Creating websites is actually fairly easy, though you will find that there is a good deal to keep in mind when setting up a website. If you are simply looking for a blog or a personal site, you will find that there are hundreds of websites where you can create your own free site. However, creating a site on which you will sell goods is very different than creating a personal space, and you would do well to follow the steps below when considering creating a website.
Step 1: Select your domain name. Choosing a domain name is a fairly complex process that should not be skipped or taken lightly, as your domain name is what will help people remember your site. Choose a domain name that is short, catchy, easy to remember, and easy to type. Make sure it is a.com site instead of a.net, and try to use your website’s keywords in the URL if you can’t come up with a short, catchy name.
Step 2: Creating a web hosting account. There are many companies that offer low priced web hosting, and you will find that launching your first website can be fairly cheap. It will be easy for you to pay the small amount of hosting for a basic website, but you need to keep in mind that your hosting costs will go up as your website expands. It is essential that you find a web hosting company that hosts websites on their server with space to expand, and you should do some research into the different types of web hosting.
Step 3: Link your domain to your web hosting account. Once you have purchased both the domain and the hosting, you will need to point your hosting account to your domain name in order to host your site at that domain. It can be done within a matter of minutes, as all hosting accounts make it easy for you to link your domain to your hosting.
Step 4: Install a content management system like WordPress or Joomla. If you are a first time websites owner, it may be best to work with Joomla as it is an easier CMS for newbies. However, if you are looking for a CMS that has far better SEO options and will be much more effective in the long run, you should definitely use WordPress.
Step 5: Configure your website in the CMS. The first thing that you will need to configure is the template of your website, and you can have a template built for you or use one of the thousands of free or paid WordPress templates available. Once your template is set up, you can add posts, upload images and videos, create links to and from pages, add new pages and subpages to your site, change the way your page is laid out, install plugins that will make it easier for you to sell online, and set user accounts that allow you and others to moderate your site.
