Your Site On The Internet
We're going to talk about a lot here because this is an important step too. You should know what domain names, hosting and websites are. Just in case you don't here's a quick description of all three and how they are related.
Domain Names
A domain name tells people and search engines where to find your website. workathome.divinfo.com is our domain name for example. As a rule, your domain name should match the content on you r site and be easy to remember. The importance of this depends on how you are going to market your site. If you are going to market it on the internet only via search engines and email campaigns for example, then your domain name is really unimportant as most people will be clicking on links to your site. If on the other hand you are going to market your site in a more traditional way such as TV, radio or print, it is very important. People will need to see and hear your domain name and remember it so they can type it in.
Every web site needs a domain name. Domain names like everything else cost something. Sometimes you can get the free if you purchase other services and sometimes they are free if you are using certain online software programs like blogs. We'll get into that in a bit, but for now know that domain names can be registered for about $10 per year. We recommend this company.
Hosting
Hosting is the actual space that your domain name points to and that your website resides in. As you can imagine there are many different hosting companies and many different levels of service. Google for example needs very advanced hosting services while this site does not. Like domain names sometimes hosting is free with other services or software. As a comparison, hosting for a site like this should cost no more than $5 per month. We recommend the same company for hosting as well as your domain name.
Website
Last is the website itself. There are a few ways to create or acquire your website. Depending on your skills you might make it yourself. If not, there are templates you can purchase, designers you can hire, and software or services you can use to get started.
Templates require some web design skill on your part. If you are somewhat savvy but just can't come up with a design it's the way to go. It will look professional and still be customizable to your needs. Some software falls into this category too. It is fairly easy to install and setup, but you need to be comfortable with the internet to use it. Here's a good template site to use. A good template will cost you about $75.
If there's no way you can make the site yourself, install the software or even edit the templates, don't despair. You can either hire a designer or try a free service. Here is a good design company that is very reasonable. A quality custom site should cost between $200 and $500.
Recommendations
What to do then? it really depends on your skill level and the amount you are willing to invest. I would recommend everyone start with the "free" way I'm about to describe. It's fairly quick to start and doesn't require any specific skills or up front money. The down side, or what you are really paying for with the free way is that your site will have a lower potential. Surfers and search engines will be able to tell the difference and you are limited in the type of site you can create.
I've mentioned blogs earlier and here's where they come in. Blogs or Web Logs are basically mini web sites that you can get for free. Their purpose is to discuss a specific topic and take comments from other users. There are some very nice ones you can get for free. They include a domain name, hosting and a site. Sounds good right? It actually is a pretty good way to start. The blog software and company I recommend is WordPress.
WordPress is one of the best blogging services out there. Setting up an account is quick and easy, and it comes with everything you will need. WordPress is also a software package too, so when you are ready to grow a little you can install it on your own hosting platform. Here's an example of a WordPress blog.
http://articlemotron.wordpress.com
If you're looking for more than a blog or have outgrown your blog and want to have a beefier site, then you need to get your own hosting account. it's actually quite simple as well and very cost effective. Here's the hosting company I recommend. They have a great service and are the best value for the dollar I could find. They do domain names as well as a whole slew of web services so be sure to check them out.
If all of this still sounds a little much, don't worry. i give step by step instructions on both options in the Step By Step section. For now, let's get to the good part, placing some ads so we can make some money!
Referenced Links
Domain Registrations
Web Hosting
Website Templates
Web Design
WordPress
