So, you've come up with an idea that you want to put out there on the web. First, you need to determine the complexity of how you will put it across. Small personal sites and business sites are popping up all the time, and don't need to be database driven, with dynamic content, a shopping cart and graphics. Sometimes, simple is better.
On the other hand, You may be wanting to showcase your products or skills and need more ways to make your site interesting and keep it updated. If you're trying to sell things on the web, aside from local business and tax licenses, you may need to invest in a good web developer or rely on sites like freelancer.com to get one.
To get set up properly, here are the things you NEED to have to get the ball rolling.
Domain registration - This is where you buy your Domain Name (ie. mycoolwebsite.com), if it isn't already in use. Domain registration for most websites is under $20 per year, and godaddy.com is where we recommend doing it, easy to navigate and understand, and also offers the most reasonable pricing for domain hosting that we've seen. When you sign up and pay, you get access to a config panel that allows you to tell the world where your site is located (Configuring to point at your Hosting DNS servers) on the web. DNS (Domain Name Server)is what turns mycoolwebsite.com into an IP address that a web browser can use to find your site.
Hosting - This is where you upload and store your web pages for display (download) to your audience. Hosting is nothing more than rented (shared) space on a server, that will be used to store the site files, and offer configuration pages for setting up email (and more) for your domain.
A template created with HTML Editing software - A template gives your site a unified look and feel. Regarding the software you use to create your web pages, there are tons of programs that you can use to make your site. Most are not cheap, and finding one that works well is not an easy task, but the main things to keep in mind is that:
WYSIWYG Editors - Make it easier for novices to develop on their won, as these show your web page AS you create it, but often embed a lot of extra code that make for longer load times when viewing your pages. Microsoft's FrontPage is an prime example of this.
Text Editors - Software like Notepad (windows), Notepad++, Bluefish or Ultra-Edit, are all standard Raw text editors and all you NEED to make web pages. However, these also require learning all about the nuts and bolts of HTML, Javascript, and other web related technology and then a lot of flipping from editor to browser and back again, correcting your code to make your pages show up exactly as you want them. The final result is usually more pleasing and has very short load times.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Search engines are what people use to find stuff on the web, and optimization is critical to being found on the web. Keywords used to play a large part of being found, but now, the search engines actually read your keywords, pages and then follow links and folders on your website to get an accurate idea of what kind of info you are offering. If the keywords don't match the content, your site is less relevant and will actually hurt your ranking.
Content - Of course, this is where your idea comes in. Content is what your audience will be reading, viewing, in their browser. It should be compelling and informative to keep your audience coming back, whether they are just viewers of your blog, or customers on your e-commerce site.
Expertek also recommends beginners to start with a template to help establish a common look and feel for your site. You can find many free and paid ones one the web, or you can make your own, if you have an idea for layout or look and feel.
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