Steps to a new website

Well i was at that stage once. I did not know anything till a friend explained how it worked to me.

Step 1 : Domain registration

The first thing you will need is a domain name.

You might be wondering what is a domain name ? A domain name is the part you type in a browser like internet explorer. The domain will look something like this http://somethingyourdomain.com. Now you should know what a domain name is. Now this is where the fun and creative parts begins. You need to decide what is your site gonna be about. For this example we will say the site will be about puppy supplies. Now that we have decided what the site is gonna be about we will need to register a domain name for it. You will need to use a domain register for this. We will use godaddy for this example. You will go to the domain register site and do a search on the name you have decided to use to see if it is available. You dont have to use the .com extension you can choose from the .net, .org, .us and many others till you find the one you like. For this example we will say we chose the domain http://www.puppy-supplies.org. Now that we have chosen that domain we pay for it and make it ours.

Step 2 : Domain Hosting

Now that we have a domain we will need somewhere to host it so people can see it on the internet. That is where a web hosting company comes in. For this example we will use hostgator. You can choose if you want to host your site on a linux or windows server. We will go with linux for the example. You can choose what hosting option you want to use for your site we will use the Hatchling option. Now that we have chosen what hosting option we want we purchase it. Because we already have a domain we will use the second option “I will use My Existing Domain and update My Nameservers only”. You now complete the hosting registration. Once you are done the web hosting company will send you the information to access your site.

By using a web hosting company you don’t have to worry about dns entries as the hosting company will handle the setup of those entries.

Step 3 : Site Template

Now that you have a domain and a place to host it you will need the pages that give it the look and feel you want. Those pages are called templates.

If you know web design you can make those pages yourself, but if you don’t know web design you can always buy a web template.

If you dont like the templates that are for sale, you can always talk to a designer and tell them what your ideas are and what you are looking for and they can try and create something for you.

Just be carefull about having a custom template made, it can be a costly step to use. If you can afford to do it and that is the step you want to take then the choice is yours. In the end you are the one that has to be happy about the website.

Step 4 : Edit The Template

You can use a html editor like Dreamweaver. Once you have edited the template and added the content to your pages you can upload it to the hosting account.

Step 5 : Load Website template

Once you have added the content and links to your site you will need to upload it to the web folder that the hosting company gave you in your hosting account. For this example we will say the files were uploaded into the folder public_html with ftp software.

Step 6 : Update Nameservers

Once you are done with the uploading of the site pages you will need to change your nameservers to the ones provided to you by the web hosting company. You will log into godaddy with the information you chose during registration. Once you are loged in you will goto your account and update the nameservers there with the onces given to you by the web hosting company. Once that is done and the changes take effect your site will be visible on the web. Congratulations you just setup your own website.

Please note :

You dont have to use the places mentioned in the article. You can use anyone of your choice. With different places there could be some differences. This article is only a guideline.

Hope this helps you to get started on a website