How to Make a WebSite

Get Your Own Website Up and Running in No Time

Getting Started - Which Type of Website is Right for You?

Depending on your web experience and the amount of time you have to make a website, there are several options, ranging from a free blog (which is very easy to set up) to a fully hosted website on your own domain.

Do You Need Your Own Domain Name?

There are a few reasons why you might want to have your own domain name ( like "www.YOUR-NAME.com").

1) Having your own domain name looks professional. For a business, this is definitely a must, but if this is just for fun, it doesn't matter too much.

2) Having your own domain name allows you to choose and change hosting providers whenever you feel like it.

3) Your own domain name is easier for people to remember.

If you think you need to have your own domain name, skip to the section below => Setting Up a Website on Your Own Domain Name, otherwise, read on.

Option 1:

If you want to get a website up ASAP and you don't need your own domain name, your best option is probably going to be a free blog from Blogger.com. These blogs are completely free, easy to set up, and available to anyone who wants one. Just go to Blogger.com. You'll need to sign up for a free account before you can start on your website.

Your Blogger website address will look like "YOUR-NAME.blogspot.com"

Pros:
Extremely easy to set up. Takes only a few minutes. Free.

Cons:
Not professional. The website is hosted along with millions of other free blogs under one sub-domain.

Option 2:

Setting Up a Website on Your Own Domain Name

It used to be that setting up a website on (especially on your own domain) was something best left to the professionals. Thankfully, now we have the Content Management System (CMS). A Content Management System is software that is used for setting and publishing a website.

Content Management Systems make publishing and maintaining a website very easy. I will often compare it to using something like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail. The controls are very similar.

If you need to have your own domain name and have complete control over your website, then hosting your own website is the way to go. Creating a website can be extremely difficult, but by using a the right Web Host and the right content management system (WordPress), it is extremely easy.

What you'll need:
1) A good webhost
2) A domain name


The Host:
The first thing you'll need to do is find the right web host. We want to look for one that offers automatic or "one click" installation of Wordpress. There are thousands of WebSite Hosts, but only a few who can help you to get your website setup automatically.

Just to keep things simple, for a web host, I'll recommend using Dreamhost. I've been using them for over 4 years now, and haven't had any problems. They cost a bit more, about $119 per year, but it is worth it. Edit: I actually used a promo code and was able to get 1 year for about $60 (a very good deal). Go to: Dreamhost.com and enter Promo Code: 43H2SW54 to save $50.

The Domain Name:
A domain name will cost just about $10 per year. There are thousands of places to register a name, but again, to keep things simple, let's just stick with Dreamhost. You'll see the option to register a domain when you sign up with Dreamhost.

Installing WordPress on Dreamhost is really simple. Once you've signed up with Dreamhost and picked out your domain name, this video tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up your one-click installation of WordPress.