Age-Old Question Do You Need A Website For E-zines

Many would-be e-zine owners have asked the question of whether or not is necessary to own a website in order to have a functioning e-zine. Surprisingly, the answer is no.

However, what is important to note is that having a website isn't actually all that expensive, anyway. You can purchase a domain name for as little as $3 per year. From there, you can host it for as little as $1 per month. So, yes, technically you could have an e-zine without a website, but if you're doing it for the purpose of saving money, that is probably a bad idea. Would you work with one arm tied behind your back for the entire year if someone gave you $15? Definitely not.

With that being said, if you simply do not think you have the time or expertise to setup a website, you can always create an e-zine with a script or service – and simply accept subscriptions through blank emails, which will automatically enroll subscribers in your course.

There are, however, several significant disadvantages to not having a website. The first major disadvantage is that you cannot send traffic anywhere. All you can say is “send a blank email” to such-and-such an address. While this might work for advertisements in certain types of media – or in signature files – it will be considerably less effective than creating a sales page with a full explanation of what they are receiving.

Another major problem with not using an email is that you significantly limit the streams of media through which you can receive traffic. For instance, if you don't have a website, you can't even receive traffic through pay per click campaigns. Nor can you optimize for natural search engine traffic and get free opt-ins in a daily basis.

You also cannot purchase links to your site or setup joint ventures in any reliable way if you do not have some sort of proof of your ability and past projects.

So do you need a website for an e-zine? No. Should you have one? Absolutely.