Last time we covered several areas of online marketing. It seems like a good time to talk more about the most important item, your website. I'll go over what I have done and then talk about other options.
I went to GoDaddy.com and did a domain name search for hughthomas.com and found that the .com domain was taken, but the .net, .info, etc... domains were available. Since I searched for "hugh thomas" and found other authors popping up quickly in the results, I tried including my first initial, "j hugh thomas." Fortunately, I did not have much if any competition with this name.
Before I bought the domain, I also checked MySpace.com and Facebook.com to make sure the jhughthomas account was available, and they were. I don't know if this is important, but I figured it was easiest for anyone trying to find me to have the same exact name presentation across the Internet.
I had purchased domain names through GoDaddy.com before, and it was a good experience, but I decided to search around for options. I ended up buying jhughthomas.com from 1and1.com for two reasons.
One, they offered the first year of domain registration for just $3.99, and $8.99 for each year afterward.
Two, they offered a basic SiteBuilder online software that allowed you to setup a basic five page website under your domain... WITHOUT A HOSTING FEE!!!
The free monthly hosting for a basic website sold me. I knew I wanted to establish my website and submit to search engines, but I had no idea I could do all this without the cost. One day when I'm published (knocking on wood) I can always buy a hosting package and use real website design software to make something fancy to promote my novel. But for now, it is perfect.
If you are unsure what you should put in a basic website, take a look at what I did at jhughthomas.com and you will see it does not have to be much. And it is good practice to write blurbs about yourself and your book(s) because you will need to do this for your back cover and inside cover copy for your book eventually. In addition, I welcome any suggestions you may have about ways to do more with my basic site.
I hope this has helped some for anyone who does not know where to start with their website. If there are any of you who have specific topics you would like to see covered here, please feel free to make requests in the comments section, or email me directly at jhughthomas@hotmail.com
Until next time, lets keep on writing.
www.jhughthomas.com
www.myspace.com/jhughthomas
I went to GoDaddy.com and did a domain name search for hughthomas.com and found that the .com domain was taken, but the .net, .info, etc... domains were available. Since I searched for "hugh thomas" and found other authors popping up quickly in the results, I tried including my first initial, "j hugh thomas." Fortunately, I did not have much if any competition with this name.
Before I bought the domain, I also checked MySpace.com and Facebook.com to make sure the jhughthomas account was available, and they were. I don't know if this is important, but I figured it was easiest for anyone trying to find me to have the same exact name presentation across the Internet.
I had purchased domain names through GoDaddy.com before, and it was a good experience, but I decided to search around for options. I ended up buying jhughthomas.com from 1and1.com for two reasons.
One, they offered the first year of domain registration for just $3.99, and $8.99 for each year afterward.
Two, they offered a basic SiteBuilder online software that allowed you to setup a basic five page website under your domain... WITHOUT A HOSTING FEE!!!
The free monthly hosting for a basic website sold me. I knew I wanted to establish my website and submit to search engines, but I had no idea I could do all this without the cost. One day when I'm published (knocking on wood) I can always buy a hosting package and use real website design software to make something fancy to promote my novel. But for now, it is perfect.
If you are unsure what you should put in a basic website, take a look at what I did at jhughthomas.com and you will see it does not have to be much. And it is good practice to write blurbs about yourself and your book(s) because you will need to do this for your back cover and inside cover copy for your book eventually. In addition, I welcome any suggestions you may have about ways to do more with my basic site.
I hope this has helped some for anyone who does not know where to start with their website. If there are any of you who have specific topics you would like to see covered here, please feel free to make requests in the comments section, or email me directly at jhughthomas@hotmail.com
Until next time, lets keep on writing.
www.jhughthomas.com
www.myspace.com/jhughthomas
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