Opening An Account At Hostgator
I recommend using Hostgator as your hosting service because first, they use Cpanel which is the standard control panel for webmasters, and second, I have used them for over 5 years with zero problems. They are really good at updating their servers with the latest software upgrades, etc.
Anyway, it is really simple to setup a hosting account with them. I suggest you go with the “Baby” package with Linux Web Hosting. Look for the coupon code specials on the view hosting package page to save even more.
You’ll need to register a domain name before opening an account. This will be your main “domain name” for the account. After this you can easily use this same account with more domains using the “Add-on Domain” feature. I currently have over 20 domains pointing to one “baby” account without a problem.
Alright, when you open an account they will ask you if you want to buy a domain name or use an existing domain name. You’ll use the existing domain name option. From their you’ll do all the usual stuff like entering a account name and password, payment info, all that stuff.
When it’s done processing they’ll send you an email with instruction about your account within an hour (usually much faster). In this email you will be given a link and instructions on how to access your Cpanel. This is what it will look like:
There are 5 things I want to point out here because you’ll need to use these regularly:
#1: This is where you’ll set up emails for all your domain names.
#2: This is where you can forward all messages to an email address to another email account.
#3: This is where you can setup add-on domains.
#4: Fantastico Deluxe is where you can set-up Wordpress on any of your domains in about 1 minute!
#5: This shows you your Nameserver Information you’ll use at Namecheap to point your domain name to your hosting provider.
I’ll be going over all this information in future posts. Next we’ll set up Wordpress on your domain and some more cool stuff!
Buying a Domain Name at Namecheap
Today let’s register a domain name and learn how to set up the domain nameservers (DNS).
First let’s use Namecheap.com. I like these guys because their user interface is so darn simple. It doesn’t cost anything to open an account so let’s do that now.
You’ll see the link on the right side of the page. You’ll choose a Username, password, etc. The usual stuff. After you log in you’ll see a search box on the top right.
Type in your domain name choice and click “GO”. You’ll have to wait a a few seconds while the system checks to see if the domain name is available. When it’s done a new screen will come up telling you which extensions (com, net, org, etc) are either taken or available.
Click the box of the extension(s) you want and click the Add To Cart button. In the illustration above the .com extension is already checked.From here you’ll go through a normal check out process and your domain will appear in the Manage Domain area of your account.
Above inside the red circle will normally show all your domain names, the creation date and the expiration date. The domain name will be a link you can click on to manage it. When you click on it the following menu appears on the left side of the new page.
To set up your nameservers so people can be directed to your ISP server where you will set up your website you’ll need to enter the Nameserver information available on your Cpanel. If you haven’t gotten hosting yet at Hostgator then you can do this later. To set up the Domain Nameserver information simpy click on the tab shown above and you’ll be taken to the following screen:
To finish simply fill in the Nameserver information provided by your Hosting Service (I’ll be showing you all this in the next post) and click Save Changes.
And that’s it! So you know, when changing Nameserver information it usually takes 12 to 24 hours for the information to propagate throughout the Internet.
Choosing A Domain Name
This is where you have to get your creative juices flowing a bit.
For some of us (me included), this can be a little tough. So, what I do is get a little help from Google’s keyword tool. More on this in a minute.
First, here’s some general rules to follow:
- If you can, try to keep your domain name down to 3 words. It’s okay to use four, sometimes you can’t avoid it.
- Always try and get a .com domain. If a .net is available for your best keywords, grab it. This really isn’t that crucial any more. The search engines look for good quality content, relevance and link popularity more than anything else these days.
- Try to use your best keywords whenever possible.
To get started I use the Google keyword tool and type in the best keyword and look at the results. Then I take the keywords and phrases that jump out at me and write them down on a piece of paper and start fiddling with them.
There really isn’t any “right way” to do this.
One thing that should factor in your decision is what your business model is. If you’re blogging then “branding” may be more important to you. You may want to use your first name and some keywords that define what your content is about. Maybe something like “MarysWeddingTips.com”.
Or if you have a unique product then use the product name as the domain name. That’s easy.
Like I said before, picking a domain name used to be an important part of the process for search engine optimization, but the search engines have really gotten more content focused now.
The best advice is to pick out a domain name that is short and reflects what your content will be.
Next we’ll take you to Namecheap and search for your domain name and get that done. You’ll have to fork out $10. I hope you’re a big spender. 
Choosing A Lucrative Market
If there’s one nice thing about the Internet is the fact that everything you’ll ever need to be successful is being done for you.
Market research, product creation and idea generation is at your fingertips with any major search engine.
For instance, if you need to know if a market is lucrative just do a search in Google and see if there are any advertisers in the results. If there are a lot of businesses advertising then you can be sure it’s a market that spends money. Simple.
Want to know what your competitors are up to? What products or services they are selling? What their selling process is (sales funnel)? What their sales page looks like and their sales copy?
Just click on one of the Google Adsense ads on the top or right of the search results. Simple.
Want some ideas for products or services in your market? Do a search in Google using trigger words like Buy, Order, Learn, How To, Training or Tip with your keyword phrase. Simple.
Want to know how to improve on a product or service, or blog about a solution to a problem that’s got people talking? Search the forums and read the user comments and posts. Simple.
The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
Anyway, if you want to make money online you have to choose a lucrative market where they are passionate and have proven the willingness to open their wallet. And don’t forget, the market has to be big enough too… otherwise you won’t have enough traffic to make decent profits.
I’m working on a more comprehensive report for you on this. This subject can be quite detailed and will take more than a small blog post to cover it all.
Moving along to choosing a domain name now…
Choosing An Internet Business Model
Before you can start doing anything you must choose a business model best suited for your goals. This is your money-making blueprint.
And I’m going to make it easy for you because whatever online business model you choose, I’m going to show you how to use a wordpress blog to do it. I like to keep things simple. 
Only 2 Types Of Business Models You Need To Worry About
There’s really only 2 basic ways to make money online. You either sell advertising space, or sell a product or service. Of course, you can always do both, but that’s about it.
If you want to make a few thousand extra dollars every month you can easily do this as a publisher and sell advertising space. This is where you have a blog with unique, informative content in an area of interest where advertisers would pay you for placement. There are many other ways for you to monetize your blog, but this way is pretty simple.
If you have a product or service you want to sell then you’ll need to at least set up a Paypal account. I would do this anyway, a lot of advertisers like to pay via Paypal.
Selling advertising is by far the simplest business model. And it can be very profitable too. I know folks who are making $10,000 a month and more using this business model. Of course, they supplement their income with affiliate programs and joint ventures. More on this later.
Anyway, if you have a niche with a “hungry” market and love to write about it, you can get started pretty fast. You just need to learn how to set up a blog, insert valuable content, create traffic and monetize it. With some decent effort it’s not uncommon to start seeing a paycheck in 90 days!
If you already have a product or service to sell, or want to go that route, then using a blog will get you up and running pretty fast. Once you learn how to set up a wordpress blog and navigate around the user interface, you can have a website ready to build a list and sell products in days for little cost.
Next we’ll cover your domain name.