Beginners Guide: How to create your own website (Part 1)

When it comes to creating your own site, the first thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate website platform on which it would be build.

Having succeeded in turning our world into a global village, it now seems almost imperative for every business to have a website to its name.

And this is applicable to both big and small businesses.

There used to be a time when it would cost a good amount of money to get a website to your name; but with many user-friendly, free and open-source content-management systems that are available to assist with Web design, it is now possible to build a basic small business website without a professional Web designer.

How to create your own website?

Here is a step to step guide on how to create your own website

1. Choose a platform you would want your site to be built on

You don't want to start building your site on a CMS platform that might turn out wrong for you and your site.

So, the first thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate website platform to build your website on.

There are many different CMS (content management systems) to choose from and choosing the right platform should be a top priority; because, even though it is quite easy for you to build your own fully functioning and nicely designed website, you can still get into trouble when you don't choose the right website building platform.

Owing to this, it is important to highlight here that some platforms require you to know a little bit of HTML / CSS or other coding languages.

So, if you are a beginner, it would be for your own best interest to go for WordPress.

 

Why WordPress?

1. WordPress is user-friendly.

2. It is extremely powerful and can run most types of sites.

3. It is responsive and mobile friendly.

4. WordPress won’t cost you a thing. It is absolutely free.

5. There are a lot of vibrant and helpful developers that will be happy to help you out if you get stuck.

2. Your site needs a name, so you will have to get a domain

The host that WordPress.com gives to your website is free. And it also gives you a free WordPress domain name.

But just like a free meal, the hosting they give you is not as effective as good should be. It is really slow (which will impact your rankings on Google).

And the free domain name they give you can only be described as rubbish.

But the good side to this is that your website can have its own hosting which is much faster than any free hosting you can get, and your own domain name as well, by spending that little bit more money.

Example: www.yourbrandsname.com

With this, it simply means that you will have your very own Web Property and not a rented owned WordPress site.

 

What does it cost to own a domain?

Web hosting and domain name costs

Normally, website hosting will cost you approximately $3 – $6 per month (N1, 000 – N2, 000).

It's worth it, because if you’re really serious about building your own website then you need your own hosting and domain name.

Bluehost is believed to be one of the best when it comes to web hosting, and its Plus plan is best recommended for new bloggers.

With this deal, you get more unlimited features like hosting more than one website on the accont.

The Plus Plan is $10.99 per month. But if you choose to, you can always start on the basic plan and upgrade to the Plus Plan whenever you want.

Nine reasons why Bluehost Plus Plan is best recommended

1. A FREE domain name (worth $15)

2. Fast, high quality & reliable web hosting

3. Free Site Builder

4. One-click WordPress Install and 24/7 support.

5. Unmetered website space

6. Unmetered bandwidth

7. Unlimited email accounts

8. Unmetered email storage

9. Host unlimited numbers of websites on your account

 

What sort of domain name should I choose?

Tips on choosing a domain name

1. Don't buy a name because it might be confused for another website due to similarities. A Unique Domain Name which can only come from you or friend is the way to go.

2. Opt for available Dot-Com Domains or a Top Level Local Domain because that is the way to go if you want to target a worldwide audience with your site

3. Make it easy for people to find your site by making it simple to remember.

4. Check that you’re not infringing on anyone's copyright with the name of your website. To do this, visit copyright.gov and search before you pay for your URL name.

5. Try as much as you can to avoid the use of Hyphens or Numbers.

Click here to get BlueHost Plus + Free Domain

3. Setup your website by installing WordPress

You're always presented with two choices when it comes to installing WordPress. The first option is the very easy click installation and the second-- the manual installation. 

Note: This article is for beginners, therefore we will concern ourselves with just the first option.

How to install WordPress to create a website?

 

• The one click installation

The name of this method simply says it all. With one click, you've installed WordPress. Most web hosts will have the 1-click-installation integrated as standard within their dashboard.

And with ease, this service will have you up and run in a blink of an eye and help you to make your own website.

In your BlueHost account, you'll find the "1-click-installation" in your account control panel.

But, if instead of our preferred BlueHost you decide to use another web host, then the "1-click-installation" should be in the same sort of location on the site.

Below are the steps you need to follow the "1-click-installation" process. It is the same or very similar on the other entire major web hosting companies websites.

1. Log in to your own hosting account/control panel.

2. Go to your control panel within your hosting account.

3. Click on "1 Click Installs"

4. Find the "WordPress" icon and click.

5. Choose the domain where you want to install your website.

6. Click the "Install Now" button and that’s basically it! You’ll get details of how to access your new WordPress website.

 

SOURCE - PULSE.NG posted by Campus94