The Many Hidden Costs of Insanely Cheap Domains

Decided to start your own website? That’s great!

The first thing you will need is to choose a domain name and register it with one of the many available domain registrars on the web. You just find a great deal and click “purchase.” Simple enough, right?

Not exactly.

While you can find websites advertising domains for as low as 99 cents, those too-good-to-be-true deals usually are just that. Sneaky registrars have been known to lure first-timers with a crazy low price only to rope them into hidden costs later on.

So what are some of the sneaky tactics that end up costing buyers extra money? And how can you avoid getting suckered in by a cheap deal that turns into an expensive headache? Allow me to explain. Then I’ll give you the tips you need to choose a domain at a price that won’t hurt your wallet.

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5 Sneaky Tactics Used by Cheap Registrars

There are many ways domain registrars can reel you in with the promise of a cheap domain, then flip the script on you. So it’s important to understand the tactics they use and how to spot red flags when registering a domain.

Let’s take a look at five of the most common ways the world’s cheapest domain registration can become much more expensive than you expected.

1. Hidden Fees

The most common complaint that people have when registering a domain is the billing and renewal costs that are owed to domain registrars.

“Auto-Renew” and “Transfer Out” fees are often the nasty culprits. Or you may discover that your registrar throws on an extra charge for not selecting the auto-renew option. You should be able to control whether or not you can auto-renew your domain, and your registrar should be transparent about auto-renewal options and the possible fees attached.

Plus, if you want to transfer your domain name to another registrar, your current registrar may charge you a fee of two or three times what you initially paid for the domain. Many registrars rely on the fact that most users do not read the long, dense fine print that makes up their Terms of Service.

Related: Didn't Buy Your Domain With DreamHost? Check Out These Domain Transfer Tips

2. Initial Discounts

After an initial first-year discount for purchasing a domain name, you may encounter a situation where the price of renewing that domain is much higher. The fine print of some registrar’s contracts may lock you in for two or more years, and the second-plus year prices can increase drastically. Multi-year contracts can be beneficial if that is what you’re looking for, but make sure you know what you’re getting into prior to registration.

Registrars do this in order to recoup the costs of that first-year discount. Plus, there usually is a no-refund policy attached to the contract. Again, reading the fine print is key.

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3. WHOIS Privacy

WHOIS is an online public database that allows you to look up certain contact information about an individual, business or organization that registers a domain. Since each and every new domain must be registered with WHOIS, you must fill out the appropriate information needed before your domain is officially registered. 

During registration, you will probably want to keep this information private and inaccessible to the public. Because as we wrote about domain privacy in 2016, “Having an open registration system where anyone can see your home address seems like a colossally bad idea.”

The good news is that most domain registrars do offer privacy protection. The catch? Some of them charge as much as $10 to $20 per year for this basic Internet must-have. Their explanation for this may be that you need to pay extra “admin fees” in order to access your WHOIS records. We’re not buying it, though. At DreamHost, we throw in WHOIS privacy for FREE whenever you register eligible TLDs with us.

Did you catch that “eligible” thing? That’s an important caveat.

That’s because registries — the folks in charge of a specific TLD for the entire world; not to be confused with a registrar like DreamHost — set their own requirements for domain owners. Some registries simply do not allow domain owners to list anything but their own contact details. For example, TLDs like .ca, .de, .eu, .io, and .us don’t allow WHOIS privacy to be enabled so make sure you’re aware of the limitations of your chosen domain before you plop down cash.

One more important rule to remember: ICANN mandates a 60-day lock anytime you update your domain records. Instituted in December 2016, the transfer lock is designed to cut down on domain theft and fraud.

But what if you’re a power user with multiple websites or you want to transfer ownership of the domain even though you’ve updated it recently? A lot of domain registrars can’t help you.

At DreamHost, we’re not in the business of arbitrary restrictions. We give you the option to opt-out of this lock so you can always be the master of your domain.

Related: A Beginner’s Guide to Domain Name Registration

4. Upselling

A lot of times, domain registrars can reel you in with a simple offer: buy a cheap domain in two or three simple steps. Then the registrar proceeds to try to upsell you on a million different products and services — sometimes from unrelated paid sponsors — that you would never ever want or need.

Screen after screen of ads clutters the buying experience and reveals the registrar’s true motive: sell cheap domains, collect sweet ad dollars.

This is different than a registrar like DreamHost that sells domains and also offers quality web hosting. We do this because keeping your hosting plan and domain registration under one roof, figuratively speaking, is actually the easiest way to manage a website.

Why?

Because everything is consolidated in one easy-to-access account.

But — and this is a big one — you don’t have to purchase hosting and a domain from your web host at the same time. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s your call!

So make sure if a registrar is trying to upsell you on a package deal that you do your homework to ensure that the services are fairly priced before you hand over those credit card digits.

5. Costly Support Services

Errors occur all the time in the inner workings of the web. Servers can go down, power can go out. Stuff happens, and when it does, you want your domain registrar to have an effective and intuitive support system. If your DNS is temporarily unresponsive or your domain email address is not working properly, you want to make sure you have a way of communicating with the people who are supposed to be able to help.

Unfortunately, some registrars will actually charge additional fees to get support. They may even put restrictions on your account capabilities or try to charge you an extra yearly fee in order to access certain essential settings like your DNS and nameservers.

Not cool. At DreamHost, you can chat with our support crew or look up domain how-tos in our Knowledge Base — no charge.

Related: How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider — 15-Point Checklist

Here’s the Deal

Obviously, not all domain registrars are out to get you. We don’t want to fear monger or scare you out of building your first website. The goal here is to educate you on the red flags to watch out for as you’re evaluating domain registrars. So with that in mind, let’s talk about how you can avoid these hidden costs and have a great domain-buying experience.

Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cheap Domains

Pretty much all of the issues with “gotcha” price hikes of cheap domain names can be identified and avoided by simply researching your registrar and getting to the meat and potatoes of what they have to offer and how much their services actually cost.

When you’re shopping for a domain — or anything online, really — remember the same rule you’d apply when shopping out in the real world. If a deal seems too good to be true, there probably is a catch.

For example, you may be enticed by a $0.99 domain. But before you hit “register”, you’ve got to read the fine print.

• Make sure you know what the domain will actually cost; don’t get roped into a multi-year contract where the prices can skyrocket drastically after the first year.

• Research the registrar’s support policies. Are there additional fees for contacting support?

• Find out if you can opt out of ICANN’s 60-day lock if you need to transfer your domain or make additional changes.

• Ensure that you can enable WHOIS privacy and verify how much (if anything) you’ll have to shell out to keep your personal information safe.

• Lastly, read some real-life human reviews. If a registrar has been shady in the past, you can bet that there will be a number of people leaving stinker reviews around the internet. Thanks, fellow honest consumers!

Related: The Top 11 SEO Best Practices for Domains

Here’s What a Good Domain Registrar Looks Like

In case you’re feeling overwhelmed with all of these what-to-avoid tips, we’ve simplified it down to a helpful checklist. Here are 5 key things a good domain registrar will do so you can go forth and choose a scam-free domain provider.

1. No Hidden Fees

Everything that you pay for — from initial registration to the costs of any services — should be out in the open and easy to understand during sign-up.

2. Great Privacy Features

As long as your TLD is eligible, you should have WHOIS privacy included with your registration. The registrar should also never sell or share your personal data with any third parties.

3. Upfront Payment

Quality registrars will pay the registry upfront for the specific period of time you have registered your domain. Once you finish the initial registration, your domain should be active and your account settings accessible.

4. WHOIS Privacy Email Service

A good domain registrar should offer an email service from WHOIS at absolutely no cost to you. This is different than a full-fledged email service like Gmail. It is an automatically generated, public-facing email address that routes messages to your real email address without exposing it to the public.

5. Great (Free) Support

A representative from your registrar’s support team should be prompt in responding to your queries and not overly persistent with advertising any additional services they may offer. And support shouldn’t cost you any extra dollars and cents.

Related: The Complete Guide to New Top-Level Domains (TLDs)

The Most Important Thing When Domain Shopping

It’s actually pretty simple: Think long-term.

Don’t settle for cheap gimmicks, flashy fonts, or insanely low prices. Consider how much having and maintaining a domain name is going to cost you down the road. You may not be getting a big discount at the start of registration, but you will certainly be saving money in the long run if you go with a domain registrar that is ethical, fairly priced, and upfront about extra costs and support.

So are you ready to buy a domain name and get started on your new website? DreamHost is here to help. We’ve got everything you need to get your new site going, including simple domain registration and robust shared hosting plans. Check out our 400+ available TLDs today!

The post The Many Hidden Costs of Insanely Cheap Domains appeared first on Website Guides, Tips and Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/hidden-costs-of-cheap-domains/

30 Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Website

These days, anyone can build a stellar website. Fun fact: There are more than 1 billion websites around the world, with new ones created every second.

Among all that internet noise, your website and ideas deserve to stand out. And that means you’ve got to advertise! Fight to get your name and brand out there and then draw visitors to your site.

But what if you’re on a budget?

You’re in luck! Effectively promoting your new website can be done on the cheap. Experiment with these free and inexpensive website promotion ideas and watch the traffic roll in!

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1. SEO Keywords

When you are looking for the answer to a question or solution to a problem, your first resource is probably Google. Google searches can be a powerful source of website traffic – if you play your cards right. When your potential customers search for something on Google, they aren’t likely to look down past the top two or three results. So your goal is to get keyword searches related to your website to show up near the top. That’s where search engine optimization ( or SEO strategy) comes in.

SEO is the science/art of increasing your website’s visibility in organic search engine results. You can do this by filling your pages with key phrases that people are likely to search for. SEO is a basic but essential method of bringing traffic to your website; without it, your website can get lost among the thousands of voices clamoring for your visitors’ attention.

You can improve your website’s search result rankings by doing things like creating and editing quality content to include key search phrases and increasing your linkbacks – the number of links your website gets from other sites. Backlinks are especially important to your Google rankings, as they demonstrate the popularity of your website.

Use Google AdWords keyword planner to find keywords related to your website and get stats on how often they are searched in your target market. Use this insider info to plan your content to draw in organic search engine traffic. Learn how to utilize this tool, and you may discover a few new keywords to power up your content.

While SEO can be cost-effective — if you do the work yourself, you won’t have to pay anything for it — optimizing your website for search engines is definitely not a quick fix. It can take time to master SEO methods and to optimize your website, and it can take some time to build links, optimize pages, and determine which keywords bring in new visitors. You might consider hiring or contracting with an SEO marketing expert if your budget permits or invest your time in learning the tricks yourself.

Related: 13 Simple Ways to Boost SEO on Your WordPress Website

2. Pay Per Click

Pay-per-click (PCC) advertising is another method to make Google work for you — albeit one that takes a bit of cash. Basically, instead of leaving your website’s search engine rankings to chance, you’ll create an ad and pay a fixed price for every click your ad gets when it shows up on a Google search or website. Your goal is to convert clicks into customers, hopefully seeing a strong return on investment. Google AdWords has no specific spending requirement, so you can easily keep within your budget and focus on your ROI.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a tried-and-true tool for communicating with your customers and finding and retaining new ones. It essentially involves collecting the email addresses of any and every potential customer and then sharing content — newsletters, promotions, discounts, and information — as a way of building relationships. Email marketing can draw past visitors back to your website by sharing new content or promotions. The best part about this tool? An amazing average ROI of $44 to every dollar spent.

