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Let me be frank: your website is bleeding money. There might be an exception here and there, but the great majority of websites spend far, far too much money in their quest for solvency. Some of these expenses seem necessary, the only means to a certain end. Other expenses fly under the radar. The website owner either doesn’t know of any alternatives, or doesn’t know how to even address the problem.

Most websites qualify as small businesses, and few if any small businesses can survive while wasting money. Website owners seeking ways to reduce cost and run a tighter ship can follow these five steps to run a less expensive, more effective website. The bonus in all this: you’ll be a smarter, savvier website owner as you work through the steps.

1. Examine hosting options

If you perform enough research on web hosts, you’ll find that there are almost too many options. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of companies offer hosting of all types, leaving website owners mired in the paradox of choice. How can we be sure we’re making the right decision when so many present themselves? Chances are we won’t make the right decision. In web hosting, the wrong decision can prove quite costly.

The only solution is to conduct thorough research not only of the hosting companies themselves, but of website hosting itself. You might find your eyes glazing over at first as you encounter unfamiliar jargon and acronyms, but those terms will become clear in time. The benefit to you is a clearer understanding of exactly what you need, and the most efficient path to obtaining proper hosting. You might not be qualified for a system administrator position, but you’ll be able to make the correct decisions about hosting your website — and not fall victim to web host salesmen who prey on ignorant prospects.

2. Rethink customer acquisition

Different types of websites will require different methods of customer acquisition, but the need for, and cost of, customer acquisition is present for any website. Yet so many websites waste their money trying the new-new thing, the method that all the internet marketers are hyping. Perhaps you’re even paying an individual or an agency to handle your customer acquisition needs. Chances are, then, that you’re spending too much money to acquire each customer.

For e-commerce and other businesses that actively sell products and services, SEO and PPC rank among the most effective methods of customer acquisition. They’re both search-based, and when people search they reveal intent. Search marketers can leverage this intent into conversions. The truth is, so can you. It will cost you a few hundred dollars in the form of a subscription to a site such as SEO Book, but that’s money you’re spending on learning rather than paying an agency to do your dirty work for you. In the process you’ll learn more about your customers, too — things that previously only your SEO agency knew.

Digital publishers, on the other hand, waste their time with PPC and SEO. Since their sites are not directly commercial in nature, PPC is a waste of money. Publishers will almost always pay more for a click than they will gain from ad impressions from that visit. In terms of SEO, publishers need only the basics for on-site optimization. The other SEO factors, such as link building, come naturally when promoting content. A heavy social media presence, where publishers can connect directly with readers, serves as a much more efficient customer acquisition method.

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