Introduction: The Basic Steps on How to Start a Website
Are you aware that there are more than 1 billion websites all over the globe? This has a lot of perks, especially to those who are involved in rendering some kind of service or goods online. Indeed, the Internet is a powerful tool that could carry out your business operations, while allowing you to build your name in this industry.So, what are the essential steps on how to create a website? Allow us to give you a general idea.
Step 1: The Domain Name
The initial step in creating a website is getting a domain name. This serves as the website's identification and it's also the URL that directs people to your homepage. In order to register for a domain name, you'll be asked to pay an annual fee and pick a name that's unique. The name is considered to be one of the key elements and it's important to pick a good one if you want people/customers to easily remember your domain name.
Step 2: Define Your Goals
After taking care of the domain name, you'll need to determine the purpose of your website. This could be the following:
- General Information Website
- Content Website
- Blog
- Retail/E-commerce Website
- Database Website
- Forum/Community Website
Please keep mind, this is an important step, and mixed purposes might end up harming your newly launched website.
Step 3: Find a Good Web Host
Once you've figured out the kind of website you're planning to create, and have successfully acquired a good domain name, you'll need to look for a good web host.
- Shared Web Hosting: These are the websites shared over the server.
- Dedicated Web Hosting: This is considered to be expensive, but worth it because the server is solely dedicated to you.
- Cloud Web Hosting: This exists over the Internet and not physically, and network security is one of the threats for this option.
Step 4: Hiring a Professional
A lot of people who don't have a background when it comes to creating a website should hire a professional web designer instead, mostly because some of these step would require for expertise.
However, no need to panic, there are plenty online guides to help you go through each step and avoid dangers. A nice step by step infographic on how to start a blog might come in handy, and the resources out there are literally countless; all you have to do is stick to your plan!
Step 5: Designing the Layout
In this step, it's vital to ensure that all the information you want to give could be easily viewed, and the website itself would look professional and aesthetically pleasing. To achieve this, it's important to get a nice logo for the company or even your blog, and display it on your website. Likewise, an effective layout and web design serve as an assurance that your visitors would easily find what they're looking for.
Step 6: Update Your Website
Once your website is all set and done, it's important to update the content on a regular basis. For this, you could use multimedia content, text, Flash content, and even podcast files: spread the word!
You will soon learn that running a website requires time, resources, and attention. However, there is pride to take from creating and managing your own website and we encourage you to at least try it out.
Don't hesitate to reach-out if you need any help with setting up your own blog or website!
