Technology

Simple steps to build your own website: A beginner’s guide

Published

8 months ago

July 16, 2024

Simple steps to build your own website: A beginner’s guide

Remember when you were young and dreamed of opening up that store one day or starting that business? For many retirees, there is no time like the present. Many retired people still like to keep themselves active and busy, and what better way to do that than realizing a passion you’ve always had? For some people, this may seem like a daunting task, but the internet has made it much easier to open up shop from the comfort of your home. And the start-up costs are also much more affordable than doing it the brick-and-mortar way.

Still, opening a store online, whether you’d describe yourself as tech-savvy or not, can be challenging if you don’t know the correct steps to take. The good news is that today, we’re going to walk you through it all in this beginner’s guide to building an online presence and finally pursuing that post-retirement passion project (that could also earn you some bucks).

GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE

A woman doing yoga on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

1) Choose your passion project

Deciding what to sell is the first step in setting up an online store. Perhaps you’ve already known the answer to this for a long time, and that’s what inspired the store in the first place. But if you’re not quite sure, consider your expertise, interests and what’s in demand in the market.

For retirees, it’s often beneficial to choose products or services that align with your passions or past experiences, as it’s not just something you’re interested in but, by now, you’re likely already an expert in it, too. And, being an expert in your niche will help you establish yourself as a trusted authority in the industry, which is something that potential customers look for.

And, it’s not just products you can sell; you can also sell services like coaching or consulting or even create a blog that can be monetized. The options are endless, but it’s important to have some direction before you get started.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT LAPTOP IN 2024

2) Identify your target audience

Knowing what you want to sell is one thing, but knowing who to sell it to is another. Understanding who your potential customers are is essential for effective marketing and product development. Therefore, take some time to research and understand your target demographic. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests and purchasing behavior. A good idea is to start off in your own community.

If you know anyone who would be interested, talk to them and see who they can connect you with. You can even create a research survey to get feedback on your audience and what they are looking for. In fact, some people do this step first if they are not sure what to sell but are certain they want to start an online store.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

A couple conversing and looking at their tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

BEST DESKTOP COMPUTERS FOR 2024

3) Ideas for online stores and businesses you can create

When it comes to doing your passion project online, the options are endless. But if you’re not sure, there are various types of online stores you can establish to cater to diverse needs and preferences. Start with an idea that you are passionate about. Below are some examples:

E-commerce store: This is the most common type of online store, where you can sell physical products ranging from clothing and electronics to groceries and furniture.

Digital products store: If you specialize in creating digital goods such as e-books, software, music or online courses, you can set up a digital products store to distribute your creations.

Subscription box service: Subscription-based businesses are gaining popularity, offering curated boxes of products delivered to customers’ doorstep on a recurring basis. Examples include beauty boxes, snack boxes and pet subscription services.

Marketplace platform: Instead of selling your own products, you can create a marketplace platform where multiple vendors can list and sell their items. Etsy and eBay are prime examples of successful marketplace platforms.

Service-based store: Beyond physical and digital products, you can offer various services through an online store, such as consulting, tutoring, freelance services or event planning.

Dropshipping store: With dropshipping, you can sell products without holding inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the order is fulfilled by a third-party supplier who ships the product directly to the customer.

Print-on-demand store: This model allows you to sell custom-designed merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs and phone cases, without the need for inventory. Products are created and shipped on demand.

Membership-based store: Create a store where customers pay a membership fee to access exclusive products, discounts or content. This model fosters customer loyalty and recurring revenue.

Blog: Combine content creation with e-commerce by creating a blog where you share valuable information or insights related to your niche, such as health and exercise, and integrate it with an online store to sell related products or services.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

A group of people exercising (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET

4) Choose a website builder

Selecting the right website builder is crucial if you are looking to set up an online store. A good website builder should have a user-friendly interface and customizable templates, making it accessible even to those who aren’t tech-savvy. Look for a platform that requires no coding knowledge and offers a variety of professionally designed templates that can be easily customized to create a unique and visually appealing website for your online store.

