Before doing anything else, you need to have a plan. This will help you determine how much you need to invest. How much money do I need to set up and monetize my company website? – This is probably one of the most common questions an entrepreneur has when going online.
Cost
The first step is to settle on a domain name and hosting website. Most hosting packages feature free domain names, and the cost is somewhere at $10/month. This amount is usually paid annually. After you’ve done that, you need to start choosing the design and layout for your website. Outsourcing can be extremely convenient. Freelance platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork have millions of freelancers eager to earn a reputation. This means they’re willing to do excellent work for little money.
Customizing your website can also be done for free if you don’t want to pay a web designer. In WordPress, the amount of layouts for your site are endless. For as little as $16/year, you have access to lots of fonts and customization options.
Optimizations
When it comes to optimizing a website for SEO, a lot of entrepreneurs get discouraged because they wrongfully assume SEOs are expensive. If you’re building a blog on a tight budget, devote some time to read about SEO. Another great option is to have the Yoast SEO plugin on WordPress. It’s free of charge and it can be pretty useful. Check YouTube tutorials on how to install the plugin; then spend some time playing around with the settings to make sure they match with your company’s end goal and business mantra.
Hyperlinks, meta tags, meta descriptions and proper blog post organization in WordPress matters a lot. Search engines are extremely picky these days, meaning that your need to focus on quality content too. Try not to write posts for search engines, and focus on providing value to your target audience. It doesn’t cost you anything to write good articles. All you need in this case is research skills and attention to detail. Use infographics, videos and lists to increase the quality of your articles, and never assume that everyone will want to read your articles.
Marketing Budget
For a business blog to be efficient, it needs to be properly marketed. This means you need to set up an advertising budget. On Facebook, monetizing ads start at $50/month. Depending on your niche and industry, Google may charge up to $100/month. Now that your budget is laid out, you have to keep in mind that unless your landing pages convert well, your website won’t gather traffic and meaningful leads. Make your homepage crystal-clear to your audience. Express what you’re marketing in the simplest and easiest to understand fashion so that your readers don’t get confused.
Alternative Advertising Methods
Leaving aside Facebook and Google ads, your website needs a social media presence. Connecting your company’s blog to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter is vital. Daily posts gather organic leads and soon enough your visitors will start liking and sharing your posts. This compels engagement, but then again it all comes down to the quality of the content you provide. Both direct marketing and email marketing play a very important role. Invite your readers to subscribe to your newsletter. The focus on sending them quality emails. If you’re just starting out, you can consider offering vouchers and discounts to grab their attention.
Whether you’re selling tangible products or offering services, in the online environment people tend to be very picky. Low quality blog posts will stop them from browsing your site’s pages. To search engines and to the people, content is king. The better you write the better chances you have to gain authority. Last but not least, it’s fundamental to stay focused on a niche. If you’re marketing toys for dogs for example, and your aim is to sell them, try not to switch the focus to cat toys. In online marketing, your audience makes your business thrive. When you’re on a tight budget, you can’t afford to slip up.