Does the prospect of signing up for website hosting boggle your mind? A Wordfeeder reader recently wrote in to ask me a few questions about purchasing hosting for a new website. Here are my responses:

Q: Is there any reason not to buy a domain name AND hosting from the same provider? Network Solutions offers domain purchase along with hosting. If I can do name and hosting as a package deal w/netsolutions, I can save some $.

A: It’s a better idea to keep your domain and hosting with two separate companies. This way, if you ever experience a problem with one company or if they unexpectedly go out of business, you won’t be SOL.

Q: Godaddy recommended not using Hotmail-type email accounts when signing up to buy a domain through them. Any opinion? I could use our Comcast.com email account if it’s better to do so.

A: I’m really not sure why GoDaddy gives out this info. I took their advice with my first sites. Used the email account that I got when I signed up for internet in my town, which was Comcast at the time. For a while, there was a problem because GoDaddy kept sending emails to that danged account which was cancelled when I moved. In fact… to this day, with every new website I purchase, they automatically put me on that email account, which does not exist. And each time it happens, I update my address to use my Yahoo account instead, which I have never had any sort of problem with. So, who knows. But good question.

Q: Should I register a domain name that “says what it is” or should I try to get clever and creative? For example, GoDaddy.com obviously does not “explain what they do.” Does that make a difference?

A: Yes - if you use the exact keywords in your domain name, you WILL get more google cred.

Q: When I sign up to purchase a domain name, there are also options for “certified” and “protected” hosting or domain accounts. This seems like a little unnecessary fluff. Agree?

A: I have never “certified” any of my sites, nor have I ever run into any problem as a result of not doing so. The only situation where you might want to consider privatizing your domain is if you plan to market “incognito” (using a pen name, for example). You might do this if your site is one of the more racy topics - for example, the fine folks at http://revengecrabs.com may not wish to share their identities unless pressed for this information.

Q: The hosting company I’m thinking about going with offers different account options, i.e. starter, biggie, bigger, biggest. I do not understand what all the gigabyte available stuff means; seems like “starter” would make sense for me. They also talk about setting up with Unix. Seems a little too much to me. Do you think going through Windows is good enough?

A: Starter Account is fine for a startup business, and you should actually host on UNIX. I know, one would think Windows because we all use Windows, but Unix is the better option. Boston Computing explains it much better than I ever could hope to.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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(Or, Modern Writing Habits that Really Need to Go)

I get really ticked by some of the things I read and hear nowadays. Know what I mean; like the increased substitution of nouns for verbs as I just did in the title? Englishify? Frost? It happens all the time. Let’s “task” Joe with something; Did Tom “deconflict” the issue? The suspect “lawyered” up. He “texted” Louie. He “gamed” the system while “guesting” at the casino that “comped” him.

Maybe that specific usage is just the natural evolution of our language. After all, we have accepted many nouns acting as verbs in the past; mop the floor, for example. I fear, though, that we may soon be hearing things such as; Did you “broom” the floor?

Is my fear rational, or am I just resistant to the inevitable? Is the word “mop” diminished since it has no counterpart to “sweep?” But what about the good old Navy term to “swab” the floor (deck)? See how complicated this can be? My definitive answer is: Who knows?

There are a number of burrs under my saddle, though, that just have to do with laziness, sloppiness or ignorance. Here are a few…

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Popularity: 18% [?]

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In the last four days, I’ve worked on brochures for two of my clients which are designed to jump-start sales in a slow economy.

Not only is this a refreshing change from the gloom and doom news headlines I keep reading, but it’s a far more accurate portrayal of what’s really going on in the world of business.

People are still buying from and selling to each other, yes, it’s true. Being involved with real-life marketing for real-life companies helps put everything back into perspective. If you think that the economy just shriveled up and died, you’re wrong.

I’ve got one client (an ad agency) who I’m partnering with on a brochure for their client which offers “stimulus savings” on home improvement projects.

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Popularity: 39% [?]

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I received an email from a high school student who’s doing a report on careers. He sent me a set of questions so that he might find out what it’s like to work in the field of ad copywriting. Here are my responses to his questionnaire:

1-What does your job entail?

Copywriters manage the written portion of advertising and marketing campaigns. We team up with graphic designers on creative projects such as branding initiatives, websites, brochures, email newsletters, ebooks, sales letters, magazine ad campaigns and much more. The designers choose and edit the images that will appear in the advertisements or marketing materials and the copywriters come up with clever wordplay to match.

