How to Make a Website- 5 Simple Steps to Putting a Website Online Fast
Learning how to make a website doesn’t need to be a long drawn out experience. You don’t need to learn HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, and other jargon. Obviously you could do that if you want to, but be warned it takes a LOT of learning. The game has changed forever with open-source software that allows you to put sites online quickly, easily, and freely. Here’s a 5 step process to help you get a website online fast.
Make a Website Step 1) Get a cheap hosting plan- Hosting is a cost you can’t get around if you plan on making websites. A hosting company provides the space on their servers for you to place your website files that will go onto the internet. To rent space with a lot of other people, this is called a “Shared Plan”. This is probably what you want for a basic website (or however many you want). If you had a website that took a LOT of space and you wanted to have serious security on it, then a “Dedicated server” would be right for you.
Cost- $3- $10 per month.
Make a Website Step 2) Choose a Free Open Source Software and Install It on Your Domain- By far the best software to use is WordPress. WordPress is a blogging software used by millions on the web, and many people don’t even know it exists! The site you are looking at right now is created on WordPress. A good hosting company will have a one click installation button. You simple click the button, choose the domain you want to put it on, and log into the “Admin Dashboard” to start working on your site.
The Domain Name- A good hosting company will give you a lifetime domain name for signing up with them. Otherwise they are around $10. Good hosting companies will have videos showing you how to put WordPress on your domain with one-click installation.
Make a Website Step 3) Customize Your WordPress Website- You can make the website act like a blog, or like a personal website, or a professional business website. You simply have to choose the right “Theme” for you. Themes are the templates that the website is made with. You can install, again with just clicking, Themes that are highly customizable with your own logos and graphics, or just use ready made themes.
Make a Website Step 4) Customize WordPress Site With Plugins and Widgets- Install “Plugins” that help with the look and functionality of your website even further. Plugins help with anything, from SEO to adding pictures and video to your sites. You can think of Plugins as “Applications” for your phone. You can add “Widgets” to the sidebars in your website. Widgets will allow you to add text, photos, links, etc…
Make a Website Step 5) Add Content and Publish- Now you can click on “Add Post” or “Add Page”, add your content, and click Publish. Your website is now on the web and ready for the world to see!
You can see that making a website doesn’t need to be a process that takes years of education and expensive software. It just takes a little know-how and a couple hours. You can make multiple websites. Perhaps you are looking to make money from websites, want to make a nice looking site for your business, or just want to create a cool personal site. Whatever you want to do, WordPress is a great option.
The most important step is to get a quality hosting plan with a company that gives you great support. Hosting a website and getting the software you need becomes an easy process when you use the right company.