How To Get Online For Less
Even if you’re operating on a tight budget you can still create a space to build your web presence. Find out how below.
We understand that small businesses and aspiring startups often only have small budgets to work with when getting started. With so many expenses, it’s easy to think of a website as less important and push it to second tier on your to-do list. However, not having a website will cost you much more than the small price of getting online.
Nowadays almost everyone looks to the internet as their primary source of information. If your business isn’t online you’ll lose a huge portion of potential customers who will find someone similar – that is, one of your competitors – via Google search. Even if you’re running a local small business that has no relation to technology, your customers will still use the internet to pinpoint your location or to find special offers.
That’s why we can’t express enough how important it is to have a website. But what do you do if it just isn’t in your budget? Here at WestHost, we have the solutions to your problem.
Cheap domain name registration
Before doing anything else, you’ll need to register a domain name to secure your “address” on the web. You can look at a domain name as a landing destination for your visitors. They type your domain name into their address bar and then arrive at your site.
Domain names are a huge part of online marketing in today’s world. Visitors may very well know your business by your domain name more than anything else. It becomes a title for your site. Just like we know Google.com or Facebook.com, your visitors will notice your domain name before anything else.
At WestHost, we offer promotions on certain domain names for as little as $1.49 for the first year. If you want a .com domain name rather than a gTLD, you’re only looking at $12.50 a year.
**Check out and register available domain names here!**
Additional resources for domain names:
- What is a domain name?
- How to find the perfect domain name.
- DNS and how domain names work behind the scenes.
- What are gTLDs?
Affordable web hosting
Once you’ve registered your domain name, you’ll need to secure web hosting to make sure your website is live on the internet. Web hosting basically provides storage space for websites. Once a website is hosted, visitors can access the files through their own web browser.
This is precisely what we do here at WestHost. We own and operate powerful web servers that contain millions of files that make up clients’ websites. These websites are securely stored on our hardware so that when someone types in the corresponding domain name, they can reach the desired website.
Web hosting is cheap through WestHost. We specialize in helping small businesses and blogs get their first site underway and online. That’s why we offer Personal Hosting for only $4 a month. And if you enter 50FURTHER at checkout we’ll take an additional 50% off your web hosting package. So for as little as $2 a month, WestHost will get your website up and running.
Note: WestHost offers more powerful web hosting packages for when your site grows. You can easily upgrade when your site sees a boost in traffic or if your site needs more storage space.
**Find your discounted web hosting package here!**
More information on web hosting
Website Builder
Once you have a domain name and have picked a web hosting package, you’ll need to actually create the website. At first this may appear to be a daunting task, but with the right tools anyone can create a professional and fully functional website.
Our Website Builder is a powerful tool that helps you build your entire site. With our simple drag-and-drop feature, all you need to know is how to click a mouse! Website Builder offers over 100 professional templates that you can customize to your liking. Change color schemes, images, layout and anything else you want. Our Website Builder will also make your site responsive, meaning your site will look great on your visitors’ desktop, tablet and mobile phone screens.
You can easily build an awesome website for your business, even with no coding experience or degree in graphic design.
**Start building your site with Website Builder today!**
Additional details on building your own website
What else does WestHost offer?
Your domain name, a web hosting package and website builder are the essentials for getting started. But when you choose WestHost, you’re getting so much more.
WestHost offers 24/7/365 technical support. If anything ever goes wrong with your site, or if you need step-by-step instructions, you can reach out to our support team at any time. This comes FREE with all WestHost services.
We’ve been operating for over 15 years, so when you choose WestHost you’re teaming up with some of the most experienced techies in the industry. We pass this experience and expertise on to every single one of our clients. Again, this comes FREE to every single client.
Additional services from WestHost:
- SiteLock – 24/7 protection from malware – $1.25/month
- CloudFlare – CDN that drastically increases your site’s speed – FREE for one year
- SSL – encryption for your site – $33-$110/year
Back to the budget…how much do I have to spend?
Getting back to the original purpose of this article, how much do you have to spend to have a website live on the internet?
Let’s break it down…
Domain name: $12.50/year (assuming you want a .com domain name)
Web hosting: $2.00/month (remember, 50FURTHER gets you an additional 50% off)
Website Builder: $3.96/month (get 20% off by using the code WSB20OFF)
Total: $7.00/month, or $84/year
By only adding $7 to your monthly budget, you can have a fully functional website that will impress your visitors. That is what we call getting online on a budget.
Get started today at WestHost.com!