1) Register your Domain Name

I use NameCheap for all my domains. Great, reliable service and you get free WhoIs registration.

2) Get Hosting for your Website

I use Inmotion Hosting for all my sites. They are one of the most trusted hosting services and include unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL Certificate, 1-Click WordPress install and 99.9% uptime. The link below will give you a smashing 50% start-up discount (limited time offer!):

SPECIAL PROMO PRICE for friends of SassyZenGirl:

50% OFF the regular price - only $3.99 /per month

3) Add Thrive Content Builder & Landing Pages

Most of this site is built with Thrive Content builder, a WordPress plugin that can be used with almost every theme and adds great functionality and ease of design to your site.

Landing pages and Lightboxes (pop-up sign up forms) are included for free and unlike Leadpages where you have to pay at least $30 each month, Thrive is a one time fee, including all updates.

This company has taken the blogging and internet marketing world by storm with fantastic - innovative - marketing tools, including a suite of high converting themes and lead generation tools. 

I use AWeber one of the 2 best known mailing list providers. The other is MailChimp. Choosing the right provider from the start is important, because switching later when you have built a substantial list is quite complicated and you can loose transcribers in the transition. You can try AWeber risk free for 30 days and then decide whether you like it.

SEO = Rank in Google

If you are a complete beginner, this little book will get you started and lift some of the mystery and complexity of this important marketing technique.

Keyword Research Tool + University

LongTail Pro is one of the best Keyword Research tools available. Even you are brand new to SEO, this tool makes is really easy to find rankable keywords (high/medium traffic with low competition) in just a few minutes.

If you sign up for the annual plan, you even get Long Tail University for free, a $300 value, that will teach you in depth the ins and outs of keyword research to help your site and business rank high in Google and attract a lot of traffic from Google searches.​

The Best Youtube Marketing Tool

If your want an active presence on Youtube and have people find you in searches, TubeBuddy is a must. Also comes with a thumbnail generator and templates for descriptions, thumbnails, etc., so you can bulk edit for all your videos. Starts with a free version.

Record your Screen for Tutorials / Presentations, etc.​

Screenflow is an easy to use software to record your screen for video tutorials and presentations. Comes with extensive editing features - again, very easy to use, simply drag and drop. 

The Ultimate Networking & Outreach Tool

Ninja Outreach takes content curation and influencer outreach to a whole different level.

Rather than trying to describe it, check out the video here.

Let Your Best Articles Go Viral

Quuu will share your best posts with real readers and bloggers who will share them on social media. All posts are hand selected and need to be of high quality, but if your post is accepted, you can look forward to hundreds of shares in just a few days - specifically targeted to your niche.

Give it a try!​

Viral Post Research

Buzzsumo lists the most popular posts of the day, week, month and year, sorted by social media outlet.

If you want to know what's trending in your niche, just enter a keyword and see what articles and topics went viral. That information is free.

All your Business Design Needs

99 Designs can set you up with high quality business cards, letter heads, packaging, logos und much more.

The fun part is that you are actually running a contest! You put out a design brief and then designers from all around the world can submit their suggestions. You pick the winner and only pay if you like one of the designs. It's fun - try it sometime:

Incorporate / LLC set up

Legalzoom can assist with setting up incorporation or LLC. They are not a law firm, but can expertly handle all the formalities and connect you with a lawyer should you need one.

Trademarks

Before you decide on a business name, I recommend doing a quick trademark search on TESS, the online trademark database of the US Patent and Trademark Office. You can access it free here.

Online Meetings

Online meetings made easy. Whether it's sales demos, external presentations, collaborative or ad hoc meetings, Goto Meeting is the #1 rated software to connect with staff, business partners and clients all around the world

Membership sites

Starting a membership site can be a nice way to create monthly passive income, Wishlist is the top rated software for setting up membership sites.

Storage & File Sharing

Dropbox is a great way to store files and backups - and share large files with others.

VPN Service

TunnelBear is probably the cutest app ever - and very effective. You can hide your IP address where needed and pretend to browse from a different country. Helpful especially to access country specific content where licenses (music, videos, TV Shows) allow content only to be shown in certain countries or where internet is very restrictive like in China.

Tunnelbear is super easy to use and truly adorable. It's free unless use it a lot.

Update your Website or Blog without Wifi

Mars Edit allows you to write and edit all your blog posts while you are offline (on planes, trains, etc.). Once you are connected to the internet again, you simply upload what you created, without further editing. Great time saver and a must have for Digital Nomads and frequent business travelers.

Wifi Passwords for Airports Worldwide

An interactive map with Wifi passports for airports all around the world. When you don't want to fill out a long application, hand over your email address or phone verification is required.

Digital Nomad Expense Tracking

Expensify is a free app that helps you keep track of all your business expenses. Pulls all relevant items from your credit cards and bank accounts, sorts them by category and exports them later in one neat document when tax time comes around.

You can also take a photo of receipts with your phone and the app will integrate. I would be lost without this app!

Laptop Theft Protection

Prey is another amazing free app! Can locate your phone or laptop if stolen. As soon as the thief is connecting to the internet, Prey will show the exact GPS location and even turns on your computer camera to show the perp. How is that for peace of mind!

All your Itineraries in one Place

WorldMate stores all your travel itineraries in one convenient place and will remind you of upcoming travel dates and check-in windows.

All you have to do is forward the confirmation email to WorldMate and they will store it for you. Very helpful to keep organized with multiple itineraries.

Every Train on this Planet....

The Man in Seat 61 is the most comprehensive resource on train travel anywhere on the internet. Once again, even in remote parts of Africa, this website gave me detailed options of any train available - with price ranges and reviews for quality, comfort and safety. An amazing tool and also totally free.

VPN Service

TunnelBear is probably the cutest app ever - and very effective. You can hide your IP address where needed and pretend to browse from a different country. Helpful especially to access country specific content where licenses (music, videos, TV Shows) allow content only to be shown in certain countries or where internet is very restrictive like in China.

Tunnelbear is super easy to use and truly adorable. It's free unless you use it a lot.

Update your Website or Blog without Wifi

Mars Edit allows you to write and edit all your blog posts while you are offline (on planes, trains, etc.). Once you are connected to the internet again, you simply upload what you created, without further editing. Great time saver and a must have for Digital Nomads and frequent business travelers.

Wifi Passwords for Airports Worldwide

An interactive map with Wifi passports for airports all around the world. When you don't want to fill out a long application, hand over your email address or phone verification is required.

Digital Nomad Expense Tracking

Expensify is a free app that helps you keep track of all your business expenses. Pulls all relevant items from your credit cards and bank accounts, sorts them by category and exports them later in one neat document when tax time comes around.

You can also take a photo of receipts with your phone and the app will integrate. I would be lost without this app!

Laptop Theft Protection

Prey is another amazing free app! Can locate your phone or laptop if stolen. As soon as the thief is connecting to the internet, Prey will show the exact GPS location and even turns on your computer camera to show the perp. How is that for peace of mind!

All your Itineraries in one Place

WorldMate stores all your travel itineraries in one convenient place and will remind you of upcoming travel dates and check-in windows.

All you have to do is forward the confirmation email to WorldMate and they will store it for you. Very helpful to keep organized with multiple itineraries.