How Do I create a Website?

Firstly considering you are reading this article tells me you have a computer with internet access, or you at least have access to one. So you have the first piece of the jigsaw in place. So to create an actual website you require four things, a topic, an HTML editing suit, a web host and a domain name. We will cover the later two in this article later on, for now we will focus on the first two. First let’s talk about a topic, to create a website you may already have something in mind. Websites cover a whole spectrum of topics, your site may be based on your business you wish to advertise, it may be a hobby a passion or something you have a particular knowledge and expertise for that to wish to promote. This may be anything from basketball to gardening.

It’s paramount that you have a passion for the topic you wish to create your site for, if not it will show. You need to capture an audience, and if your passion is not leaping of the pages you develop, then chances are any visitors will not return. Remember a website is an ongoing project, something you are going to need to spend a lot of time on creating rich content for your visitors.

Example

Let’s say you were passionate about the earth, green energy and all things related, that’s you niche. You’re passionate about it and you have knowledge on the subject so this is where you would start.

Website Research

Next is the research phase, look at related websites by googling the term “climate change”, “green energy”, “save our planet”, study similar websites and what they have to offer, try and look for an angle, something they don’t provide, something you could provide to make your website unique. Next look at other sites for inspiration, study the layout and colour used to display the site. You can download a free colour detector here to determine the hexadecimal code.

Developing a website

OK you now ready to start designing, next you will need a HTML editing suit; this is where you develop the website. The leading software on the market is Adobe Dreamweaver you can purchase by clicking on the Dreamweaver Software box here. Next you will need training or tutorials to help with the construction of your website, all such tutorials can be found on this website at the following link, Dreamweaver tutorials.

Buy a Domain Name

When you are happy with your website you will need to purchase a domain name (helpvid.net) this is the address that will allow others to access your website. You can check to see if your desired domain name is available below. For this example I would be looking for “GreenEarth.com”, if not available you could always check for “GreenEarthh.net” or “GreenEarth.co.uk”. Domain names vary in cost, usually £10 - $15. When you have your domain the next step will be to find a web host.

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Web Hosting

As of now your website is stored locally on your own computer, accessible only to you. To enable others to access your website you will need to subscribe to a web host, they will provide you with space on their server where your website will be stored, known as remotely. This way anyone can easily access your website 24/7 by typing in the URL “GreenEarth.com” or whatever domain you have chosen.

Over the past 12 years I have been with many web hosts, at present I have several websites stored with “Just Host” who I would highly recommend. Just Host have an excellent and free 24/7 chat support where you can troubleshoot with one of their on-line staff. Another good reason to choose Just Host is they are the cheapest, in the world of web hosting; the term “you get what you pay for” does not apply.

I hope you have found this article useful and you are a little more wiser as to what you need to create a website, again I cannot stress enough the most important thing is that you find a subject you either have a knowledge or passion for, otherwise you will be disheartened. Rich passionate and knowledgeable content is the key.