How to Create a Website – The Basics
I'm Ted Trainer, a professional web designer.
I wrote this beginner's guide to help the large number of people who want to create a website, but have absolutely no idea of what to do.
In this Website Setup Guide, I show you exactly how to set up a proper, normal website with a .com domain name, from start to finish. You don't need to know anything about computers or websites, to follow this guide and make a website of your own.
Creating a website and running it this way will cost you about $3-4 per month in total. The information in this site is all free.
Thousands of people from all around the world have set up successful small business websites, personal websites, and blogs, by following these instructions. It's easy to create a website by following this guide, but if you ever get stuck, you can email me, and I'll be happy to help.
Making a website – An overview
Take note of this overview. It's important.
To create a website, you only need to do these two things:
- Sign up for website hosting, and choose a domain name (i.e. something.com).
- Create your website.
In steps two and three of this site, I will explain how web hosting works, and how to create a website. Step 4 (Extra Information)provides lots of general information related to setting up a website. Step 5 (Start Making Your site) covers all the actual instructions you need to follow, to set up your site. If you don't want to learn anything, you can just skip to step 5 if you like
How to Set Up a Blog, by Using WordPress
I'm Ted Trainer, a professional web designer.
Setting up a blog, in a nutshell
Take note of this overview. It's important.
To set up a blog, you only need to do these two things:
- Sign up for web hosting, and choose a domain name (i.e. something.com).
- Use WordPress to create your blog.
In steps two and three of this site, I will explain how web hosting works, and how to create a blog. Step 4 (Extra Information)provides lots of general information related to setting up a website/blog, and Step 5 (Start Making Your site) covers the actual instructions you need to follow, to set up your blog.
Domain Name & Web Hosting
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the internet address of a website or blog. (For example, websitesethttp://01blogging.blogspot.com is the domain name of this site.) You'll need to choose a domain name.If you already have a domain name, that's fine. I'll tell you how to use that.
Some domain name advice
- Your domain name should be simple, obvious, and as short as possible.
- It's more important to make your domain name memorable and speak able than it is to make it accurate. Don't stuff your whole business name into your domain name. (e.g. Maude Smither Landscaping & Gardening should use smitherlandscaping.com, not maudeslandandgdn.com)
- Don't use numbers or dashes (without very good reason). They look gimmicky.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is where your website (or blog) actually sits, on a computer, in a building somewhere, when you put it on the internet. It doesn't matter where in the world you're located, or where your web hosting is located.Web hosting is the only thing you have to pay for, to set up a website. Everything else can be done for free.
Cost: $3-4 per month.
My recommendation for web hosting
Choosing a web hosting provider is not easy. There's a huge number of very similar web hosts out there, and 99% of the information about them is bogus. Feel free to do your own research into web hosting, but I think you'll find it mind-boggling.
Whether they say so or not, all sites that recommend web hosting receive payment from the web hosting company, for the promotion of their product. Because of this, the internet is littered with sites that promote any and every web host, regardless of the quality of those hosts.
Typically, the person making the recommendation has no knowledge of the host. This makes it extremely difficult for a novice to find accurate information about web hosting.
Typically, the person making the recommendation has no knowledge of the host. This makes it extremely difficult for a novice to find accurate information about web hosting.
Readers of this guide typically just want me to recommend a web host to them, so I only recommend one host Host Gator. It's the host I use myself. It's simple, reliable, and much cheaper than most alternatives. I also believe in doing business ethically, so I like to be upfront about the fact that this site is supported by commissions from some of the products, including web hosting, that it recommends.
Host Gator gives a free domain name (normally $15-20 a year), and also gives visitors to this site a 47% discount off their prices.Signing up with Host Gator takes about ten minutes. (This is fully explained in Step 5 – Start Making Your Site, but but here's the link to there sight, if you want to visit them now.) If you use Host Gator, I can tell you exactly what to do, to set up your website or blog.(Disclaimer: Website Setup Guide receives compensation for some of the products it recommends.)
