Getting Started
Start-a-Site.Com was established to help and guide you through the basic steps of starting a website. Everyday, around the world, there are many websites being published, many of the fail. With Start-a-Site.Com, you are taking your fundemental steps towards success.I will go through the basic steps to creating a website;
- Choosing a topic
- Domain name
- Web Host
- Content
- Publish
Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well it actually is if you follow instructions and start your site right.
CHOOSING A TOPIC: Choosing a topic for your site is the most important thing to start the process of making your website. Do NOT forget that your going to put a lot of time for this website so you should choose something you like to write about. It could be a hobby, an activity, a TV show etc.
DOMAIN NAME: A domain name is one of the most important things on your website. It’s like your brand name, www.start-a-site.com is a domain name. You should get a domain name that explains your content. Like if you’re doing a website about starting a website, you want www.start-a-site.com not www.da-lovely-site.com I think you can understand what I mean by that example. Domain names are really cheap these days. You can get one for less then $10 for a year. It’s usually around $7-$8 yearly. Click here for my article on Domain Names.
WEB HOST: A web host sometimes confuses people. You need to know what kind of things you need in a hosting. A hosting is like an apartment that your renting for your website to live. You are going to put all you scripts and content on this web host. One of the most popular hosting companies around is Hostgator.com Make sure you get the right hosting. If you are running a website with less then 1000 visitors weekly, you rarely need a hosting that you have to pay over 10$ a month. Click here for my article on Web Hosting.
SCRIPT / CONTENT: A script is what you will use to publish your website. You can use a script that has been already made and ready to go like WordPress, PHP-Nuke, SMF and many others. If you want to code your own that is surely fine aswell. Content is the most important part of you website! The popular search engines use your content to list your website. If you have unique website, you get more points toward your website which helps you rank better. If you have copied content, spam, or anything of that nature, you should not try to even SUCCEED.
PUBLISH: After you buy your domain, get a web hosting, and have your content ready, now you can publish your website. You’re going to be doing this by using a protocol called FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Basically FTP is like a UHAUL or BUDGET truck you get to move your stuff to your new apartment. In this case, we will be moving our content to our web host where it will go live! You can find more info on FTP following this link.
The Cost
Don’t be fooled by registrar and/or hosting providers who charge too much! Read my article on How much it costs to make a website.