In this day and age, some people can’t even fathom the thought of not having an internet connection.
This is due to the big help it gives to everyone. It has helped us connect with our loved ones easily even with just a click a button.
A great source of entertainment so we will not get bored, a great way to educate ourselves with just a simple search on Google, and it can also help you earn money.
The internet is really a huge part of our lives and it is being used anywhere we go.
If you are someone who has been using the internet for a long time, then you most probably have your own website already or at least have the thought of having one.
Having a website definitely has its perks especially if you are looking to earn money.
Perks Of Having A Website
People will be able to reach you easily. If they want to know more about you or the business that you have, they can simply visit your website and find the necessary information.
You will have a platform to speak your mind and showcase your skills.
Having your own website can give you the freedom of posting whatever you like. You can post your artworks, your stories, experiences, and opinion about absolutely anything.
For example, if you are someone who loves to draw, you can post the images on your website for people to see and you can also get feedback from it.
You can earn money. There are quite a number of ways to earn money by having a website.
- First, you can sell some of the space for advertisements. Whenever people view your profile and click on the ad, it will generate income for you.
- Second, you can sell your products and services.
- Third, you can earn from the traffic that is coming to your website. There are still more ways that you can earn from having your own website.
If you have a business, having a website will give you credibility. It would show how professional you are and how serious you are about your business.
You can reach people from all over the world. Since you will have an online presence, there is a huge possibility that you can connect with people from different places
How to Get Started On Having Your Own Website
If you are not familiar with how to have your own website, then here is the perfect guide for you. It will be simple and short so it will not be hard to understand especially for beginners.
Step 1 – Choose a website platform
This will be what you will be using to build, design, and customize your website.
Having a platform makes it much easier to create a website instead of the old ways of building it by scratch using HTML and CSS.
There are a lot of awesome platforms out there like WordPress, Weebly, Joomla, and SiteRubix.
If you need help in deciding which platform is the best for you, then you can check out some awesome guides available online.
Step 2 – Get a domain name
A domain name is the one you type at the address bar like www.google.com.
Having your domain can make it easier for people to visit your website. This will be your ID which is unique and only belongs to you.
If the website you would like to create is only for yourself, then it is natural to have your first and last name as the domain name. The same goes if it is for your business.
Avoid choosing a domain extension like .org and .net, and just stick to .com instead since it’s the most used one out of the bunch.
Make sure to make it catchy as well so that people can easily remember it.
There are a lot of websites where you can purchase ones like Namecheap and GoDaddy.
If you are wondering where else you can buy a domain and would like to get more information about it, you can also find a guide online for that.
Step 3 – Find a host
Having a host will make your website be stored in the server. To have your website on a server would mean that it will be accessible to everyone who has access to the internet.
Finding the perfect host will have to depend on what you need for your website. There are a lot of websites that offer this kind of service.
There is still a lot to discuss about web hosting which I will be tackling later on.But for now, here are two hosts that most bloggers use Hostgator and Bluehost.
Step 4 – Get started with the design
When you are done choosing a web platform, buying a domain, and choosing the perfect host, you can now proceed to set up your website!
First, make sure to install your chosen platform to your domain. Next is to customize it to your preferred theme and template.
You have to make it unique and make it fit your niche or your business.
Don’t get too carried away though! After that, you can explore the extensions and services that your platform has and don’t be afraid to experiment with it.
More About Web Hosting
As I mentioned earlier, there are still a lot to be discussed in regard to web hosting.
For beginners, it can be quite a challenge to understand what exactly the function of having a host.
To put it simply, a host will store all of the content on your website to have it available to anyone who is visiting your page.
There are 3 levels of services web hosting sites offer. It is best if you understand all of them so that you can choose the right one for your website.
The 3 levels are:
- Shared
- VPS or Cloud servers
- Co-located hosting (Dedicated server)
Shared is perfect for those who are just starting or only has a small business.
It is applicable your website will not use a big bandwidth. However, the response of your website may be a bit slow since you will be sharing a server with other websites.
Next is VPS or Cloud servers. This offers a bigger storage so it will not be as slow as shared hosting.
As for co-located hosting, you will be buying a server all for yourself. This is the fastest one and is suitable for big businesses that have a huge audience already.
Once you have decided on which plan can fulfill the needs of your website, you can now choose a hosting site.
With so many hosting sites available today, it can be quite difficult to decide on which one to choose.
Below, you will see a shortlist of the websites you may want to consider:
HostGator
This is perfect for beginners. Many people use this because it is known for its cheap WordPress hosting. They are one of the pioneers when it comes to web hosting so it goes to show how excellent their services are and how reliable they are
BlueHost
This is one of the most popular web-hosting sites to date. They offer a free domain and have excellent customer service.
They also have a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their services
eHost
This also offers free domain to its users. They are also known to have the most convenient and easy to use website builder.
Like BlueHost, their customer service is considered the cream of the crop
SiteBuilder
If you are avoiding to spend money as much as possible, then this host is the perfect one for you because it is completely free.
Even though it is free, its services will not cut you short. It offers a lot of tools and has an awesome website builder
FatCow
This is one of the simplest hosting that you can find. It is secure but is not advisable for big businesses.
If you are just starting out, this can be a great choice since it is very user-friendly and has a fun style that will make it easier for beginners to use
Ideal host
This site is one of the newest ones. It is very simple to use and it is also cheap and really is a value for money.
Also, it is very safe to use despite its cheap price. Its site builder makes use of the drop and drag method, which is perfect for those who are just starting out
These are just some examples of web hosting sites. If you still didn’t find what you are looking for then you can try to look for more detailed information about several hosting sites.
How Much Do I Need To Spend?
If you are wondering how much does it cost to host a website and worrying that you might break the bank, then please read on.
There are a lot of web hosting sites that offer cheap and even free services. You just have to take the time to explore your choices carefully.
The typical web hosting cost per year for small websites is $40 up to $50. For websites that require a more powerful service, the cost per year would be around $80 up to $150 depending on the website.
If you don’t really want to spend even a dime on a web host, you can check a long list of free web hosting sites.
Host Your Own Website
If you feel like the websites that I have mentioned earlier isn’t a great fit for you and you want to test the waters and host your own website, then you are free to try it.
Just a heads up that it is not really advisable because the process is not going to be simple and it also has a lot of risks.
If you do decide to do this, make sure that you have a very fast internet connection. It is a very complicated process and will require a huge amount of time.
Conclusion
If you are a business owner, then having your own website is a priority.
This will help boost your business and give it credibility. When you have your own website, you will get to communicate and give information easily to your customers or audience.
It can also be a great way for you to earn extra income as well by selling space on your website for advertisements.
Creating a website for yourself is a great decision too since you will have the freedom to post anything that you want.
You can treat it as your diary and you will be able to connect with people who have the same interests as you.
As awesome at it is to have your own website, you will need to allow a huge amount of your time and effort to achieve it.
You will not be able to create a website with a simple click of a button. You will have to follow a few steps first.
First, you have to come up with the theme or niche of your website then choose a web platform like WordPress.org or Weebly.
After that, you will need to buy a domain name if you haven’t already and then find a host that will make the content on your website available on the internet.
Once you are done with these steps, you will now be able to design your website according to what you want. You can choose the theme and the template of it.
Before you do actually start creating your website, make sure to do a lot of research first. You have to be 100% ready and fully committed to making it work.
Finding the perfect web host for your website can be tricky. You need to understand what it is that you want for your website. Choose one that will be able to feel your needs and also affordable. With the wide range of web hosting sites, there are some that are very cheap and some that are free.