Website – How to get Started

Search & Register a Domain Name

So, you want a website and you’re wondering how to get started? First you need to search a domain name you may like at a registrar. When you buy it, its yours for the term you paid for, and you actually “register” your domain (e.g. your website.com) with that registrar like Godaddy or Namecheap. These companies often offer hosting as well these days, and use can use their hosting or you may choose to have them hosted elsewhere. Hosting is different than registering. When you get hosting, you are purchasing space on an actual physical computer with a connection to the internet, in a server farm somewhere. Your website is a group of files in a folder on that computer, with various sub-folders and software that get added over time, such as when you install Word Press. When you register a domain, which is about $10/year, it doesn’t yet exist on a computer anywhere; it is just legally reserved for you. When you do get hosting, you log into your registrar account and “point” your domain at your hosting account by entering the Name Servers in the domain file management page.

Attain Hosting

All computers connected to the internet, including both home computers and servers, have an address called an IP address, which is a series of numbers and periods. (You can see your own IP address at www.whatismyip.com.) When you get a hosting account, you get space on a computer server with an IP address. You will then log back into your registrar account (e.g. GoDaddy) and point your domain name to that IP address you received from your hosting company, and they become attached, like a person moving into a physical address at a house. If you switch hosting accounts, you can, in the future, point your domain at a different IP address by logging into your registrar account.

Build your website and Optimize It

So after you have selected a hosting Company, and have pointed your domain to the hosting DNS, you can then upload a platform like WordPress to start building and customizing your website. There are many different themes to choose from and helpful plug-ins as well to simplify the process. Once you site is complete, and live, you may find that it is not getting any traffic. You may be wondering how to get my business found on google and may want to ask for help from someone in the SEO field of expertise, to help you with search engine optimization and building your marketing profile.

Raymond Frohlich