Anyone interested in earning extra money may turn to affiliate marketing. The concept seems easy, right? Create a website, add some content and ads and the money comes flooding in. Not exactly. It’s always best to get some training. And there are tons of courses out there. Some promise more than others. In this SiteSell review, we’ll look at the training course to see if we can spot what’s missing. There’s one thing that will probably cost you more than you think.
What Is SiteSell?
SiteSell is a Canadian company that started in 1997 and originally published ebooks on building websites for small businesses. But now, they have their own training course on how to build a website and create an online business.
Their flagship product is Solo Build It! (SBI!) which is a training program that also includes tools and resources for building a website and an affiliate marketing business.
Separately, they have a proprietary WordPress plugin that can be added to your site and accessed through your dashboard for keyword research.
How Does SiteSell Work?
Once you buy the subscription, you will start with the SBI! Action Plan, their training program. In addition to the Action Plan, there’s also a proprietary WordPress plugin that can be added to your website. Below is the breakdown of each.
SBI!: This is an all-in-one program with a drag and drop website builder. It includes an Action Plan. in the form of videos and lessons.
The step-by-step Action Guide is a 10-day plan. That doesn’t mean it will take you 10 days to get up and running. Here’s what you can expect to find:
Day 1: Master the ALL-Important Basics. This is your introduction to the C-T-P-M process–content, traffic-presell, and monetize.
Day 2: Develop Your Best Site Concept. Research your site ideas.
Day 3: Brainstorm More Profitable Page Topics. Keyword research.
Day 4: Investigate and Plan Monetization Options. Identify the needs and desires of your site visitors.
Day 5: Refine Your Site Concept and Register Your Domain Name.
Day 6: Build a Site That Gets the Click. Build your website, add a home page and a few categories.
Day 7: Build Free Traffic From a Variety of Sources
Day 8: Develop Relationships. Set up an RSS feed, add social share buttons, and build a mailing list.
Day 9: Know Your Visitors. Understand traffic patterns, watch for growth, monitor and improve response rates.
Day 10: Monetize. Begin with Adsense and affiliate programs.
SBI! For WordPress: this is a WordPress plugin that allows you to do keyword research right from your dashboard. To use the plugin, you will need to purchase a domain name and hosting. It’s not clear if this can be purchased separately or not.
Who Is SiteSell For?
SiteSell is really for anyone who wants to start their own online business or build a website. It works for beginners and anyone who has tried and failed at building an affiliate marketing business.
How Much Does SiteSell Cost?
To take the training course it will cost you $329 per year or $34.99 per month. If you pay by the month, it will cost you $419.88 per year–$90.88 more than the one-time payment.
The SBI! for WP plugin costs $19.99 per month or $238.88 per year. If you choose the one-time payment, it costs $169.99 per year–a difference of $69.89.
So here’s where it gets interesting. There’s only one training course and a WordPress plugin as far as I can tell so why doesn’t the price go down after the first year? I mean, once you complete the training all you are paying for is the hosting and a few tools for $329 a year. That’s pretty expensive!
If you took a look around, I’m sure you could find hosting that’s cheaper than $329 per year. In fact, I know of one place where it’s free!
I understand charging for a plugin. Many developers do and the money is usually used to keep the plugin updated and to build better plugins. It just makes me wonder. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
Pros
No Upsells: Once you buy the subscription, that’s it. There’s nothing else to buy.
90-Day Guarantee: If you are not happy with the product, you can request a full refund.
99% Uptime: The company commits to a reliable network and speed performance with an uptime of 99%.
Domain Name and Hosting: One of the first things you need to do when starting a blog is to choose a domain and pay for hosting. Both are included in the yearly subscription.
Cons
Customer Responsibility: Customers are solely responsible for their websites. This means that customers are responsible for updating plugins, themes, and WordPress as well as making backups of their website.
Tough To Leave: If you choose at some point to leave SBI, it might be difficult. You own your domain name but it’s registered through SBI. If you want to move your site and take your domain name as well, you have to arrange to buy it somewhere else and arrange for new hosting.
No Live Chat: Live Chat can be very expedient especially when you don’t want to spend your time on hold. Unfortunately, SiteSell does not have a Live Chat function.
Criticism Not Tolerated: According to my research if you criticize SBI on the forum, you will likely be kicked out.
Can You Make Money With SiteSell?
If you follow the Action Plan, it’s possible that you can make money with this system. It should be noted that there’s no guarantee here. None of these types of systems come with an income guarantee.
Is SiteSell a Scam?
SiteSell’s SBI program doesn’t appear to be a scam but you need to have your eyes wide open here. Yes, you can build a website but it’s on their real estate. The domain is registered through them and the hosting is with them. If you decide to use this program, you need to be prepared to make a serious commitment.
Final Thoughts
Let’s face it. It’s hard to build a website, get traffic, and make money through affiliate marketing. It’s not as easy as some people say it is. Anyone who tells you it’s easy is lying to you.
One thing that isn’t clear from my research is whether you can have more than one website. Depending on your goals, you may want to build and manage more than one website. Another thing that isn’t clear is if the hosting is through SiteSell or an outside company. So once you finish the training, you are still on the hook to pay $329 per year for the hosting and domain name.
Remember when I told you that you could get your hosting for free? Check out my #1 recommendation. If you want to build an online business where everything is in one place, it’s here. You’ll get everything you need to build a successful business including a website, hosting, training, 24/7 support, and awesome tools.
