January 2012 marked the beginning of my search for good online resources to help me start an Online business. The Internet was a completely new frontier for me and I knew I needed help. In fact, I was desperate for help. As result, I spent far too much money and many hours trying to find resources that were simple enough for me to understand and would actually help me rather than turn out to be an investment that offered no return (and there were many of those, I am sorry to say).

This page is dedicated to everyone who is now following that same path. Maybe I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made and also help you find some of the good programs/products that are available without losing money needlessly on worthless offerings.

Walking in Circles — Image by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig
HikingArtist.com

You no longer have to walk in circles, trying to find things completely on your own.

When I recommend* a resource it means that I either use it or have checked it out — and believe it is among the best on the market. However, please understand that nothing is perfect including these recommendations. I am always open to feedback regarding your experiences and would love to hear about products you have discovered that have served you well.

Domains/Hosting

GoDaddy – I originally used GoDaddy, primarily because both of my sons worked there, but as it turns out, I liked them and stayed with them for many years.

They have it all, including c-panel, which is an interface that makes things such as WordPress blog a one-click installation process.

They also have an excellent free 24/7/365 telephone technical support system, which has served me well since I am far from a technical genius. And . . . they have a Website Development service that is quite reasonable compared to most Website Developers – and includes your hosting as part of the program.

Hostgator – This is another well-known and frequently used company. I have never used it personally, but know many people who have. They have essentially the same services as GoDaddy with a similar pricing structure.

SiteGround – I have recently changed to this hosting company for my websites on the recommendation of several influencers. So far, it has been working well and the service techs respond quickly when I need help.

Recommendation: It is easier, but not necessary, to host your sites and buy your domain names through the same company. I followed this path for a long time because you don’t have to “point” your URL’s or do additional set-up because the domain is already in your hosting account. This is a good hint for newbies.

Autoresponders

All serious Internet marketers use an autoresponder system and there are many available. Below are some suggestions. It is probably a good idea to diversify your lists rather than depending on a single system.

AWeber – This is the one I used from the beginning, and have just recently switched to . They have a free trial offer. Their help desk is responsive, patient and well-trained. Deliverability and tracking are very good. You can also add an attachment to your broadcast emails that will automatically post your emails to Facebook and Twitter.

Try AWeber’s Email Marketing Tool Risk-Free

According to Hubspot, these are the ten best autoresponders for 2021:

HubSpot
GetResponse
Moosend
Aweber
Klaviyo
Mailchimp
ConvertKit
Autopilot
Constant Contact
Omnisend

Do your homework and find the one that best suits your needs.

General Resources

Jon Morrow of SmartBlogger

Dave at Kindlepreneur

Chad Fullerton

Copyblogger

Bryan Cohen

Grammarly Lite – Designed For The Web. This tool is a FREE download and is very helpful – better than Word Spellchecker and checks automatically, even blog posts, etc. There is also a subscription version that has a broader use.

Images

Adding visually appealing photos and graphics to your content can significantly enhance the appearance of your e-books, blog, and Websites. Below are sites I recommend to use for downloading photos to give your pages the “Wow” factor. Most of them are paid sites.

NOTE: Be sure to read the terms of usage and abide by them. Always give proper attribution to the photographer or artist.

Photopin – www.photopin.com – This is where I start because there are lots of free images through Creative Commons – You can also purchase through Shutterstock at around $10/image – Usually the top two rows (above the dotted line) are paid images. But, either way you must give proper attribution.

Fotolia – www.Fotolia.com – Credit packs which are good for 1 year – start at 26 credits for $35. Small images are usually 3 credits ($4.00).

Big Stock – www.BigStock.com – (Best subscription packs) Monthly subscriptions starting at 5 images/day for $69/month. Credit Packs – “on demand” images starting at $25.00 – good for 1 year.

123RF – www.123RF.com – Monthly subscriptions for 5 images/day for $89. Buy “on demand” images for less than $1.00 per credit (average medium 300 dpi image = 3 credits) – credits good for 365 days.

Stock Fresh – www.StockFresh.com – Monthly subscriptions packages starting at 5 images/day for $99. Buy as you go – around $1.00/credit (my personal favorite)

Stock.xchng – http://www.sxc.hu/ Subscription packages and credit packs starting at $2.00/credit. Average small picture costs 2 credits ($4.00)

Morgue File – http://morguefile.com – Free, but limited. I have never found it useful, although some people love it.

Proceed with Caution

Proceed with caution when you receive promotional materials from the following. They have some good materials, but there is a lot of duplication in their materials and there is too much repackaged free information from the Internet.

Ryan Deiss
John Rhodes and Jay Boyer

Based on their very convincing FREE Webinars, they all seem to be well-educated and well-spoken businessmen. However, I am still not clear on how much personal experience they actually have with any of the products they are marketing – or if they have simply developed well-oiled marketing machines that glean hundreds of thousands of dollars from newbies entering the Internet business arena.

I have purchased a number of products from both sources, kept a few and returned more. I can honestly say that I received little to no value from most of it; hence, my comment about proceeding with caution.

Of course, you could have a very different experience. It is possible that their products were simply not a good fit for me.

Not Recommended

Ty Cohen – I made one purchase from this man and it was without a doubt, one of the top three worst products I have purchased. The information was essentially worthless. I returned it and managed to get my money back, but it was not easy. It was not a good experience.

Check back often to see what is new.

*Affiliate Disclosure: I am happy to be of service in providing links to the resources to you and others. Please note that when you click links and purchase items, in a most cases (but not all) I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links adds no extra cost to you and is appreciated. Thank you! 🙂

Photo Credit: HikingArtist.com via photopin cc

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