How to Create a website

If you want to know how to create a website, you've come to the right place.

I've been creating my own websites since I began my online career several years ago and I can honestly say that creating a website is not as hard as you might think ...it use to be, but it's not any more.

With all the great tools and training available, knowing how to create a website really boils down to 3 things, getting your domain name, finding a place to host your site and the final step, creating your site.

Step #1 - Get a domain name
This is the first step in the process, this should be done even before building your website.

Your domain name is considered the web address of your site and is how people will basically find your website. Your domain will look something like this:

www.domainname.com

Your domain suffix can be a .com, .net, .edu, .biz or you can register all of them to your domain name. Of course .com is the most common and most preferred, however you should consider the type of website you will be creating. Since the .com's are the most popular you may find your preferred selection has been taken, for this reason you may want to check in to other options available. For example, if you have an educational site then .edu may be appropriate, for a business site .biz may be preferred.

Getting your domain name requires that you purchase it through a domain name registrar. There are many registrars to choose from and the cost can range from about $10-$35 depending on who you register your domain name and registration must be renewed each year.

GoDaddy is one of the most popular registrars for purchasing domain names and offers a very high level of security. Additionally some hosting companies offer domain name registration as well, you can sometimes pick up some nice package deals. Unfortunately I don't recommend hosting through Godaddy, I've known many customers who have experienced problems with hosting through them, however their domain registration has worked well for me, I've had no problems.

Step #2 - Get a web host
Finding a good web host is your next step, however finding just any host won't do. Most people tend to be on the frugal side when selecting services however this is not the time to go cheap. A bad hosting company can cost you down time and lost profits if you are running a business.

Check here for what to look for in web hosting options and how to find a reliable hosting company.

Step #3 - Building your Website
Once you have your domain name and web host you are ready to actually begin building your site, however there are a few things you should familiarize yourself with first.

Get to know the basics of html.  It's not mandatory but it's a good idea to have a few basics under your belt in case you want to make custom site adjustments. Html is very easy to learn and it comes in very handy now and then.

Next, you should have a basic idea of what a good website design is and be familiar with search engine optimization techniques.  However, depending on the web site building tool you use, search engine optimization will be included in the tool.  Many site building tools available today make it very easy to build a site that offers good site structure and search engine optimization.

Before getting started think about how you want your site to look and what it will include.  For example things like colors, headers, graphics, etc. Make an outline of topics and sub-topics that you will include on your site. This will also help you determine what your navigation will contain.

Once you have the basics outlined you can begin to think about what website creation tool you will want to use. Using a site builder keeps you from having to code your site in HTML, which not too many people do anymore.  There are far too many advanced tools to do it for you.

When evaluating website builders, find one that is easy to use, easy to maintain, has lots of built in functions like SEO, spell checker, graphics, easy navigation, etc. I also like tools that help you create your site in a step-by-step fashion.

Learning how to create a website isn't hard, it's just a matter of finding a niche that suits you, getting a domain name, finding a reliable host and finding a site builder that includes features and tools that make building your site as easy as possible and the following website builders make building your site super easy.  

SiteBuildIt - An easy yet extremely powerful all-in-one web site solution that includes a site builder, domain name registration and hosting.  Site build it is not suited for those that already have a host and a site builder, however if you are just starting out, this is an excellent tool with tremendous search engine optimization and sales potential.

XsitePro- If you're looking for a standalone website builder, XsitePro is top of the line.  I've been creating websites with XSitePro for years simply because it's so easy and straight forward and extremely versatile. Xsitepro is designed for both beginners and experienced website builders. The product includes software, tutorial and lots of useful time saving features. Read my Review.

Create a Web 2.0 Site with Wordpress - Wordpress is a free Web 2.0 software primarily used for creating blogs. However you can easily create static websites with Wordpress as well.

You can create a website or a blog by downloading the Wordpress software from Wordpress.org. This download requires you to have your own domain name and host. You can also create a blog or website at Wordpress.com without a domain name and host, Wordpress.com will handle that for you.

Build a Static Website with Wordpress  - This is a cool product that will show you step-by-step how to get a domain name, set up your host and download Wordpress for setting up your own static Wordpress Website.

Build A Niche Store - This exciting software allows you to build a niche store from scratch that promotes eBay niche products. Building an eBay niche store allows you to get paid up to 75% of the revenue Ebay makes from each sale you refer plus get up to $35 for each new active eBay member you refer.

You don't need to know how to build a website, this software builds the store for you with an easy step-by-step process ...it's very COOL.