Next step: Creating a website (or blog)
Now that you know what a domain name and web hosting are, the next step is to learn how you actually make your site/blog.
Designing a Website or Blog – How it Works
WordPress
WordPress is the system I recommend you use to design and manage your site (or blog). It's a very popular completely-online system that lets you easily build a professional-looking website/blog without any technical know-how.There is no additional cost to use WordPress.
Once you've signed up for web hosting, setting up WordPress on Host Gator web hosting is very easy. Full instructions are in Step 5 (Start Making Your Site).
Overview of WordPress
In WordPress, all you need to do is type in the text of your pages, and (if you like) add some pictures. WordPress will create the pages, apply your site's layout to them, and add a link to each one from the menu bar. If your site is a blog, you can easily make new posts. WordPress will add them to the top of the blog page for you, and manage visitor comments (if you allow comments.)
In WordPress, you don't design a layout. You just choose one. You can't edit these layouts, but you can very easily change major features, like the background color and header picture. This makes things very easy.
WordPress operates from the internet, through your browser. Because of this, it works on any computer (PC, Mac, etc) or device (smart phones, iPhone, iPad etc.) with internet access. If you can browse the internet, you can use WordPress.
What a WordPress Website Looks Like
This is a screenshot of a typical WordPress website, using the default Twenty Eleven graphical theme. It's very simple and professional.You can very easily choose a much fancier theme if you like, and change themes at any time. There are thousands of themes to choose from.
How WordPress Works
This is a screenshot of WordPress's Control Panel. You get here by clicking a little "log in" link that will be on your site, and then typing in a password.Everything in WordPress is done from this Control Panel. At the left is a list of all the settings you can change, and things you can do. It's all very simple.
Next step: More Information
You've now read through the important steps of making a website. However, there are lots more important things you probably want to know about, before you start work on your site.
General Information
Ready to Start Making Your Site?
Creating your own website (or blog) is exciting stuff. Let's begin.
To have your own site, all you need to do is follow the instructions in the yellow box below. It should take about ten minutes.
Important: Please note that you don't need to download or upload anything, go to any website other than HostGator's, or do anything other than what's in this box. Just do this step, and you'll have your own website.
It's all pretty simple, but you can always talk to HostGator's Live Chat if you get stuck, or have any questions.
Complete instructions for setting up a website/blog
- Click here if your ready to get started(Make sure you visit Host Gator by clicking this link, because right now they're offering a 47% discount, to readers of this guide.)
- Go to the your website, and click on Control Panel, if you're not already there.
Click on WordPress, then Install, then Complete.
Click Site URL.
Congratulations! Your site is now online. It usually takes a few hours for your local internet provider to discover your new site, but you can visit (and work on) your site at username.hostgator.com in the meantime (replace username with the user name you chose when signing up with hostgator.) hostgator's Live Chat will be able to help you if you have any questions or problems.
Extra things you'll probably want to do once your website is up
You can play around with WordPress yourself if you like, but you'll find it much easier if you refer to these instructions (below) instead.
- Start Here: Log in to the WordPress control panel
- Click the "Log in" link on your site.
Ignore the Jetpack section.
- Create/edit a page
- Click Pages, then click Add New.
(You may want to untick Allow Comments here. Click Screen Options, Discussion, to see this option.) - Make your main page not be a blog
- By default, the main page of your site is a blog, with one post on it. That's fine if your site is a blog, but otherwise, you should choose a different page to be your main page. (Don't just edit the blog post that's there. If you do that, it will still have the date, category and "Leave a Reply" on it.)Create a new page, as in the step above. Then click Settings, Reading, and press the little button next to A static page.
Click the Front Page dropdown box, and choose the page you just created (you can make a new page first, or just choose the Sample Page if it's the only page there.) Click Save Changes.
