This list of resources is meant for beginners who are anxious to get started with their website building project. Links will all open in a new window or tab.  Be sure to bookmark this page and check back for updates. *  (DIY means Do-It-Yourself)

• GoDaddy.com – Register your domain name here. They also have hosting, DIY websites, and easy WordPress intallation
• Hostgator.com – $4.95/month hosting. Easy installation of blogs, mailing lists, and many other features.
• WordPress.com – Build a free site here. Used by a lot of bloggers. Limited capabilities for add-ons.
• WordPress Themes – Free themes WordPress.org. Great place to get ideas
• Template Monster – Themes for many different platforms. A few free. Others start at about $49.
• Artisteer – Easy-to-use software for building WordPress, html, Joomla and Drupal templates. We use this for most of the sites we design.
• NuVu - A free WYSIWYG html editor
• SiteSell – DIY HTML sites. Before you build the site, you have to go through their video tutorials, which are helpful for beginners.

WordPress Resources
Although there are many different platforms to use for building a site, I believe that wordpress, with it’s many add-ons (called plugins) is the best way to go.

• WordPress.org – Documentation for using WordPress is here.
• WordPress Plugins – Do a search for what you need and you are bound to find it. Calendars, maps, SEO, events management, and much more.
• Free WordPress Themes at WordPress.org. Not all free themes are created equal. Some work better than others. Since they are free, you can try them.
• Elegant WordPress Themes – A nice collection of themes with access to all for $39.
• ThemesForest – Large collection of themes from free to $50
• WooThemes
• Templatic Themes
• Artisteer – The theme-building software that we use.  Easy to use once you familiarize yourself with the interface.
• Sample Artisteer sites - This is a forum post with links to Artisteer-created sites.
• Templateer – An add-on for Artisteer that allows you to create additional templates.
• WordPress101 – an easy-to-understand series of videos that will teach you how to use WordPress. I suggest this to all of my clients so they easily update their sites.

E-Commerce Resources

• 1ShoppingCart.com – Combination shopping cart, autoresponders, affiliate program. I’ve been using this for 5 years. They also offer a full e-commerce site-building interface with templates you can choose from
• PayPal – for payments from your site
• 8 Days a Week – a small, New Mexico company that offers terrific credit card processing rates. Available in all states. I use them.
• Authorizenet – a payment gateway. You need a gateway with many shopping carts.
• osCommerce – an open source cart system. A plugin for WordPress is available. Not recommended for DIY beginners.
• Simple PayPal Shopping Cart Plugin for WordPress

E-Mail Marketing Resources
For managing your mailing list

• Autoresponse Plus – mailing list management software that is installed on your hosting account. You have great control over all aspects. No monthly fees. We use this for some of our mailings and like it a lot.
• 1ShoppingCart.com – Can use their autoresponder system without a shopping cart. Handling of bounces not terrific.
• aWeber - a popular service that offers easy-to-use templates, a WordPress plugin, email templates and more. Strict about double optin
• Constant Contact – another popular service
• iContact.com- one of the few services that allows you to upload an email list without having to double opt-in
• MailChimp – free for the first 2,000 names
• Feedburner – If you have a blog, feedburner.com can handle your blog subscriptions. People can subscribe via RSS or email.
  

*Some links on this page are affiliate links