So you want to build a website?
Creating a professional website has become easier than it was years ago, thanks to user-friendly web hosting companies, do-it-yourself web content management platforms like WordPress, and the abundance of free resources available for even the most non-web-savvy person.
The question I’m most often asked at the beginning of a new website project is “How do I get started?” Here are my simple answers.
Getting started on a new website
1. Think and plan.
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate, official document. Just spend some time clarifying what your website will be and what it will do.
Have a couple objectives. They could be as simple as “Generate leads,” and “Inform current clients.”
This is an important step to do first because it may help you determine your next step. But, even more importantly, it will help you create content that will help you achieve your site’s objectives.
2. Buy your URL
Your URL is your address on the internet. Usually, it starts with “www” and sits in the address bar at the top of your web browser.
You’ll want to have your URL mean something. It should be the name of your business. But it could also include other words that describe your business, such as your specialty or town.
Buy your URL at a site like GoDaddy.com or BlueHost.com. These are the two I usually get my URLs from. URLs usually cost $12-$15 a year. You can buy as many as you like, even if you just want one site, and redirect multiple URLs to your site.
3. Buy hosting
Now that you have an address, you need a place to put it.
Hosting refers to a large amount of disk space as well as the infrastructure on a server that is set up to house websites.
I also have used GoDaddy and BlueHost for buying hosting space. Hosting usually costs anywhere from $60 – $150 a year, and includes email addresses.
You don’t have to buy your URL and hosting from the same company, but sometimes it helps in the next step.
4. Connect your URL to your hosting
The way this works depends on how your hosting company’s user interface works, but there are often tutorials and step-by-step instructions for doing this.
5. Install your content
I like to start by installing WordPress on to my hosting space. The way this works is also something that varies from provider to provider, but again there are tutorials and step-by-steps for the specifics of this step.
If you don’t want to use WordPress, there’s also Joomla and Drupal as content management systems. Or, you can upload HTML files that can be created in a text document or with a web design program, like Dreamweaver.
6. Tell people about your site
Once you put your content on your new website (and proofread, proofread, proofread), you can tell people your URL and begin to get traffic to your site.
Ask for feedback from your clients and partners. Always look for ways to improve and update your web presence. Google will begin to index your site, and you’ll be able to found via search engine. (Ways to make yourself show up on the first page of a Google search is another topic for another day.)
Next?
Briefly: Update frequently.
Content is queen online. What your website says not only informs people, it helps people to find your site. The more content you have, the easier it will be for search engines to index your site, so people find you.
Those are the down-and-dirty steps for starting a new website. Enjoy!