Additionally, the website builder should offer built-in e-commerce features, making it easy to manage inventory, process payments and track orders all in one place. Before you start building your online store, you’ll need to select a plan that best suits your needs and budget. Many website builders offer a range of plans, from free options with basic features to premium plans with advanced e-commerce capabilities.

Consider factors such as storage, bandwidth and the number of products you plan to sell when choosing a plan. If you’re just starting out, you may want to start with a basic plan and upgrade as your business grows. With flexible pricing options, you can easily scale up your plan as needed to accommodate your growing online store.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

Father and son looking at tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

5) Pick a website name, domain name, hosting provider

Choosing the right name and domain for your online store is crucial as it’s the first thing customers will see and remember about your brand. Your name should be catchy, memorable and reflective of your brand identity. When selecting a domain, try to keep it simple and easy to spell to ensure that potential customers can easily find and remember your website.

You can use various domain search tools to check the availability of your desired domain name and explore different options until you find the perfect match for your online store. While some platforms offer free domains, upgrading to a premium plan often allows you to connect your own domain and remove any platform-specific branding from your URL.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

6) Design your website for success

Now, it’s time to start designing your website. There are many platforms that offer a wide range of professionally designed templates that you can customize to create a unique and visually appealing online store. Choose a template that best fits your brand identity and industry, then use the platform’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor to customize it to your liking.

Add your logo, change colors and fonts and rearrange elements to create a website that reflects your brand personality and effectively showcases your products or services. A good tip is to start off simple; you can always add to your design as you go.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

STOP THINKING ABOUT RETIREMENT BY TAPPING TECH TO REDISCOVER WHAT GETS YOU EXCITED

7) Decide on what pages to include on your site

When building your online store, blog or business, you’ll want to have useful pages on your website. This not only helps people find your website, but once they are there, it gives them all the information they need.

Common pages for an online store include a home page, product or service pages, an “about us” page, a contact page and a blog (unless, of course, this is the focus of your site, in which case the blog page may be the home page). Generally speaking, the fewer steps it takes for someone to engage in a call to action the better.

You may also want to consider adding pages for shipping and return policies, FAQs and customer testimonials to build trust and credibility with your audience, as well as a privacy policy, disclaimer, regulatory compliance and other legal notices.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

Illustration of various pages to use on your site (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

8) Familiarize yourself with SEO to stand out

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a buzzword that you may have heard going around. SEO is essential for driving organic traffic to your online store and improving your visibility in search engine results. You can optimize your website for search engines by adding relevant keywords to your content, optimizing your meta tags and descriptions, and improving your site’s loading speed and mobile responsiveness. Many website builders offer built-in SEO tools and guides to help you optimize your website for search engines and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

Illustration of search engine optimization on a laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

9) Consider email marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience, promoting your products or services and driving sales for your online store. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you already have email contacts, consider reaching out to them to tell them about your project. Most people want to support their friends and family with their pursuits, even if it’s just by spreading the word.

Otherwise, in order to collect more emails, consider offering a discount or incentive in exchange for signing up for your email list to encourage visitors to subscribe, like an e-book or a downloadable such as a brochure. Then use an email marketing platform to design and send professional-looking emails that direct them to products, services or blog posts on your website.

Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.

A couple looking at a tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

BEST PRIVATE AND SECURE EMAIL PROVIDERS 2024

What else to consider

The above are some of the most common steps to opening an online store, but it will look different for everyone. There may be steps you skip and steps you add, and some good advice is to perhaps talk to other retirees you know who have already done it. Maybe they have some suggestions, especially if there’s anything they can share that they wish they had known before they started down that path.

When launching a website, you have a variety of choices to suit your specific needs, whether you’re seeking simplicity, customization or advanced features. Explore these top website builders to find the perfect fit for your online presence: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify and WordPress. Learn more about these options by clicking here.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Starting an online shop or launching a website for your passion project might seem a little overwhelming, but many of these sites have wizards, resources and customer support teams that can help. Once you get started, you’ll be on your way to running your online store or project while enjoying your retirement.

Have you started an online store or blog? What was your experience? If you haven’t, is it something you would consider? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Roblox: all the news about the popular social and gaming platform

Published

6 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Press Room

Roblox: all the news about the popular social and gaming platform

Roblox is a massive app — as of September 2023, Roblox says it has more than 65 million daily active users — and it’s becoming an increasingly interesting platform to watch amid growing competition from social and metaverse platforms like Epic Games’ Fortnite and Meta’s Horizon Worlds.