2-What hours do you work?

If you work for a corporation or small business, then you work whatever hours that company dictates - typically, 9 to 5, or 8:30 to 5:30. When you work for yourself, you can set your own hours - but you do this knowing that the more hours you invest, the bigger you can grow your business and the more money you’ll make.

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Popularity: 29% [?]

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Hey! You know what? I’m getting really tired of the Debbie Downers (wah, wah!!) who keep whining about the economy. One of my friends actually announced on her Facebook page that she cries every time she hears another news report on the topic. Wow. That is what I call being paralyzed by fear.

It’s not that I’m oblivious… but when times are “tough” like this, is when opportunities truly abound. First, because things cost less. Second, because the population is vulnerable and a “willing ear” for your persuasion.

Some cool and heartening facts I just learned about:

* Several successful businesses such as Microsoft and Disney began during recessions.

* There are over 16 million home based businesses in the U.S. - that means people out there who might have a need for YOUR products or services!

I feel like a broken record. But you’re still putting food on your table, right? You still go to the mall and buy things, right? The Chicken Little mentality does no good to anyone. Rather, we should be pulling oursleves up by the bootstraps. Think about how you can find creative ways to earn money. Put the word out that you’re consulting now. Launch an online business - it’s cheap and easy!

This Valentine’s Day weekend, why not show your (future) business some love, with some low-cost lessons on how to market your services and products more successfully.

Wordfeeder Copywriting and Marketing is offering Limited Time Only Pricing on the following must-haves for your business or future business on the web:

1. Article Power: How to Attract Paying Clients Online by Writing Web Articles

2. The Dangerous Truth About How to Write Copy That Sells

3. Biz-Feeder: The Private Group for Do-It-Yourself Marketers (Get on my list now!)

4. The Copywriter’s Bedside Bible(Learn How to Earn a Living Writing Copy from the Comfort of Home. Coming Soon!)

Check out This Page for your Special Valentine’s Offers from Wordfeeder Copywriting!

And have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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David Bohl of SlowDownFast.com has done something cool with his blog. He took the “25 Things About Me” meme from Facebook and turned it into a blog post, then invited people to participate by adding their “25 things” to the comments section.

I posted to his blog, but I thought I would also publish here and invite you to do the same:

25 Things About Dina at Wordfeeder.com:

1. I went nameless for a little longer than most babies. At the hospital, they tagged me “Baby Giolitto” until my parents were flipping through a magazine, saw an article on Dina Merrill, and decided that was going to be my name. Not the Merrill, just the Dina.

2. I love what I do - write advertising copy, web content and marketing materials. I’ve known that I wanted to be in advertising since age 9 when I used to edit Hammecher-Schlemmer catalogs “for fun.” My copywriting website is at http://wordfeeder.com in case you wanted to know.

3. I’m a late bloomer. I was always smaller and looked younger than everyone else. I didn’t get my first kiss until I was seventeen!

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Popularity: 25% [?]

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I received this question from a fellow copywriter, but I thought that the method could easily be used by any other specialist in any industry.

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Hi Dina,

My name is John Doe. I saw an article you wrote about how to set a freelance copywriting rate and have seen your business website.

I am a journalist and writer and I am taking some time off from daily newspaper writing to do some freelancing. I write news articles, but have also taken on some work writing a bit of website content and am now ghost-writing an e-book.

A friend of mine is doing a redesign on her business website. She’s self-employed, but doing well. She has hired someone to do the redesign, but has put out an RFP for a copywriter to rewrite her website content.

I believe I am more than capable of bringing a fresh and engaging voice to her site. I am planning to bid on it but I have absolutely no idea how much to charge. I really can’t even ballpark a figure. I asked her if she had a deadline and whether she had a range for acceptable bids, but she said she has neither.

I am trying to get advice from more experienced freelance copywriters about a bid to submit.

Taking a look at her RFP materials, I suspect it will take me 1-2 weeks to rewrite everything, with additional time for revisions.

I am expecting to lowball her a bit because she is a friend with a small business and I am an inexperienced copywriter, but really can’t guess at what an appropriate lowball bid would be.

Would you be able to help me to determine how I should be bidding, what kind of starter rates copywriters have, especially for small-scale projects that are done to gain a portfolio, but still earn a bit of cash?