Related: Build an Email List With Your WordPress Website in 3 Simple Steps

4. Blogging

Integrate original, relevant blog content into your website. It’s a prime place to include SEO-optimized keywords and build a following of loyal readers who will come back for more. Include videos, photos, and graphics , and encourage readers to share posts they love.

Once you’ve mastered your own blog , look to others in your niche market. Search out blogs that accept guest blogging pitches. Peruse their posts, take a look at their submission guidelines, and polish up a pitch to send over. If your pitch is accepted, make sure to include a link to your website in your bio to send traffic your way.

Last but not least, leaving thoughtful and insightful comments on the blogs you follow, especially influential ones in your field, is a great way to get noticed by blog writers and their readers. Make sure you include a link to your website or share specific content related to the post you are commenting on.

Related: From the Experts: 20 Great Blogging Tips for 2020

5. Create Your Own Infographics

Infographics are clickable and shareable. They are great sources of backlinks to your site, and they are can be simple to make on websites like infogr.am and Canva. When designing infographics and incorporating them into your site, keep your entire audience in mind; make sure the graphics are accessible to all users.

6. Reciprocal Linking

The more sites that link to yours, the more important search engines will assume you to be — and the higher your website will rank in search results. Including a link to another site in exchange for them including a link to yours can build traffic and post search engine juice, particularly when done with reputable sites relevant to your business and content.

Related: How to Create a Link Building Strategy

7. Retargeting

One of the greatest frustrations for small online businesses is seeing the majority of their traffic leave without making a purchase. Retargeting advertising uses cookies to create ads on other sites that will lure your website visitor back to your website. After you’ve put so much into getting people to your business website, it might be worth the extra buck to get them back.

8. Signature Branding

Create a fun, appealing, and recognizable signature for your email, blog posts, or even photos, videos, and shareable content. This is a great way to get people to recognize and understand your brand — and to draw their eyes to your URL.

9. Facebook Ads

The most effective advertising reaches people where they are most of the time. And for millions of Americans across all demographics, that place is their Facebook page. If you have a limited advertising budget for your website and are looking to generate a great ROI, a Facebook ad is a great bet. You can create a targeted ad that reaches users based on location, age, gender, interests, and even options like friends of current followers or people who like specific pages. Like Google AdWords, you can set a budget and either pay for clicks or pay when people see your ad.

10. Facebook Pages and Groups

It doesn’t cost a cent to create social media accounts for your website or small business . Facebook groups and business pages will help you interact with your followers, build a community, and share your content. Put a little bit of green behind your posts to push them to the top of your follower’s feeds so you can make sure your voice is heard, and encourage sharing by offering competitions, discounts, or giveaways to any Facebook fan who shares your posts or tags a friend.

And don’t forget to look beyond Facebook: Other platforms will also help you connect and share. It isn’t necessary to have an account on every social media platform; stick with the ones popular with your audience, and don’t be afraid to experiment with newer forms of social media. Your social media presence should be something that’s always evolving.

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11. Instagram Story

Instagram stories appear continuously above users’ feeds. Create Instagram stories to engage your followers — make sure your branding is clear and your message succinct and memorable, as these posts are short and disappear after 24 hours — or use paid ads, which will appear alongside posts.

Related: 17 Ways to Build a Massive Following on Instagram for Your Website

12. Pinterest

Pinterest is the social network of things and ideas. If your website’s focus is artistic, crafty, style, or anything visual or DIY, you should have been on Pinterest yesterday. Create boards and fill them with pins to share your style, establish your expertise, and find your people – and promote your website’s content . If your audience gravitates to this platform, consider budgeting a little extra to promote your pins and build brand awareness.

13. LinkedIn

Depending on your website’s purpose and brand, LinkedIn might be the perfect social tool to drive traffic. Leverage it by completing an interesting profile and creating connections. Follow influential people in your field and read what they share. Join (or create) relevant groups, and post content from your website’s blog (with links) often. Comment smartly on other posts regularly (any exposure for your name helps direct traffic to your website), and don’t be afraid to send your content to people individually.

Related: How to Create a Company Page on LinkedIn to Promote Your Small Business

14. Connect with Micro-Influencers

Maybe your business isn’t quite big enough for a celebrity endorsement. But how about a “mini-celebrity” in your field? Connect with micro-influencers — people on social media with a small circle of influence and high levels of engagement from their niche followers. Micro-influencers generally charge affordable fees for sponsored posts and may even choose to promote you for free if you send product samples.

15. Google My Business

List your business for free with Google My Business, so when potential customers search local businesses or look on Google Maps, your business will show up, complete with hours, location, reviews, etc. Make sure your listing includes a link to your website. Bonus: registering with Google’s business directory can improve your search-result visibility.

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16. Bing Places

Google may be the big kid on the block, but, believe it or not, other search engines and directories exist, and people — maybe your potential customers — use them too. Don’t forget to list your business with Bing Places, another freebie website promotion tool.

17. Yellow Pages

The phone book has moved online — and it offers free business listings. Listing with the Yellow Pages can be particularly helpful for location-focused small businesses, such as contractors, doctors, and restaurants.

18. Other Online Directories

Every link helps, right? The internet is filled with free online business directories. Once you’ve checked off the ones we’ve already mentioned, go to town with any others. But make sure to never pay for a basic listing — even Google, where you will likely get more exposure, offers directory space for free. These sites will get you started: Local.com, Simply Worthy, eLocal, Manta, Insider Pages, and Moo-Directory.

19. Submit to Search Engines

When you create your website or add new content, within a week or so, it will be found and indexed by major search engines and show up in search results. If you are anxious to be indexed sooner (or want to check and double-check that your site is found), you can manually submit URLs for free to Google, Bing, and Yahoo (Yahoo uses the same Search Engine as Bing. Great news, submission to Bing means submission to Yahoo).

