The Six Steps to Building Your Own Website

For those who want a website of their own but are not sure how to go about it. here is the step-by-step process, without paying big money to someone to do it for you. The plan here is to do this cheaply and the total cost of setting up a custom web site can be just a few dollars and some of your time. Once your site is online, the only on-going costs are your monthly or annual web hosting charges and the yearly domain renewal fee.

Here is the complete 6 step-by-step website building process:

Step 1: Put your plans, thoughts and ideas on paper.

Draw a rough picture of how you would like your website to look. Got some coloured pencils? Use those also. Now work out what you want on your pages. For example, you may want to include these pages: - About Me/Us - Contact Page - My interests (if it is a personal website) or a Products page if you are selling something or a Service you are offering.

Step 2: Put it onto your computer.

You need a WYSIWYG HTML Editor (stands for What You See Is What You Get). There are many programs to choose from such as Dreamweaver and Frontpage. There are also programs that do exactly the same as those high-priced ones, they offer the easiest way to design a web site, especially for the first timer, and they are FREE. Simply download one, follow the instructions to get it running, and play with it. You can do no damage, so play with all the features and get a feel of it. Follow the manual they provide. Examples of free ones include NVU.

Often your website hosting company will provide you with a free HTML editor, so check with them first before you spend any money.

Step 3: Get a Website Template

When designing a new website, I suggest you start with a pre-designed template, rather than designing the site from the very beginning. This will save you countless hours of time without the aggravation or steep learning curve. Some website hsoting companies provide their clients with free website templates, so check your hosting company first before buying any.

Step 4: Get Your Own Domain Name

Once your website is set out on your computer, you'll need to decide on a domain name for your new website. Registering your own domain name means that surfers / visitors will be able to connect to your website by entering www.YourName.com into their browser.

Try to choose a domain name that is easy to remember and has something to do with your business or your name. For example: www.YourAfghans.com www.BestKennels.com www.DogBiscuitsExtrordinaire.com

A Top Level Domain such as .com is the most popular and easiest to remember. and you can register a .com domain name for just US$9.99

Step 5. Select a Hosting Company for your Website

Your website is designed and you have registered your domain name, so why do you need to hire a company to host your site?

Hiring a web host who already has everything set up is a cost effective solution. Your website needs "space" on a server (a computer that is online 24/7/365) so that people can see your website, and this is what a hosting company provides.

Your web host will maintain your 24 hour connection to the web making sure visitors can connect to your website at all times.

Inexpensive hosting is availabel nowadays, and I recommend you go with a host specializing in your topic - for example, if you sell widgets, then find a hosting company that specializes in providing website hosting for widgets, or if your website is about dogs, choose a company that provides hosting for dog sites. These companies understand your needs and requirements better than a general hosting company.

Step 6: Upload your website to your hosting space

"FTP" stands for "File Transfer Protocol" and there are lots of these programs available on the web and many hosting companies provide a simple Free FTP program for their clients.

This is a step that many people new to having a website have problems with. Basically, you'll be transferring your newly designed web pages from your own computer to the computer at your web hosting company.

Most WYSIWYG design programs come with a "web publishing" interface but the details are often confusing and difficult to follow. Rather than using the web publishing interface in your design program, use FTP to upload your pages as you will find it much easier.

There are many FTP programs you can try and they are not expensive. For example: CuteFTP, WS_FTP and Fetch for Mac.

But there is no need to pay any money if your hosting provides you with a free one, so check with them first.

Done - your website is online for the world to see!

John Ross

About the Author

VIPdogs.com providing website hosting solutions for the dog sites of breeders, owners and friends of The Dog since 1997, together with the free webtools necessary to ensure website building success!