The majority wanted a “a step-by-step guide to creating an effective author web site.” So I was about to design one.

Then I got word that the company that designed the software I use to create all my sites (except my blogs)–in minutes–and search engine optimize them so they come up higher than my blogs–this very company is coming out with a comprehensive course on that very thing. More than 30 hours of detailed instruction on how to build a great we site.

I well remember how fearful I was to create my first website–how monumental it felt. How much there seemed to know to get it right. Anyone can create a blog in a few minutes, but to get it right so that search engines find you quickly … so that you can actually sell something (like your book) on your site … that seemed monumental.

It’s not.

Especially not with this massively detailed blueprint for website creation, brought to you by people who know a thing or two about the subject matter. Their award-winning software is the best value for the money I’ve ever spent. (I’ve written several blog post on this. Just search for “XSite Pro” in the search box on the right. It really does do all it says here.)

While so many of my friends complain about how it takes forever for their web master to make tiny changes on their site, costing them search engine rank, time, and money, I shake my head and in 15 minutes add something to my site, update it for the search engines, and publish with the click of my mouse.

All because of the software from this company that is now selling this course on creating websites. Their track record with me personally and with many reviewers makes me certain that their new course, which took a year to develop, will be nothing short of excellent.

The course will be available Wednesday, October 21, but you can sign up here to attend a webinar on Tuesday, AND possibly win a FREE course. I believe you need to be present for the webinar to win the free course, but sign up anyway, because I think the webinar will be recorded.

One more thing: I’m thinking of creating a bonus along with this, on what you need specifically for an effective author website. If you would be interested in that, comment below or send me an email (diane at wordstoprofit.com). Also tell me what your biggest concern is as you think about creating and/or maintaining an author website.

“If I spend X dollars, will I likely at least recoup my investment?”

This is a question I ask myself any time I spend money, especially on my business.

I operate on a shoestring budget. Not because I’m so cheap, but because I like to get the best value for my dollar as possible. It’s smart to keep things simple and lean. I am not afraid to spend money on training, tools, etc. if they will truly help me become a more successful author and business person. But any expenditure should, ideally, be an investment.

There are lots of ways to spend money, and some of it is an expense, some an investment.

I try to make sure as many of my expenditures as possible are investments, rather than merely expenses.

With that in mind, I thought I’d evaluate some of the smaller expenditures that turned out to be investments with very good ROI, and tell you why.

Best $14.39 (amazon price) I Ever Spent:

Maria Veloso’s Web Copy that Sells (Second Edition). This is a must-have reference work for any copy (persuasive writing) you do. It will help you with more than web copy; you can use her principles, especially the Trifecta Neuro-Affective Principle, for book titles, email copy, even book proposals. (I also suggest you download a free copy of her excellent ebook, Frame-of-Mind Marketing.)

Best $15.59 I Ever Spent: The Secret Code of Success by Noah St. John. This little book is probably the last “self-help” book you’ll ever need. Full of great insights that turn typical self-help advice on its head, explains why most of what you hear doesn’t work, and shows what does. If all you get out of it is how to do “afformations,” it will change your life.

Best $27 per month: Jimmy D. Brown’s Membernaire course. If information is what you want to sell, then this course on how to create, market, and profit from a “fixed term membership site” is well worth it. Jimmy knows so much about content creation, marketing, repurposing, the whole shebang. And he has a gift for making it easy and doable. I have bought most of his courses, and they are all excellent. A less expensive option, that’s still a great investment, is his Small Reports Fortune course. Here’s a free Special Report to give you a taste.

Best Money ($197) I Ever Spent (period): XSite Pro Web Design Software. This may be one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It’s saved me so much time–I can create great-looking websites in literally minutes. It’s also saved me money–no designers or webmaster needed. Here’s one I did most recently, in around 10 minutes. The template was one of the hundreds I could have used that came with the program. You don’t need to know html or anything like that. You don’t need to know what a plugin is, like you do with a blog. Everything you need is in the program, and it’s as easy to use as MS Word. (Not much different, really.)

Besides the time, money, and hassle I prevent by not needing a webmaster or designer, by being able to change my website quickly and easily, it also gives me GREAT search-engine ranking. Supposedly blogs get greater search engine ranking, but my XSite Pro sites actually do better. That latest website I created, www.developyouraudience.com, was only created 3 weeks ago. Yet if you search “develop your audience” on Google, it comes up #1 on page 1. That’s because of the excellent search-engine optimization already built in. And again, it’s easy to use. All you need to know is what keywords you want to use. The program does it all.

