STEP 3: Build the house (website) you want and place it on the space you bought in step 2

There are two ways to go about this step - You can ask someone to build you a site, build the site yourself or use a free website builder or content management system (CMS).

Each has its pros and cons. The first option is great if you can afford it and can find someone reliable. If you want cheap, post a job at your local high school or university – there are a lot of computer clubs and courses where someone will surely be able to help you (and usually pretty cheaply too). The problem is that they may not always be around when you need them to make changes and you get what you pay for – the site will not look as professional as one that a specialized web developer designed.

The next option is to build the site yourself - it's great to learn a new skill, and you can learn for free online. Just remember that it will take some time, but once you know how... you own that knowledge forever and you will never depend on someone else to build or maintain your site. There are also a lot of books or short courses you can attend which will tell you how to design, build and upload your new site to your hosting account from STEP 2.

If you don't really require a customized design and all you want to do is place some text and perhaps some pictures online. I suggest starting what's called a content management system (CMS) - these are often free, and have a fairly simple interface for adding website content without any knowledge of HTML or other programming languages. All you do is type and publish. Do an online search for “Content Management System” or CMS and read what the various systems offer. Sometimes your host will also be able to provide you with some assistance as they would probably have other clients that also use a CMS, so they will know what works well with their system and what doesn’t.

Next: Adding Content >>



Owning a website in 3 simple steps - Index:

Page 1 : Owning a website in 3 simple steps
Page 2 : Owning a website in 3 simple steps - where to begin
Page 3 : STEP 1: Choose your address
Page 4 : STEP 2: Find a web hosting provider and rent some land (a hosting account)
Page 5 : STEP 3: Build the house (website) and place it on your new space
Page 6 : Adding Content
Page 7 : Conclusion & About the author