Creating your own website isn't as difficult as you might think, but if you are new to all this you might easily be overwhelmed. In order to have your website up and running, there are a few things to observe and it helps if you think about them before you start building your website. Here is a short check list:
1) Business site or private site?
2) Know the content of your site
3) Choose a name for your site
4) Purchase the domain name
5) Decide on a web hosting
6) Choose a template
7) Get a File Transfer Program
As you realize, there are a few decisions to be made. Obviously it's a different thing if you just want to have a personal private site with some pictures on it (in this case you might as well choose a free offer where you can upload some pictures and send the link around to friends and family) or if you intend to have your own business (in which case you need to be more considerate).
Let's look at the business website and what you need to create one. If you want to build your business on the Internet your might already know what kind of business you want to get involved with. It is wise to do some niche research and check if you have a good chance with your business or not, but I'm not getting into this now. Begin writing content for your website. Store the different files on your computer, consider how your "about me" page should look like (a personal story is always nice) and what kind of pictures you want to use.
Next, sit down and choose a name for your site - this will be the URL. Don't choose a very long or difficult one, because nobody will remember it. Be careful not to choose a product name, because the owner of the product might not agree that you are using the name for your site (and it might be already taken anyway). Why not use your own name? Your name is as 'brand able' as every one else!
Purchase a domain name (Godaddy is a good place to go) and decide on a web hosting. My web host is Host Gator and I'm very satisfied with it. It has 24/7 support, it is very inexpensive, it is very reliable, offers a lot of free useful software - Host Gator was the company of my choice (after I tried another web host first).
If you are not into HTML programming (which I am definitely not), go and find a good template for your site. You can compare a template with a picture frame: the template is the frame and the content you provide is the picture. You might even consider Word Press to build your site (like I did). Yes, I know, Word Press is a blogging software, but you can also use it to build your homepage. The advantage with Word Press is the amount of free (and good looking) templates, there is a lot of very useful plug-ins available, and if you have any issue with Word Press, it's easy to find support on the web.
The last point on the list is to find a File Transfer Program. Why on earth will you need a FTP after taking care of everything else? Well, you need to get the files from your computer to the server of your hosting company. Although this is a simple process, I was a bit confused in the beginning and didn't know how to do that. After asking around, many advised me to use FileZilla. It's a free, open source program, it's easy to install and I find it easy to use.
1) Business site or private site?
2) Know the content of your site
3) Choose a name for your site
4) Purchase the domain name
5) Decide on a web hosting
6) Choose a template
7) Get a File Transfer Program
As you realize, there are a few decisions to be made. Obviously it's a different thing if you just want to have a personal private site with some pictures on it (in this case you might as well choose a free offer where you can upload some pictures and send the link around to friends and family) or if you intend to have your own business (in which case you need to be more considerate).
Let's look at the business website and what you need to create one. If you want to build your business on the Internet your might already know what kind of business you want to get involved with. It is wise to do some niche research and check if you have a good chance with your business or not, but I'm not getting into this now. Begin writing content for your website. Store the different files on your computer, consider how your "about me" page should look like (a personal story is always nice) and what kind of pictures you want to use.
Next, sit down and choose a name for your site - this will be the URL. Don't choose a very long or difficult one, because nobody will remember it. Be careful not to choose a product name, because the owner of the product might not agree that you are using the name for your site (and it might be already taken anyway). Why not use your own name? Your name is as 'brand able' as every one else!
Purchase a domain name (Godaddy is a good place to go) and decide on a web hosting. My web host is Host Gator and I'm very satisfied with it. It has 24/7 support, it is very inexpensive, it is very reliable, offers a lot of free useful software - Host Gator was the company of my choice (after I tried another web host first).
If you are not into HTML programming (which I am definitely not), go and find a good template for your site. You can compare a template with a picture frame: the template is the frame and the content you provide is the picture. You might even consider Word Press to build your site (like I did). Yes, I know, Word Press is a blogging software, but you can also use it to build your homepage. The advantage with Word Press is the amount of free (and good looking) templates, there is a lot of very useful plug-ins available, and if you have any issue with Word Press, it's easy to find support on the web.
The last point on the list is to find a File Transfer Program. Why on earth will you need a FTP after taking care of everything else? Well, you need to get the files from your computer to the server of your hosting company. Although this is a simple process, I was a bit confused in the beginning and didn't know how to do that. After asking around, many advised me to use FileZilla. It's a free, open source program, it's easy to install and I find it easy to use.
