When starting out to make a website for the very first time it's handy to have a basic check list of what you need to do and in what order to do them. When you're new to this stuff looking at all the things you have to accomplish can seem like a lot at first. Just take them one at a time and you'll be off and rolling before you know it.
Step 1 - Get a Domain Name
Come up with a few different domain names that will work for your new website or blog and visit one of the major domain name registrars online. You may need to be flexible with what name you get as very often your first choice will already have been registered by someone else. It depends on what sort of site you're going to be making but a good general rule is try for a.com domain name if you can. The cost of a regular unregistered domain will run you right about $ 10 per year.
Step 2 - Get Web Hosting
A web hosting account is space you rent on a server and is where the files that make up your website will stay. There are different types of hosting accounts on different types of servers. If you are making a website that will be using specific software, will be running specific programs or require a certain type of database be sure to get a hosting account that meets or better yet exceed the requirements. A good standard shared hosting account will run you around $ 10 per month.
Step 3 - The Actual Website
Your actual website is the files (such as text, images, videos, audio files and so on) that will make up the site your visitors will see on their web browsers. There is a big range of different kinds of websites and programming languages out there from static HTML sites to CMS (Content Management System) sites to Flash sites. Determine what type of software you'll be using, read up on it and jump in. The best way to learn this stuff is to simply start doing it. Some types of websites and website software are open source and free while others will cost you.
Step 4 - Create an Email
The internet is by nature an interactive system. Be sure to create an email from your domain name so your web visitors can easily contact you about your site. Most major hosting companies make it very easy to create multiple emails quite quickly.
Take Away
Get your domain name, a hosting account, start building that website and be sure to make an email from your domain. Do not get hung up on little problems and keep at it. Even for the complete beginner with a little bit of work and time you'll be amazed what you can accomplish!
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