If you want to submit to multiple search engines at the same time, including some of the lesser-used sites, a website like Submit Express will submit your website to dozens of search engines for free — and yes, Google is one of them. Here are a few more submission sites to check out: Entire Web, SubmitX, and So Much.

Related: 7 Steps to Identify a Target Audience for Your Online Business

20. Webmaster Accounts

Set up webmaster accounts with both Google and Bing, ideally as soon as you set up your website. Doing so makes sure your site is indexed with them and will be included in their search results, and it will allow them to communicate with you about any problems or recommendations for your website. Also, there’s something satisfyingly ego-stroking about calling yourself a “webmaster.”

21. Yelp

If you own a local restaurant, your website should be the cornerstone of your online presence — and Yelp will help your customers get there. While the site can be useful to any number of local businesses, it is the first choice of foodies on the go looking for good eats. Respond to reviews, post photos and menu options, offer discounts, and link to your website and blog.

22. Backlinks

Whenever another site, especially an established site, publishes a link to your website, it’s more likely that your site will be found by search engines. Links back to your site are called, appropriately, backlinks. Just one link back should be enough to ensure your site is found, but the more backlinks, the more prestigious search engines assume it to be — and the better your rankings. An easy way to get a backlink is to make a comment on a popular blog, ideally a respected one in your field. Most blogs will let you include a link to your own site with your comment.

23. Quora

Like Yahoo Answers, Quora is a searchable online place for people with questions and people with answers to mingle. Follow, ask, and answer questions in your area of interest, and include the address of your blog in your profile and answer credentials. You can include links to your blog in answers you write, but do so with caution: Quora will block answers filled with links as spam, and blatant self-promotion will garner no respect (or upvotes).

24. Help a Reporter Out

Press coverage of your business will help get your name out there and establish you as an expert in your field. Get media attention by registering with Help a Reporter Out, a free database that connects reporters from legitimate outlets to sources they can interview for their articles. It’s a win-win: The journalists get the scoop and you get press coverage — plus a chance to link to your site if the story is published online. After you register, you’ll receive source requests relevant to your industry three times per day and can then pitch your expertise to the reporter.

Related: How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy

25. YouTube

Creating videos and uploading them to YouTube can spread your content (and links to your website) around YouTube itself — and from there, Google will index and make searchable your content. You can embed it in your blog and share on your social media accounts, and so can other users. Don’t stress about the pressure to go viral; while an admirable goal, a video doesn’t need two million views to be effective.

Make sure the description links to your website, and include a call to action in the video — ideally one that takes viewers to your website. YouTube videos can also help you generate a bit of cash. Additionally, if you’re already making videos, consider creating ads to run with others’ videos for a potentially satisfying ROI.

Related: How to Start a YouTube Channel

26. Reddit

Reddit is probably the king of social bookmarking. The self-styled “front page of the internet,” Reddit allows users to submit stories, images, videos, etc., from across the internet, and other users can either upvote or downvote these submissions.

While the site is a great driver of internet traffic, the Reddit community generally frowns upon users who only share their own content. Become an active user and regularly share and interact with other posts, along with posting your own content. Be warned: Redditors are a tough crowd so don’t be discouraged if your posts flop or garner a negative comment to two.

27. Digg

Another social bookmarking site, Digg helps users find blog posts and other content, as well as share and promote stories they like. Similar to Reddit, users submit web pages by entering the URL and a short description; each submission can be discovered by other viewers who will upvote or “digg” interesting content.

Digg can be a little bit tricky as it is dominated by a handful of influential users who control which stories make it to the homepage and which get lost in the crowd. If your story makes it, it can drive a huge amount of traffic. As with Reddit, it’s essential to become active on the network and avoid digging and submitting only your own stuff.

28. Product Hunt

Product Hunt is the Skymall of new apps, websites, games, and devices — a haven for techies in search of the next big thing. Being discovered on Product Hunt can be a huge win for your business. Before submitting your product, make sure it qualifies.

29. Medium

While platforms like Instagram are great for photographers and fashion stylists, Medium is the platform for readers. Anyone can write and publish a story or blog post on Medium, and other users find, comment, applaud, and interact with articles and authors. Even if you have your own blog, networking and publishing on Medium (post unique content, not rehashes of posts from your blog) to increase visibility for your business and attract more traffic to your site.

30. Use Expert Sources

To give your content an authoritative boost, contact and interview experts in your field. Your own list of five ways to bug-proof your garden may draw clicks, but up that to ten tips from a long-time organic farmer, and you’ve got a shareable post that lends credibility to your entire site. If your sources include well-known names that boast a sizable following of their own, you may draw their fans to your site. Let your sources know when you publish, and you may get a digital shoutout.

The post 30 Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Website appeared first on Website Guides, Tips and Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/cheap-ways-to-promote-your-website/

Corporate Gigs to Freelancer Freedom: How msloydwrites Made the Switch

Ever since she can remember, Michelle S. Loyd has loved writing — in all its forms.

“Writing has always come naturally to me and is one of my favorite ways to pass the time,” she says. “I find myself taking notes and writing things down in the weirdest situations in preparation for a new article, post, or social media update.”

It makes perfect sense that Loyd is now a freelance writer, social media influencer, and digital gamechanger. As the owner and founder of msloydwrites — a freelance writing, blogging, and marketing agency — she provides services for local and international brands.

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Finding a Path

But it wasn’t always that way. Before launching her own business, she worked for some of America’s biggest brands, including AAA, Verizon Wireless, and Apple Inc.

“While it wasn’t my destiny to stay with any of these companies, my time at each company taught me a lot about the business world and customer experience,” Loyd says. “I also made a few lifelong friends along the way.”

Ultimately, her heart wasn’t in her work, and she wanted to change that. “Since I love writing so much and I kept hearing from strong business leaders that you should love what you do, it finally dawned on me that I wasn’t doing what I loved,” Loyd says. “So, I changed my career and began freelance writing in 2016. Apple was the last company that I officially worked for before opening msloydwrites.”

