How I Built This Site

(and how you can build one, too)

Or maybe you're just wondering how someone who can't even program all of her remotes at home can actually build and maintain a website!

Well, you've come to the right place.

I had all those questions myself before starting LaughingWallet.com, and after a lot of research, I found the answers I needed. I want to share that information with you so you don't have to go digging to find it.

I'll tell you how I built this site, with virtually no expertise in computer programming, web design or any other technical skill, and I'll help you find the answers you need so that you can build your own website/business/dream!

What's in it for me?

Do you want to share information on a topic you're passionate about? Drive customers to a business? Earn a little extra income? Change your life completely by becoming your own boss and working from home (or a beach somewhere!)?

A website can help you achieve any or all of those goals.

I am not a technical person, nor do I aspire to be one. I do aspire to share useful information with people that makes their lives better, and I do aspire to someday be my own boss. Those are my goals.

When I began this process in 2010, I knew a website could help me accomplish those goals, but I knew nothing about building one. I just knew I had great information to share, and I might be able to make some money if I offered something of value. So, I started researching my options.

At first, I was intimidated. There was SO much to know, and I wasn't sure I had the time or even the aptitude for learning it all. I couldn't afford to hire a designer and someone to make ongoing additions and changes. I needed someone to help me build a site I could maintain MYSELF.

But let's get back to you and what you want to know!

How much can I make?

Well, here's the truth: it depends! You can make nothing if you choose a bad topic, don't build a quality site, don't draw traffic or don't monetize.

Or you can make thousands of dollars every month if you do all of those things well. Some people make six-figure incomes from websites. I'm not there yet, myself, but I'm working on it!

And you don't have to take my word for it. If you'd like to know what's possible, this Case Studies page shares the stories of several SiteBuildIt! (SBI!) website owners and how they earn substantial incomes from their websites (SBI! is the system I use - I'll talk more about it below).

How do I do it?

Well, you cinch up your suspenders, work hard and put in the time and effort to build a good quality, well-planned site. Work hard?? You bet! Building a successful site takes commitment, hard work and time.

The good news is that it doesn't take technical skills, writing expertise or site-building experience to build a great site. That's where SBI! comes in!

How much time does it take?

Some people are able to devote a lot of time up front to getting their site off the ground, so they can be up and running in just a couple of months. Other people have a lot of obligations on their time, and it takes longer.

I have a full-time job, so building my site has taken a while. I spent several weeks learning the basics and picking a topic, then when I started writing, I averaged about one or two pages per week. Now, some weeks I hardly touch the site; other times, I may put in 5-10 hours per week if I've got new pages to build or a new strategy to learn and implement.

SBI! will help you gauge how much time you'll need to put into your site to be successful, but in the end, you decide how much time you'll spend. You may have plenty of extra time to put in, or you may have to sacrifice some evenings of TV or weekends with friends. You decide what it's worth to be in charge of your own life.

So what's SBI!???

SBI! gives you a step-by-step guide that teaches you from the ground up:

• how to select a good topic (and how to analyze the potential of success for a topic you might already have in mind),
• how to write effective content,
• how to build pages (using their foolproof page builder or by uploading your own pages if you already know how and have software you already like),
• how to build traffic, and
• how to turn that traffic into dollars.

I can't say enough how helpful the forums have been for me. SBI!ers are extremely generous and supportive of one another. No question is too simple or too complicated. When I've needed to know the usefulness of certain strategies or what something means or how to do something, other SBI!ers have been quick to help in the forums. It's like having a team of advisors at your fingertips.

SBI! is truly an all-in-one e-business shop.

To state it simply, I have been spared countless hours of wasted time, bad decisions and mistakes by being walked through the process by SBI!.

But probably the thing I like best about SBI! is that it's honest. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme or about how to fool search engines or how to turn sham content into profit. The SBI! motto is "Keep It Real," and its symbol is the tortoise (not the hare). SBI! is about how to make a quality site and earn legitimate traffic, which will translate into legitimate dollars, by doing things right.

What does it cost?

I do the annual subscription, which works out to $25 per year - the cost of hosting alone from many companies. And SBI! includes a money-back guarantee. So, if you sign up and honestly don't find the guide, articles, forums, etc., helpful (which I highly doubt), you get your money back.

It's a no-lose proposition.

If you're thinking about building one, I highly recommend using SBI! to do it. There's nothing to lose, and I promise you that if I can do it, so can you!

So what are you waiting for??

Want to know more? Here's everything you need know about SBI!

Do you have specific questions you'd like to ask? No problem! Go here to ask any question, by email or phone, and a real person will provide you the answers you need.

About Me

Jump from How I Built This Site to the Laughing Wallet home page