advices on your lessons.
I already gave hostgator as my host for the last 2 years, very happy about it, the support is supper, I have a baby croc account, but I always created blogs with Blogger, not with WordPress.
Now I want to learn to do it with WordPress, and use fantastico as well.
When I have a new domain I use addon domains, it is OK to gave a main domain and
the rest of them to be addons, I estimate that I’ll probably get no more then 10-12 website until the end of my current project.
The main domain is http://www.mc-ebay-resources.com, an example of addon is
http://www.ebookscamp.com, and I have a very good response time with it.
If I want to change some point in time (when I’ll make more money online), my baby croc account with a reseller or dedicated account, it is possible, am I right?
Regards
Michaela
Yes it is possible to start with a baby croc, and upgrade to a reseller or dedicated at a later time. Thanks
Eric - Any thoughts on the supposedly “green” web hosts that are currently available?
I don’t have much info about other specific hosts, but I have seen a handful of them. I guess I would just say that I think it’s a great idea, albeit a bit gimmicky. After all, anyone can buy renewable energy credits. But hey, it’s better than nothing. In fact, I think I may try to incorporate renewable energy credits into a promo soon
Hi Eric,
Great lesson! I know for sure that I want to start multiple websites in the future. My question is…it it possible to get the Baby plan for example and then later on upgrade to a reseller account once the first few websites are up and making money?
Thank you,
Umberto
Thanks. Yes you could start with the baby and then upgrade later.
Hi Eric: watched your less #24, and you are right. I currently have hosting Paid with
Startlogic…..have not got to use it yet, I moved…but my question is: What does Hostgator Have that Startlogic doesn’t? I am new to this, and have lots of different Websties due to Marketing, 14kt Jewelry, Lingerie, Denim, Shoes, Dancer’s Outfits, etc.
Would like your input on this. I have looked, but again, I am new to this, am worried about transferring all my picts….
Hi Eric,
I’ve started my own hosting business and get small clients here and there. I signed up with a Hostgator reseller account about 2 1/2 years ago and generally have had no problems. Last week, one of their old shared servers I happened to be on (titan server) kept going down and having problems for more than a week. Anyway, I used that opportunity to upgrade to the dedicated plan (I definitely have to grow into this one because I didn’t plan on doing this so soon).
Anyway, I have a ton more space and the monthly rate has increased for renting a dedicated server. Should I adjust my monthly hosting charge to my clients as well?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Matt P
It really deopends on your business strategy and who your clients are (are you hosting a few friends, or 100 small businesses, etc..)… but in general, I would not raise the price for your clients. I think hosting clients are pretty fickle when it comes to monthly price increase, so I would leave them be and focus on adding a few new clients (perhaps at a higher cost, and perhaps on a bigger plan) to cover the cost of your dedicated server.
Thx for your insight. I’m hoping to host 100. I’ve got to start employing new strategies so that I can gain new customers and retain the one’s I have currently. I’m new at this, but I can definitely see the benefits. Again, thanks for your help.
Matt
Regarding Godaddy and similar hosting.
Remember that you generally get you pay for in hosting. If your website is a hobby then any hosting will do. If you are making an online business you CAN’T afford to have issues.
Ipower, dreamhost, and Godaddy offer great prices that will serve many, but you should avoid even the slightest chance of issues that low-cost hosting provides (Ipower is particularly terrible). There are plenty of great hosts out there that are better for a small(!) increase in price. The return on that small investment will pay for itself when your income depends on your hosting. Eric’s link to hostgator is a great starting point to invest is quality hosting.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the video. If I had not bought my hosting I would have bought it via you link. You just seem to provide us all with useful information that will ensure we take our projects to the next level.
I really do appreciate this, as most Internet marketers never really offer powerful information like you have.
Cheers Eric and I wish you great success in life.
Richard
Hostgator does fit the bill. Service is key in any business. I have gotten great service from Hostgator. They are really patient with all my questions, and I get great information.
Eric, I created my gravatar but can’t figure out how to upload my picture. Help!
Hi Eric:
Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware)!!!
I have heard a few horror stories about both GoDaddy and Hostgator such as:
“First, GoDaddy was about to cancel my domain names because some affiliate sent a spam e-mail to promote one of my products through his link.
And yesterday HostGator suspended my Web hosting account because again some unknown affiliate sent a spam e-mail promoting one of my sites.
A while ago HostGator also closed my affiliate account with a dumb excuse while they owed me over $15,000 in commissions.”
Since we can’t stop those unauthorized affiliate spammers, I believe that a word of caution is in order.
