| If you want to design a website for business | | | | be aware of the pitfalls if you choose the |
| or personal reasons it might seem like a | | | | wrong host. Choose a web host that is |
| tough task. Fortunately, there are many | | | | dependable, affordable, offers excellent |
| resources and tools online today to help you | | | | customer service, and offers the features you |
| get a website up and running quickly on the | | | | need for your website. Free web hosting |
| World Wide Web (www) | | | | services are available if you're starting a |
| | | | personal website, but are not recommended for |
| Below are the five steps to creating your own | | | | business websites. |
| website. | | | | |
| | | | Be aware that not all hosting services offer |
| 1. Decide on a website theme | | | | special add-on features such as PHP or MySQL |
| | | | capabilities. Not all hosting services offer |
| Choose a website theme that will flow with | | | | a reliable control panel for site management |
| your business or personal goals. If you're | | | | and following your website's visitor |
| selling search engine optimization services | | | | statistics. So, be sure to choose a web |
| (SEO), choose a theme that fits well with | | | | hosting provider that offers what you need |
| search engine optimization services (SEO). | | | | for now and future growth. |
| Perhaps you'd like a website that offers | | | | |
| training in a particular field or that | | | | 4. Design Your Website |
| provides useful information or services in | | | | |
| fields such as health, insurance, marketing, | | | | Once you choose a domain name and secure web |
| finance, family, home and garden, web design, | | | | hosting, it's time to design your website. |
| etc. | | | | You have two options:a) Learn web skills such |
| | | | as HTML and PHP so you can design your own |
| Use search engine optimization tools such as | | | | website.b) Hire a web designer. |
| to determine popular keywords in your field. | | | | |
| This will help you narrow your theme and find | | | | If you choose to learn web design, there are |
| a niche market. The more specific you are, | | | | many tutorials and courses online to help you |
| the more likely you'll reach your targeted | | | | learn. You don't have to spend thousands of |
| audience. | | | | dollars taking a college course. Or, you can |
| | | | find a website that has the same features you |
| 2. Choose a Domain Name | | | | want and ask who designed it. This will help |
| | | | you find a dependable designer who already |
| You can visit almost any web host to find out | | | | has the skills needed for your project. |
| what domain names are available. Your domain | | | | |
| name is the web address people will type in | | | | Either way, determine what type of |
| to find your website and it is completely | | | | programming language you will use beforehand. |
| unique to you. It could end in .com, .net, | | | | This will be based on the features your |
| .org, or a variety of other suffixes. | | | | website will have. |
| | | | |
| Example: | | | | 5. Get Your Website Noticed |
| | | | |
| Choose a domain name that meets the following | | | | It's time to promote your website. You can |
| criteria: | | | | promote in many different ways: search engine |
| | | | optimization, paid search engines, free |
| 1. Not too long. | | | | search engine submission, e-zine advertising, |
| | | | and even off-line advertising. Include your |
| 2. Easy to spell - even for kids. | | | | website address on everything you print such |
| | | | as business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, |
| 3. Simple and easy to say. | | | | envelopes, etc. |
| | | | |
| 4. Fits your website theme. | | | | Probably one of the most effective ways to |
| | | | promote is by adding content articles to your |
| 5. Easy to remember. | | | | website. Articles get noticed by the search |
| | | | engines because they are informational and |
| Remember, your domain name will be used in | | | | useful. The more information you offer, the |
| all advertising campaigns whether in print or | | | | better your search engine rankings will be. |
| online, so keep it simple. | | | | If you sell insurance, write many articles |
| | | | about insurance for your website or hire a |
| 3. Choose Web Hosting | | | | writer to write them for you. Whatever your |
| | | | theme, provide plenty of content for your |
| Web hosting is a must for a website. This is | | | | users. |
| the "web space" you'll buy so your website | | | | |
| can appear on the World Wide Web. You can | | | | Use these five steps to get your website |
| choose from thousands of web hosts today, but | | | | going. You're on your way to web success! |