Thursday 26 August 2010

Host your own webpage - Steps needed

The internet is a huge place with millions and millions of web pages floating around, and maybe you think I want to do that but you’re not sure what the process is. I will try and explain the steps you need to take for that first big step into the www.

Just like in real life you need somewhere to live, so the same thing applies on the internet. So the first thing you would need is a domain name to use as an address for your new webpage. The domain name should be relevant to what you’re trying to achieve with your site, so the name should describe what you’re going to do really.

Now that you have your address, you need to build that house, and the most important thing you have to have is a good hosting provider. This is the backbone of your house, as they provide the server which will hold your domain name.

Then to finish of your house of www. You will need a platform in your house which you can build your WebPages. The most commonly used platform for you to host your own webpage is wordpress. It’s a free platform, easy to use, and it has hundreds of add ons, to enhance your site.

So that’s all you need to put your little piece of real estate on the big wide web, a domain name, a good hosting provider, and a platform such as wordpress.

I would like to point out that choosing a hosting provider you need to look at someone that is reliable, that has good live support,(the best ones have 24 hour support), they have fantastico as part of there program, because fantastico installs wordpress for you instantly, without having to deal with databases and such.

I hope my little guide helps you take that first step to host your own webpage, and join the many millions of users that already do.

Host your own webpage - Its not that hard

If you would like to host your own webpage , there are a few obstacles in your way to achieving this, which I shall try to explain here.

Before you do anything you would need to think is my webpage going to be for a business, or is it just for fun? If you just want to put up a simple site to show your friends and family, then you could just use a simple platform like blogger, which is free and very easy to set up. If however you want to make your site look a bit more professional, than you would need more than a free platform like blogger.

First thing you would need is a domain name, preferably something that is related to what your webpage will be about. There are hundreds of domain name registrars out there, for you to choose the name that best suits your page. Unfortunately all the best domain names are taken, but something specific to you or your business should still be available.

Once you get that domain name for your webpage, what you will need to do next is point its name servers to your host. Now you’re thinking what’s a host? Well hosting providers have big servers, so that they can host thousands of sites on there servers, which makes it easier for you and me to put up a webpage. So you point the name server of your domain name so that it points to the hosting company, and you’re nearly ready to go.

The hosting company provides the server that will host your webpage, but your just using there space on the server, so you need a platform on which to put your webpage. The most common platform used is wordpress, which is a free platform that has literally hundreds of different options that you can use to enhance your webpage.

So that’s it choose a domain name, point it to your hosting provider, pick a platform that you can put your webpage on such as wordpress, then you’re good to go. I should point out that there is hundreds of hosting providers out there, that you can choose from. They average from around $7-$10 per month. You need to be looking for a company that has good 24 hour live chat support, a good interface which should have fantastico, which makes installing your domain name on to wordpress a breeze.

Host your own webpage - Things you will need

If you would like to put a website on to the internet then you will need a hosting provider. There are a few steps involved in creating your own website; first off you will need to buy a domain name. Once you have a name for your site, there is literally hundreds of sites you can choose to register your domain name, you will need to set the DNS settings so that your domain name points to your new host.

When deciding on a hosting provider to host your own webpage , you need to take into account things such as how reliable is your host. Do they give 24 hour support; most of the top companies give live 24 hour support. Obviously you would like a cheap host, but you pay for what you get, but you can expect to pay between $7 to $10 per month.

Other things to take into consideration are how many domain names you can host on 1 account, can you have an email address associated with the account. Reputable companies also allow bulk email sending, if you decided to set up an email list.

Another important feature I think people need when deciding to host your own webpage, is the hosting interface. You need an interface that is user friendly, so that you can navigate your way around with ease.

A good point to remember also is when you choose your host, make sure that it has fantastico as one of its features, because fantastico supports wordpress, which is the most widely used platform for building your website.

Clicking on fantastico in your host once your domain name has been added, automatically sets up your basic website for you to build, very useful feature indeed. So that’s it basically, buy a domain name from a registrar, and change the dns so that it points to your new hosting company. Install wordpress through your host, using fantastico. And start building whatever you want.