I’ll apologize in advance if I am off topic here as this might not apply to retail sites.
Wayne
You may like to know more about it below:
5 simple methods to cloak your affiliate links and protected them … 22 Oct 2008 … Method #2: use a free service to cloak and get a shorter URL. …. Related topics: 5 methods to cloak clickbank affiliate links, … My name is Zane and Iam from New Zealand, Iam enthusiastic about internet marketing …
http://www.squidoo.com/cloak_affiliate_links_free_script - 76k - Cached - Similar pages
Cpanel is where it is at as for hosting. I recommend a resell account and usage of subdomains for individual products or split test advertising when working with affliates. Nice article!
Excellent lesson. Thanks again, Eric, for a job well done. I already have a Hostgator account, so was pleased to get your recommendation. Look forward to the next lesson.
http://www.ServeAndProsper.com
Hi Eric
I’ve strayed!
I have just listened to an interveiw with the 4 hour work week guy on Yanik’s site.
OML. That’s what I’m talking about “Outsourcing and planning your spare time” thru his interveiw i worked out staying in my job gave me a value of less £4 per hour ($7) which is less than the Indian p.a’s charge he uses.
Right time for a change!!!!!!!
Due to complicated inlaw issues my wife and I are planning to seperate I have 3 months to come up with a solution to save my marriage(dramatic but true all the same)I have to create wealth enough to sustain 2 house holds as my mother in law and brother in law have been living with us for 4 years. I have drawn the line.
So saying i have not left myself a get out clause. The 15th of december is the date. I veiw this as a goal.
ok so realistically were not going to get to that point with the lessons in time (absolutely no criticism to your wonderful lessons, you have given me the inspiration and kick up the arse to make something of myself)
they’re not comming fast enough so it looks as though your writing cash system is what I’m pinning my hopes on and the free info Yanik puts out.
I don’t suppose you’d do an apprenticeship course (virgin marketing material)?
well when the next lessons come I’ll be able to set up a blog to document my progress!
Regards
Mark
Hi
this is a bit off track!!! but as a newbie i found it big hassle with hosting companies, and maybe jumping to gun a bit with your tips eric but …… i need help now …. i was dumped by my host for spamming … fair enough you say but it was not me ….the only people with access was me and the guy i brought the php script off or that i was hacked…. host didnt believe me, so can you eric or any readers help with websites or resources for security for php script and websites, so this doesn’t happen again …Cheers
Hey Eric,
I have certainly been informed by this video series. My present host has just seemed a little too high in price, especially compared to Hostgator. I might just have to give it a try!
Peace and Blessings,
Clint
Sorry I was a little confused by the Hostgator “baby” account allowing multiple domains but you saying that it’s only a good choice if we have just one web site. I will have two, a nonprofit site I’ve managed for years, and soon a new content-based business one. Will this work on the baby plan?
I think that would be fine on a baby plan. A reseller account is always ideal IMO for multiple domains, but a baby plan would suffice. If you’re planning on adding more sites, I’d go for the reseller.
Hi Eric,
This lesson on choosing a hosting company has been great – even though I already have a couple of accounts. I am with No Monthly Fees and use their $70 account, which seems to be quite a bit like the one you illustrated. (I would very much like your take on them but I see you have avoided reviewing hosts). They use Cpanel as well but I don’t know about a reseller account. (I do link to them as an affiliate on my site). I did notice that one account has Fantastico in the CP but the other does not. Different servers I guess, they offered a free transfer but I have not taken them up on it yet. I will strongly consider switching to the reseller option you detailed in the future as I expect the traffic to my existing two sites to grow as well as new traffic from the new URLs I have registered.
Even though part of me wants you to send out a lesson every few days I am able to realize that it is far better that you not overload your students. Giving extra time between some of the lessons can only help – even if that extra time comes about by outside influences. I, for one, am still researching the information you gave way back in #21 and #22 and may decide to watch the entire series from #1 again this weekend.
I view this as somewhat of a last chance and want to get it right, not quick. Events over the last five years of my life have been grim at best. Lost my dad, lost my home (court decided I had been paying ‘rent’ when it was really mortgage payments – 16 years of equity gone plus 3 years of attorney and court costs. My faith has been tested to an extreme. In truth the only thing I have right now is my faith.
I have started some content updates to my site at http://www.quisqualis.com in preparation for changing it from a purely educational site to one that brings in income and registered two URLs for your course (one in the rare plants area and one in pet products). I find that each lesson gives me an impetus to ‘do it right’.