Here’s all of our coverage of Roblox.

Technology

Tax scam alert: How to protect yourself and your tax refund

Published

7 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Press Room

Tax scam alert: How to protect yourself and your tax refund

Tax season is upon us, and while many of you are preparing to file your returns, it’s crucial to be aware of the ever-evolving world of tax scams.

This year, it’s more important than ever to stay informed and on your guard.

New research by McAfee, a cybersecurity company, has shed light on how common these scams are and what kind of scams they are, revealing some surprising trends and highlighting the importance of protecting yourself.

STAY PROTECTED & INFORMED! GET SECURITY ALERTS & EXPERT TECH TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S THE CYBERGUY REPORT NOW

Scam written on tax forms (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How Americans file and pay taxes in 2025

Before diving into the scams, let’s look at how people are handling their taxes these days. The McAfee research indicates that:

A little more than half of Americans (53%) are e-filers, taking the online route through tax software or IRS Free File
Nearly a third (31%) rely on professional tax preparers
The vast majority (60%) handle payments and refunds electronically
A large portion (52%) still receive their W-2s and 1099s the old-fashioned way: in the mail
While others (31%) log in to payroll service portals (e.g., ADP, Workday, Paychex) to retrieve them

Illustration of tax prep tools (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC, PC, IPHONES AND ANDROIDS – CYBERGUY PICKS

The unsettling reality of tax scams

The reality is that tax scams are more prevalent than we might prefer to acknowledge. Nearly one in four individuals (23%) say they know someone or have personally fallen victim to such scams. Let’s break down who’s being affected and how.

Young adults (18-24): This group is, surprisingly, the most likely to fall victim to scams. They are also most likely to have their information compromised via Instagram and WhatsApp.
Older adults (65-74): On the other end of the spectrum, older adults are the least likely to have encountered tax scams.
Gender differences: Young men are significantly more likely to lose money to scams than young women.

And when people do lose money, the amounts can be substantial:

81% lost over $500
51% lost over $1,000
A sobering 5% lost over $10,000

Scam written on a tablet surrounded by cash (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

THE HIDDEN COSTS OF FREE APPS: YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Demands and threats: What scammers want

Scammers use a variety of tactics to trick people into giving up their money or personal information. The research shows that many people have received suspicious messages claiming to be from the IRS or a state tax authority via:

Phone calls (30%)
Text messages (27%)
Facebook/Facebook Messenger (5%)
WhatsApp (3%)
Instagram/Instagram Direct Messages (2%)

These messages often include demands for:

Social Security numbers or tax identification numbers (40%)
Immediate payment of back taxes (27%)
Bank account numbers (18%)
Credit/debit card information (17%)

It’s important to note that the IRS generally doesn’t initiate contact via phone, text or social media to demand immediate payment.

A woman preparing her taxes (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

THE TAXING TRUTH: A STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS OF TAX TIME TRICKERY

Who’s being targeted by which scam?

Different age groups are targeted with different scams. Here’s the breakdown.

Older adults (65-74): This group is heavily targeted by payment scams, such as demands for back taxes or fake tax refund schemes.
Middle-aged (35-54): This group is targeted by a mix of identity theft and payment scams, like requests for Social Security numbers or demands for back tax payments.
Younger adults (18-24): Scammers often seek personal information from this group, like birth dates and bank account numbers.

A woman working on her taxes (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

The cost of falling for scams

Many people have received emails or texts about their “tax refund” or “tax refund e-statement” with a link. A large portion of people (39%) clicked on these links. It’s definitely alarming how many people end up falling for these scams.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Almost 40% of people who get a scam message or call actually send the scammer money. Younger adults are particularly vulnerable; more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds know someone who’s paid up. When people click those tempting links about tax refunds or e-statements, they’re playing a risky game: Almost 40% of people clicked on that email or text message, and that’s where scammers can really get you.