Her experience prepared her for launching her own business.

The most important things she learned were how to operate a business in a virtual environment and use metrics to make business decisions. Loyd’s degrees also helped; she holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University and a graduate degree in human resource management with a concentration in information systems management.

Related: How to Create a Freelance Writer Website That Actually Gets You Writing Gigs

The self-described “digital nomad” is currently based in the Golden Isles of south Georgia, located just south of Savannah, and considered one of the state’s best-kept secrets. “I’ve had the pleasure of learning more about the history of the area and discovering more about my roots and myself in the process,” Loyd says. “As an African-American woman, I have a deep interest in the history of South Georgia.”

Many cities there have strong ties and date back to the original roots of American slavery. She was amazed to learn that in this part of the country, there are still direct descendants of the original West African Slaves brought over during the Atlantic Slave Trade called “Geeches” or “Gullah.” But her favorite part of the Golden Isles is the breathtaking ocean views from the barrier islands.

At Your Service

Through msloydwrites, Loyd provides freelance writing and marketing-related services online. Clients use her services for everything from ghostwriting to blogging, Twitter marketing, and consulting. “My clients are small businesses, startups, and individual entrepreneurs who need help creating or enhancing their content marketing strategy,” Loyd says.

“I create engaging content based on research and fact-checking that is targeted for each industry. I specialize in providing quality web content for blogs and social media sites that are focused on mental health awareness, psychology research and innovation, online therapy and telemedicine effectiveness, customer relations/customer experience, and small business consulting.”

Lately, the bulk of her work has been on writing mental health and psychology-related content for leading online therapy providers and developing new affiliate relationships. “The topic of psychology and mental health has always been important to me,” Loyd says.

“I’ve always wanted to be able to contribute to the healing of others as it relates to mental health. Even when I was young, I could see that not enough emphasis was placed on education, research, and developing realistic treatment options. As an anxiety sufferer myself, I know that living with mental health challenges can be difficult — even debilitating in some cases. As a result, I do my best to make sure I’m doing my part by sharing fact-checked education and resources for people suffering with chronic mental health symptoms. I try to create clear and factual content that helps people get connected with the resources and support they need to improve the quality of their mental health. I figure that helping on at least a small scale can make a difference.”

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Social Studies

Like many other small business owners, Loyd uses her social media and marketing skills to promote her own business. She regularly engages with her followers on Twitter via updates, polls, and inspirational quotes, to name a few.

“I’m an active presence on Twitter where I share, learn and network with experts, influencers, and other like-minded professionals,” Loyd says. “Talking to people who share similar interests and ideas makes it easy for me to organically find new leads and partners to work with. I use my social media platform and website to share relevant, engaging, and useful information with my followers and other like-minded professionals.”

Pushing herself to grow and evolve her own business has had both professional and personal payoff for Loyd. “I’m a huge nerd,” she says. “So, outside of exceeding the expectations of my clients and inspiring others, the most rewarding part of my business has been getting to learn and experiment with so much new technology! It’s weird to go from being a customer to learning how a business works from the inside. I love all the apps, tools, gadgets, and widgets I get to play with at work now.”

Related: The 7 Best Web Management Tools for Small Businesses

She’s learned many lessons along the way with msloydwrites. “One thing I think that every business owner should know is a tip that I took from working at Apple, and that is: Even in business, you don’t have to know it all,” Loyd says.

“It may seem strange to say, but we try to seem knowledgeable and keep so much information in our heads on so many topics, that we forget to leave room for learning new ways of doing things. This includes innovation and improvements. As long as the internet and Google are available and you know how to use your resources, everything you ever needed to know is available at the click of a button. Take it easy on yourself.”

Host with the Most

Having the right tech and tools at her fingertips has been crucial to Loyd’s business expansion.  “Speaking of apps and tools, DreamHost is actually one of the latest additions to my toolbox,” she says. “I initially started my blog on the WordPress.com platform and DreamHost was featured there. I always kept it in the back of my mind for when I was ready to host my own domain as my business began to scale. Once I learned the ins and outs of WordPress, I tried hosting with another provider.”

While their hosting services were OK, the pricing was confusing, and they didn’t have nearly enough options to meet her needs. She became frustrated and remembered that years ago, she had told herself she would give DreamHost a try. She switched her hosting over to DreamHost and has been very happy with the service ever since.

“I’m also my own webmaster, so simplicity in a hosting provider is mandatory,” Loyd says. “I’m satisfied with the price, integrations, and features, and I’ve had zero issues with uptime on my website.

One of Loyd’s favorite things about DreamHost is the user interface because it’s clean and provides clear instructions on completing everyday tasks related to managing her website. Even transferring her domain and selecting a hosting package was a cinch.

“The one-click WordPress install made it easy for me to deploy and access my self-hosted WordPress website in just a matter of minutes after setup,” Loyd says. “Easy-to-follow support guides help me navigate and manage hosting features of my DreamHost account as a self-service option. I’ve never had a major issue with my hosting-related services. DreamHost offers a solid hosting package at an affordable price. As long as things continue to progress with DreamHost as smoothly as they have so far, I plan to be a lifelong customer.”

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Whatever your business goals, we’ll be right there with you, making sure your website is fast, secure, and always up. Plans start at $2.59/mo.

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Tech Talk

Loyd’s website is, of course, an integral part of her business. “My website makes it easy for me to showcase my work, my personality, and to describe my business in a nutshell for new clients, customers, and people who just want to know more about what I do,” Loyd says.

She also created her site to share updates, news, and business tips with writers, marketers, and other small business professionals to make it easier for them to succeed. “I’ve been working on the ‘community’ feature of the site that includes forums and chat rooms for writers, marketers, and small business professionals to meet and chat about some common business questions, issues, and tips,” Loyd says. “When it’s complete I hope to have a ‘virtual water cooler’ environment. As a self-proclaimed introvert, I do as much networking and shopping as I can online.”