I truly wish there were some way I could raise the money to attend the Christian Internet Marketing Seminar. There are so many (far too many) out there that have no moral direction in their business life, other than to make a dollar, that having the chance to meet and converse with marketers who have common beliefs directed towards good practices should not be missed. I look forward to hearing your take on the event.
It is not hard for me to believe that you were criticized for mentioning this event; it seems more and more that anything Christian comes under fire. Television and other media almost constantly attempt to remove God from our life. You were not pushing any belief on us, only giving an honest appraisal of what looks like a good seminar. Keep up the good work.
Best of growing™
Bob Cannon
Hi !,
this is an one good thing while choosing web hosting company among more web hosting companies in the world. we have to choose those companies who can provide relaiable, fast and secured website hosting, isnt it???
Hey Eric,
I’m currently with Netfirms and have 2 active sites and another domain waiting for a web page.
The service is not bad but it’s a bit pricy. Is moving domains and sites a complicated process?
Hello! Eric,
Sorry, I really need the free cover creator now, I am a little ahead but I have to. If you just happened to find out or know the URL of a decent software to create covers, please let me know now without to wait until we will talk about covers in our lessons.
Thanks a lot for the help.
Michaela
Hello Sir,
I am one of your subscribers at Eric’s Tips. My name is Prakash, 23 years old and i come from the island of Mauritius and maybe you may not know where my island is found. Well its found on the east of Madagascar.
I have been going through your lessons since one month and i normally watch each lesson 2-3 times as english is not my language since birth and I give the best of myself to grab most tips that you teach. I also have a notebook where i note down all main tips after every lesson.
Sir, i have entered in this online business industry in April 2008 and until now it is not going on well. I have invested much money, around $1000 and i have not received a single penny back yet, since i have been in the wrong business (paid-to-click).
Now that i have found Eric’s Tips, i have the feeling that i can succeed in this business as you provide really great tips. My parents and people whom i know take me for granted when i tell them about online businesses is possible. I get negative feedbacks from them every time i mention it to them,that is why i feel very discouraged. But i have decided that i will not give up until i succeed and bring some money and make it my real business in life. I have never succeeded in my life in any way and i am sure that your teachings will make it the other way round.
Now i am looking forward to get my credit card to buy a domain name and hosting and it is very difficult to get a credit card in Mauritius as i am unemployed. And i am still working on my niche to make sure that i succeed this time.
I really want to thank you very much Sir and God bless you for the great work that you are doing.
I am alone in this world now because i have no money. Sir, i will work very hard to make my online business be a successful one.
Your student for life,
Prakash
Mr Prakash,
Despite I am a newbie as well and still desperate as you are, just be patient with Eric a bit more longer. The saying More haste less speed is what you will get. If you are willing to part your money a little bit every month to get 50/50 rather than 0/0 situation & lost US$1,000 from trying something online for a few months, why not log on to WealthyAffiliate.com to check for more info before you join them as their affiliate member. I had checked whether they were scammmers before I replied to you. If they were scammers, I would not be so inconsiderate to have you jumped from a frying pan into the fire. No matter what, please open your pair of eyes wide enough to see things in perspective and in all angles before you dive in for real.
Hello Sir,
I have been going through your lessons since one month and i normally watch each lesson 2-3 times as english is not my language since birth and I give the best of myself to grab most tips that you teach. I also have a notebook where i note down all main tips after every lesson.
Sir, i have entered in this online business industry in April 2008 and until now it is not going on well. I have invested much money, around $1000 and i have not received a single penny back yet, since i have been in the wrong business (paid-to-click).
Now that i have found Eric’s Tips, i have the feeling that i can succeed in this business as you provide really great tips. My parents and people whom i know take me for granted when i tell them about online businesses is possible. I get negative feedbacks from them every time i mention it to them,that is why i feel very discouraged. But i have decided that i will not give up until i succeed and bring some money and make it my real business in life. I have never succeeded in my life in any way and i am sure that your teachings will make it the other way round.
Now i am looking forward to get my credit card to buy the products that you have mentioned and to buy a domain name and hosting and it is very difficult to get a credit card in Mauritius as i am unemployed. And i am still working on my niche to make sure that i succeed this time.
I really want to thank you very much Sir and God bless you for the great work that you are doing.
I will work very hard to make my online business be a successful one and always moving forward towards my vision.
Your student for life
Prakash
Hi Eric,
This is truly learning step by step, without your coaching sure we have done alots of mistakes on understanding this businesses. We really don’t mond to go Solo but following your lessons could give us better position on deciding what we suppose to do next.
Eric, we are there is no people on Net going to share the knowledges as you do. You deserve a big prizes from the World the people that you had shares.
