Start A Website

Go Daddy $7.49 .com sale 200x200Following these simple steps, you can start your own website in minutes.

Register a domain name

Choosing your domain name is the first step in creating an online presence. I remember a few years back when new webmasters opted out of this step, going for the free web spaces and names (you might remember those geocities.com/websitename type URL’s). This is no longer an option for serious bloggers and affiliate marketers. You MUST register a domain name if you want visitors to take you seriously.

When choosing your domain name, you have many options including .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us extensions, using hyphens and so on. So which should you choose for your website? When advising my design clients, I always ask them to first consider how they plan on marketing their website.

Online Marketing
If you plan on marketing strictly online through online ads, text links, PPC and/or search engines, extensions and hyphens – heck, even spelling – do not really matter because most of your visitors will be clicking on a link to get to your website.

Offline Marketing
If you plan on doing a considerable amount of offline marketing – with business cards, car magnets, print advertisements, etc. – then stick with a .com extension if possible, use correct spellings and avoid hyphens. Keep it simple and easy to remember.

General domain registration tips include:

  • The name should include your keywords.
  • The domain name should be suggestive of your business category. Potential customers should be able to get an idea of what you sell by reading your domain name. Example, if you sell personalized candy wrappers try something like www.personalizedcandybarwrappers.com
  • Your domain name should be unique but not difficult to spell. Try to avoid intentionally misspelling your domain name (for example, using mindz.com instead of minds.com) as people may not remember the spelling and visit the wrong website. On that note, you should also register the misspelled versions of your domain and have it forwarded to your website, just in case someone does type in the wrong spelling. This way they still find you.
  • For offline marketing focuses, the name should not be difficult to remember. You want customers to remember your domain name after they see it.

Once you have your domain name decided upon, you will need to visit a domain name registrar to secure the domain name. I recommend you complete this step before naming your business and/or creating a design around a domain name that may not be available to register.

Word of caution: Regardless of where you register your domain, make sure the domain name is in YOUR name. Not your web hosts, not your web designers. They can manage it for you but be sure the ownership is placed in YOUR NAME! If they tell you that’s not possible, register it yourself.

I personally use and recommend GoDaddy for domain registrations. I have been using them for 6+ years and have never had a problem with anything. At GoDaddy, if the domain you want is unavailable, they offer suggestions for similar versions and/or extensions that ARE available. Very handy tool.

Select a reliable web host

Most of my clients know they need to register a domain, but are often confused as to why they also need a web host.

A web hosting company provides web space to upload your pages and images. They also provide email addresses for your domain name. They run special servers that are capable of transmitting your website to computers all over the world via the world wide web. Without one, visitors cannot access your website on the internet. No one but you would ever see your website!

As with domain registration, you literally have hundreds of options when selecting a web host and hosting plan. My recommendation to beginners is to choose a web host running Linux and offering shared web hosting. Unless you plan on running a VERY large website, with a high amount of traffic and data usage, a dedicated server is not necessary and will cost too much money.

I have used HostGator to host this website for over 4 years. They provide excellent service and their plans are very reasonably priced. For beginners, they offer free ready-to-use templates and install scripts like ZenCart and WordPress for you.

Select a company that offers multiple options for contacting them in case of an emergency, like you cannot access your emails or your website is down. Other questions you should ask before making long-term commitments:

  • How long has the company been in business?
  • Where are their data centers located? This is important – if their data center is located in any area subject to frequent storms, for example, power could be an issue. Lack of it could result in downtime for your website.
  • Do they offer an uptime guarantee? What is it?
  • What fees are there for changing or upgrading hosting plans? What about changing domain names?
  • What happens if you run out of disk space or exceed your allotted data transfer limits? Will you automatically be charged a fee? If so, how much will it be? Or will your website be temporarily shut-down until they have contacted you?
  • What type of grace period do they offer? What happens if you are late making your payment? Is your website automatically shut off?

Design your website

womanmouseThe reason I recommend beginners choose a web host before designing their website pages is this: many web hosts now offer website builders and templates that are perfect for beginners with limited design and HTML skills. If you have access to them, go ahead and use them! Doing so will save you money up front. You can always pay for a more professional design after you get your website going.

When designing your website, you have many options:

  • Designing your own website using HTML skills you already have
  • Designing your own website using premade templates
  • Designing your own website using a site builder or HTML editor
  • Utilizing a content management system (example: WordPress, Joomla)
  • Hiring a web designer to create your website

Designing your own website using HTML skills you already have
If you do not having any knowledge of HTML, I recommend you gain some. Even if you opt to hire a web designer for your initial design, learning even basic HTML will save you money on maintenance fees in the future. Learning HTML does not have to be overwhelming. Many local community colleges and parks and recreation departments offer free and low-cost classes to get you started. In addition to taking classes, the internet is full of HTML self-help websites that will get you learning HTML fast.

Design your own website using premade templates
This is a popular option for many beginners. Templates are usually affordable (sometimes free when provided by your web host) and templates are typically professional looking. Editing templates can be slightly complex however depending upon the design you choose. If you have access to an HTML editor, you will put it to good use (I recommend some good editors further down). When using a template from your web host, they will typically provide you with an online editor to manage the template and create pages. Even you decide to not use your web hosts site builder, I always encourage beginners to at least test it out. There is no better way to learn design than playing around with an editor. So give it a shot.

You can find templates online, just Google website templates, but my favorites are at TemplateMonster (professional, but pricey).

Designing your own website using a site builder or HTML editor
If your web host does not offer templates or a site-builder, you can always use a third-party program to design and manage your website. Software pricing will vary, anywhere from free to hundreds of dollars. For beginners, I always recommend starting out with either a free, or low-cost program. I am not in the practice of promoting high end products that you may never get the feel for. So save your money. Once you get the hang of things, you can always upgrade to a “better” program if you want to.

I recommend giving either of these programs a test drive:

There are of course popular programs like Microsoft FrontPage and Dreamweaver, but these programs are very costly for beginners starting out. If you can find an older used version on ebay, in the newspaper, or on Craigslist, go for it. If money is no object, I would go for Dreamweaver as it creates cleaner HTML code. But don’t count out FrontPage, it’s much easier for beginners to use. Many of my design clients use it.

Utilizing a content management system
One of the easiest ways to get yourself online is to use a content management script like WordPress, Joomla or Drupal. These systems use templates and online admin areas where you just type and click to create pages. It cannot get any easier than this. Many web hosts now include these type of scripts right in your control panel.Simply click and they install the script for you. Just login and get started!

If you are creating a blog, my favorite system is WordPress but you can use Movable Type, TypePad, or Live Journal to name a few others. Even if you are NOT planning on running a blog, using WordPress is an easy way to create a regular website. Just use the “create pages” section to design your web pages. Installing WordPress is super easy, even if your web host does not offer the service for you. Please see my free tutorials on how to install WordPress here.

Hiring a web designer to create your website
If you find you absolutely cannot create your own website, or simply decide you don’t want to – hire a web designer to handle the design for you. Google web designer and thousands of results will appear. The BEST way to find a good web designer is to ask around for recommendations. Or visit websites you like, usually a link to the designer will be located near the bottom.