Whether it’s for a small business startup, an existing business, a creative artist who wants to display their work online, or for someone with a strong interest in a particular cause or hobby, these days almost everyone can benefit from having an online presence in the form of a website.
Why Start A Website
The global nature of the Internet makes it possible to meet people, make friends, business contacts, and potential customers, fans/patrons, and allies in a cause who may live anywhere on the planet. The Internet provides businesses with a storefront that never closes and needs no staff. It gives artists, writers and musicians greater control of their work, and the ability to self-distribute their work to millions of people at a very low cost. It allows job seekers to post a resume that requires no postage and can be viewed any time of the day or night.
But with all of these reasons to start a website, it’s easy to start a website that does too much, and none of it well. For anyone who wants to start a website, the key is to focus on doing just a few things well. It’s crucial for the site owner, web entrepreneur, web developer, or web publisher (the terms are nearly interchangeable) to know what he/she wants their site to accomplish, and design a site to do those things, and only those things.
Refine the Concept
The first and most crucial requirement for starting a website is to decide what exactly the website is meant to accomplish, and what the tone and presentation style should be. If it’s an artist’s portfolio site, it could be straightforward and a fairly dry presentation of completed work, or it might be somewhat quirky and meant to display the creator’s own personal style as well as their artwork.
For an online business startup, or an electronic storefront for an existing business, the layout, styling, and overall feel of the business should reflect the products being sold. It makes no sense to sell high tech electronics in a storefront that looks like Aunt Emmy Lou’s parlor. You’d want the website to be slick and refined with lots of clean colors and modern typefaces, etc.
Once the purpose and style of the site have been established, the first and most definitive step in starting a website is just around the corner. It’s time to choose a name.
Domain Name Registration
One of the first steps in starting website is to register a name (domain name) for the site. Some thought should be given to this name, as it is meant to be reflective of the content on, and purpose of, the site. It will also be the most common way that people will find the site through search engines, business cards, and word of mouth.
Once a name has been chosen, registering domain names (buying domain names) is a fairly straightforward process that can be done easily through one of two methods:
- Network Solutions: This is the company charged with registering and keeping track of all domain name registrations. Anyone wishing to register a new domain name can go directly to Network Solutions.
- Web Hosting/ Domain Registration: Most commercial web hosting companies can (for a fee) register domain names in addition to providing a range of web hosting options. Web Hosting is the act of storing the designs and content that constitute a website and making it available across the Internet for a fee.
Web Hosting & Data Storage
There are many companies in a wide variety of price ranges, depending on services needed (basic hosting, forums, blogs, shopping cart and online store services, etc.) that will provide web hosting and domain name registration. Most reputable web hosting packages should include the ability to host multiple domains (2-5 minimum), multiple email accounts for each domain, and an allotment of storage space and maximum bandwidth allotment. Many of these web hosting companies also offer webpage temples and design software that is easy to use, and more than adequate to help a new website owner, web entrepreneur, or Internet publisher build a website.
Overall, it’s best to avoid the cheapest web hosting companies, as their ability to keep their servers online, and the quality of their service may be questionable. For not much more money, it’s possible to find a web host with a proven track record. Top web hosting companies have a reputation for good uptime (few technical problems), better customer service, and offer a wider range of services to serve their clients as they grow their online business or web presence.
For reasons of marketing, control of the product, and making money, having a website is almost a necessity for anyone who regularly goes online. Developing that website doesn’t have to be a painful process. There are tools available that make the process, if not “easy”, at least doable for the web developer who is reasonably Internet aware. The first steps on this journey are to establish a concept for the site, register a domain name, and choose a web host.
Once a name has been registered, a web host should be chosen, and then the process of designing the website can begin.
Definitions of key terms and phrases can be found in this Glossary of Web Design & Publishing.
Glenn Kaufmann - Having moved every four years up to the age of 12, I've always been something of a restless soul ready to take on the next big thing. I ...
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