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In this tutorial we will
cover the basics of getting your own website up and
running. If your goal is to own and operate your own online business,
they you simply MUST have your own website. If you plan on reselling the products in the VP Warehouse,
you need somewhere to "store" them and you need a "home"
page to send your prospects to. Your "home" page will
serve as the base for your entire site. From there, you can direct prospects to your products, your ezine/newsletter, affiliate
programs you promote, etc.
Below we will cover the basic
steps you'll need to take to get your own website up and running!
Step #1: DOMAIN
NAME/HOSTING:
The first thing you need to
do is to obtain a domain name and web hosting for your site. We
have covered this process is a separate tutorial. You will need to read
the Low Cost Domain
Names and Web Hosting tutorial before proceeding.
Step #2: TEMPLATE
FOR YOUR SITE/HTML EDITORS:
Now that you have taken care
of the domain name and web hosting for your site, your next step is to
choose or create a template for your Site. If you're quite
ambitious, you can create your own template or you can choose from thousands
of "ready-made" (and in many instances, free) templates which are available all over the Web.
A search on Google for
free web templates will bring up thousands of templates that are available for
free download.
A simple option is available
to you right here in your Viral Profits Member's area. You can choose
from over 50 templates located in the VP Warehouse. The product name is
"Deluxe Web Templates". Just download the templates and unzip
the folder. You can view the templates by doubleclicking on the
"index" file contained within each folder.
If you choose to create
your own template, you can do so with an html editor by utilizing tables
for the basic layout and inserting images. (additional information about this is
available in the Graphics
section further down on this page)
Next you will need an html
editor. Even if you use a ready made template, you need to open it
in your html editor.
Below are
two additional html editors that are absolutely FREE!
1st Page 2000 by
Ervsoft - Click Here to
download
Notetab Light 4.95 - Click
Here to download
If you've got extra funds, you can
purchase a professional HTML Editor. Microsoft Frontpage is a good one and can
be purchased online through Microsoft's website, through a Google search or on
eBay.
Step #3: THINGS TO INCLUDE ON
THE HOME PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE:
The home page of your website
is the central location where you send your prospects. Your visitors
will, in most instances, see this page first and their impression of YOU will
be based on the feeling they are left with after visiting your site. Keep this
in mind as you proceed.
Your Home Page should
include a few Basic Items such as:
-
A Contact Us or About
Us feature clearly providing instructions on how your visitors may
contact you.
-
A Link to your
Ezine/Newsletter Page or Subscription Form where your Visitor's may
Subscribe to your Ezine/Newsletter. (VERY IMPORTANT)
-
Links to featured
products or a general link to your product description page.
-
Links to your
affiliate programs or recommended opportunities
-
Pop-up on entry
and/or exit advertising a special on one of your products or offering a
free gift for subscribing, etc.
Step #4: CREATING A FORM FOR
YOUR EZINE/NEWSLETTER:
This is a MUST! As we
have stated and you will see throughout these tutorials, building your own
opt-in mailing list is something you must focus on as it is essential to your long-term success! One of the best ways to do this is
to include a sign-up form for your ezine/newsletter on your home page.
In fact, we recommend putting a sign-up form on every single page of your
website! Above the form,
provide the name of your ezine/newsletter along with a brief statement about
it. Offer a "free gift" or bonus such as an eBook or
piece of software for signing
up.
The form itself can be easily
created directly from your autoresponder which is included in your Viral
Profits membership.
Your first step is log into your VP autoresponder
account and create a new autoresponder
for your ezine.
>> Click on >>
"Autoresponders" >> "Create New" from the
autoresponder menu
Set up a message thanking the subscriber and be sure to
include the link to the free gift you are planning to offer on the form.
Once you have the autoresponder in place, you can then create the form by
clicking on "Autoresponders", then "Show List"
Highlight the ezine autoresponder and
click "edit". Then click on "Generate Code".
This will
bring you to the page to set up your form and generate the html code for the
form. Then just simply copy and paste the html coding into location on
your home page where you want the form to be. Further details about your
autoresponder and incorporating it into your ezine/newsletter list building
can be found within the List
Building Tutorial.
Step #5: GRAPHICS FOR
YOUR SITE:
If you are building your
website on your own, one thing you will need is access to graphics or a
software program where you can create your own graphics.
You can find simple things
like buttons, dividers, bars, bullets, clip art and more by performing a simple search on Google.
Below is a graphics software
program with which you can create buttons, logos, banners, even entire
webpages. The software has a free 30-day trial and is $55.00 should
you wish to purchase it.
RealDRAW Pro - Click Here to download
The site below is an online
graphics generator where you can create free logos and buttons.
CoolText.com - Click Here to visit
Step #6: ACCEPTING PAYMENTS ON
YOUR SITE:
Information about the various
options for accepting payments from your customers on your site is available
in the Accepting
Payments at your Website Tutorial.
Step #7: UPLOADING YOUR SITE:
Your final step! Visit
the Uploading/FTP files to your
SiteTutorial for a complete step by step illustration for uploading your
site.
