Setting up a website can be a confusing task, especially with all the options out there. So what is it that you really need to have a website? Hopefully this can shed some light.
Basics
1) You’ll need to purchase space on the Internet, usually called “web-hosting”, and this is where you will host your website.
2) You’ll need an Internet address or “domain”, which is usually the address you use to visit your website (www.yourdomain.com).
3) You’ll need a website design.
Details
1) Web-Hosting (web-hosting):
You can buy web-hosting space on the Internet or you can get free space, which usually comes attached to advertising.
FREE: An example of a company that has free (ad supported) web-hosting available is Geocities.com, a Yahoo company. I recently ran across a website that has free web-hosting without ads and it looks pretty decent. You can find this at Freewebs. Of course, there’s always a catch to anything free, and with free web-hosting comes the option to eventually upgrade into their premium services, which are not free. These services are great for starter websites, and they are good practice for people who want to take full control of the content. The limitations with free websites will most likely be:
a) Your cannot have a custom domain (Internet address)
b) There might be ads attached to your site
c) You will have limited space for content (such as video, pictures, etc.)
PAID: When you pay for your web-hosting space, you have more flexibility and control. There are many companies that offer these services, and most of them are very similar. I’ve used Yahoo business services for the last 10 years because they are reliable and I’ve never had any issues with them. You can find them at Business.Yahoo.com. Their services start at $8.96 a month and usually come with a free domain (Internet address), plus they make it easy for people that need to add a E-commerce features, such as stores with shopping carts and PayPal or credit card payments. Other companies you might consider are GoDaddy.com (which usually has more affordable rates), HostMonster.com, BlueHost.com, FastDomain.com, and HostPapa.com. I’ve never used any of these, but I’ve also never heard anything bad about them.
2) Domain (Internet adress):
Getting your own custom domain is easy, especially when it comes free with your web-hosting plan. All web-hosting companies let you search for available domains. Remember that we now have alternatives to using the usual .com at the end of our domains. Some of the most popular are .com, .net, .org, .info, .us and .biz, but there are more tailored options like .tv, .mobi, .jobs, .cc, and .ws. The domain for your website can be anything you imagine it to be, unless of course the name is already taken. Be creative but remember to make it simple to remember. You’ll want to get your domain name with the same company you are hosting the website or you might end up with problems later on. Some web-hosting companies don’t allow outside domains to be used.
3) Website design:
Now that you have a domain and the space to host your website on the Internet, all you need is the design. Most web-hosting companies have templates you can use, which are actually not a bad idea if you want to design your own. There is a lot you can do if you are computer and Internet savvy. You can also use programs such as Microsoft Word to create the website layout, just make sure you save it as an HTML file. Your web-hosting company has help pages to guide you with the task of uploading your own HTML files to the Internet. HTML files are not the only type of files you can use online, but that is just the basics.
If you need a more complex or professional looking website, you can hire a designer. When you hire a designer, the possibilities are greater, but you want to make sure you hire someone with a portfolio you can look at before you end up with a website that looks like a 1st grader made it. Designers charge differently for their services, some charge by the hour, some by the project, and the rates can vary drastically depending on their experience and company affiliation. Beware of designers that use templates and charge you for fully customized websites. Using templates as guides is great, especially because it cuts the work in half, and they can be customized to fit your needs. I prefer to work from scratch mostly because I like to meet the client’s needs more exactly.
Finally, you could also hire a web designer to teach you a few things. If you are great with computers and Internet savvy, it might be easier than you think to design and set up your own website.
—–There you have it. I only scratched the surface on the subject but I think you can get a pretty good idea.——
