Design Website - Register Domain - Get Hosting

Have you ever entertained the idea of having a web page? If you have a business, it is very effective to advertise your services while providing more direct information to potential customers. If you just want a personal website, they can allow you an opportunity to show the world your hobbies, skills, and family activities. Regardless of the purpose of the web page, the process to set one up is the same: design the website, register domain and get hosting. While there are more specific things a website owner can do, these are the most basic activities one needs to do in order to get a functional web page.

First you have to design the website. Website design requires some understanding of HTML. While there are 'what you see is what you get' (WYSIWYG) programs available that will allow anyone to make a basic web page, using one of these will not allow you to troubleshoot various problems. There are a lot of different books available out there that do an excellent job instructing novices on how to write HTML. Javascript and Flash are often common portions of web pages but they are not necessary. They do add quality to a site but they are more advanced so it makes sense to get your basic website designed before entertaining the idea of going further.

Once you have a site you are happy with and you are ready to go public, it is time to select a name that fits you, your web page, or your business. Once you have an idea of what you want, you need to find a domain register. Most of these businesses will have an area where you can type in your chosen name. Then they will run a search to see if that name is already in use. If it is not, you can then pay the company and click the register domain button. What happens next is your website name is added to all the others out there on name servers and, soon, every web browser out on the web will be able to find your site. That is, if you finish the next step.

This step is to get hosting. Your website needs to exist on a computer that has constant access to the web. These computers are called servers and they host the HTML, Java, and other code for your web page. When someone types in your web page's name into their browser, the name servers will tell your browser where to go and it will find your web page on the host computer. Like a registrar, hosting providers can be found online and many offer different perks and features. Additionally, many registrars offer hosting options so you can get one stop shopping convenience. There are free hosting possibilities on the Internet but not as many as there used to be. Be warned though; you will usually get what you paid for.

Certainly, there is a lot more you can do with your web page. For example, one will want to get their page listed on the major search engines. There are also services like Google Analytics that will allow you to monitor the traffic that comes to your page. You will have to add some code to your website but the process is not difficult. If you have a business, adding the address for your website on to your business cards or Yellow Page listing will prove quite beneficial. Remember the three basic steps: design website, register domain, and get hosting.