Build your first website or even your one hundredth

These days it is relatively simple to build a website from scratch because actually most of it is done for you.  So what we have set out here is what you need to do in terms of process and ensuring things are done in a logical order.

The first thing you need to do is get yourself a domain name and by far the easiest domain registrar to work with is GoDaddy. You can search for a specific domain that is relevant to your subject, for instance. It you are building a website for concrete stairs you will want to try and get the keywords in the domain name if you can. i.e concrete stairs.com  The only domain extensions you should consider are .com  .org and .net  The others tend to be cheaper but don’t be tempted.

Once you have settled on a domain name and bought it you need to find a hosting company who is going not only host your website but provide all manner of additional resources and these generally should be free of charge. For the best hosting Company’s go the the Hosting page you will also find what it is that they offer by way of services. My strong advice is not to use GoDaddy for hosting because they do not give access to a cPanel.

OK now you have the main ingredients so now you need to consider what software your website is going to to be built on.  Probably around 70% of websites are built on the WordPress open source software and there are plenty of reasons for this. because it is so widely used there are literally thousands of Plugins and other enhancements like themes, PHP scripts and so much more.

A less popular platform is Joomla again this is open source aand Joomla is well suited when there are needs for a ‘bigger website and pehaps a more complex arrangement. It nevertheless has to be said that WordPress remains the “Daddy”. See the page Operating Platforms.. Both of these software systems are accessible via your hosting Company.

Now the boring stuff is done if you are using WordPress you need to install a theme. Your Hosting Company will set a WordPress default theme and you can build your website with that if you wish but hold your horses because the are thousands of themes, most of the free that will look far better and are easier to use. It is going to pay you hands down to spend a few hours finding out which themes you want to get to know. All the decent themes have tutorials so it is quite easy.

I have one Premium Theme and one secondary theme that I constantly but not exclusively use. My premium theme is Flexsqueeze, this theme is the best and most customisable aroud and has all manner of knobs and switches. Click here to view more details. My secondayt theme is Flexability 3. Both these themes are easy to use. This website was built using the Flexibility 3 theme. Click here to view more details.

At this point you can start to build your website. If it is your first time get some help!! you will go round and round the houses and get nowhere if you are not carefull. Your coach will advise on every facet of website building, Marketing and website promoting.