This brings us to today’s Third Degree question:

“I need a Web site for my coaching business, but I am SO not a techie, I have no idea where to begin. What should I do first?”

One of the first things you need to do is find a reliable web hosting company. Of course, this task alone can be quite daunting, but I’ve made it easier for you. I’ve come up with a checklist of essentials that your Web host must have before you should even consider working with them.

Excellent Reliability
Since your site is often the best way for your potential clients to get to know you better, there is nothing more frustrating than finding out your Web site is down, and has been for hours. You must make sure that the Web host you select not only has good reliability, but superior reliability. This is your business on the line, after all. Treat it as such and get hosting that works for you when you need it.

Superior Customer Support
When you do need help, make sure that your hosting will provide it. One thing I recommend is to contact support to ask a simple question about the hosting, before buying. That will give you an idea of what the customer service is like before you make a commitment. Because if they can handle a newbie question in a friendly and supportive manner, without talking down to you, then you can comfortably assume that they will professionally handle any major issues you may face down the road.

The Stats You Need
Several of the most popular hosts do not offer the statistics that every online business owner needs. Why should you be concerned with statistics? Stats tell you, among other things, where your visitors are coming from, how long they are staying, and which pages on your site are getting the most traffic. This information helps you tweak what isn’t working and enhance what is. So make sure you can view your site’s statistics. If the host has a CPanel as their control panel, then you’ll have the stats you need, so find a host that uses a standard CPanel.

Room to Grow
The web host you choose should offer unlimited hosting. This means that, if you add more websites to your package down the road, the price does not increase drastically for each one. Many online businesses start with one site and grow over time. Can your host grow with you?

Bandwidth and Disk Space
Also, make sure that the host you choose is in the ballpark for bandwidth and disk space. Most programs offer approximately the same amount, but if you plan to add a lot of audio or video, you will need to have adequate bandwith. So be sure to look into this as well.

A History of Happy Customers
New hosting companies are popping up daily. Some are being run by a couple of teenagers in their garage. Obviously, that’s not who I want to entrust with my business. I want to know that the company I’m choosing has been around a few years, and has a history of happy customers to show for it. Look for testimonials on the Web host’s site and ask your fellow coaches who they use.

Affordable
Last, but certainly not least, make sure you aren’t paying more than necessary. When looking for a Web host, price is always a factor, so shop around and make sure that the web host you decide upon offers a great price, BUT has all the features you need.

These are the key features that any Web host should offer before you consider doing business with them. Taking the time to find a reliable host at the start of your coaching business will help ensure your success.

If you’re looking for a few suggestions, these are the hosts that I personally use:

Bluehost – I’ve been using this host for a year and have several sites and email accounts with them. I have even registered a few domains through them. The only negative I have experienced was a less than friendly response I received via email on a support question. However, I must say that it is difficult to accurately gauge someone’s “voice” from an email, so I have not let this affect my otherwise excellent impression of them.

Reliable Webs – this is the host for Essential PLR, the site you are on. I didn’t intend to have two hosting companies, because that means I’m paying twice as much per month than I should be. But Reliable Webs has a great deal where you can buy a preloaded blog for a very low price, so I thought I would check it out. Once I purchased the blog, I was so impressed with their service, that I haven’t been able to bring myself to switch my site over to Bluehost. I’ve even considered switching my other sites over to Reliable Webs. (Big sigh.) I’ll have to make a decision soon. I’m a big tightwad and hate spending more than I have to.

Of course, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Web hosting companies out there, so check out several before deciding. Just keep in mind the essential features above.

You all know that I think PLR is one of the best ways to streamline your business by putting your writing tasks on auto-pilot. But I still get responses from some coaches that say, even though PLR does speed up the writing process, rewriting the material still takes more time than they have. They want to know, “What am I doing wrong?”

When I see emails like this, I know it’s not a question of how PLR can help this coach or speaker, it’s about learning to manage their time. This is a bit out of the PLR realm, but I thought I would address it anyway. After all, isn’t the purpose of using PLR to better manage your time?

We all started our coaching practices pretty much the same way–acting not only as coach, but as writer, marketing director, bookkeeper, admin assistant, etc. But as our calendars fill up with client appointments, speaking engagements, and teleseminars, we no longer have enough time to write articles, process bills and invoices, or determine the best way to promote our new workshop. So if you find that rewriting your PLR is taking more time than you have, then I say it’s time te get some help.

And if you want my opinion, then I say it’s time to hire a freelancer.

Freelancers can handle all of those tasks mentioned above and then some. They can take care of all admin duties, including bookkeeping, and even rewrite those PLR articles for you if writing isn’t your strong suit.

You may wonder why I didn’t suggest hiring a virtual assistant. Actually, hiring a VA is another option, but I think for the coach whose business is just now beginning to outgrow their own personal time resources, a freelancer is a great option. The coach may not yet have enough steady hours each week or month to keep a VA busy. With a freelancer, they can begin outsourcing as their budget allows.

I suppose you’re now wondering where to find a good freelancer. Well, again, there are lots of options–Elance, Guru, and Shelancers are all good choices. But if you want my recommendation, I would have to say Shelancers. They are a smaller provider and therefore give outstanding service, in my opinion.

Now sit down and make a list of what tasks you could outsource, then calculate how much time you could free up to work on core coaching activities.

Every Thursday, I answer one of your tough questions. So bring it on!

Today, I’m addressing the following:

“As a life coach, I know my clients choose to work with me because they trust me and have faith in my expertise. Therefore, using material that I did not write seems underhanded. Is it ethical to use PLR or ghostwritten content on your Web site or in your newsletter?”

Well…..it depends.

First, I want to clarify the difference between PLR and ghostwritten articles. PLR is ghostwritten material, but is sold to many different people. Whereas the term “ghostwritten” usually implies that the material was created specifically for one person to use.

With that in mind, if you use PLR and edit the material to give it your own flavor, then my answer to the question is a resounding yes. But if you do nothing to the content before slapping it up on your Web site or printing it in your newsletter, then I would have to say that’s a very bad idea. Someone else may be doing the exact same thing, and if you both claim authorship, you both may end up looking unethical to your clients.

Now, ghostwritten material is a different beast. It is created just for you, and you can edit it as much or as little as you like and put your name on it as author, knowing that it is an original article.

Some may still argue that it is “cheating” to have someone else write your material, but ask yourself if it is cheating to have someone else design your Web site, your logo, balance your books, etc. PLR and ghostwriters are just another way to outsource your tasks, and highly recommended if you detest writing or aren’t very good at it. It’s better to have well-written material from someone else (that you edit and tweak to make it your own) than to have poorly written material by you.

And before you even ask, no it is not a good idea to just get some well-written articles from an article directory. It is much better to have your name on the content, because this helps build the trust with your clients and potential customers. So give PLR or a ghostwriter a try.

Here are a few very good sources for both:

PLR Providers

• PLR.me
• Special Report Club
• All Private Label Content
• Easy PLR

Ghostwriters

• Shelancers
• All Custom Content (tell them Essential PLR sent you!)

Before buying PLR for the first time, take a few minutes to learn some tips for choosing the right provider.