We will meet one day & hope to see more of yours coming great lessons.
Ths, regards
Mohd Singapore
Hi Eric,
Need your comments on Wayne Report, someone have help Wayne & this could be very unfair to Wayne & also to others. Spamming by others isn’t on purpose by the owner & hope that this could be resolved.
What’s about others joining & they do have similar problems?
Removing from the systems & commission been slashed this is very upset for everyone as normally we just don’t what to do next.
The risk is always on our side & we are unable to get back. Normally we were at dark & there is no legal right for us the win over the case as to get back our lost or allowing us to continue working with the system.
We are your members,
need your expertise on solving this matter as many will be having this similar problems in the near future.
Ths, regards
Mohd Singapore
Hi Eric,
We just, yesterday, received your email of 09/13/08 with the Subject: Did I offend you? The delay was because of hurricane Ike hitting Galveston and Houston at 2:10am 09/13/08 where we live. We just got our electricity and internet connection back yesterday.
My wife and I encourage you to continue letting your Christianity be fully visible. The reason is not to alienate people of other beliefs, but to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.
We believe the attitudes with which you do things are more important than what you do. From the lessons we’ve received so far, it appears your motivation is based on love and caring for all people regardless of their faith. You are doing a good work.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3.
We believe you are truly helping people. Keep the light shining. A great teachig about this can be found at the July 5, 2007 program at http://www.awmi.net/tv/2007/week27
Bob and Laura
Hi Eric
Thanks for the top tips: covering the basics right to the more complicated stuff. This a great help to a newbie like me.
Best wishes
Shirley
An expired domain I want just entered the redemption period. Should I backorder now or wait until the pending delete period? I was planning to try Snapnames, Namejet, and Pool - is that a good method?
If it was a domain I really wanted, I personally would backorder it on Lifedomains.net or godaddy, as it’s only $19 to backorder a domain on those sites.
Depending on how good of a domain it is, your chances of getting it that way might be kind of slim, but I’ve acquired a few through backordering.
But here’s why I think it’s worth it… if you don’t get the domain you wanted, you can apply that $19 credit to a different domain that you would like to backorder. That way when you come across another one that is expiring soon or pending, you can just log into your account and switch the backorder to it.
I’ve bought several domains through snapnames, as it seems like they end up with most of the good ones. I just hate paying $60+ for a domain, which is why I try to backorder it first, and if that fails I bid on it at snapnames. I’ve paid as much as $1600 for a domain before, but in general I would advise to not get carried away and pay very much unless you’re sure the domain is going to make a big difference.
If you are running 3 websites (3 different domain names), is hostgator baby account sufficient enough?
If this is not sufficient enough in the beginning, can you point out some of the disadvantages to this account in this situation?
If I do not have to, I do not want to buy a resellers account until I make a steady income online.
Thanks
The baby plan would suffice, if you’re really needing to conserve cash. The disadvantage is basically not having a seperate hosting account for each site. With a reseller account, each domain gets its own Cpanel.
Thanks for the reply Eric
I brought host gator reseller but having trouble making my site I wanted to used the template they have. sitebuilder is plain where do I get help
Hostgator has many support options available including live chat.
Hostgator has a huge number of fantastic templates wow! However you have to use your own web-site building software. Their templates are designed to be used with two of the most popular ones, that being DreamWeaver or Front Page 2003 or better.
Hello,
I have a website set up with 2domain names. My first domain name is actually my first and last name.com. My second domain is keithsmarketingtips.com.
Is it possible to start promoting clickbank products, along with using conversion prophet, with the domains that I already have? So if I was selling psp items, I would use keithborom.com/psp resources. Will this hurt me?
I want to promote a some click bank products and I am having a hard time of a guess generic domain name that sums it all up. If you have a suggestion or idea, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Keith, yes I think it could hurt your sales if the domain doesn’t make sense to the visitor. I don’t think promoting PSP products on your own name would be a good idea unless you are a PSP expert. For example, I am able to promote a wide range of marketing-related products on EricsTips.com because I’m considered by many to be a marketing expert.
If I am going to make a concentrated effort to promote a certain product or genre of product, I would register a new domain specifically for that purpose (ie. you would register a seperate domain related to PSP).
However, there are also ways to combine a wide range of promotions on the same domain. One of the best ways to do this is through a generic “review” type of site. For example, a domain I own is HonestReview.org (not currently in use). A domain like this could work for almost any type of product. You could actually make it work on a domain like KeithsReviews.com also.
Thanks for the advice Eric.
Hi Eric,
You have suggested to avail a domain & hosting from hostgator.com.
