At Domainnetworks we're constantly assailed by clients who balk at the idea of creating a website. Why? Because, well, apparently "it's too hard." Or "it's too expensive." Or "you need tech skills." Here's the cold hard truth — are you ready for it — that's a load of horse manure. Excuses. A couple of years ago, crafting and designing a website required a college degree, today, the task can be done in a matter of minutes, using the most rudimentary tools available on the web right from your phone. In this article, we're going to give you a quick, dirty, but incredibly simple cheat sheet on how to create a website in minutes — no previous knowledge, skills, or tech-savviness needed.
A cheat sheet on how to create a website in minutes
It's important to note that this isn't an instructional manual on how to create an award-winning interactive, dynamic, website — the type Apple, Nike, or all those other businesses have. This is just a simple guide on how to get on the web and start having a presence in a matter of minutes. And on budget of no more than 100 bucks.
Some things to clarify beforehand, we're going for presence, not quality. What does that mean? Well, the more money you can invest on a website - getting a designer, hiring a copywriter, purchasing a dedicated host, etc - the better your website will run. But, if you're on a tight budget, and only have a couple of bucks to your name — this is a great alternative. You can either spend that cash on a six-pack or pizza or a website. Dealer's choice. So without further ado here's how to create a website in a matter of minutes, and with an extremely limited budget. Fast, simple, dirty, and practical —- tips by Domainnetworks.
Domain name
First thing first, you'll need a domain name:
A domain name is the website address that people type into their browsers to visit a website. The domain name is typically a company or organization's name, but it can also be an abbreviation or acronym for the company or organization.
Domain names are usually written in lowercase letters, and they usually consist of more than one word.
Types of domain names:
- Generic.
- Country-specific.
- Geographical region-specific.
- Industry-specific.
Choosing a domain name is the first step in building your online presence — and sometimes it's also the most frustrating. Domain names should be memorable, easy to spell and type, and distinct from other brands in your industry.
Make sure you have a trademark or copyright for the domain name you choose or purchase it from a company that does. There are many places to purchase a domain name — Including us, Domainnetworks — but since we're an equal opportunity type of business, here's our competition:
- NameCheap
- GoDaddy
- Google Domains
- Hover
Hosting — Where you house your web
Hosting is the process of providing a website or web service with the hardware and software resources it needs to run.
Hosting can be done on a dedicated server, in which case the customer has full control over the machine's hardware and software, or it can be done on a shared hosting server, in which case the customer controls only how much of the machine's resources are allocated to their site. Hosting speed, and the reason why some companies require dedicated servers is the rate at which a web server responds to a request. This is important because it allows your website to load faster and have more visitors.
Do I need a dedicated server? Most of the time, you don't need a dedicated host. It is only required if you are running a large application or website - one with a lot of data and animation - that needs to be online at all times.
A dedicated host is also required when you need to update a website constantly. This is often the case with e-commerce sites, particularly those that house their e-commerce platform - this is because they process orders around the clock. A quick fix, a pro-tip, from us at Domain Networks is, if that's the case, and you're running a burgeoning online business, is to outsource that shopping experience — in most cases, some third-party platforms or websites will take the lead when it comes to your e-commerce needs. They hook up, plugin, or link directly to your bare-bones website, and all commerce, all updates, all security features, all payments solutions, and everything you might need, goes through them and their server/infrastructure.
Otherwise, if you simply require a small website - something with your contact info, a simplified blog, and key data on your business you won't need a dedicated host. It is also important that you find the right hosting company for your website. You want to make sure that the company can provide you with the services and features that you need to run your site effectively.
A good hosting company should have a reliable server, plenty of bandwidth, and a strong uptime guarantee. They should also offer fast load times and have a customer service team available 24/7. The cost for these services varies depending on the type you choose and the company providing it.
You should also consider other features that you may need such as bandwidth or storage capabilities when choosing your host.
How do I construct it?
A website is also an important tool for communication with customers, as well as providing information about the company and its products. A well-designed site can help increase customer loyalty and encourage customer engagement.
The design of the site should be appropriate to the company's goals and objectives, while still being user-friendly. The design should be consistent with other elements of branding, such as logos, colors, fonts, etc. The design should also reflect the target audience of the site (e.g., business customers or consumers).
Today, there are dozens - even hundreds of website building programs or services — most incredibly user-friendly based on drag-and-drop features similar to Word Paint. Website building programs are tools that allow you to create a website without any coding knowledge. You can use these programs to create a website for your business, blog, or just for fun. There are many free and paid website-building programs available on the market. These programs differ in features and price, depending on what you're looking for. Some of them offer templates with pre-built designs while others don't have any templates at all.
Each has different security features and different plug-in add-ons. The best, and most widely used - but requires a modicum of knowledge in WordPress — it is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. WordPress was created in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. There are over 60 million WordPress blogs in existence, with over 100,000 new blogs being created every day.
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