4 Steps to a Website

Have you ever wondered what’s involved in setting up a website? There are four basic components necessary to get a web site up and running:

1. Register a Domain Name

Hint: the process is much simpler if you register the domain name with the same company who will host the site (see Section 2).

Choose a simple, professional domain such as www.tallyrealty.com. It’s okay to register a domain name before you need a website, especially if you think someone else might want the same name. It’s easy to register a domain. Just google “web hosting” and pick a company (HostGator, DreamHost, etc.). If you plan to build your site online, look for “website builders” instead (Wix, Squarespace, etc.). If you plan to design with WordPress, almost any hosting company can provide it.

Once you choose your hosting company, look for something like “get a domain name.” You’ll type in the domain name you want, and the site will tell you whether or not it’s available. Stick with traditional .com (for a business) or .org (nonprofits and community groups); otherwise people might not remember your web address. If the domain name is available, you’ll pay a yearly fee (for most domains, the amount is about $15 to $30/year) and maybe a small monthly “parking” charge for the domain name.

2. Set up Hosting

When you’re ready to have a website, you’ll need to set up a “hosting” account to go with your domain. For $10 to $20 a month, a hosting company will store and display your website to internet viewers. If you have a very large site with lots of big images or lots of web traffic, you might pay more for hosting. It’s easiest to set up your hosting with the same company where you registered the domain name. You will probably also want a plan that offers domain email like samsmith@tallyrealty.com.

Keep in mind that domain registration and hosting are two separate things that might be billed separately at different times.

3. Create Your Site

This is the fun part. You can either build your own site from scratch, have a designer do it, or build it online. WordPress is a very popular method for building websites. The WordPress software can be installed with just a click on many web hosts, plus it’s FREE. WordPress is very powerful and a bit counter-intuitive, so it takes time to figure out how to use it. Expect to invest some time on the learning curve if you go with WordPress.

4. Publish the Site

If your site was designed offline, your hosting company will give you passwords and tell you (or your designer) how to load your website files onto their server. They will also tell you how to set up your domain email accounts like samsmith@tallyrealty.com.

—by Eve Wyatt: web, writing and design for small businesses

Also check out the articles Making the Most of Your Website and Is a Website Right for You?