My two websites are hosted with globat.com in terabyte plan, I would request you to visit it & suggest, could I continue with same hosting concern, I can purchase another domain to work according to your instructions, I can host 10 domains without paying additional cost for hosting.
It will save me purchasing another hosting.
With regards
In general, I’d defer to the old addage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
If you’re happy with your hosting, and if they have great service, it’s probably fine to stick with them.
One exception I would make:
If your host doesn’t use Cpanel, I would definitely recommend switching to a Cpanel host such as Hostgator, as most Internet marketing related products and advice are built around the Cpanel control panel.
For multiple domains, I do recommend Hostgator’s reseller plans, which allow unlimited domains.
[…] In the past few lessons, we’ve registered a domain name, and then we acquired web hosting. […]
Thanks for your lesson. I have had hosting with HostGator for about 2.5 yrs now - without any problems.
Eric, whilst large storage and bandwidth is great, I’ve hear that a web host’s CPU useage policy (usually not disclosed upfront) is the most important aspect, as databases and php scripts use lots of CPU time.
What is Hostgator’s policy on this?
and what experience have others had with this?
HG has a fairly liberal policy in this regard. If it is due to abuse or something not allowed, then that’s a problem. But if your site is simply very successful, they will probably move it onto a server with fewer users so that it does not negatively impact others.
Of course if your site is actually trafficked enough to use up a server’s resources, then hopefully it’s making enough money for you to justify getting a dedicated server for it
Hi Eric,
the distinction between a reseller account and the baby hatching hosting plan are not very clear for me as both have unlimited domains.
Sure thing, I actually discussed this very thing in the comments above
Eric,
I have just started your course and am on lesson 23. I hate to pass up something that could start to create some income for me, but I haven’t even gotten a grasp of what I doing yet. You are my mentor as of now, but I hate to get something that will just not be used, as I’m not quite sure how to use it if I purchased it, or if it could help me just yet.
What is your suggestion?
Newbie Angelo
If you don’t know how to use it or what it would do for you, its probably not the right time to buy it. If you’re referring to web hosting, I would suggest re-watch the previous lesson to understand why its essential to have your own website.
hi eric,
i have 30 domain in ixwebhosting.com and my plan have unlimited domains, but i have to pay for doamin registration each, so
i would like to know if I have to pay for domain registration with resseller plan in hostgator?
Hi Eric,
About two weeks ago I have bought ThinkHost web hosting mainly because the are green as well. Did you hear about them or have any opinion? I am wondering if they will do the job at the starting point. I am convinced that next hosting will be with GetGator.com.
Hi Eric and all:
This is very important as Eric’s Tips is finally getting me over the too much/not enough information to make a decision hurdle.
I have watched this video 2x and read all the comments, including adding in to one above.
I, too, need clarification regarding a baby or business plan vs reseller acct.
I will only host my own sites which will range from 3 to maybe 20 in the future.
I see that the business option has unlimited diskspace, domains, and bandwidth whereas the alum reseller has limits. Given that future sites might be media intensive, I wonder about the limitations.
Also, I am not familiar with WHM: does it offer more functions to sites using CPanel that will make a reseller account more beneficial?
I understand that a reseller account will yield individual cpanel control for each domain, could you pls help me understand how this is superior to working in just 1 cpanel admin as I am still in learning mode on these things, if you don’t mind?
And, at what point is ‘unlimited usage’ going to cause a request by HG for me to change to a dedicated server (if all goes well with traffic)?
Thank you.
Peace,
Clay
Sorry I missed your comment. Let us know if you still have questions.
I am going to post a part answer to the post question just posed as I reviewed all the thread again.
Eric said:
It’s much better than using add-on domains because each domain has its own Cpanel with all that comes with that (email accounts, stats, mysql’s, etc). Once you experience the ease of setting up accounts in your own WHM, you will not want to go back.
Back to me:
So, having used cpanel as a novice, but never having set up any add-on domains or their components, i.e, email, etc., is it that much different that it pays to go to the reseller account?
I ma still concerned about future bandwidth and disk space allotments…..
Best regards,
Clay
I’m using Hostgator and recommended it! They have best online 24/7 customer service and much more!
To Your Success
Bryan Hee
Hello eric, I have a different web hosting with clickbank. is it too lste to switch or should I stay with them? I have a site and ordered traffic machines from Bishop to get my site some traffic. what else should I do. Am I on the right track?
