Web Design and Hosting for income

It's just too easy! Website design and hosting is what I call EZ Money.
Anyone can learn to do it quickly, correctly takes practice.
So practice doing it for friends and family like I do.

Step 1: Get a re-sellers hosting package (cheap/shared hosting to start)
Step 2: Learn to create websites! WordPress is an easy route to go.
Step 3: Offer to create websites for friends for a small hosting fee.

Then with luck and word of mouth you will attract wealthier clients.
It doesn't take talent as much as it takes practice and desire.
You can hire freelancers for artistic or stuff you can't do.

A lot of local businesses need websites and help getting found.
Hotels, tour companies, contractors, artists, mom & pop shops...
This list goes on, I've done them all over the last 20 years.
It all started with one website, then another and another.

Word of mouth works wonders so give a little to get a lot.
One grateful friend may tell a dozen others about you.
Ask if you can put a link to you on their websites.
Some will gladly advertise your service for free.

Oh, and the money? A $100/yr hosting package can return 100x that.
It all depends on your attitude and how much you want to handle.
Website design and updates pay more than just bare hosting.
I charge a minimum $250 to set up a basic 5 page website.
In other words, one client pays the annual hosting fees.
The rest is free income that is residual in nature.
Plus they pay for updates and maintenance.

In my opinion the best on-line business is helping others create a web presence.
It's cheap and easy to get started and can grow as big as you want it to be.
I thank my mentor 20 years ago who told me to "think cyber real estate".
Buy an apartment building (re-seller package) and rent out apartments.

 

I strictly work from home or at the client's property.
My credibility comes from previous clients recommendations.
I'm sure there are companies who wouldn't hire me but enough do.
There are plenty of home businesses who need websites too.
Hosting is done on remote servers, not in my house.
I wouldn't trust a home based server farm.
But I would trust a home based designer.
It's a lot like being an artist.

 

Additional streams of income from web design and hosting:

Photography services: taking photos for websites or editing client's photos
A simple point and shoot camera is fine for most website photography.
Rates run from $1 to $25 per photo depending on work involved.
Flat rate for photo taking sessions can be $25 to $100+ per hour.

Back-up and Reporting Services: $25/month for a few minutes work.
Some clients prefer printed traffic reports, AWStats look impressive.
Off-site backup for websites should be done on a regular basis.
Charging the client is optional but offers them "security".

Newsletters & Mailing Lists: Rates can vary depending on size and content.
Most hosting packages include auto-responders and mail list servers for free.
Clients will gladly pay you to manage it for them or teach them how to do it.

Content Creation: The make or break of a website's ranking, easy to sell.
You can charge for creating unique content or editing the client's articles.
$25 per page is a bare minimum for a 300~500 word article or page.
(You can hire freelancers to create it for $5 then re-write it yourself)

There are many more income streams limited only by your desire.
Video is an in-demand service but requires a bit more practice.
Start with the basics and add to your skills as you go.

 

More Additional Income:

Affiliate Commissions from ads on client websites for products you create with CafePress.
You can charge clients to create the designs, plus earn affiliate commissions from the ads.
It cost the client nothing to be able to sell their logo items and you both earn from sales.
The client can buy their own products in bulk through CafePress to stock their shop.
This works great with many types of businesses and artists who have a following.
The sky's the limit on what you could earn from the right products and prices.
Just another EZ Money source from creating websites for others.
A little time invested for long time returns.

 

When you consider the structure of the Internet today, and how essential websites, domain names and hosting are to having an online presence, you can truly appreciate the long term benefits and income potential of web design and hosting. It's comparable to selling shovels to prospectors during the California Gold Rush in the mid 1800s.

Hermas

 

And yet another income stream that slipped my mind...

Creating FaceBook Fan Pages and managing Social Media accounts.
Besides putting sharing buttons on websites you can do their marketing too.
Many people don't have the time or desire to manage their own social media.
As a webmaster it should be an easy quick task you can charge per post or day.
SEO is a natural part of web design and social media marketing is in demand.
Combine the two and create steady income streams from your clients.

 

From nada to website in under 24 hours.
A hotel owner I host for asked for a site for a 4x4 tour company this week.