If you still want a blog, you can choose another page to be your "posts page". - Remove the "Leave a Reply" box
- While you're writing a page, click Screen Options at the top right, and then tick Discussion. The Allow Comments box will appear at the bottom of the page. Untick it.
To have comments turned off on all new pages by default, click Settings, Discussion.Untick all three Default article settings boxes. Click Save Changes. - Add a blog post
- Click Posts, then Add New.
- Edit the links at the right of the page
- Click Appearance, Widgets.
- Change the title and "Just another..." slogan
- Click Settings, General.
Change the Site Title and Tagline.
Important: Never change the WordPress address (URL) and Site address (URL) boxes on this page. - Insert a picture or video
- While you're editing a page, click Add Media (it's next to Upload/Insert.)
Click the Detailed instructions button below, for information about aligning pictures properly.
- Create a link
- While editing a page or a post, select some text. Then click the little "chain" icon.
- Change the header picture
- Click Appearance, Header.
- Choose a new design for your website (optional)
- Click Appearance, Themes.
If there's something you want to do, that's not covered on this chart, please don't get discouraged.see the Blog Success and List of Common Questions & Issues link.
If you're having trouble with any of these instructions, or you can't get your site to look how you want it to, then please try
The World's Best Auto Blog Creation & Unique Content Management Software
The World's Best Auto Blog Creation & Unique Content Management Software
Extra: Plugins
Plugins are significant extra features you can add to your site/blog. There are thousands of plugins available. They're easy to install, and can do almost anything.
- Block spam (strongly recommended)
- Anyone with a new blog should watch out for "comment spam" – unrelated comments like "great post, I agree" that also contain links. These are automated messages posted by robots. They're not real comments. The Akismet plugin blocks this comment spam.
The Akismet plugin comes with WordPress, but is not activated by default. Activate it in the plugins section, then follow its instructions, to get an "API key". If you tell the Akismet site that your site/blog is a personal blog, then you can get Akismet for free. - Add a contact form (so people can email you)
- I recommend Grunion Contact Form.
Extra: Creating an email address @ your website
The End
You've reached the end of the blog.
If you want to read more non-general information about websites, and blogs Step 4: Extra Information >>
If you feel like you're ready to start making your site, but still have questions? By! get a great mentor questions like these will be answered and more....e.g.
- Making Money Online – The Reality Mentor Chris Farrell
- Should I Write a Blog/Site About This Topic?
- Is My Blog/Site Idea Technically Feasible?
- What if I Already Have a Website?
- [ Full List of Common Questions & Issues ]
- Don't you really want to know about
- Blogging Mastery Painlessly
- */ The World's Best Auto Blog Creation & Unique Content Management Software/*
- Building a Successful Blog
- Get a Higher Ranking on Google
- Make Money by Putting Advertising on Your Site
- People are earning ungodly sums of money ever week, what are you waiting for, and why are you waiting to get started.
- Create A.I.Smart Technology Business Sites
(A Artificial Intelligent business site is any site that's selling or promoting a product or service.)
- Sell Things on Your Website (Via PayPal)
- Include Important "Keywords" on Your Site
- Get More Visitors to Your Site by Advertising on Google
- Contact
gmail:Ted Trainer
WSG was launched on November 5th, 2010, and is currently visited by hundreds of people each day.
My aim with Website Setup Guide is to provide a guide that is succinct, honest, complete, and easy to follow, and most
important free, up-to-date and accurate.
Thank you for using Website Setup Guide. Good luck with your new website. :)
- Ted Trainer
Webmaster
Overview
This Website Setup Guide (WSG) was created and is maintained by me, Ted Trainer, a web designer from Brooklyn, New York.WSG was launched on November 5th, 2010, and is currently visited by hundreds of people each day.
My aim with Website Setup Guide is to provide a guide that is succinct, honest, complete, and easy to follow, and most
important free, up-to-date and accurate.
Thanks! :)
- Ted Trainer
Webmaster
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