If it’s a cpanel host and you’re happy with the price and the service, it’s probably OK. But then again, I’m always leary about web hosts. You want to be with a company that will support you. And no it’s not too late to switch, if you feel the need. Bishop’s traffic machines are a great traffic strategy. As you know, I recommend it. But keep in mind… first you need a business, so you can apply the traffic strategies to it.
Hello Eric.
one question: is hosting with windows better than linux? or what is the deal with windows servers?
best regards
I much prefer linux for hosting, as I feel it’s better suited for the internet.
Windows hosting is best if you’re going to use ASP.NET for your website.
I want to thank you for the lessons I have been following faithfully. I just recently purchased my own domain and web hosting with hostgator. I do have one question I purchased 2 domain names how do I tie them to the same site. Is that through a backlink or something like that. My site is a work in progess I am hoping it works because I was getting bites with the site through synthasite but no one buying so hope this works better.
thanks again for the lessons
There are a few options…
You could simply “redirect” one domain to the other one. You can actually redirect it through your domain registrar account.
Or you could park it on top of the other domain. You can do that within the Cpanel of the main domain. When you park it, it basically means you can get to any page of your site via either domain. I’m not sure if that’s good for SEO though. I think it could be a negative factor.
Another option would be to host the other domain seperately, with a site on it, and interlink the two sites.
Dear Eric,
Got my copy of Butterfly Marketing today. Signed my domain up with you and I can’t wait to get started. Thank you for all your help.
Rick Huerta
Eric,
If I switch off my PC whilst I go to work or in other words, I am on offline just to reduce my electricity bill, would it prevent me from closing my sales if someone would have clicked on my payment button?
You website can continue making sales; it is not dependant on your computer being on. Your website will be hosted on a server which is always on and always connected to the internet.
Hi Eric
thanks, good guide and great tips!
I’m still hanging on as we swing through the process!
Hi Eric
With the reseller account, does each site have their own IP address or do they share the same IP address? Thanks
They share an IP address. You can also order extra IP’s for $2/mo for sites that you want one for.
Hi Eric!
After setting up our business website under Baby Plan together with a good domain name registered ready for online business, what would you suggest to newbies like us to join you in whatever affordable affiliate programs or drop shipping programs? Believe it or not, we couldn’t trust anyone else anymore, except you and some of the experienced internet marketers who are your business links in this blog. Please let me know who are your legitimate business associates that I should be recommended to start working out right away without being scammed at all.
Generally speaking, affiliate programs are free to join.
Here are some affiliate networks that I use:
Clickbank
Commission Junction
Hydra Network
PayDotCom
Heh Heh! That gravatar is me which my wife Joy who used the same email address. Can we join four affiliate programs to be reserved just in one business website with one domain name for a newbie’s start?
I don’t think you quite understand how affiliate programs work yet
But yes you can join four of them and promote them all from one website.
With just one Hostgator Baby Plan, I can download all the clickbank, Commission Junction, Hydra Network and PayDotCom into my one online store or what? Please advise. Thanks to Eric!
With one hosting plan you can have a website. And with your website you can do many different things, including affiliate marketing and promoting products from the afformentioned affiliate networks. You don’t download them into a store though. You choose individual products or services to promote as an affiliate, and then you promote them in verious way, some of which I will be covering later in these lessons.
Upon opening cPanel of Hostgator, what are the essential plug-ins should I be recommended for a start? I should follow what you’ve succeeded - of course, not what you’ve failed in the past. I do not wish to have so many hassles in the cPanel when you Eric has the direct answer right away. I am not a writer at all, can I install Wordpress Blog of Hostgator into my website as well?
I would recommend starting with a Wordpress blog. Yes you can install Wordpress even if you’re not a writer.
OIn starting out- do you have ‘affiliate sites’ available for new sites to add? If so, are theoir
‘free’ email companies that can avoid the ’spam’ designation - any time! thanks. Al
I’m not sure what you mean about the affiliate sites. As far as email companies, I would not recommend any free services. The reason is because your list is such an important asset, and deliverability is paramount. My recommended company is Aweber - they are not free, but they are affordable.
Dear Eric
I have no received lesson 23. Would you please
it?
Thank you very much.
http://www.ericstips.com/tips/lesson24/
As a newbie, I do not know what contents to write in the web pages for my business website because I have no services or products to sell online yet. Will you advise me, please?
Eric,
After signing up for a web host, what contents do I need to write in my web page if I enter clickbanks as you suggested?
A good place to start would be building a blog. Create content that people want to read. Then you can throw in some recommendations for clickbank products. I cover blog building in the upcoming lessons.
Good day Eric, How can i get a domain name without paying any money?
some hosts offer free domains with their hosting, but I recommend keeping your domain registration and hosting seperate; which means you will need to pay for the domain.
