A common
problem:
I want a website with my own domain name, but I’m ignorant of how to create a website from scratch. I think I could run it if I could just get it going and had a few tutorials…Any help appreciated!
Answer: This is quite a popular question. Free website hosting is probably not for you if you are serious about having a website. Web hosting is the heart of your online presence and can mean the success and failure for your business.
Before we give you an absolute answer, these are seven qualities to look for in a good web hosting. An excellent hosting:
- has excellent support and rated at least A+ by Better Business Bureau (BBB)
, - gives unlimited diskspace,
- offers unlimited bandwidth,
- gives unlimited add-on domains,
- has easy-to-use Site Builder with thousands of unique templates,
- has QuickInstall to quickly install apps like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, OSCommerce, ZenCart and more
- can be easily upgraded to VPS or one of the best dedicated server plans if and when your business require.
To answer your question, more than 80% of experienced Webmasters recommend to try Hostgator. If you need an “unlimited” hosting plan, experts usually highly recommend going with Hostgator because they are the best hosting and domain registrar around.
With more than 4 million websites hosted, a “Hostgator sucks” comment cannot be avoided. See the drawbacks of Hostgator in the section below. Objectively, HG has an amazingly long, 45 days money back guarantee so you have ample time to test them out. They are rated A+ by Better Business Bureau which shows their commitment to customer satisfaction. You also do not have to pay for the first month. You can just try their fully functional hosting service – you pay only $0.01 (you need to use the special coupon code). Do you know any other hosting company that can give you that kind of assurance? Anybody can grab an account from Hostgator for almost FREE.
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Hostgator Complaints
No web hosting service is perfect. Some complaints about Hostgator plans include:
- No free domain name included – but you can easily get a domain name from the best domain registrar such as Godaddy or Namecheap for $10 or less. Would you agree that a website is not complete without a domain name?
- You need to pay full price after your first invoice – well, they need to make money too and all the support and great service do come with a cost. It is like they say, you get what you pay for.
If you are still not sure if HG is right for you, or you have specific query about anything at all, try the Live Chat at HG. They are fast and knowledgeable. Just ask and you shall receive.
Few modern legends are as captivating as those of Internet companies, marked by their evolution from humble basement projects to billion-dollar corporations. But these stories are no myth.
From Yahoo! to Amazon, countless companies now employing thousands of people sprung up from a dream that could have easily been born next to an old Chevy in a neglected garage (just research how Apple got started).
anyone can do it
So does this mean that you can start a website and become the next Bill Gates? Of course not, but it does show that even a World Wide Web beginner can have a successful Internet business with smart planning and a lot of hard work.
In fact, I’ll show you how easy it is to get a website up and running, in 7 simple steps. The only prerequisites you’ll need are:
A computer and basic computer skills
Internet access
Software to create a website
Some cash to buy a domain name and host your site
Just remember that each step is only an overview. Each involves its own research that you will have to do. Though it might mean spending some time surfing with search engines, consider it a valuable experience as you will learn the Internet’s layout and how to go about finding information, which you can later use to promote your own website.
Step 1: An Idea
Whether you want to build a website to serve as a personal homepage, a fan site, a hobby, or a full-blown business, you need to decide what the purpose of your website will be, what kind of information it will contain, how much time you want to devote to it, and how much money you want to spend on it.
This is sometimes the longest part of creating a site. Often, your original idea morphs as the website is in the process of being built. Coming up with an original idea is one of the first steps you can take in ensuring the future success of your website. After all, I’d assume no one builds a website just for the sake of it.
A website is built to showcase either yourself, an interest you have, a product, or a service you offer that is unique. By making it an interesting idea, you will not only make other people interested, but you will also keep yourself motivated.
Step 2: A Domain Name
The next step is buying a domain name for your website. It is the permanent online address of your website. AOL.com, AskMen.com, Whitehouse.org are all domain names. Unfortunately, domain names are not free, so be prepared to pay up to $35 a year for a name.
I strongly recommend you take the time to choose and buy a domain name. Unless you are just playing around with a website because you are bored, a Geocities or Tripod account just won’t cut it, even for a semiprofessional website.
Choose a name that is easy to remember and represents what your website is about. This is the first element in branding your website, so make sure you run the name by a few people before plucking down the cash for it. Websites like NetSol.com and Register.com offer plenty of domain name combinations, beyond the plain old ".com."
Step 3: Hosting The Site
This step is often overlooked and underrated in its importance while building a website. Taking the time to choose where your website is hosted can lead to increased visitors and save you money at the same time. After all, it is where your website is located — your address to the world. Make sure you find a good home for your website.
