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jake
Joined:
05 Mar 2004
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11
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 9:41 am
Post subject: Help: Do I need my own domain name?
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Hi everybody! I'm new around here. I hope that I'll learn a lot about affiliate selling from you all and I'll try my best to contribute to this forum as well.
I've a burning question to ask. If I want to be a successful affiliate, do I really need to have my .com domain name? I know that having your own domain gives you credibility to your visitors, but if I really put in a lot of effort to design a good site and deliver great content such that my affiliate site is really better than most affiliates, can I still succeed without my own domain name?
Is it still better to pay for the tools you need such as web hosting than to use free ones even if you can build a quality site using free tools?
Thanks in advance, Jake
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Jake Sim
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Debs
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NY
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 12:44 pm
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It is difficult to succeed without credibility and "free host" doesn't build credibility at all.
A domain is cheap, hosting can be cheap ... I've had sites that cost me less than $50 a year!
Keep in mind also that SE's don't give credence to free host sites either, in other words, you can do everything right on a free host, and still not rank well because the SE's won't give your site the proper weight.
I won't link to a site on a free host because it is quite common to find those sites in "bad neighborhoods." Do a search on this forum for more info on bad neighborhoods if you like.
Directories won't list sites on free hosts, you have to have your own domain to get into most directories. Some SE's won't spider sites on free hosts because of the long and odd urls, they will only go in through www.domain.com or sub.domain.com.
Just a few thoughts,
Debs
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Charlie
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22 Aug 2003
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3305
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UK
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 12:44 pm
Post subject: Re: Help: Do I need my own domain name?
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| jake wrote: | | If I want to be a successful affiliate, do I really need to have my .com domain name? I know that having your own domain gives you credibility to your visitors, but if I really put in a lot of effort to design a good site and deliver great content such that my affiliate site is really better than most affiliates, can I still succeed without my own domain name? |
You can succeed without your own domain name, but isn't $10 or less per year a tiny price for credibility - even just a little?
Why take the risk? Your own domain (as long as it's chosen sensibly) can but help.
| Quote: | | Is it still better to pay for the tools you need such as web hosting than to use free ones even if you can build a quality site using free tools? |
Not necessarily. If you have found a free host that provides good service, why pay? Hosting has become much more reliable over the years.
When it comes to other tools, it all comes down to your background and the way you like to do things. SBI is the best example I know. 
Just my opinion,
Charlie.
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OleTom
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Jax Beach FL
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Jim@Amusive
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Shorewood, IL
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 5:19 pm
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Even if you use a free webhost, you can still have a domain which either redirects to it or cloaks it. The ~$10-$15 per year is certainly worth it; it's not even a huge risk. If it doesn't work... $10 is less than you'd probably spend on entertainment in a week.
As for hosting, you can do free hosting. The problem with many adless free hosting sites is eventually they realize giving something away for absolutely nothing doesn't exactly pay the bills . I have a list of free homepage providers that have been around a while... most require ads though.
You can go with one of the free ones OleTom mentions without ads but in this case I'd definately recommend getting a domain or a free URL redirect and publicize THAT URL instead of the webspace URL your free host gives. This way if they do disappear you won't lose your site's address too.
If you want to go for paid hosting, you can find hosting for as low as a dollar or two a month for a small site.
I started out on free hosting with my first site (although this was before popups existed!) It worked fairly well, I never had any major problems... but once I was making enough to afford what I considered "real" hosting and a real domain ($100 then) I switched over. I just prefered the more professional feel it had.
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
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by the beach, Australia
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 1:47 am
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I strongly recommend you get your own domain name and start building your own reputation. If possible, get a memorable domain name.
Don't you just love FantasyIreland.com? Brilliant!
I started out in 1996 with free web hosting. My amateurish old free site has a dreadfully awful, instantly forgetable URL with a tilde in it, but it's ranked No.1 in Google today for "gluten-free recipes" (with or without quotes), beating 12,000 more professional sites.
It can be done - but that doesn't mean it should be done. 
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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tonychel
Joined:
04 Mar 2004
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23
Location:
Hong Kong
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 1:59 am
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Hi Jake,
I would say getting your own domain name and website doesn't hurt.
I decided to have one after making several attempts, and finally, I am
seeing positive results now.
My website ranks 2nd in google for the key words "best instant pay
programs' and slowly building up my credibility.
So I suggest, you get yourself a domain name and start branding
yourself, not others.
Cheers! 
Anthony Fesalbon
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jake
Joined:
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11
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:20 am
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Hello.
Thanks everbody for your advice! I'm starting to see the importance of building credibility and trust with visitors to stand out from other affiliate sites. I'll get my domain name but keep my free hosting for now, and upgrade later.
Can somebody give me advice on where to get cheap domain names and where I can pay with paypal? You see, I don't have a credit card. I'm thinking of promoting my affiliate products in forums and earning some commissions in my paypal account, and then using those commission to get a domain name. Do you think this will work?
Thanks again for the advice!
Jake
_________________
Jake Sim
Get Your Free, Original eBook With Links To Subscribe To Over 60 Free Proven Self-improvement e-Courses! Visit:
http://self-improvement101.uni.cc/free-ecourses-ebook.htm |
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Jim@Amusive
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HHW_Kevin
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Eastbourne, UK
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:11 pm
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Another good thing about having your own domain is that you get a portable e-mail address. You would no longer need to update everyone with a new e-mail every time you change ISP and it will also give you a more professional look than if you are using a hotmail or yahoo type address.
Kev
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tctan
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Malaysia
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
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6326
Location:
by the beach, Australia
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:11 am
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| jake wrote: | | I'm thinking of promoting my affiliate products in forums... |
Some affiliates do earn commissions that way. However, here's something to consider.
If you plan to use posting messages on forums as your main way of earning commissions, that's very much like having a job or providing a service by which you get paid by the hour.
You're limited by the number of hours in the day.
I urge you instead to explore revenue-generating tactics which are more likely to give you an ever growing income.
For example, if you build a web site that is so useful and interesting that people tell other people about it, who tell more people ... you end up with many thousands of links to your site and you don't have to work like a wage slave to promote it.
Another example is publishing your own newsletter. Doing that gives you many chances to sell things to your visitors instead of just one.
Producing a rebrandable ebook containing affiliate links that other people will give away for you is another way to get leverage.
If you do decide to use forums to attract visitors, investigate ways to make your site so attractive that your visitors will want to return again and again. If you don't do this, you'll have to keep working forever to attract new visitors.
The beautiful thing about the Internet is that it provides new opportunties you won't find offline. It makes sense to me to look for ways to make the most of those wonderful opportunities.
If you're going to work hard for a living promoting your site via forums, at least choose two-tier programs and/or lifetime commission programs, to increase the leverage you get.
Hope that helps.
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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