Some companies advised us to first use blogger sites at a minimal fee every month to start our homebased business without so much hassles to build a business website by going through all those FTP plug-ins and so on. They pointed out that the blogger sites could attract SEO quicker than first having a business website with or without Wordpress blog installed to promote what we sell. If we could be successful at working out things in the blogger sites, we might gradually and eventually create a business website from there onwards. How do you comment on this?
Blogger sites can be a good tactic to use for SEO in some cases. But they should not be the backbone of your business, and that’s why I think it’s better to start with your own website on your own domain.
Obviously there are more than one way to skin a cat, but I would focus on building your own website as a priority over Blogger blogs. And add some blogger blogs if you have a reason for them.
Eric –
Cash flow is preventing me from moving forward at this time. I have begun advertising my existing storefronts on Traffic Swarm and hope that cash flow improves soon. I will also be investigating other FREE advertising to get my presence out there in cyber space. I will continue with building my own site as funds become available.
I do have a question: I am not planning on doing any blogging on my website. It seems a bit counter-productive since my service is intended for those who are moving or remodeling. I am planning on getting testimonials, when deserved, from my customers. Would I need blogging software to post these testimonials on my site? I do not foresee doing any affiliate advertising on the site as related companies would be contractors and moving companies. I do not think they use affiliate advertising. I may be wrong though. That will have to develop naturally as time goes along.
Louise
I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself
As you will see from the blogging lessons, blogging can be a useful tool for almost any type of business. However, it’s not essential, so its fine of you don’t want one. You do not need blogging software to post testimonials. You could put them in any HTML editor. However, WordPress blogging platform might make it easier to post them.
Also regarding affiliate advertising… you are probably correct in not putting any directly on your site, as you want your visitors to focus on your services. However, I can pretty much guarantee that there are some related affiliate products/services that you can promote on the back end of your business to make extra income. You may just have to think a little more laterally to find those products/services. I’m guessing some moving companies even have affiliate programs… and if not, that could be a great opportunity for you. You could talk to them and set up an exclusive affiliate program. Think about it… if a moving company charges $10,000… they might be able to pay you $1000 commission for 1 sale.
Eric…I have several domains registered on GoDaddy.com…my question to you is…Can I edit these domains to change their names on GoDaddy?…Thanks…TerryWc
No you can not edit the domains themselves. But you can change the name servers to point your domains to your hosting on Hostgator.
So if you want to use the domains that you have, then you can keep them registerd at Godaddy and simply change the name servers. But if you want to use a different domain for your website then you would need to register a new domain.
Its 2am in the morning..and i cannot stop laughing…I’m such an idiot. Just looked at what my hosting company offers and it does not even compare with HostGator.
Should have watched the seminar 2 weeks ago. Just cancelled my account at will swap over. Amazing fact: very few hosting companies in the UK do offer c-panel. Actually, I have not seen any who do. Thanks Eric. Just think you made my life easier.
Cool, I’m glad to hear it!
P.S. I’ve learnt more in the last couple of hours than i thought possible.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for all the valuable info. I have several sites hosted on Host Gator & have used the online chat for help at least 4 or 5 times. It is ” Excellent “. My issues, (all caused by me) have been taken care of immediately by their staff. I would not consider any other hosting for my sites! Keep up the great work.
Hi Eric, hey I got a question, if I want to sell clickbank product can I have my own website? I do not know if you probably said it but my english is not very well and I am unemployed and I really need to do some cash.
Hello Francisco,
Yes, you would provide ClickBank with the links to your website when you submit your product details.
Im 15 years old and i get my first credit card around the holidays. thats when im going to buy my domain. right now im taking the time to think about a good website.
ps- anyone have any pointers for what its like to first start and ways to get alot of traffic to the website
in the mean time im coming up with a great idea but i cant say it because someone could steal my idea
Hello Zachary,
Wow! We’re very impressed at your initiative, and believe you will have a great future in your online business!
When it comes to getting a lot of traffic, Eric uses and recommends Traffic Sage:
http://www.ericstips.com/tips/traffic-sage-review/
you know i’m a newbie and i’m not sure how do you set up a link to clickbank i have clickbank products but no idea what to do with them. i have domain names and will probly go with hostgator as web site host but putting this all together is kind of mind blowing.does this all come together soon?i need to start earning something to justify money i spent already.still i love getting your lessons and try to follow each of them to the best of my limited abilty.keep them coming.thanks
Hello Robert,
Eric has completed more lessons that should help everything come together for you. You can learn the next steps whenever you are ready here:
http://www.ericstips.com/tips/category/lessons/
thanks for the great information
Hi Eric,
I like Host Gator and will host my sites from there. I do have my first couple of sites through myclickbankbusiness.com on hosting that they provide. It is also very good hosting. I like the fact that Fantastico is available. I’ve recently heard the word WordPress - what is that? Is that templates to use for building sites???