So if you’ve been balking at putting up a website because it seems too hard … if you’re paying a webmaster to do every little change you want to make (and waiting for days for it to get done) … if you are intimidated by what you need to know to put up a great-looking blog … then this will be the best $197 you ever spend as well.

So that’s an introduction to some of the best lower-cost expenditures I’ve made that have given me great ROI. I recommend any of them without any reservation whatsoever.

If you’re not sure what Web 2.0 even is, and why it’s the best thing that’s happened to authors since the printing press, and why it’s THE reason I say, “This is the best time to be an author” …

… read the article!

(I would post it here but … honestly, I like my XSite Pro site, where I post my PCW articles, better. Much easier to work with, search engine optimize, and all the works. If you want to create sites easily, check out the Xsite Pro web design software.)

Okay, enough digression. Read the article, okay? And if it sparks questions–I have a link right there to ask away!

Otherwise, move on. I know your time is precious.

Sunday at 3.p.m ET is the last webinar to explain how XSite Pro web design software can help you build great-looking, search-engine optimized sites fast.

I was thinking about how much money XSite Pro has saved me.

I spent $110 to get the basic web site for Words to Profit designed (via someone at elance.com that a friend recommended).

And … that’s it!

With the basic design for www.wordstoprofit.com, I could create the variation you see as the header to this blog.

Then, I decided it made more sense to change the header for two of my sites, from Words to Profit design to Your Book Publishing Coach:
http://www.writingsecretsrevealed.com
http://www.writeyourbookrightnow.com

It took four clicks to change, save, and publish each site; 1 minute 22 seconds for the whole process.

And I did not need any web master to do it.

If you like the templates you’ll get with V2 (full sites, sales letters, product pages), you won’t even need a designer. Attend the webinar or just watch the video to see all the things you get “out of the box.”

If you already have a header or logo, you can just use that.

What I did NOT have to spend anything on:

• extra graphics. The library has all sorts of cool graphics, and V2 has an additional Clip Art gallery.
• expensive Search Engine Optimization. There’s a great feature built into XSite Pro that not only enables you to set each page up so search engines find you–it has a whole section that tells you how to improve it.
• software to redirect links. I know friends who bought some software to create pages like http://www.wordstoprofit.com/xspweb.html. I didn’t need to pay extra. It’s built in to XSP.

This same feature saves me money on unique domain names as well. I could try to think up an easy-to-remember domain name to send you to XSite Pro, and spend $6.99 or more, or I could in seconds flat create this url redirect:
http://www.wordstoprofit.com/xspweb.html

It still makes sense to you, it’s not ugly, and it gets “wordstoprofit.com” before you again. So, even though my domain names are inexpensive–well, $0 is still less than $7, right? It all adds up.

I also don’t need a web master to insert codes such as web forms for people to sign up for your newsletter. Or audio or video.

In V1, it was cut and paste–very simple. In V2, however, it’s even easier. Everything is done from within the program, without even having to cut and paste!

The new version of XSite Pro web design software has some other very cool features, such as the fact that your web site can show up on someone’s mobile or iphone when they search for sites. How great is that? You can also use widgets and RSS feeds.

And if you don’t even know what widgets and RSS feeds are–don’t worry. There’s a manual that explains everything clearly, and you can learn a lot about all the possibilities of Web 2.0 web sites from reading the Manual. When you’re ready. It grows with you.

To get you started, there’s a Tutorial to orient you quickly.

You also have access to the Forum, and a great Helpdesk system, for support. You’re not left on your own.

Sign up for the webinar to find out more about the amazing new features of Version 2 (which I myself am now exploring, having just upgraded):

Two caveats:
1. It does not work on a Mac. Sorry!
2. Check the system requirements (download the brochure). Happily, I just bought a new computer that has XP on it, and XSP is “made for Windows XP.” It is Vista-compatible, and a friend is using it with Vista, so I know it does work. But when your site gets very large, as my wordtoprofit.com site is, if your computer has limited memory, it can take forever for your computer to load, save, and publish your XSP site.

You’ll be seeing changes in my own sites based on the new features of XSite Pro web design software, so stay tuned!

But I hope you’ll consider trying it yourself. You will be amazed at the great-looking sites you can create … the fun you’ll have learning cool things you can do … the added exposure you’ll get from higher rank in the search engines … and the money you’ll save as well as make from your site.

If the webinar is over by the time you read this, go here.