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Is it time for you to reach the next level?
Online presence is no longer sufficient, you need a solid foundation, a new website is a great way to start, but let’s face it, you are no techie and YOU think that it will be too complicated!
It’s not! Now that you are ready to develop a website for your business, We will take you through a few basic steps to get you going on your first DIY website.
Step 1: Choose your Platform
This is just what the name implies; it is the base on which your website will stand. For newbies and even those with some knowledge of websites and coding, WordPress is the most popular choice for a responsive website platform.
It is used by over 30 percent of all websites. It is easy to use and most of the hard work has been done for you by a host of developers and web designers. It is also one of the easiest eco-systems and has an abundance of WordPress themes and plugins to get you going.
Other options include Wix, Squarespace, Your hosting website builder as well as the older CMS (content management systems) Joomla and Drupal.
If you want more flexibility and fewer problems WordPress is the recommended choice.
Step 2: Choosing a Domain Name
What will your site be called? What is your business niche? What is your focus? Use these answers to come up with a name. Write down several and then check online to see if the one you want is available. It may take a few tries to find one you like that no one has taken. Keep it as short as possible and also easy to associate with your business. Buying a domain name may cost a few bucks, but it’s worth it to have your own business name or industry/niche in it.
it needs to be something that’s easy for people to remember and less likely for them to have a typo, so avoid long names as much as you can!
Step 3: Find a good Web Hosting Service
You can’t have a website without a host. The hosting service is where your data will be stored, on their servers. Depending on how much space you need now and in the future, it might be worth a few more bucks a month to ensure that your site won’t crash or get turned off. Free web hosting services usually don’t provide enough bandwidth for a major business website. Note: find a hosting provider who is using SSD (solid state disks) because they are much faster than the older style mechanical spinning hard disks.
(I have covered how to choose a good hosting provider on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/amrtheinternetguy/
Step 4: Create a Site Map
Before you begin to put together your website in cyberspace, it needs to be put together on paper. Using a simple design, sketch out your pages: headers, content, images and positioning of these elements. Also, include which pages will link to other pages, how they will link, pull down menu options and the like. Knowing roughly how you want it to look goes a long way to getting the focused finished product you want for your business.
Step 5: Install WordPress
WordPress makes it easy to install anywhere, One-click installation is offered by most hosting providers. You can then log into the great WordPress content management system and look around to see how to set up pages, edit and upload content and more. There are many options with WordPress and hundreds of online tutorials, here’s a good one: http://videos.wpbeginner.com/
Step 6: Design your Website
WordPress offers options for free (and paid) themes (design templates) to begin with. A variety of options are available, so take some time to peruse them. If you don’t like a certain WordPress theme, you can always change it in 1 click!
For those who know coding, using HTML and CSS from inside WordPress to change the pages is a breeze.
HTML can be used in a simple text editor to get your content to show up the way that you want it without fiddling with too many options on the graphical interface. Rest assured that you DO NOT need any knowledge of HTML or CSS in order to have a good, responsive website in WordPress.
Step 7: Just kidding 🙂
Need help or recommendations with any of the above steps or general help with your new website? ping me here:
https://www.facebook.com/amrtheinternetguy/
Good luck
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