These lessons are awesome…I’m not going to quit!!! No way. If you haven’t seen the Tony Robbins interview with John Reese and Frank Kern - it’s very motivating.
http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/320/interview-with-frank-kern-and-john-reese/
I’m doing this!!!
Hi Eric,
Once again Thank you.
Butch Hannan
Hi Eric,
I entered your Coupon code at Hostgator.com but they did noy deduct the $10,00. I replied to their support division but as yet I paid the full amouny of $9,95.Please advise how I can rectify this.
Hmmm… if you typed the code correctly they should have deducted $9.94. I would recommend getting in touch with their billing department and see if they can give you a $9.94 credit on your next bill.
Hi Eric,
I have been following you and your lessons are big help to me as a “newbie”. I have some questions based on the previous lessons.
1. What is the difference of a website and a blog? I owned 1 (expresslinkexpert.com) but I don’t know for sure if it is a website or a blog.
2. Is it right to conclude that I don’t need a web hosting services for my blog to be up and running in the net? While a website it can’t be? If that will be so what is the disadvantage of a blog not hosted especially if it is use in internet marketing business?
3. Is it wise and/or right to just register a domain name, make a blog and run it without being hosted by a web hosting service?
Thanks,
Arlan
1) I cover this in lesson #33 and #37. A blog is a website (or a component of a website), but a website is not necessarily a blog. A blog is an online journal, or series of entries of some sort. It could contain text, photos, videos, or other types of content.
2) Not necessarily. There are some free blogging services where you can have a blog for free, such as blogger.com or wordpress.com. However, it is better to host your blog on your own website using web hosting like I explained in this lesson.
3) It needs to be hosted otherwise it will not be on the Internet.
I am in the process of building a website from scratch. I have outsourced it to a techie for design, development etc.
Your lessons are very useful and much relevant. As I learn I am able to cross check. I wish I had known earlier about yr lessons and I would have built the site mysel.
I am anyway listing my doubts separately and will send for your advice.
Regards
Mothiram
I am still hanging in here, and want you to know Im following closely,and really like your lessons.I am on a limited budget with two teenage daughters.I work construction and the economy has added further strain but “I will not give up”
god bless
as I remain
Bobby
Hi Eric
thank you for these lessons They are such good quality, I often wonder how much one would have to pay else where for something similar.I already have a website on which i rely on the designer to make changes each time i require them. Would it be possible to change from the current host to Host Gator in order to follow with you in the lessons and learn to have more control over my site?
Yes it’s definitely possible to switch over to Hostgator, and in most cases they can even move your site for you.
Hi Eric ,very interesting lesson!
Angie
FYI I just clicked on your link to hostgator and got gibberish.
I also went to getgator.com and got giberish.
I want to get Host Gator today so I will go to HostGator and enter the coupon code ericstips.com
Hmm… sounds like your browser is not allowing redirects, or else it’s spyware. Anyway please try this link if you haven’t already:
Click here
thanks
I have already bought a hosting plan with ipower.com They seem to look good but iam new in this and i dont know how they compare with hostgator. Can i have an input on this
I have not used Ipower personally, but I know they are a very popular host and have been around for a long time. Their features seem comparable to Hostgator, however if you are hosting multiple domains then Hostgator’s reseller account is a better deal unless you want to host all your domains under one control panel as “addon domains”. Ipower does not offer reseller accounts with WHM, which allows you to set up individual hosting accounts for unlimited number of domains. For that reason I would go with HG if you have multiple domains.
Hello Eric,
I think I already have a good Webhoster, but for future domains I will probbably use Hostgator, too.
Thanks for the tip,
Arne
I ordered my hostings through lifedomains.net, but before I had watched this lesson. Was that OK, or should I go through hostgator??
Yes you did the right thing. I always prefer to keep my domain registration and hosting separate.
The next lesson will show you how to connect your Lifedomains domain to your Hostgator hosting
I als have 2 more with Global Network and 3 sites with GDI.
i have purchase an hostgator baby plan but i intend to add more blog to my host, what should i do now
You can add new domains to your account currently as add-on domains, and it will work for blogs too. But if you want each domain to have it’s own cpanel control panel then you will need to upgrade to a reseller account.