How to Start Your Own Website in 5 Steps

If you’re ready to start your own website, here’s what you need to do.

The first course of action is to get a domain name. There is a great deal of misinformation on this subject, so you may want to peruse the following criteria before settling on a domain name.

The domain name should end with a .com.

A domain name that is easy to spell.

Easy to say over the phone or in person.

Free of numeric characters and dashes.

The domain name should be catchy, easy to remember.

Descriptive of what you are offering.

Now here are a few exceptions. If you are starting a personal blog (and by personal, it may be business oriented but it belongs to you), then it’s perfectly acceptable to use your name even if it’s not easy to spell.

One other potential exception is that of a descriptive name. Although it is normally preferable to have a descriptive domain name, many examples exist where this is not the case. Consider Google: one might initially think a better name would be TheBestSearchEngine.com. Put some thought into identifying your target audience and what appeals to them.

Your second step is to find a good web host and sign up for a hosting plan. Ask your colleagues who they recommend. There are also online forums which devote considerable space to the question of which web host is the best.

The third step is to setup your website. You will need to make a decision fairly quickly what format will be suit your needs.

The fourth step is to put up content on your site. If you selected a blog format for your site, you will be pleased at how simple this step is.

The fifth step is to arrange a plan for promoting your website. After going to all the work of setting up your site, you want to make sure that as many people know about it as possible. How will you make this happen? Some possible methods include writing articles, making videos, writing press releases, posting on forums, and posting on blogs.

Putting up a website can be quite taxing but can also reward you in more ways than you might realize.