Do you know how much it is actually costing you to run your own website? Undoubtedly you want to find the cheapest way to make a website. We hope this article can show you how to make one cheaply, how to to run a site at the lowest possible cost, and how to save money on websites as you progress in your journey.
The chances are that running a website is a lot more expensive than you think.
For example, the average blog costs the owner around $300 to run. And that is just for a very basic blog – if you are trying to monetize your blog or move it away from an amateur look, you will find that the costs start to creep up.
Even if you make money from your website, you might not be making enough to cover all of your expenses.
So, how exactly are you meant to keep your expenses down as much as possible?
You might think that this is impossible to do, but there are actually plenty of ways you can cut the cost of running your blog. Here are some handy hints that can help you do just that!
Get A Basic Laptop
You will probably already have a laptop that you are now using to run your blog from.
However, that isn’t going to last forever, and at some point you are going to need to replace it.
When that time comes, you need to ask yourself whether buying a state of the art machine is going to be really worth all of the expense. After all, the most expensive laptops are often around the £1,500 mark, especially if you decide to go with a MacBook.
Are you sure that you can afford that, just for your blog? Thankfully, you won’t need an exceptionally advanced laptop for your blog.
As long as you can access the Internet, there is a writing software, and you can edit your photos, you should be ok.
So, it’s a good idea to think about saving some money by getting a basic laptop that has the bare minimum that you will need.
Use Free Software
I’ve briefly mentioned software for your laptop, and now it’s time we looked at that in more depth.
Sure, you could buy software for your computer, but have you seen the price of some of those software packages you can buy? They can be incredibly expensive!
So, first things first, you need to consider which ones you really need.
For example, you will certainly need a writing and photo editing software.
Next, it’s a good idea to see if there are any free software programs you can use online. These are often just as good as the ones you can buy, but you won’t need to spend anything on them!
Shop Around For Domains
It is crucial that you do spend money on a domain and your very own URL for your blog.
This is one of the easiest ways to make your blog and website look professional. Without it, your blog could be ignored when brands are looking for influencers to sponsor.
So, you need to make sure that you shop around so that you can find a domain and hosting platform that you can afford.
It’s also a good idea to review your domain and hosting every year as most platforms will change their prices and plans regularly.
You might be able to find a cheaper deal by switching companies.
Forget The Custom Email
With most hosting platforms, you will be giving the choice of creating your very own personal email address.
This will be an email address that is made up of your URL.
Sure, this may look professional and you might be very tempted to do this, but you need to remember that this is just another expense.
Even if your current hosting platform can give you your own email address, you will still need to pay for it.
It’s a good idea to forgo a custom email address until you are 100% sure that you can afford it. You can instead create a free one on Gmail.
The only thing is that this email address will have ‘Gmail’ in it, but that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal.
Stay At Home
I know lots of bloggers that love taking their laptop with them to their local coffee shop and enjoying a drink and slice of cake as they blog.
Many people prefer to get out of the house and into a cafe so that they have the chance to meet with friends and others.
After all, sitting on your own tapping away at your laptop can be quite boring and lonely!
However, there is one problem with going to your nearest coffee shop whenever you want to blog – it can end up being very expensive! Most cafes won’t be happy about you working there without buying something to eat or drink, so you will need to buy something every time you leave the house.
If you do this most days for a year, you will have ended up spending a lot of money on coffee and cake! So, try and reduce your time spent in cafes, as you can’t spend anything while you are at home!
Swap With Friends
If you are a blogger who regularly reviews products, you might find that continually buying items and products to review can be a big drain on your finances.
There is a way around this, though. Firstly, you might want to try purchasing used products and secondhand items. Even though you will still be paying for them, you will find that this is one way to considerably bring down your expenses.
Another good idea is to swap items and goods with your friends and relatives. This is especially useful if you know a few other review bloggers, as you will have plenty of things to share with each other.
Try Not To Outsource
We can’t all be good at everything, so there will be certain skills needed that you won’t have.
For example, not every blogger is good at graphic design so won’t be able to create their own logo. Because of this, many bloggers outsource the design of their brand and logo to a graphic designer.
Again, this is something that is going to cost money, and will increase your expenses. But how are you meant to navigate your way around this expense – you just need to pool your skills with those of your friends.
I’m sure that you are all good at different things, so it’s a good idea to work together and offer each other your skills when they are needed.
For instance, if you are a great writer, you can help your friend write their resume or a cover letter. In return, they could design anything that you need creating for your blog.
Use Free Training Tools
There are lots of training tools and online courses these days. Quite a few are aimed at bloggers, and can teach them much needed online marketing skills and can also explain what needs to be done to monetize a blog.
There are a few that you need to pay to take part in, but you will easily be able to find some free ones as well. Your first point of call should be YouTube as there are lots of free videos with plenty of blogging tips and hacks.
Websites like Coursera also offer long-term courses. Their range features free courses and some that need to be paid for.
Good luck with your cheaper blogging! We hope this article has shown you how to blog cheaply, how to continue to run a blog at the lowest possible cost, and how to save money on blogging in the future.