Create Your Own Website
Posted Under: Website Usability
Why not just create your own website, instead of outsourcing it and spending a ton of money?
Many people are under the misconception that creating a website, especially a business website, is better left to the professionals.
In some instances, this is correct, but with the availability of free software, and cheap domain hosting; almost anyone can easily create their own website in a matter of hours.
The first step is to determine what your website is to be about.
Planning is important when you create your own website, and should be taken seriously.
Don’t put up a website just for the sake of having one up on the Internet; it should serve a specific purpose.
After you have a plan in mind, the next step is to get a cheap hosting plan from a reputable organization.
There are many web hosts on the Internet, and a simple Google search will provide you with a nice list of choices.
Host Gator, Host Monster, Just Host, Fat Cow, are a few notable providers that deliver reliable hosting along with courteous, responsive, customer service, at a reasonable price.
Make sure that the hosting plan you finally settle on allows for installation of WordPress on your domains using cpanel.
Purchase a domain name applicable to what your website is all about, and point the name servers to your hosting account.
You can also purchase the domain name from inside your hosting account, and make things easier.
Next install WordPress on your domain.
Using the control panel (cpanel) of your hosting plan, just click on the WordPress icon, and you will be able to choose the domain you want the WordPress software installed on.
Then add a password, and a name for your website, and you’re finished with the basic installation.
At this point, if you choose, you can completely change the appearance and functionality of your new website by simply rotating the theme.
This is easily done by going to the appearance section of your dashboard, and clicking on themes.
You can search for a theme, that reflects what you plan on accomplishing in the first planning step, from the list of themes located here. Or, you can go to the WordPress theme directory to find additional themes to use.
You can change the way your website acts just by changing the theme.
Finally, when you are satisfied with the layout of your website; you are ready to add your content to your site.
Go to the admin area, write your article content, and publish it in either a post, or as a web page on your new website.
You can edit your content as you see fit, and you can add additional audio, pictures, video, or graphics if you choose, prior to publishing your piece.
There is a preview function, you can use at any time, that allows you to see what your content will look like online prior to publication.
