GREAT! So you want a website? Now what???

Well, it is natural to assume that you will (probably) want to register a domain name. Pick a good one! It will stick with you for awhile!!!

Next step in a website is hosting! Website hosting is essentially storage space for your website’s files, but it gets abit more complicated than that (But not too much!)

(You can probably skip this next part if you want)

Technically, the web server that hosts your website is also responsible for “serving” that content to the rest of the world! This is why it is called a “server”, and the operating system (OS) of the server runs similiarly to your own personal computer! A Website Host will typically run Windows or Linux, with different capabilities for each type. For the most part, you will want a website host company that has both options open to you. The majority of websites (being mostly HTML) will run just fine on either platform. Specific applications (such as Wordpress, the application that powers the blog you are reading now) will experience greater compatibility on a Linux platform for the most part, and many web developers prefer Linux hosting (since most applications developed for Linux are open source, there are MANY free applications available (correctly referred to as “scripts”). Additionally, many of these open-source applications will have an extremely wide variety of themes and plugins available to customize your website with very little effort! This is GREAT news! It means you can have a fully functioning, interactive website hosted and live with VERY little effort or learning! There are other methods to building a website, so sometimes it can be tough to choose. Let me know if a free consultation interests you and I will be glad to help guide you to a solution.

(Ok, Keep Reading)

For the most part, you can build ANY type of website on almost any type of hosting plan or package, including a full eCommerce site if you choose, with very little experience and next to no programming required (if any!)

Next, you need to decide on an overall purpose for your website. Will it be just a basic layout, super simple? You could get away with a website design software utility for that purpose. Alternatively, you could hand-code HTML or a scripting language of your choice, but who wants to do that?!?! If you do not have website design software, you could consider using a blogging platform, such as Wordpress, or even a full-fledged CMS (Content Management System) such as Joomla or Drupal. These work great, and are easy to get up and running. All of our website hosting includes installers for these and other applications to make hosting a website super easy! We encourage you to explore your options and make the decision to FINALLY bring your website online! If you have questions about specific goals/needs, feel free to ask: we love comments. You can also use our free consultation to help make the right decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this long-winded article, please share it on your favorite social networks! I’m sure your friends would like it too! Thanks, and have a great day!

Domain registration represents ownership of a domain name. There are many different “top-level domains” (TLD), such as the dotCom (.com) we’re all familiar with, as well as .Net, .Org, .Biz, .mobi, .info, .us, and a whole list of other TLD’s that are mostly thought to be “country-code” specific. These are called ccTLD’s, and can often have restrictions on domain registration based on the owners country of origin.

Is Domain registration expensive?

Domain registration is considered to be the least expensive part of owning a website, and domain registration is easy! Most domain extensions can have their domain registration acquired for less than 10 dollars! Since it is so easy to register a domain, many new online businesses are encouraged to register domains in bulk. Domain registration in bulk can help protect your online-branding, as well as provide more search engine visibility.

Why register a domain?

Even if you do not currently plan to have a website, sometimes it is more important to register your ideas well in advance to ensure the domain is ready for you to use, when you need it. Considering that someone could just as easily register a domain at nearly the same time you might be considering the same idea, domain registration is a perfect way to lock in your online future, maybe even before your website ideas are fully formed.