I put off creating a Web site for a long time—a really long time. As a technophobe, the prospect was daunting to me. I knew it would help me showcase my writing and attract new freelance clients but I was overwhelmed with the options and stymied by fear. What is a domain name? How do I get a URL? Who will “host” the site? I can barely host a cocktail party and my prior experiences with content management systems left me befuddled. So it was pure luck when I stumbled across Yahoo Small Business and created my Web site easily and painlessly on a student’s shoestring budget. Here’s how I did it and you can too!
1. Why a Web site?
Before you even start, think about why you want to create a Web site. Is it for business or personal use? Do you intend to sell items using it? Do you plan to upload pictures and video? Is it meant for a large audience or people in a certain industry or just your family and friends? Jotting down the purpose of the Web site and taking some time to think about what you want it to accomplish will save time once you actually start creating it. In building the Web site, you want to include everything you may think you need right at the start, saving yourself the time and money the go with modifications later on.
2. Choose Your Domain Name … with Care
Your domain name is the address that people will visit to view your Web site. It is preceded by the World Wide Web designation www. This address says a lot about your Web site and is not often changed so consider it carefully. You should choose something that is short and memorable. If you are using two words, make sure they make sense squashed together as they will be in your URL. Finally if you have a long or cumbersome last name or company name consider something shorter, cheeky, and memorable. For instance the Web site of author Karen Salmansohn is www.notsalmon.com. Domain names can be purchased for a small fee online.
3. Find the Host with the Most
Web site hosts provide space on their server and connectivity so that your Web site will appear on the World Wide Web. Yes, of course, it’s more complicated than that but you don’t need to learn all the specifics—that’s what the pros are for.