A good hosting company can provide your website with fast-loading pages and graphics; 100% up-time (meaning your website is always available to your users); and good upgrading capabilities as your website grows. There is nothing worse for an Internet surfer than a slow website or one that is unavailable. The hosting company should also offer an affordable price, so that you are not slapped with huge bandwidth costs if your website is suddenly linked up on Yahoo.com.
There are literally thousands of hosting companies out there. But beware; you get what you pay for. So if someone offers to host your site for free, know that there’s always a catch.
One hosting company that has gained a reputation as the ideal place to host your first website is Servint.com.
For $25 a month, you can have your domain name hosted, 50 MB of disk space for content and images, and up to 5 GB of monthly download.
For $50 a month (and even less if you prepay), you can have 2 domain names hosted, 125 MB of space, and up to 20 GB of monthly download — an incredible amount perhaps only a true Web connoisseur can appreciate.
Servint.com is also known for its attentive customer service and extremely fast-loading webpages. Of course, do your own research but from my experience, they offer the best bang for you buck, price-to-performance wise.
Step 4: Building The Site
Once you know what your website will be about, what it will be called, and where it will be hosted, you can get started on the actual building process. I recommend you get a grasp on the mechanics of a webpage before you start. It’s very easy to learn, and no website is better equipped for beginners than htmlgoodies.com, thanks to the dozens of tutorials it offers.
Learn the basic commands and terminology; create a few simple pages with only words and no graphics. This will allow you to get a feel for how HTML (the computer language used to build 99% of the websites on the Web) works. You can even use a word processor to create your first few webpages. Again, a site like htmlgoodies.com will take you through the process step-by-step, so make time to visit it.
Step 5: Software To Build The Site
Once you know the basics of HTML, you can download a free HTML editor from download.com to help you save time typing in every HTML command. Most Windows users have a version of FrontPage (an HTML editor program) included in their computers. Make an effort to test whichever HTML program you choose, but remember: it should be intuitive and straightforward. I recommend a program called CoffeeCup HTML Editor.
Also, you will need an imaging program for your pictures and graphics. Adobe Photoshop or PhotoDeluxe will do the job, but I recommend the program Paint Shop Pro. You will also need an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program that will allow you to transfer your website pages and images from your computer to where it will be hosted. The best-known and most widely used FTP program is called WS_FTP, which is also available at download.com.
Step 6: Get People To Your Site
The "build it and they will come" adage doesn’t work in the offline world; nor will it work in the online world. Once your site is up, you will need to promote it. There are millions of websites out there vying for the same eyeballs.
The key is to be in as many places as possible. This increases the chances of your website being exposed. So take the time to submit your site to the leading search engines, and exchange links with websites that offer complementary information, products, or services whenever possible. Investing in a Yahoo! listing is well worth the price.
Creating a large website is not an overnight process, so make sure you have enough compelling content on your website to keep whatever visitors you attract coming back. Eventually you’ll have a steady base audience, consisting of regular users and newcomers.
Step 7: Track Your Traffic & Fine-Tune
The Internet allows anyone with a website to have access to loads of statistics. Use that information wisely; analyze it in order to see patterns and to know which pages are being viewed more than others. Most hosting companies offer software to track unique visitors (one computer equals one "unique visitor"), average time per visitor, page views per visitor, etc. If they don’t, you can monitor traffic on your website through a webpage counter or tracker. Hitbox.com offers this for free.
Remember, the Internet is ever evolving. Make sure you are constantly making changes and improving your website. Pay attention to user feedback, and don’t be afraid to try new things until you get the right formula. Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor will your success story.
and you’re ready
Now that you know what it takes to get your own website started, I recommend you get up, go for a walk, think about what you need to get started, come back to your computer and get started.
Your greatest enemy is time. The longer each step takes, the more reluctant you might be to continue. Steps 1 to 3 can easily be done in one day, Step 4 will take at least three days, Step 5 will take five days, Step 6 another two days, and Step 7 is an ongoing process.
Think about it: you can be up and running in two weeks, and you thought you had to go to college for four years. What are you waiting for? Go for that walk. Good luck!
A Macintosh with iWeb and .Mac service.
You can’t go wrong with yahoo and their site builder product. It is a great starting point
If you are going to build a site for business purposes, make sure to get your own domain name. Its cheaper than you think. Here is a guide to getting started: http://www.richkahmer.com/build-a-website.html
To design the site, use Dreamweaver. Its a little pricey but worth it.
I built my site, http://www.cheers2wine.com/Site-Build-It.html using Site Build It. I would recommend this company because they do a fantastic job of helping you create a site that will actually be successful. You can even build your site without knowing html.
There are many things to consider in creating a site that will actually get the traffic to make a successful business. This company helps walk you through all aspects of site building.