A lot of people think creating a website is a complicated task, only for those with web design skills or knowledge of the languages of the web (like HTML and XML) but it's getting easier and easier for a non-technical person to create a website and this beginner's guide will show you how it's done.
Domain Name Registration
The first thing you need to do is to choose the name of your website. This is the name that will appear as the address for your website and will come after the http://www. standard starting point for all web addresses. It will have to be a name that is unique and that differs from all other web addresses and it's a good idea if it represents, at least to some degree, the content that will appear on your website as it will make it easier to remember and easier for people to find your website.
This name is known as the domain name of your website and it will usually cost you a little cash to register this name each year. Search the web as there are a lot of companies out there advertising domain name registration and try to get the best deal possible. Sometimes these companies offer web hosting too and if you get web hosting and the domain name together you could qualify for a discount so shop wisely for your website essentials.
Web Hosting Package
After you have chosen your domain name, the next step is to choose the web hosting company that will host your website on their servers and make it available on the web. Some people choose to set up their own servers but this can be a daunting process so the novice is perhaps better advised to go with a hosting company to start out with.
There are many companies offering web hosting and they offer a whole range of different types of web hosting packages depending on the needs of your website. If your website is just going to be a blog with very little dynamic content (powerful changing content with fresh information for your visitors) then you will only require a basic web hosting package.
However if you intend advertising your business through your website and selling products you will need a web hosting package that supports that process with for example PHP and MySQL support (programming languages that enable your website to do more), more web space, web traffic and email accounts and the potential to host more websites. The best advice for the beginner is to talk to the customer service people at your web hosting company and describe to them what your intentions are for your website and they'll tell you what web hosting package is best for you.
Web Design Software
After the two essential steps of choosing your domain name and hosting package you can now go about the process of creating your own website. Many of the web hosting companies offer an easy to use site builder package or some kind of user friendly interface that will enable you to add content to your website without having to write HTML or CSS (a language that manipulates the look of your site).
You will have to learn how to use the interface through which you are creating your website but usually these are not too difficult to master and require no knowledge of web languages (known as mark-up languages). Some website design software can be quite expensive though and it's worth researching how user-friendly each one is.
A WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor is usually an essential feature for a beginner as it means you can input content directly onto your website in plain English without having to worry about writing HTML or XML.
Content Management Systems
Many people recommend Wordpress to make websites as it is easy to use yet is powerful enough to offer a whole range of possibilities with regard to the look and layout of your site. Wordpress has a large community of users and works by using a template system where you can select from thousands of templates that have been created by other users as the base for your site and then manipulate and tweak the site as you go.
These type of website builders are called content management systems and allow you to manage the content of your site without having an expert knowledge of the programming languages that are creating that content. Other popular content management systems include Joomla and Drupal.
Create A Website
No matter what method you use to create your website you will have to learn as you go along as this learning will enable you to modify the website and put images and content exactly where you want them and to have them appear exactly as you would like. This is the challenge for beginners because although adding content and images is not difficult, making them flexible enough to go where you want and do what you want requires a little learning.
So no matter if you choose web development applications like DreamWeaver or content management systems like Drupal the reality is that you can create a website without being a programming genius but you will have to learn the system that you do eventually use to make your website a truly captivating one. The experience is a rewarding one and then you can go on and create more websites and develop your skills even more after your first try.
Who knows - maybe one day you will be confronting languages like HTML and CSS and you'll realise they were nothing to be concerned about and you'll never have to read another beginner's guide like this one again.
Nathan Fulham - I have an Honours degree in English Literature and History and a first class Honours Post-Graduate Diploma in Technical Communication. I ...
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