How to create a website

Introduction:

With more and more of the world going online it is nice to have a personal website, family website, business website, etc. Websites help you look more legitimate, and are especially important for those will starter companies or small businesses. The following steps will teach you how to create a website.

Difficulty rating:
Moderate to difficult

Steps:

Step one:

Register your domain name. There are free ones out there, but they are usually a scam in some ways, or have hidden agendas. Not to mention it takes a lot more to find your site. So, get your own dot com name, yoursite.com looks better than yoursiteatsomeoneelsesdomain.com.

Step two:

Choose a web host. One of the facts of the Internet is that you can't have a website without a host or platform to have it on. The host you choose will house your web files, and they will have a platform that you will use to create and update your site as you wish.

Step three:

This is where you actually create your pages. This is done with a webpage creating software, which you must own, or with the creator the host provides. Many hosts offer website builders as a part of their hosting plan, but for nicer, less generic stuff it is good to build your own. If you are not very familiar with HTML, you may need to hire someone to create your webpages for you. This can be done for a small price, and usually they will teach you how to update them, or give you a good rate if it is something that will be done regularly.

Tips and warnings:

When you set up your domain name, if you choose to use a free site, be sure that you do not provide too much personal information, as often times they sell it, or use it and can take advantage of you when they have it. Identity theft is on the rise and you can never be too careful.

When you create your website try to use a domain name that is easy to remember, and something people will use often. If it is too complicated people will get frustrated and not visit your site. Simple is better.

Make your website really easy to navigate and understand. You will want to display contact information clearly and easily. Have buttons that are easy to find and that are linked to the appropriate pages. You will want to ensure that it is attractive, but that the attractiveness does not come at the sacrifice of user friendliness.

Start slow and build your site bigger, if you try to create too many pages all at once your quality might suffer.

If you want someone else to create your actual pages for you, and write the html for them, but do not want to pay through the nose, consider visiting your local college and finding an undergraduate who knows what they are doing but does not have a degree yet. They are less expensive and often do a great job.

When you build a website you want to make sure you do not have too much text. If there are no pictures or things to break up the text your site will be very boring, and no one will want to use it. So, make sure you only have short bursts of text and that you have plenty of visual appeal.

Things you will need:

• A domain name
• A host
• Software for page building
• Content for your site