Create Your First Website - Guide For Newbies
OK...you want to create your very own website. You have heard that it was not hard, but you just don't have a clue where to start. Well, I have created many, many websites in my day, and here are some simple step-by-step directions to get you going. (However there are thousands of website design companies [http://techbongo.com/cheap-website/web-design/], who are offering professional website development service.)
An assumption I am going to make here is that you want to create a fairly simple website - at least to start out with.
1. Get an HTML editor
To create a website, you need an application that will allow you to create and save your webpages. That is what HTML editors are for. Don't pay for an HTML editor! There are plenty of them that are completely free that will do everything you need. You may already have Microsoft FrontPage. If so, that will do. If not, search for one in Google.
The popular HTML editor I use is called Coffee Cup Software.
2. Download a free website template
Again, just search Google for these. There are plenty of website templates that already exist that will work perfectly for a brand new website. Once you find a template you like, download it and put it in a folder. Then open the individual pages and edit the text to say what you want your website to say.
Don't worry - this won't be hard. Just open the webpage in your HTML editor, find the text you want to change, change the text, and then save. Just like creating a Word document.
3. Get a hosting plan and domain name
This is the first step in creating your website where you should spend money. You can try a free hosting site, but I wouldn't advise it. Free web hosting usually places distracting advertisements on your webpage and is unreliable. Just don't do it!
The great part about paying for hosting and a domain name is that it is relatively cheap. Registering a domain name will cost around $10 a year. Hosting will run you about $10 a month. I use GoDaddy for my hosting and have done so for more than 5 years. You may want to do the same.
4. Move your website online
The final step in creating your own website is to move your website on to the world wide web. Your web hosting company will provide you a method to copy your website files to the hosting server. That way people will see your website when they time in your domain name. I prefer to use a stand-alone application to move my website to the web because they are less bulky and more user-friendly than the one provided by your hosting company. The free application that I use is called FileZilla.
An assumption I am going to make here is that you want to create a fairly simple website - at least to start out with.
1. Get an HTML editor
To create a website, you need an application that will allow you to create and save your webpages. That is what HTML editors are for. Don't pay for an HTML editor! There are plenty of them that are completely free that will do everything you need. You may already have Microsoft FrontPage. If so, that will do. If not, search for one in Google.
The popular HTML editor I use is called Coffee Cup Software.
2. Download a free website template
Again, just search Google for these. There are plenty of website templates that already exist that will work perfectly for a brand new website. Once you find a template you like, download it and put it in a folder. Then open the individual pages and edit the text to say what you want your website to say.
Don't worry - this won't be hard. Just open the webpage in your HTML editor, find the text you want to change, change the text, and then save. Just like creating a Word document.
3. Get a hosting plan and domain name
This is the first step in creating your website where you should spend money. You can try a free hosting site, but I wouldn't advise it. Free web hosting usually places distracting advertisements on your webpage and is unreliable. Just don't do it!
The great part about paying for hosting and a domain name is that it is relatively cheap. Registering a domain name will cost around $10 a year. Hosting will run you about $10 a month. I use GoDaddy for my hosting and have done so for more than 5 years. You may want to do the same.
4. Move your website online
The final step in creating your own website is to move your website on to the world wide web. Your web hosting company will provide you a method to copy your website files to the hosting server. That way people will see your website when they time in your domain name. I prefer to use a stand-alone application to move my website to the web because they are less bulky and more user-friendly than the one provided by your hosting company. The free application that I use is called FileZilla.