To keep her website fresh, she uses quite a few technologies and products. “I’m looking for a simple solution to integrate everything,” Loyd says. “I recently started using Salesforce essentials, which seems to be doing a really awesome job of bringing things together!”

Other tools she uses are WordPress for blogging, Crowdfire, and Zoho Social for social media management, as well as Google Docs and Sheets for word processing, writing blog posts, creating documents, and easy file sharing. “I have a comprehensive list of resources on my website that talks more about the products and services that I use to power it.”

Related: How This Writer Set up a DreamHost Site in Under an Hour

Back to the Future

Loyd aims to continue expanding both her business and her website. “I plan to keep learning, growing, sharing great content, and keeping up with the pace of technology as things change,” she says.

“I hope that one day msloydwrites will be a source of information and inspiration for people who are looking for writing and content marketing services to increase their brand presence online. I also hope to become a central hub for other writers, marketing professionals, and small business owners to communicate and share information and best practices. It makes me feel great to be able to share relevant information and tips that can help another writer or a small business have an easier time. As long as I am inspiring people in one way or another through my work, I feel like I’m making a difference.”

The post Corporate Gigs to Freelancer Freedom: How msloydwrites Made the Switch appeared first on Website Guides, Tips and Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/customer-spotlight-msloydwrites/

15 Absolute Must-Reads for Women Working in Tech

Let’s face it, ladies. The tech industry has been a boy’s club for far too long.

But times are a-changin’!

Even though women have a long history in the industry, it’s taken decades to get a seat at the table. Today we’re developers, team leads, and CEOs. Of course, there are still miles to go in the march for equality. But with women around the world raising their voices to make tech companies more inclusive, it’s hard not to get just a teensy bit excited for the next generation of female go-getters.

If you want to be a part of this positive change — and help other women succeed alongside you — you’ll need a game plan.

We’ve got you covered.

Looking beyond Sheryl Sandburg’s Lean In (required reading for aspiring women in any field), we’ve rounded up 10 must-read books, blogs, and more for women in tech. Add these to your reading list (or blog feed) for a dose of tech news, opinions, career and leadership advice, and solidarity from women like you.

Related: The State of Women in Tech

15 Must-Reads for Women in Tech 

1. Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology

“Where are all the women?”

This is the question technology and entrepreneurship researcher Vivek Wadhwa considered at the TechCrunch Crunchies Awards in 2009 — at the nudging of his wife, Tavinder, who was the first of the two to notice a deep gender gap at the Oscars of the tech world.

Inspired by that experience, Wadhwa joined forces with journalist Farai Chideya and set out to take a look at women in tech (and the lack thereof), the challenges they face, and why they are needed in the field in their book, Innovating Women.

Yeah, our first women-in-tech book recommendation originated with a man. But don’t worry!

Acknowledging that he wasn’t exactly qualified to speak from the heart on this issue (and wanting to avoid mansplaining), he crowdsourced funding and worked with female contributors, ranging from former Google VP Megan Smith to venture capitalists to startup CEOs to middle managers.

A collection of stories, interviews, and essays from hundreds of leaders around the world in STEM careers, the book shares the experiences of various women in technology and entrepreneurship. It’s also a book about innovation and an exploration of the most creative (female) minds in the field. It shows what women are doing to close the gender gap in the field, what contributions women are making in their fields, offers encouragement and advice to women who want to enter and succeed in tech, and shares how women tackle an unbalanced work environment.

It’s a great read if you’re looking for a feel-good book that shares inspiring stories and ideas.

2. Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur

If you’re a lady with an entrepreneurial itch, Girl Code is your book, whether you want to build a side hustle or the next social media empire.

But don’t read for advice on how to start up a startup or how to create and run your business — author Cara Alwill Leyba digs a little deeper into the foundations of what makes a good entrepreneur, and specifically, a good and successful female entrepreneur. She takes a look at how to build confidence, brush yourself off after failure, ignore the haters, and avoid jealousy of other people’s success.

Central to her book is the importance of women supporting other women in their goals and entrepreneurial endeavors.

“In today’s competitive marketplace, the fiercest thing a female entrepreneur can do is to support other women,” Leyba asserts.

The ultimate girl-power guide for entrepreneurs written with a “girlfriend-to-girlfriend” voice, Girl Code is full of helpful advice and support for your entrepreneurial endeavors.

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3. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took Measure of the Stars

You’ve probably seen (or read) Hidden Figures, the story of the Black women who worked as “computers” for NASA, running the math that powered the first rocket launches that sent astronauts to the moon.

The Glass Universe runs in a similar vein: think ladies, space, science, and an unhealthy dose of gender bias. Author Dava Sobel highlights the sadly unknown and under-appreciated role of women in the history of science by exploring the lives and legacies of women who worked in the Harvard College Observatory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

These students — math whizzes, astronomy buffs, physics majors — were among the few women at the time to have the opportunity to work in science and technology. Their contributions included groundbreaking work in studying, documenting, and photographing the stars in the night sky and lead to the creation of the first academic fellowships and research grants for women in the sciences.

The struggles of these women in a male-dominated field — much more lopsided than it is today — will feel familiar. But more than that, this book will make you immensely grateful for all the brave women who paved the way for your generation and mine.

4. Hardball for Women: Winning at the Game of Business

Hardball for Women is a classic — an oldie-but-goodie updated, as the newest edition boasts, for the “post-Lean In era.” This book asserts that women are not men — duh — and the rules and tactics that help a man get ahead may, sadly, be detrimental to a woman, thanks to subconscious gender biases.

For example, an assertive man may be rewarded, while an assertive woman may be considered lacking in social skills. Because advice given to and by men may not always be helpful to a woman looking to advance in her career, author Tammy Hughes tailors leadership guidance specifically for women.

