ABC’s of Getting a Site Online
Getting a site online can seem difficult, conceptually, if you’ve never attempted it before. The following list is provided as a general step-by-step guide for getting a site online.
a. Determine your website needs. Is this a personal website, a business website, will you be streaming media, etc. Capture your requirements before you proceed with choosing products so you can buy the products and services that best meet your needs.
b. Choose a Site Concept. You should research your market, determine best keywords to use, what your site is going to say, and start mapping out content. You should not pick a domain name or start building pages until you’ve nailed down a solid concept. Read more in the website promotion section about how to build a content based website. This is the most important step of getting a successful site online. Don’t come up with the plan after you already are down the road a bit and have to make major course corrections.
c. Choose a domain name. Read this article to help you decide a good domain name.
d. Register you domain name. Choose a domain registrar to register your domain(s). You may want to purchase additional aliases or variations that will point to the same domain. Note that this step might be included for free with your Web Hosting company. Don’t pay for a domain name if it comes with your web hosting package.
e. Choose a Web Hosting company. Choose a web hosting company and a plan that meets your website requirements.
f. Build your website. Using an HTML editor build your website content. Preview your page regularly using multiple browsers. You may also want to consider website templates or even professional web design depending on your needs. You may also wish to consider building your website in a Content Management System.
g. Upload your website. Using an FTP client, upload your website to your web server. Your site is now online and can be viewed on the Web.
h. Promote your website. If you build it, they will not necessarily come. Learn about search engines, Pay Per Click networks, and how to make money from your site.
