Start A Website

Congratulations, you've decided to start a website...your very own business, and the next step is to build your website. Guess what? Building a website is not as hard as you might think. It really isn't. And, in fact, it can be so much fun. It seems overwhelming at first, but if you know the exact steps to take, and in what order, then it can seem much easier. So, are you ready to get started?

First Step: Picking a Name

Oh, this is so much fun. A business is usually so close to ones heart. You pour your blood sweat and tears and money into it, so you want the name to be something that you'll love for a lifetime

You don't want to pick a name, that in a year you'll wish you hadn't picked. So here are the things I want you to remember

Clever name
Descriptive to what your business is
.COM or .NET
Why a "clever name"? You want your name to be different then anything else on the web. If you can come up with a really clever name, people will look at that name and think "what a neat name" and remember your name. It's so important for people to remember your name so that they come back. Just think about yahoo or google...wow, now don't tell me those aren't clever names! I don't even know what they stand for but I sure do remember them. (Well, plus they're everywhere.)

Why a "descriptive" name? Well, this certainly doesn't have to be the case all the time. Afterall, wal-mart, google, yahoo and others don't tell you what their business is about with their name, but unless you plan to be that huge your name recognition won't be quite that big. So let’s take a few examples here of how name recognition can help and does work:

1. Internet Based Mom.com tells me that this website is for moms in internet business.

2. WAHM Talk Radio tells me that this is a radio show for work at home moms.

So if your website is about custom candy wrappers, for example, I would suggest fitting what your business is about somewhere in your clever domain name. I have to admit that my name does not describe what my website is about. Mommy Place could mean anything. You probably don’t think, "work at home mom website" when you see that title. So I'm not saying you have to follow my suggestions as the golden rule. There are many successful websites online that don't have a clever name and don't have a descriptive title that tells what your business is about, but just think how much more your website name could stand above the rest if you did have a clever name!

Why a .COM or .NET? Because people will always put in .COM before anything else. And there are TONS of .COM's still available. Don't let anyone tell you differently. You don't have to have a .biz or .info or any of the others out there. I've just recently, in the past months, purchased several "clever" .COM's so I know from experience that there are many left for the taking. Next, if need be, you can move on to a .NET. This is the next thing people will type in.

Just like my website name isn't clever or descriptive, I also have a .NET! What was I thinking? I was thinking that this great domain with built in traffic and name recognition was offered to me by a dear friend for free! Yep, I'm not the original owner of the website. I was given the website last year and took it, built it up and added all the content. I was blessed by this gift so I certainly wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth because it was a .net! So, although I've found success with this domain I would like to have you keep in mind that .COM is the way to go. And my other websites and the domains I have purchased are all .COM’s.

Here is the resource I've used in checking whether a domain name was still available: WAHM Hosting and when you're ready to register it WAHM Hosting offers the domain for only $5.00 with their hosting plans. If you don't want to use WAHM Hosting another resource I enjoy personally is Dayanhost, they have cheap hosting and domains.

Step 2: Building Your Website

Okay, now don't get scared on me ;) Building a website doesn't have to be hard. Just remember it's a learning process and it will take time to become a pro at it. I've owned websites for nearly two years and I only got the hang of it all a few months ago. It's all a learning process and as long as you understand that then you'll have much more confidence in yourself. So here are the steps you need to take:

Decide If You Need A Site Builder...or
FrontPage or other program
Let me give you an overview of what a site builder is. You're looking at it! Yep, right now you as you read this guide you're visiting a website that's made by a site builder. I use Internet Based Family for my website and couldn't be happier. I've used other site builders in the past and have never been satisfied with them. This program is very affordable and offers many more resources then I expected. Some of the things you'll find with the builder:

Over 500 templates to choose from
Shopping cart
Message board
Calendar
Photo album - with lots of photos you can use and you can upload your own too
Mailing List & autoresponder
And much more...best of all, it's easy as 1-2-3!
I greatly enjoy using this site builder for my website. It takes the guess work out of building a website and they have wonderful 24.7 support for any and all questions or problems you may have. I've used them often ;)

Now, if you don't want to use the site builder you can try using a program like FrontPage. I also use FrontPage for my small VA website. I enjoy FrontPage on a small site where I don't need the extra features that are included in the site builder. FrontPage is basically a program you download on your computer and you use it to make your website from scratch. You design the look, layout, colors...etc...Yourself. You can buy a template, have one made or make it yourself. It's a fairly easy program to use, but there is a learning curve. The upside, you have complete control over what your template looks like. The downside, you have a lot more to learn then with a builder and don’t have all the extra features that you have with the builder. You can add a shopping cart, mailing lists, message boards and other things that are in the builder, but it will cost you to have them made for your site.

Learn more about the site builder I use at Internet Based Family and learn more about Frontpage

Step 3: Hosting For Your Website

Now that you have decided how you will build your website, now it's time to pick a hosting company. If you chose the site builder I use, then you can skip this section, as the hosting comes with the site builder program (another plus!).

Boy, picking a hosting company can be really confusing. There are so many of them and how do you know where to start....how much bandwidth you need and all the other things that come with hosting. STOP! Thought that would get your attention ;) Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. This is what I did. When I started out with my website with FrontPage I followed this rule for myself:

"Start basics and small and upgrade later"

I had no clue about how much space I would need and what extras I would need. I just decided that I would rather start with the smaller hosting plan, which fit my needs, and then move up from there when I needed to. Now, the one thing you must look for in a host, if you use FrontPage, is that they have FrontPage extensions or you won't be able to publish your website with FrontPage to that host. So always look for that.

The second most important piece of advice I can pass on is to make sure your host has a good tech/customer support for you. Take of from me, often in the beginning of building a website, especially for the first time, you will have questions and need to be able to reach your host. Make sure there is an email handy, phone number (if possible) and a FAQ's section with a way to reach them if the FAQ's don’t help you.

Two affordable hosting companies you can look into are WAHM Hosting and Dayanhost. Get a feel for what they offer, check pricing, make sure there are FrontPage extensions and look for the support contact information.

Step 4: FREE Vs. Paid

If you have the urge to use a free service, like geocities, please pass on that urge. Free web hosting usually comes with obnoxious ads and a long sub domain and it just doesn't give the professional presence that your business needs. If you want people to take your business seriously, then you need to take it seriously and treat it like a "real" business. Having a professional website free of obnoxious ads all over and a your own domain name is key.

But I would always suggest you use paid hosting if you can. And please remember that you can usually write off hosting as it is a must needed expense for your business. Always check with your own accountant before you write off an expense though.

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