There are several components involved in building a website. For beginners, it’s best to stick first with the basics before moving on to more advanced options. The following discussion provides an overview on how to start a website.

Choosing a Site Topic

The most important thing to do first in building a website is to identify its purpose. The kind of website to develop determines the kind of layout, design, and content to incorporate. The topic depends on what you want to accomplish. It may also rely on the kind of industry or niche you are affiliated with. In many cases, these factors along with the type of audience identify the functions to be featured on the site. The following provides a list on different website choices/topics:

•    General Information/Brochure type: A brochure type of website is mainly for businesses. It functions as an online card where the business information, type, products, services and pricing are all listed.

•    Retail/e-commerce: Compared to the brochure type, a retail or e-commerce site has payment processing and shopping cart functions. Customers can directly transact using the site instead of contacting the business first. A good example of an e-commerce site is Amazon.
•     Content-driven: This type of site is mainly informational. Content is regularly uploaded for different purposes. It might be about a specific niche, set of products like product reviews, etc.

•     Blogs: Blogs are almost the same as content-based sites. However, blog posts tend to be more personal. Often, the people involved in the business tend to talk to customers or share their thoughts and other information in a less formal tone as compared to the official website.

It’s important to carefully think of the kind of website. For beginners, it’s good to check out what types of website have been developed in your niche or concerned field.

Registering a Domain

Domain name is one of the most important elements of your website. Regardless of whether you’re going to change your webhost/URL, your domain name remains the same. Your domain name is your identity and is what people usually use to distinguish one site from another. Basically, if you want to have a specific domain name, you have to complete a registration procedure under ICANN. ICANN is an organization responsible for monitoring and recording domain names. Before a domain name is granted, you will have to pay around $10 to $35. Once payment is settled, you earn the right to that domain name. For beginners, it’s best to register the domain name directly with a domain name registrar than to use a web host. Some webhosts tend to claim rights over the domain name and for beginners, this might cost a lot. However, for those who wish to use webhosts, make sure that the host is credible enough. You can ask around and research on which webhosts have high customer rating.

Hosting

Webhosting is an internet function where people can create their own websites. Webhosting is either free or paid. For beginners, it’s better to start first with free webhosting. There are many companies offering free hosting services. Usually, free webhosting only allows the most basic functions such as text editing, graphics editing, ads placement etc. Often, these features are enough to build a good website and reputation. Later on, you can add more features when the website begins to bring in revenue.

In building a website, it’s important that you have the fundamentals. A good and reputable website takes some time to develop so patience is important