I set up a WordPress install using the basic 2012 theme.
They already had a FaceBook fan page so I added a FB badge plug-in.
I also added a TripAdvisor badge showing ratings and reviews of their tours.
I uploaded 90+ photos from their FB albums and added a slide show plug-in.
They had videos on YouTube so created a "Videos" page and embedded the top 4.
Other plug-ins installed include XML Sitemaps which pings every update for SEO.
One thing I've noticed is FaceBook searches use Bing so XML Sitemaps helps a lot.

Total time spent was around 4 hours, but I've had a lot of practice.
And it is never finished, a website is meant to be a growing thing.
The hotels want a "monthly special" ad which is residual income.
It's Just2EZ! Practice, practice, practice!

 

So so many ways to make money online, no doubt. Great ideas here. I was searching online for yoga classes. I was amazed at the places of business that do not have a website. A friend of mine had a small business which he just went belly up in! My first question? "Did you have a website?". Building websites for local business and and fan pages is a great way to bring in money. You would be surprised at some of the older business owners who do not know how to navigate on the internet and could use some help.

 

Way to go Jimmy......Just2EZ. As you say, practice makes perfect! Good read.

Hey Jimmy, in your experience which slide show plugin do you think works best and is less glitchy?

 

To tell the truth, I don't have a clue!
I have tried many slideshow plug-ins and never found "The One" .
The one I used on a client's site recently is WP Photo Album Plus
It allowed bulk uploads, and you can edit captions on page as admin.
Not totally impressed with it but the page reached #2 spot in a week.

Open to suggestions!

 

Yeah,

If you know how to develop and design website from scratch then you can make a ton of money to other people who don't have an online presence. It is easy money for someone who knows how to do this but to get new customers every month is easier said then done.

 

True, getting new clients is easier said than done - in the beginning.
Practice builds competence and confidence which leads to success.
Word of mouth is the best advertising in a local market setting.
Working long distance is harder because you are unknown.
When a local business recommends you it's a lot easier.
Once you help a few locals the word will spread faster.
Advertising only gets you so far, referrals seal the deal.

Long distance Freelancing is a lot more hassle.
Communication is easier when working local.
Plus you are helping your local community.

 

This is fantastic information! I'm just learning wordpress for myself, but I can see where I can certainly help others as well and earn a little extra. It's really just selling your experience to others, same as any consultant or service business.

 

Getting new clients every month isn't necessary!
A friend in Phoenix did ONE site for $60,000 a year.
She was a graphics designer who did brochure artwork.
The client was a psychologist/lecturer/author with a book.
She was offered tuition to study web design at ASU by the client.
After getting her degree she got a raise to $90k a year to manage the site.
That includes the website, social media promotion and brochure artwork.

Look for additional income streams from existing clients instead of new clients.
There is more income in the "add ons" than in the initial design and hosting.
It's easier to sell added value like social media marketing or brochure design.
Mailing list management is an easy sell to existing clients for a monthly fee.

The sky's the limit on what you can charge once you establish a reputation.
Most customers have no clue what to pay so prove the value to them.
You can even do it on a "per response" commission to prove value.
Give a little to get a lot.

 

That is exactly what I'm working on now as I proceed into creating my first video series product. Wow, that's why I love the internet, anything is possible given time...and practice as you say Jimmy.

I can still see myself doing this stuff until either my fingers or my brain give out..lol

 

Maybe there should be another thread about being an affiliate re-seller for web hosting.
Although hosting for my clients is done on my leased servers, I promote others servers.

A good free affiliate business selling hosting is ReSellersPanel.com
They just added WordPress themes you can install on your own URL.
With the re-seller plug-in all of your website content is created for you.
In your FREE re-sellers control panel you set the mark up you want.
It's a great way to get started selling hosting space without the work.
They do all the sales and offer 24/7 support to your clients.
Your website is branded with your business name/logo.
The minimum commission pay-out is $50.

If you want to see my WordPress re-seller site, it's in my signature.
This is not an offer to sell you hosting, just showing how I do it.
My bread and butter is in design and hosting for local clients.
But I also earn residuals from resellerspanel sales I've made.
(I charge my design clients more than my re-seller clients)
That's because resellerspanel does all the support for me.
EZ Money! Just plug and play, let them do all the work.

 

Fascinating stuff! I'll take a look at ReSellersPanel. Sounds great. Thanks. How much of your site did you set up yourself?