There are lots of reasons why you might want to build a website. Perhaps you have a small business and you want to expand your marketplace into the online world. Or maybe you are passionate about something and you want an outlet where you can write and post useful information to educate others. Whatever the reason, it isn’t as difficult to build a website as you might think. In fact you don’t even need any specialist knowledge. So if you are thinking about creating a website from scratch, here is a quick guide to get you started.
Domain Name
To build a website, you need a domain name. Think of this as your address on the web. By definition it has to be unique, but it is also helpful if the name you choose for your domain is indicative of what the website is about – although this isn’t necessary if the website is not a business one. However, whatever domain name you come up with, it needs to be catchy so that people remember it. Make sure you have a few different ideas for a domain name as your first choice might already be taken.
Web Hosting
Once you have a domain name, you will need to organize web hosting. This is often available as a package deal when you purchase a domain name, but look around for the best deals as prices vary. The advantage of having your own domain name and hosting is that it gives you unlimited email address. For a business website, this is pretty important, as it makes you look more professional when dealing with customers.
Content Management Systems
The next step is to think about a content management system (CMS). There are lots of web design companies who will be more than happy to build you a bespoke website, but this can be expensive and if you want a low-budget website, a content management system is the best way to go about it. WordPress is the most popular CMS as it is intuitive and easy to use, even for absolute beginners.
WordPress is easy to install. Most major web hosting companies offer WordPress as a “one click” install from within the control panel, so check it out. It literally takes seconds to install WordPress, so once you have it up and running, you are ready to customize the design.
Design Themes
The great thing about a CMS such as WordPress is that it comes with thousands of different themes. To begin with, you will have a basic theme to start you off, but when you have familiarized yourself with how WordPress works, look for a theme that better suits your website.
Personalize Your Website
There are lots of ways to personalize your new website: photos, articles, infographics and videos can all be uploaded quickly and easily, so start writing and populating your website with great content and visitors will come.
It is really easy to make your own website and the good news is that you don’t need to be a programmer to do it. But if you want to customize your website further down the line, a programmer is the best person to ask for help.