While not specifically focused on technology fields, Hardball is written for women who work in male-dominated careers — or, at least, a male-dominated office. The author coaches women who want to get ahead in their careers and develop leadership skills to be aware of gender biases and how men and women behave differently in the workplace, and how to use that information to their advantage. Hughes aims to help women promote themselves and use language, verbal and nonverbal to be assertive and effective in communicating.

Overall, this book looks at the challenges men and women face in working with each other and how they can work together to create a balanced workplace culture.

5. SheGeeks.net

Tech entrepreneur and writer Corvida Raven started blogging as a 19-year-old college student and has since drawn attention (and awards) to her blog, SheGeeks.net. She’s known for blogging about social media, tech gadgets, and more — and for her trademark style of writing about tech in “plain English,” which she says draws on her days helping family members with computer problems.

For an introduction to her style and ethos, check out her post about inclusion in technology and browse around her Instagram and Twitter accounts. In 2009 Raven was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Technology, and she’s worked in social media and more with General Motors, FastCompany, and TED.

Check out SheGeeks for no-nonsense reviews of new technology, social media how-tos to beef up your online presence, and for easy-to-read articles you can forward to your non-techie friends (and hopefully help another woman spark interest in the field).

Related: 30 Ways to Be an Ally for Women in Tech

6. Women of Silicon Valley

Inspired by the on-the-street photos and meaningful interview snippets of Humans of New York, college student Lea Coligado set out to find the female powerbrokers of Silicon Valley.

On “Women of Silicon Valley,” hosted on both Medium and Facebook, Coligado interviews women professionals in technology, uncovering surprising anecdotes and advice — and sometimes showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the real world of women in tech.

For example: Pinterest’s Tracy Chou described facing “blatant sexism . . . so outright as to be comical,” while Sara Mauskopf of Postmates described becoming the first woman at her company to have a baby: “Now that I’m pregnant, I am more driven than ever to make something of myself, if for no other reason than to prove it can be done . . . working with such awesome and supportive colleagues definitely makes my ‘trailblazing’ easier and enjoyable.”

Quick-to-read Q&A profiles are posted regularly, so be sure to look through the archives and give Women of Silicon Valley a follow — and maybe submit a friend for consideration to be featured on the blog.

7. Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories

This book starts readers off with a sad statistic: in 1984, 38 percent of computer science degrees were awarded to women. Not too shabby for the “olden days.”

But fast forward to 2010, and that number dropped to 10 percent. While other fields like law and medicine are attracting more women, the tech field, says author Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack, is failing. She blames (spoiler alert) a cultural unconscious gender bias, and sets out to do her part to make the tech industry more appealing and less mysterious for women.

Women in Tech combines practical career advice and personal stories from female entrepreneurs and tech professionals to motivate, inspire, and show women what a career in the field is like and how to succeed in it. Guest writers include Brianna Wu of Giant Spacekat and Angie Chang of Women 2.0 (another women-in-tech blog worth a follow).

Geared toward women who are considering jumping into tech, this book is a great read if you are just launching your career, or if you are looking for a boost further up the career ladder. Or you may want to get a few copies of this book to pass on to your mentees or women you want to encourage into the field. Bonus: this book started off on a Kickstarter campaign — it doesn’t get too much geekier than that!

8. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

Did you know that the world’s first coder was a woman?

Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, was the only legitimate daughter of the poet Lord Byron — and one of the first computer scientists. Her mother, determined to make sure Ada never became a head-in-the-clouds poet like her father, had her tutored solely and extensively in science and math.

At age 17, Lovelace teamed up with Charles Babbage and envisioned a machine that can calculate and envision anything — numbers, music, words — and she even wrote a sample computer program for it. While the machine was never built, her notes were referenced by engineers creating the first computer.

In The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, author Sydney Padua turns Lovelace’s story into an exciting graphic novel that’s mostly accurate — well, other than envisioning an alternate ending in which the duo succeed in building their computer, which never actually happened.

This steampunk-esque novel is an adventure through the early history of modern tech — and while it takes liberties with reality (ahem), it’s filled with notes that keep you grounded in the “real” history.

Interested in a more straightforward history featuring the pioneering work of Lovelace? Walter Issacson’s The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution frames a history of the tech world with Lovelace’s story, tracing its influence to the present day. 

9. Tech Diversity Files

As a woman, do you ever feel a bit out of place in so-called “tech culture”? Tech Diversity Files is a blog about inclusivity in tech hosted on Medium with a handful of contributors, all looking to expand the vision of a programmer or coder as a twenty-something white male living off Hot Pockets and foosball.

Women in the tech field might start with this article by entrepreneur, professor, and developer Rachel Thomas. The gender disparity in tech is not, she argues, a pipeline problem, but because it’s a field that can be genuinely hostile to women who make it there. She describes how she fell in love with programming — but not with “tech culture,” so much that she considered leaving the field, which “would have been devastating, but staying was tough.”

Thomas continues: “I’m not the stereotypical male programmer in his early 20s looking to ‘work hard, play hard.’ I do work hard, but I’d rather wake up early than stay up late, and I was already thinking ahead to when my husband and I would need to coordinate our schedules with daycare drop-offs and pick-ups.”

“Kegerators and ping pong tables don’t appeal to me. I’m not aggressive enough to thrive in a combative work environment. Talking to other female friends working in tech, I know that I’m not alone in my frustrations,” Thomas says.

Check out Thomas’s article for stats, problems, and solutions for both men and women to help close the gap — and make sure to poke around and follow the rest of Tech Diversity Files for conversation and stories about inclusivity in tech.

Related: 3 Ways to Debug Tech’s Diversity Gap

10. Recode.net

Where do you go for the latest in tech news? Mashable, Gizmodo, and Wired are great sources — and regularly tackle issues of gender and inclusivity in the field, and they feature female writers and bloggers.