A woman working on her taxes (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

AI’s role in the future of tax scams

Looking ahead, AI is making scams even scarier. A whopping 87% of people are worried about AI’s role in creating realistic tax scams, but only 40% feel confident they could spot a deepfake from the IRS. As a result, many people (41%) are second-guessing real tax communications. In fact, more than half of people say the tax scam messages they’ve received this year are more sophisticated or realistic than last year. It’s no wonder that most people are concerned about tax fraud this season.

“Tax scammers are getting smarter, and many are using AI to make their tricks more convincing than ever, just when people are feeling the most pressure to file quickly,” said Abhishek Karnik, head of threat research at McAfee. “While not every scam uses AI, we predict a rise in more sophisticated, social engineering-focused tax fraud tactics as access to AI tools increases, including fraudulent emails, phone calls that use AI-generated audio and fake tax prep websites, making it easy for even the savviest filers to slip up.”

How to protect yourself from tax scams

OK, so the scam landscape looks pretty grim. What can you do to stay safe? Here are some practical steps to protect yourself.

1. Be skeptical of unsolicited contact: Remember that the IRS will never contact you via phone, email, text or social media to demand immediate payment or request personal information.

2. Avoid clicking suspicious links; use strong antivirus software: Do not click on links in emails or texts from unknown senders. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

3. Guard your personal information: Protect your Social Security number, bank account details and other sensitive data carefully.

4. Create strong, unique passwords: Be sure to use strong passwords on financial and tax websites. Make sure each password is unique, especially for financial accounts. Get more details about my best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 here.

5. Enable two-factor authentication: This adds an extra layer of security to your accounts that will prevent a hacker from getting into your accounts.

6. Invest in personal data removal services: These services monitor your personal information and alert you to potential fraud. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

7. Don’t respond to texts/calls from unknown sources: Whatever you do, don’t respond to texts/calls from unknown sources whatsoever.

8. Trust your gut: If something feels off, it probably is. Verify information independently by contacting the IRS or your state tax authority directly.

SUBSCRIBE TO KURT’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR QUICK VIDEO TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES

Kurt’s key takeaways

Tax season doesn’t have to be a stressful time filled with worry. By staying informed, being on your guard and taking simple steps to protect yourself, you can confidently navigate the tax landscape and avoid falling victim to these scams. Be skeptical, be careful and always remember that when it comes to your taxes, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Have you or someone you know been targeted by a tax scam? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Technology

Our first look at Apple’s sky blue MacBook Air

Published

17 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Press Room

Our first look at Apple’s sky blue MacBook Air

Aside from a new color, the M4 MacBook Air looks a whole lot like last year’s model. And we’ve got the hands-on experience and pictures to prove it.

Apple’s got five main updates for its refresh of the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs for 2025. First, it’s got a similar M4 chip to the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, though here it starts with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU. Also inherited from the MacBook Pros, the Airs now use the 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam that’s wider and can track you within the frame. And you can now (finally) use two external monitors and keep the lid open, essentially giving you a fancy triple-monitor setup with the lowly MacBook Air.

As for that new color option, sky blue, it replaces space gray. Starlight, silver, and midnight are still around from last year (and midnight is unchanged, so expect some fingerprint smudginess). The new blue is a very pale metallic finish. You could mistake it for a silver if you didn’t see them side-by-side. I think the best way I could describe it is 2003 Toyota Matrix blue. In other words, it’s nice but not blue enough. Apple should call it non-committal blue.

But the fifth thing that’s new for the MacBook Air, and likely the one many of us will care most about, is that it starts at a lower price. The 13-inch model starts at $999 while the 15-inch starts at $1,199. This is actually a return to form for the 13-inch, which used to start at that price before an increase during the M2 generation. The M4 Air may be an otherwise subtle chip-bump of an upgrade with a new bland-ish metallic finish, but $100 off makes all the difference.

In addition to our hands-on with the MacBook Air we also got our first look at the new Mac Studio duo, one with the M4 Max chip and one with a new, all-out M3 Ultra. The Studios don’t look any different, but the changes inside are pretty major for hardcore pros doing some heavy-duty creative work or local AI stuff.

Apple’s new Macs and iPads are due out next week and already up for order. Check out our smattering of photos.