Help With Outdated Set-up

Chiana · #1 (**permalink**) 01-28-09, 05:40

I started my ecommerce website 8 years ago. It's

e. I have more than 10,000 subscribers on my stupid-free-yahoogroups mailing list and I'm with a host that is quite limiting as to what I can and can't do.

My problem is simple: how do I find a host that will allow me to expand my site properly, cope with my large traffic numbers, still allow me the 10 sub-domains I have running and cope with a mailing list that's this big without it costing all of my profit margin each month?

I'm so stuck...

bloggerbee · #2 (**permalink**) 01-28-09, 14:13

If you have that large of a list and that much traffic but not enough profit to spring for a larger hosting package then you need to re-think your monetization strategy. You should be making very good money with that kind of traffic.

webhappy · #3 (**permalink**) 02-05-09, 17:00

I agree, if you have a mailing list of 10,000 members and you are not making money, you are doing something really wrong. I hate to be so blunt, but I have got sales from mailing lists with less than a hundred users.

Chiana · #4 (**permalink**) 02-05-09, 20:22

I think I might have worded that badly. I do make more than enough profit to keep me running that same site for 8 years obviously. The profit isn't the issue. My big thing is that I'm not in the US (I'm Australian), so for Aweber to charge me $129 a month means it's more than $200 a month in my own currency. That's a lot of money out here and I don't want to pay that much for something I'm sure I can find elsewhere for the same service at a lower price.

HappyNerd · #5 (**permalink**) 02-05-09, 20:39

There are some free mailing list software out there but I believe that you get what you pay for. PHPList is pretty good although it is a bit difficult to get a hang of.

As for the hosting, why not host your website here? ;)

carl · #6 (**permalink**) 02-06-09, 08:46

Phplist can easily manage mailing lists thousands of subscribers. It also works fine with smaller lists too!

BodShane · #7 (**permalink**) 02-06-09, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiana

I think I might have worded that badly. I do make more than enough profit to keep me running that same site for 8 years obviously. The profit isn't the issue. My big thing is that I'm not in the US (I'm Australian), so for Aweber to charge me $129 a month means it's more than $200 a month in my own currency. That's a lot of money out here and I don't want to pay that much for something I'm sure I can find elsewhere for the same service at a lower price.

Hello Chiana,

Probably, we can work on a lower-budget hosting package such as VPS. If you prefer a hosting package in UK, i can do that too. Please let me know if that works for you.

Regards,

Shane Phillips

carl owen · #8 (**permalink**) 02-06-09, 14:50

Yes, Shane is right. If you are not able to get the features you need with the hosting package you should change your web hosting company. You can select BODHost for your hosting requirements. You can start with a cheaper web hosting package to start with and then upgrade later on when your requirements increase i.e. if your budget is a problem. I think budget is not a problem for you as you have a good traffic website.

Chiana · #9 (**permalink**) 02-06-09, 21:19

It's not the hosting I have the issue with - it's the mailing list management I'm trying to sort out. I understand that I have a large list and I'm also not happy with Yahoo's free service, so I wanted something that works as well as not costing me the earth to simply email some people.

I'm not happy with Aweber's costs PLUS the hosting costs for the site PLUS the cost of extra features I wanted.

Basically what I need is one place that's capable of doing all these things for me without charging me a fortune.

carl owen · #10 (**permalink**) 02-07-09, 17:08

According to your requirements, I would suggest you to try PHPlist. I am not sure whether you will find all the features you need with PHPlist. However, it is free and you will not have to pay for it. This would certainly be a benefit for you.

Chiana · #11 (**permalink**) 02-08-09, 17:07

LOL - thanks for the free option. I wasn't really looking for freebies (just anything cheaper than aweber) and actually saying that I'm not happy with my current set up at all.

I want a new host. I want a new mailing list management set up. I want a new e-commerce platform - and I have NO idea where to start!

carl owen · #12 (**permalink**) 02-09-09, 13:57

The first step to have a good e-commerce platform is to choose a good web hosting provider and I am sure you won't have to work hard for it as you will not find a better one than BODHost. The reason for this is the fact that BODHost provides excellent support which is available 24x7 through different means of communication. Also, as you will have an E-commerce website it is really important to have your website online all the time and you will surely have it if you have BODHost as your web hosting provider.

When it comes to choosing a Mailing list application then you can choose any from the wide variety of applications you will find on the internet. You can have a paid one or a free one. According to me, when you can find features you need with a free one, then you should choose a free application. This is the reason that you were suggested to have PHPlist. You can also try Mailman for yourself and this is also a free application.

Now as the problem of a web hosting provider and a mailing list application is solved ( This is what I feel ;) ) I am sure that you can develop a very good e-commerce platform easily.

BodShane · #13 (**permalink**) 02-10-09, 16:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiana

LOL - thanks for the free option. I wasn't really looking for freebies (just anything cheaper than aweber) and actually saying that I'm not happy with my current set up at all.

I want a new host. I want a new mailing list management set up. I want a new e-commerce platform - and I have NO idea where to start!

Now, having a look at that. I only read the hosting part. :D

btw, have you tried iContact ?

Regards,

Shane Phillips

Chiana · #14 (**permalink**) 02-10-09, 18:35

Oh. Thanks Carl and Shane.

So... if I switch to BODhost for hosting and set up PHPlist for my mailing list then my e-commerce platform can sort of stay the same as it is, but just on a new host?

Am I getting that right?

How difficult will PHPlist be for a technology-challenged female like me to set up? I struggle with anything more involved than coding HTML or basic CSS.

BodShane · #15 (**permalink**) 02-11-09, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiana

Oh. Thanks Carl and Shane.

So... if I switch to BODhost for hosting and set up PHPlist for my mailing list then my e-commerce platform can sort of stay the same as it is, but just on a new host?

Am I getting that right?

How difficult will PHPlist be for a technology-challenged female like me to set up? I struggle with anything more involved than coding HTML or basic CSS.

PHPlist is very easy to manage and i don't think you should have any issues with it and yes, e-commerce platform will remain the same with switch to a new host. If you have any issues in respect with the codes and CSS, please contact us or simply open a new thread in our forum and we will definitely provide you with a solution.

Chiana · #16 (**permalink**) 02-15-09, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane Phillips

PHPlist is very easy to manage and i don't think you should have any issues with it and yes, e-commerce platform will remain the same with switch to a new host. If you have any issues in respect with the codes and CSS, please contact us or simply open a new thread in our forum and we will definitely provide you with a solution.

Thank you so much. I've taken your suggestion and I'm working on learning how it all works now. So far I haven't killed anything, so that has to be a good sign. Thanx