Let’s get back to the basics.  This is for you, noobs!

We’ve discussed blending Adsense and advertising versus PPC.  Let’s talk about how you get started – with purchasing a website.

A lot of domain name retailers will offer seemingly great deals.  Please be aware from the get-go that these are the tourist traps of the online world.  You may get a domain for $10.89 (or even less), but the web hosting costs.  You generally get charged anywhere from $4.95 to $29.95 per month for webhosting.  Good luck trying to purchase just a domain – these guys are in.  Your.  Face.  Every step of the way.  Every button you click gets you to another offer for website hosting.  Try purchasing a domain on Network Solutions, for example.   Every click gets you to another popup.  And they may seem like great deals – free domains if you get hosted with them – but hosting with these guys is expensive as hell.  I would strongly recommend purchasing your domain on a site like Network Solutions or Godaddy and getting your web site hosting on a cheaper server.  You can check out the more inexpensive hosting plans you’ll generally find on smaller sites like Webhostinggeeks.com.

At the end of the day, building a website largely consists of trial and error, unless you want to pay the big bucks to get a web designer to build your site.  And let’s be honest, the reason you’re reading this right now is because you want to go the cheaper route.  Try shopping around – there’s a lot out there.  And consult with any friends that may have some expertise in the area – there are definitely some untapped resources that you have available.