Anyway, thanks advance for any help you can provide.
John

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MY REPLY:

Hi John Doe,

How much do you need to make per year to meet your expenses?

How much would you make in a “9 to 5 corporate job” at your same level of expertise/years of experience?

Figure out that number, a salary per year. Then divide by 50 weeks (assuming you’d like to take 2 weeks off).

Then divide the weekly amount by 40 hours per week (assuming 40 hours is your target).

Now you know your hourly rate. So figure out how many hours it would take you to draft one page of copy, in a Word document, assuming it’s 400 to 650 words or so.

If it takes you two hours and your rate is $40 per hour, then think of your projects as being worth $80 per page draft.

Next, factor in extra billables like research time, communicating with clients, and doing revisions. This will be an estimate of course, based on what you “expect” from the client. It’s never exact.

Let’s say that you predict you’ll be spending 2 hours reading/researching the client’s niche. You have 4 pages to write. You “guesstimate” that you’ll spend another 2 to 3 hours revising the copy once the client makes corrections.

So now you have 2 hours plus 8 hours plus 3 hours. That’s 13 hours, times your hourly rate of $40 per hour. The total estimate is $520.00 for four pages of copy including a draft revision. But in order to not scare your clients or shortchange yourself, you want to tell your client, “I estimate this to be anywhere from 10 to 13 hours, which works out to be anywhere from $400 to 520.00. You will be billed for the actual hours spent working, and no more.

Does this make sense? Good luck.

Warm regards,

Dina Giolitto
Wordfeeder.com

Popularity: 51% [?]

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• Are you lost about what you want to do in your career?
• Are there so many career ideas in your head that you can’t choose just one?
• Do you feel stuck where you are?
• Would you like to have a career you’re passionate about?

Then sign up today for Hallie Crawford’s brand new group coaching program! It’s called “Identify Your Ideal Career Path,” and it covers the exact same 5 step program that Hallie uses with her individual clients — at a fraction of the cost!

In this group you will:

1. Uncover your values and priorities
2. Define what would be most fulfilling for you in a career
3. Explore the 6 things you need to consider in your search for your ideal career path
4. Learn how to combine these and put them into action
5. Discover how to overcome the obstacles that hold you back from defining your ideal career
6. Create and implement a transition plan to land your ideal job

The benefits of group coaching? You save money! Plus you’ll receive support and feedback from 3 different sources — your coach, other class members, and your group buddy. We’ll all be there to help you through your transition.

And the best part? You get all this for only $150/month for 6 months — less than half of our individual coaching rate!

Go here to read more and sign up for the complimentary introductory call on January 22nd. The coaching program begins on February 5th and is over the phone so you can participate from absolutely anywhere.

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If you’ve ever thought about buying paid advertising in Google or Yahoo, but thought the costs were too high, you might be right. Even though you set a budget for PPC ads (Pay-Per-Click), are you really getting your money’s worth?

Paid or sponsored listings, those ads at the top and right side of search results, may not be getting as many clicks as you’d expect. Research indicates that approximately 60 to 80% of people click on organic listings over paid ones, probably because they know sponsored ads will be sales campaigns. If the searcher is just looking for information, they don’t want to be sold to! Additionally, if you’re looking for people with a higher level of education to click on your organic listing, don’t bother with PPC.

Search engines also record your ranking history, so your organic listing will stand the test of time and you’ll continue to rank higher, especially as you implement more and more SEO and ranking techniques that you learn from this blog. If you’re still curious about how Google’s PPC campaigns work visit https://adwords.google.com. You might test a few ads with a limited budget and see what results you get.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Tags: 2 Comments

Let me guess. You’ve got that nagging feeling that it’s time to update your resume again. You’re thinking that you owe Monster and Hot Jobs and at least a few other people an appearance if you want to keep your head in the employment game.

Well, I want to point out something to you about resumes. This is important stuff for you to consider as the job market changes and the world as we know it turns on its head!

Resumes are OUT, websites are IN. Which is NOT to say that you shouldn’t have a resume… you want to keep all your bases covered. But you should also begin creating your Living Portfolio - even if you’ve never once thought of yourself as a consultant.

If you have a career, that means you’re formally trained in SOMETHING - so start acting like the expert you are, and this WILL be a testament to your qualifications for any job, be it temporary or full time.

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Popularity: 52% [?]

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