Starting your own website is no longer a mysterious process understood by only a handful of expensive geeks. It is a reasonably straightforward process and with a little assistance just about anyone can have a professional looking, mobile responsive website in a few easy steps.
1. Domain Name
First you need to register a domain name. The domain name is your website’s address, like ours, 24-7webs.com. There are many domain registrars on the internet with varying prices. The registrar is responsible for the technical side of your domain registration. It does not include the hosting side. It may pay to shop around. Watch out for 1 year specials that renew the second year at significantly higher prices. We have a sister site where you can register a domain name at reasonable prices, under $10 a year for a .com domain. Visit NicFair to register your domain name (new window).
2. Hosting Plan
Next you need a web hosting plan. Don’t be confused by all the techie type information around when you search for a hosting plan. You probably don’t need the biggest with all the bells and whistles when starting out. Most websites run just fine even on a basic hosting plan which may or may not also include email services. Check out the available web hosting plans at 24-7 Webs. We’d love to have you join our community of satisfied webmasters.
3. Techie Part
Next you need to link your domain name at your registrar to your hosting account. This means you have to login to your registrar and change the nameservers that are supplied to you by your hosting company. It may not be easy but any competent registrar or hosting company will be able to assist you with this step. Once that’s done, you may have to wait a few minutes to a day or so for the domain name to point to your hosting account.
4. Website Design
Now comes the time to create your website. There are many alternatives here and I encourage you to read our brief article on the pros and cons of various web design alternatives. For the beginner, the easiest thing to use is an online web design program like RVSiteBuilder, available through 24-7 Webs and others. The templates are all responsive, meaning the site will look great on any platform from computers to cell phones. To see how easy it is, check out the RVSiteBuilder tutorials on our 24-7 Webs support site.
Another alternative is to use WordPress, which can be installed on most hosting accounts. There are many additional programs available for WordPress but be aware that the many of the add-ons incur additional costs. It also requires a little higher technical skill and a bit of a learning curve. There’s some great WordPress training over at WP Apprentice (new window).
5. Website Extras
The last thing you want to is install extras on your account. Having your own email address looks professional. again, there are many tutorials on how to install email accounts on your hosting plan and in various email clients (like Outlook) on our support site (link opens new window). there may be other options you want down the road but for now, you’re on the web.
That’s it. You’re done. You’ve learned how to start a website. Now you have a mobile responsive site promoting your image or product available 24 hours a day. Wasn’t that easy?