by James Bruton

Created on: December 30, 2006   Last Updated: July 19, 2011

A website is a great way to achieve what you want on the web. Anyone can have a website, and for a basic website, they cost very little, if anything, to set up. A website can be a great way to promote your ideas, share your hobbies, or even sell things online. In this article, we'll learn how to build your own website!

Part 1: Planning your website 

The first thing you'll need to do to build your website is sit down and think about it. What do you want to use it for? What will it be about? What is it's purpose? Think everything through. If you need to, you can even brainstorm on a bit of paper. It's your site, so your ideas are important.

Part 2: Choosing a hosting company 

All sites need to be hosted somewhere if you want other people to access it. To host your website, you'll need a web host. A web host is a company that will host your site on their servers. All hosts are different. Some are free and some aren't. Each type offers different advantages.

A free host offers everything you need from a small to medium sized website. You'll get webspace, bandwidth and other features, depending on the host that you choose. A free site works in all situations, although for a business site, you're company will look more official if you use a paid host. But for a small, personal site, a free host can be just what you need to get everything up and running.

A paid host offers more diskspace and bandwidth, and are paid for on a monthly or annual basis. Some are cheaper than others, but they all offer the same sort of features. One of the benefits of a paid host is that you don't have ads pasted all over your site. Instead, you have the option of inserting your own, which can be useful if you want to make money.

You'll need to find a good web host. Depending on what type of host you want, you can search for one in Google. Searching 'free web host' might be a good place to start. Some good examples of free hosts are Tripod and Awardspace. Good examples of paid hosting sites are Streamline.net and Tripod (paid package).

Part 3: Getting a domain name 

This section is entirely optional. A domain name is basically the web address, or if you prefer, URL. It is what is typed in to access your site. Most paid hosts offer a free domain name, but if you're using a free host, you can purchase a domain name from a domain registrar. You'll have to look around for one. Domain names are usually relatively cheap. You can get a .com domain name for about $20, or 10, a year.

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