But if you haven’t already, add Recode.net to your list.

While not specifically geared just for women, its founder and executive editor, Kara Swisher, is a powerhouse woman in the tech world. Swisher is a longtime tech journalist who previously wrote articles and a tech column for the Wall Street Journal. After leaving the Wall Street Journal, Swisher founded Recode as a source for tech news.

She’s the tech writer most followed by other US techies, so adding her work to your regular reading list would put you in good company.  And while not technically the written word, don’t forget to check out Swisher’s podcast, Recode Decode, for more news, interviews, and discussion.

11. Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change

In 2012, Tawainese-American investor and activist Ellen Pao sued Kleiner Perkins, the then-leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, in a gender discrimination lawsuit. In the lawsuit, she called out her former employer for workplace discrimination and retaliation against women and other minority groups. Pao tells her powerful story in Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change, shining a light on the homogeneity issues in the tech industry. 

As the former interim CEO of Reddit, Pao is also credited for forcefully trying to change the company’s status quo, banning revenge porn and unauthorized nude photos on the social platform and shutting down parts of Reddit over online harassment. 

Not only that, Pao helped found Project Include, an award-winning nonprofit aimed at promoting more diversity and inclusion in tech. Named “the face of change” by Time magazine, Pao is an author to follow if you want ideas on how to build a more inclusive future in Silicon Valley (and beyond). 

Related: The State of Women in Tech

12. Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One

If you’re thinking about taking on a new role at your company or maybe even considering an entirely different career path, pick up Jenny Blake’s Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One. 

A former career development program manager at Google, Blake uses the Pivot Method to show you how to find new opportunities and use what’s already working for you to guide your next career move. 

Want to eventually be your own boss? This book will guide you in transitioning from your current gig to a new, more adventurous opportunity — as long as you’re willing to pivot. 

Winner of the Axiom Best Business Books award in the careers category, Pivot led to the Pivot Podcast, listed by CNBC as a top career advice podcast and named one of the top 20 female-hosted business podcasts by Entrepreneur. These days on the podcast, you can find Blake chatting about the COVID-19 crisis in the series “Pivoting Around a Pandemic.”

13. STEMinist.com

Created by software developer Ann Hoang in 2010, STEMinist.com features profiles on women in — you guessed it — Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math. After reading an editorial in Glamour magazine in 1997 entitled “Women, wake up about computers!”, then 21-year-old Hoang registered for Computer Science 101 and taught herself how to build a website. 

The intersection of social justice and tech inspired Hoang to take action — STEMinist aggregates stories of women in STEM with the hopes to “increase the visibility of women in STEM; promote and elevate the perspective of women in these traditionally underrepresented fields; encourage younger women and girls to pursue careers in STEM; capture a social media snapshot of what’s trending for women in STEM.”

Although there hasn’t been a new STEMinist profile in a couple of years, it’s still easy to get lost in the multitude of fascinating and insightful interviews with women from all over the country. Featuring everyone from student researchers to data scientists to engineers and entrepreneurs, these profiles highlight women’s top accomplishments, biggest inspirations, advice for future STEMinists, and lots more. 

14. BlackWomenTalkTech.com

Black Women Talk Tech was founded in 2017 by Fundr co-founder Lauren Washington, Nexstar co-founder Esosa Ighodaro, and TresseNoire co-founder Regina Gwynn — with the simple goal of connecting Black women in tech. With more than 500 founders of business and tech companies and 10 chapters of national and international “mastermind groups,” this organization actively works to provide Black women the knowledge and tools it takes to build big-business brands. 

“Black Women Talk Tech is a collective of Black women tech founders who have a unique understanding of the challenges we face and the advantages we bring in the industry. We’re here to identify, support, and encourage Black women to build the next billion-dollar business.”

Through a variety of events and initiatives, Black Women Talk Tech focuses on supporting Black entrepreneurs looking to grow in tech. In February, they held an immersive three-day conference called “Roadmap to Billions” and are currently offering  COVID-19 resources and a relief fund for founders. 

Related: What it’s Like to Be a Black Woman in Tech — Q&A with Kaya Thomas

15. Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators

It’s no secret: There needs to be more diversity in tech. In Women of Color in Tech, Susanne Tedrick offers practical advice and inspiring stories that will help you develop the tools and mindset you need if you’re a woman of color — whether you’re simply considering working in the industry for the first time or struggling to get ahead. 

By breaking down specific issues that may be challenging for BIPOC women, Tedrick proves that today’s tech careers can be fun — and aren’t limited to coding jobs — if you are able to build a professional network of reliable mentors who understand your goals and struggles. With the right guidance and support, it’s possible to overcome the obstacles that often prevent women of color from pursuing (and sticking with) careers in tech. 

Aimed specifically at BIPOC women, this book has great advice for female innovators looking to take their career to the next level. With the right communication, public speaking, and networking skills, Tedrick argues it’s possible to break through barriers and build a rewarding future in tech. 

Honorable Mentions

Hungry for even more reads, digital or otherwise? Check these out!

• The Secret Loves of Geek Girls: A graphic novel anthology (including contributions from Margaret Atwood and Trina Robbins) about the passions, plights, and love lives of geeky girls who code.
• Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy: After the unexpected loss of her husband, Sheryl Sandburg, Facebook COO and author of Lean In, explains how to develop resilience in the face of difficult times.
• Melinda Gates on Medium: Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft guru Bill Gates, focuses her philanthropy (and her blogging) on girl power. Start with her post on five badass women of science.
• Femgineer: The blog and digital innovation education platform created by Poornima Vijayashanker, a Mint.com founding engineer, to help techie entrepreneurs from all backgrounds build companies and products. 

— Reporting by Sara Atwood and Ellice Soliven

The post 15 Absolute Must-Reads for Women Working in Tech appeared first on Website Guides, Tips and Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/must-reads-for-women-in-tech/